*Russia-Ukraine War: Key Events on Day 915*

As the war reaches its 915th day, here are the key developments:

28 Aug 2024

**Fighting**

- At least six people were killed and nine injured across Ukraine, including in Kryvyi Rih and Zaporizhzhia, following a second day of Russian missile and drone attacks. This comes after Russia launched its largest aerial assault since the invasion began in 2022.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy vowed retaliation against Russia. Ukraine's air force reported downing five of ten missiles and 60 of 81 drones launched by Russia on Tuesday, with some destroyed by Western-supplied F-16 fighter jets. Ten additional drones were lost, likely falling within Ukrainian territory, while one crossed into Belarus.
- Ukraine’s Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskii announced the capture of 594 Russian soldiers and control of 1,294 square kilometers (nearly 500 square miles) and 100 settlements since beginning its incursion into Russia’s Kursk region on August 6.
- Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), visited the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant, noting its vulnerability to accidents due to the lack of a protective dome amid ongoing regional conflict.
- Vyacheslav Gladkov, Governor of Russia’s Belgorod region, described the border situation with Ukraine as “difficult but under control” despite reports of an attack on a border checkpoint at Nekhoteyevka.
- Ukraine’s Syrskii reported that the situation around Pokrovsk in eastern Ukraine remains “fairly difficult,” with Russia using its advantage in personnel, weapons, and equipment to disrupt Ukrainian supply lines. Russia’s Ministry of Defence claimed its forces had captured the village of Orlivka near Pokrovsk.

**Politics and Diplomacy**

- Zelenskyy plans to present a “victory plan” to U.S. President Joe Biden and his potential successors during his visit to the United Nations General Assembly in New York next month. The plan aims to position Ukraine favorably for eventual peace talks and compel Russia to end the war.
- China’s Special Envoy for Eurasian Affairs, Li Hui, urged more countries to support China’s peace plan for Ukraine following diplomatic engagements with Indonesia, Brazil, and South Africa. China had not participated in the June peace summit organized by Switzerland but issued a joint peace plan with Brazil earlier this year.
- Moscow reported that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the Ukraine war. Modi had visited Kyiv last week.
- Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov condemned Ukraine’s decision to ban a Russia-linked Orthodox Church branch, calling it an attack on Christianity and religious freedom. Kyiv accuses the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) of supporting Russia’s war through pro-Russian propaganda and espionage.
- Russia’s FSB security service has opened criminal cases against two additional foreign journalists—one from German broadcaster Deutsche Welle and one from Ukraine’s 1+1 TV channel—who reported from the Kursk region. This brings the total number of foreign journalists facing criminal cases to at least seven.

**Weapons**

- Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine recently conducted the first successful test of a domestically-produced ballistic missile, though details remain undisclosed.