August 10, 2023 - Russia-Ukraine news

Among the injured children is a 3-year-old girl, said Anatolii Kurtev, secretary of the Zaporizhzhia City Council, in a Telegram message. Authorities have said one person was killed in the attack. 

Meanwhile, in the Kharkiv region, a woman was killed and two men were injured after Russian shelling in villages, said Oleh Syniehubov, the head of the Kharkiv region military administration, in a Thursday Telegram post. 

• Ukrainian navy announces new Black Sea corridors: The Ukrainian navy has announced temporary corridors for civilian shipping in the Black Sea following the suspension of the Grain Initiative. Russia withdrew from the arrangement last month. The Ukrainian navy issued an order declaring "temporary corridors for merchant ships sailing to/from Ukrainian ports."
• Biden asks Congress for $24 billion in more Ukraine assistance: President Joe Biden is asking Congress for more than $24 billion for Ukraine and other international needs as he works to sustain support for the war amid signs of softening support among Americans. The request — which includes more than $13 billion in security assistance and $7.3 billion for economic and humanitarian assistance for Ukraine — sets up a potential battle with Republicans in Congress.
• Founder of Russian tech company calls war "barbaric": Arkady Volozh, the founder and former CEO of Russia’s largest internet company, criticized President Vladimir Putin's "barbaric" invasion of Ukraine, becoming one of the most prominent Russian businessmen to express criticism of what Russia still calls euphemistically its "special military operation." 

"They were targeting children. The Reikartz hotel in Zaporizhzhia, which was hit by a missile attack by Russian terrorists today, is the site of a children's day camp for kids aged 6 to 13," the ministry tweeted. "The camp operates until 6 p.m. every day. The strike was launched at 7 p.m. One person was killed, and 16 were injured. Only a miracle of timing saved the children from the russian [sic] killers today." 

The hotel was also frequently used by UN personnel and members of other humanitarian organizations helping residents in the area. 

Among the injured children is a 3-year-old girl, said Anatolii Kurtev, secretary of the Zaporizhzhia City Council, in a Telegram message. 

"The girl is currently hospitalized. There the child is under the supervision of doctors and parents. The child's condition is not severe. We pray for her speedy recovery," he added. 

Authorities have said one person was killed in the attack. 

Lina Fesenko, a spokesperson for a unit of the National Guard of Ukraine, told CNN that the missile attack — which happened just before 8 p.m. local time on Wednesday — killed the two women soon after they'd given an impromptu performance in the square where the missile landed.

Kristina Spitsyna was 21-years-old.  She was the daughter of a National Guardsman, Oleksandr Spitsyn, who volunteered soon after the Russian invasion began, according to Fesenko.

Fesenko said that Kristina and her friend Svitlana Semeikina, 19, had just finished performing a street concert for local residents and had raised money to support the military.

Semeikina was killed instantly; Kristina succumbed to her injuries in hospital Thursday morning.

The two friends had formed a duo called "Similar Girl", and their songs included a tribute to the National Guard on Father's Day.

The video of the song has received about one and a half million views on various social networks.

A woman was killed and two men were injured after Russian shelling in villages in the Kharkiv region, said Oleh Syniehubov, the head of the Kharkiv region military administration, in a Thursday Telegram post. 

"Russian occupiers are firing on the civilian population of Kharkiv Oblast," Syniehubov said.

He said a residential building was hit in the village of Podoly in the Kupyansk district.

"Unfortunately, a woman died. A man was injured. Emergency services are working at the scene," Syniehubov said. 

In addition, a 73-year-old man was injured in the village of Vovchanski Khutroy, he said.  

The founder and former CEO of Russia’s largest internet company, Arkady Volozh, criticized President Vladimir Putin's "barbaric" invasion of Ukraine, becoming one of the most prominent Russian businessmen to express criticism of what Russia still calls euphemistically its "special military operation." 

“I've been asked a lot of questions over the past year, and especially a lot of them came up this week. I would like to clarify my position," Volozh said in a statement released to the media. 

"I am totally against Russia's barbaric invasion of Ukraine, where I, like many, have friends and relatives. I am horrified by the fact that every day bombs fly into the homes of Ukrainians," said Volozh, describing himself "as a "Kazakhstan-born, Israeli tech entrepreneur, computer scientist, investor, and philanthropist."

"Despite the fact that I have not lived in Russia since 2014, I understand that I also have a share of responsibility for the actions of the country," he added. "There were many reasons why I had to remain silent. You can argue about the timeliness of my statement, but not about its substance. I am against war."

In June 2022, Volozh quit as CEO of Yandex, which also operates Russia's most popular search engine, after he was sanctioned by the European Union over Russia's actions in Ukraine. 

"Volozh is a leading businessperson involved in economic sectors providing a substantial source of revenue to the Government of the Russian Federation, which is responsible for the annexation of Crimea and the destabilization of Ukraine," the EU said. "Yandex is also responsible for promoting State media and narratives in its search results, and de-ranking and removing content critical of the Kremlin, such as content related to Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine."

In his statement, Volozh said after moving to Israel in 2014, he has been working on developing Yandex's international projects. "But in February 2022, the world changed, and I realized that my story with Yandex was over."

"After the outbreak of the war, I focused on supporting talented Russian engineers who decided to leave the country and start a new life. It turned out to be a difficult task that required a lot of effort, attention and caution," he said. 

President Joe Biden is asking Congress for more than $24 billion for Ukraine and other international needs as he works to sustain support for the war amid signs of softening support among Americans.

The request — which includes more than $13 billion in security assistance and $7.3 billion for economic and humanitarian assistance for Ukraine — sets up a potential battle with Republicans in Congress, some of whom voice skepticism about providing Ukraine any more money.

As a counteroffensive wears on and prospects of the war concluding soon appear slim, the funding will act as evidence of whether US support for Ukraine can be sustained. 

The new funding request, which will be unveiled later Thursday, will be paired with a $12 billion request for new funding for disaster relief, potentially sweetening the package for skeptical Republicans who have voiced concern about approving more Ukraine aid.

It also includes $3.3 billion meant to fund infrastructure in countries affected by the Russian invasion, an attempt at preventing coercive Chinese lending from taking hold in those nations. And it includes $4 billion in funding for border security.

In total, the supplemental request adds up to roughly $40 billion.

“As the impacts of Russia’s war reverberate around the globe, the United States is committed to maintaining strong global opposition to Russia’s illegal war,” wrote Biden’s budget director Shalanda Young in a letter to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Thursday laying out the request.

How long US support for Ukraine can continue has been a pressing and open question among the global coalition that’s rallied behind the country since Russia’s invasion in February 2022. Biden has promised support will last “as long as it takes,” but an increasingly skeptical Republican Party has cast doubt on US commitment to the battle.

Klymenko said crews are rescuing people who remained in the building while the fire was raging.

"Another evening of Russian terror in Zaporizhzhia," he said on Telegram. "Rescuers promptly extinguished the fire that broke out at the site of strike."

"Together with the police, the rescuers are inspecting the premises and helping people get out of the damaged building. We continue to work and rescue," Klymenko added.