u/KI_official

Former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov called for Ukraine to find a way to restore the democratic process during the war, arguing that Russia should not dictate when Ukrainians choose their leadership.

“Democracy is not a peacetime luxury. Democracy is part of what we are fighting for today,” Fedorov said on Aug. 18.

The Kyiv Independent’s Yevheniia Doluda asked people on the streets of Kyiv to ask Ukrainians what they think about holding elections while the full-scale war continues.

A Russian missile strike on the village of Pechenihy in Kharkiv Oblast killed 10 people and injured 17 others on Aug. 18, local authorities reported.

Two Russian missiles struck the area, sparking fires across a cafe, an outbuilding, and a private garage. The attack also damaged a post office, local shops, residential homes, and several vehicles.

Photo: State Emergency Service / Telegram.

Russian drones struck the city of Kramatorsk in Donetsk Oblast on Aug. 16, killing a 19-year-old employee and injuring seven other people, officials reported.

Russian forces used a Geran-2 drone to strike a postal facility at around 4:00 p.m., according to the National Police. Governor Vadym Filashkin earlier reported that an enterprise in the city center was also damaged in the attack.

Kramatorsk lies less than 20 kilometers from the nearest Russian positions in Donetsk Oblast and has faced frequent Russian drone and glide bomb attacks.

A major transport and logistics hub, the heavily fortified city sits at the junction of key road and rail routes. Its capture would bring Russia closer to its goal of seizing the remaining Ukrainian-held parts of Donetsk Oblast.