WORLD BRIEFING: August 30, 2023
Today marks the 553rd day since Russia launched its full scale invasion of Ukraine
Army officers have appeared on national television in Gabon to say they have taken power. They said they were annulling the results of Saturday's election, in which President Ali Bongo was declared the winner. The electoral commission said Mr Bongo had won just under two-thirds of the votes in an election the opposition argued was fraudulent. His overthrow would end his family's 53-year hold on power in Gabon. Gabon is one of Africa's major oil producers, while nearly 90% of the country is covered by forests. If confirmed, this would be the eighth coup in former French colonies in Africa in the past three years - BBC
GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy got into a heated exchange with Sean Hannity on Monday night after the Fox host cited quotes of Ramaswamy discussing Israel. “You said aid to Israel, our number one ally—only democracy in the region—should end in 2028 and that they should be integrated with their neighbors,” Hannity said, with Ramaswamy interrupting to say: “That’s false.” “I have the exact quote,” Hannity replied. “Want me to read it?” Ramaswamy said he could “tell you the exact quote” and went on to explain that he meant that it would be a “mark of success” in U.S.-Israeli relations if there came a point at which Israel did not need American aid. “Why did you say that Israel should not have preferential treatment from us?” Hannity asked later. “That’s a direct quote.” “No, those are direct quotes from headlines summarized by opposition research fed to the fake news media,” Ramaswamy countered. The squabble comes after Ramaswamy was embroiled in a separate spat last week about his views on 9/11 conspiracies - The Daily Beast
"Four Il-76 aircrafts damaged in Pskov after a drone attack on a military airfield" - Russian TASS news agency. Also per Russian media, microelectronics manufacturer & defense contractor Kremniy EL Group attacked in Bryansk. They make diodes, transistors & other semiconductor devices, LEDs, and piezoelectric devices. Russians report the Ukrainian drone was "shot down" and "fell" on the factory
Russia launched yet another massive missile attack on Ukraine last night. Air Defense Forces destroyed all 28 cruise missiles and 15 of the 16 attack drones used by Russia to attack Ukraine last night. In Kyiv, fragments fell in two districts. Two people were killed, several more were injured. There were several fires in Kyiv and Kyiv region. The bodies of two people were found in a non residential building and one person was wounded by glass shards, mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram. “Kyiv has not experienced such a powerful attack since spring. The enemy launched a massive, combined attack using drones and missiles,” Serhiy Popko, the head of the city’s military administration, said on Telegram. He said that at the beginning several groups of drones were heading for Kyiv from different directions. Russia then launched missiles from Tu-95 strategic aircrafts. Kyiv authorities said several buildings were damaged by debris while officials in Kyiv region reported that six private houses were damaged by missile fragments and several people were injured - BBC
The Biden administration unveiled another $250 million aid package meant for Ukraine Tuesday as the eastern European nation’s counter-offensive against invading Russian forces grinds on. Materiel set to be dispatched to the war-torn country include AIM-9M missiles for air defense, 155mm and 105mm artillery ammunition, munitions for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), more than three million rounds of small arms ammunition, and ambulances, according to the State Department.
