**Ukrainian Intelligence Hacks Russian Defense Data as Moscow Targets Sumy with Missiles**
*Ukrainian Intelligence Claims to Have Breached Russian Defense Industry Information Related to Drones*
Earlier on Saturday, Ukraine’s intelligence agency announced what it described as the “widest cyberattacks against platforms of industrial facilities in Russia.” The agency confirmed that it targeted websites of companies supporting Russia’s military industry and successfully breached information related to Russian defense industries concerning drones.
In a related context, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Russia wants to “destroy” Ukraine, but the war has “returned to their homes.” He made this statement in a video speech commemorating Ukraine’s Independence Day, recorded, according to him, at the border area where Kyiv launched its surprise attack on Russia.
As Kyiv marks its independence from the Soviet Union, the war with Moscow enters its third year, with Kyiv launching an attack inside Russian borders since August 6. President Zelensky posted this video, which was filmed in an abandoned forest area in the Sumy region, which he visited earlier this week, stating it was “a few kilometers” from where Ukrainian forces launched their attack.
Zelensky added that Ukraine “will surprise again,” warning that Russia will “learn what revenge is.” He considered that Russia, by launching its military operation in Ukraine in 2022, was aiming for one thing: “to destroy us.” Instead, “today we celebrate the 33rd anniversary of Ukraine’s independence. What the enemy brought to our land has now returned to theirs.”
He emphasized, “Anyone who sows evil on our land will reap the consequences on their own. This is not a prediction, not gloating, not blind revenge. It is justice.” Zelensky described Russian President Vladimir Putin as “an old sick man from Red Square who constantly threatens everyone with the red button.”
Recently, Moscow hinted at the threat of a nuclear catastrophe if the Ukrainian army attacked the Kursk nuclear plant, located in the region where Kyiv has been conducting its offensive for the past two weeks.
On August 6, Ukraine launched a major attack on this Russian border region, capturing dozens of towns and hundreds of square kilometers. Meanwhile, Russian forces continue to make gains in eastern Ukraine, claiming they are inflicting losses on the Ukrainians and preventing their advances into deeper territory.
Since the beginning of Ukraine’s attack on Russia, over 130,000 people have fled the fighting and explosions, according to authorities in the Kursk region. The TASS news agency reported that at least 31 civilians were killed, and 143 others were wounded.
**The Threat of the Russian-Linked Orthodox Church**
In another development, on Saturday, Ukrainian President Zelensky signed a law banning the Russian-linked Orthodox Church in Ukraine. The decision was published on the Ukrainian Parliament’s website.
Zelensky approved the law, condemned by Russia, on the day marking Ukraine’s independence from the Soviet Union. Ukraine has been distancing itself from the Russian Church since 2014, with efforts accelerating since the outbreak of war in 2022.
Zelensky stated that this step would strengthen his country’s independence. In his Saturday speech, he announced that “the Ukrainian Orthodox Church is taking a step today towards liberation from Moscow’s demons,” as he put it.
The Ukrainian Orthodox Church formally broke away from the Moscow Patriarchate in 2022, but Ukrainian officials often accuse its clergy of remaining loyal to Russia. The Russian military operation in Ukraine has been supported by the head of the Orthodox Church in the country, Patriarch Kirill, a strong ally of President Vladimir Putin.
by/radwa sherif ✏️✏️📚