In a survey, a large majority of Ukrainians spoke out against compromises with war opponent Russia in exchange for a peace agreement.

According to the results published yesterday by two well-known institutes, more than 90 percent of the approximately 2,000 respondents are against the transfer of territory. Almost 74 percent ruled out the option of joining NATO. Meanwhile, the presidents of Ukraine and Russia sought broad support from the heads of state and government of other countries. According to the authorities, the air defense in Moscow fended off new Ukrainian drone attacks. The survey was conducted in government-controlled regions excluding Luhansk Oblast, Donetsk Oblast and the Crimean Peninsula.

Ukraine: Russian anti-aircraft system destroyed in Crimea

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian military intelligence service said it had destroyed a Russian S-400 "Triumph" anti-aircraft system on the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, which was annexed by Moscow. "As a result of the explosion, the facility, the associated missiles and the operating personnel were completely destroyed," said the secret service.

Drone footage was released showing the explosion on the Tarhankut promontory at the westernmost end of the peninsula. Images of a large explosion cloud were also distributed on social networks. The Ukrainian authorities did not initially say how the Russian air defense system was attacked. Russia initially did not comment on this.

On Tuesday, the head of the Ukrainian military intelligence service, Kyrylo Budanov, announced further attacks on Crimea, which had already been annexed by Russia in violation of international law in 2014. At the same time, the Ministry of Defense in Moscow also reported on two US and one Ukrainian reconnaissance drones near Crimea.

Dead and injured as a result of Russian attacks

Meanwhile, at least six civilians have been killed in Ukraine by Russian shelling and drone attacks. At least two teachers were killed in a drone attack on a school in the city of Romny in the northeastern Ukrainian region of Sumy, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said. At least three other people were injured.

There were also civilian casualties in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk. According to the authorities, three civilians were killed and another four injured by artillery fire the day before. One person was injured in the neighboring Kharkiv region. At least one person was killed and another eleven injured in attacks with glide bombs and artillery in the southern Ukrainian region of Cherson.

There were also massive artillery, drone and rocket attacks in the neighboring Zaporizhia region. According to the authorities, there were no civilian casualties there.

Zelenskyj thanks EU countries for military and reconstruction aid

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj was satisfied with the results of his multi-day trip through European capitals and thanked the countries for the promised military and reconstruction aid. "There are planes for Ukraine. There is additional armor and we are strengthening air defenses," he said in his daily video address. This time it was recorded on a train that Selenskyj was taking back to Kiev after traveling through various EU countries.

After stays in Sweden, the Netherlands and Denmark, he finally visited Greece and spoke to several heads of state and government in the Balkan region, explained Zelenskyj. Denmark and the Netherlands recently promised Ukraine the delivery of Western F-16 fighter jets. Zelenskyy thanked Greece not only for the arms aid, but also for the promise to take over the patronage for the reconstruction of the Ukrainian port city of Odessa, which had been hit several times by Russian rocket and drone attacks.

Putin denies blame for breach of grain deal

Meanwhile, during an appearance at the Brics summit in South Africa, Russian President Vladimir Putin renewed his criticism of the West and Ukraine. For example, the grain agreement with Ukraine was suspended because none of the conditions laid down in the agreement to facilitate the export of Russian grain and fertilizers had been met. "The commitments to Russia on this were simply ignored," he claimed in a video-transmitted speech at the Brics Group meeting of key emerging economies in South Africa.

Moscow will only lift the blockade of Ukrainian ports and return to the agreement once all Russian demands have been met, Putin said. At the same time, he offered to replace Ukrainian grain deliveries on the world market with Russian transports, "both on a commercial basis and through free aid to the needy countries". Despite international warnings of a food crisis, Moscow suspended the agreement concluded last summer on the export of Ukrainian grain, mediated by the UN and Turkey.

Biden adviser: Continued US bipartisan support

The US government continues to pledge long-term support to Ukraine - despite contradictory tones from parts of the Republican Party. US President Joe Biden's national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, said there were strong Republican and Democratic voices in key leadership positions in both the House and Senate that advocated continuing financial support for Kiev. The government therefore assumes that aid to Kiev will be maintained, even if there are some dissenting voices on the Republican side.

London: Russian supplies sometimes have to take long detours

The Russian troops in southern Ukraine sometimes have to take long supply routes after Ukrainian attacks on bridges. This emerges from the daily intelligence report from the Ministry of Defense in London on Wednesday. Accordingly, two bridges between the Russian-occupied Black Sea peninsula of Crimea and southern Ukraine were hit and damaged by precision strikes in early August. The British announced that floating bridges were still in use at the crossings from Tschonhar and Henichesk in the middle of the month.

"The pontoon bridges should not be able to withstand the entire volume of heavy vehicles with ammunition and weapons," the statement continued. The resulting bottleneck meant that Russian forces were partially dependent on a long detour via Armiansk in northern Crimea. "This places an additional burden on Russia's logistical network in the south," the statement said.

Russia attacks port in southern Ukraine

According to Ukrainian sources, Russia again attacked a port in southern Ukraine with so-called kamikaze drones. Manufacturing and handling facilities had been hit, the governor of the southern Ukrainian region of Odessa, Oleh Kiper, told Telegram on Wednesday. As a result, a fire broke out over a total area of ​​700 square meters. Destroyed warehouses with grain could be seen in pictures. According to local media, the objects were at the Danube port of Izmail on the Romanian border, which had already been attacked in early August.

Nothing was reported about possible civilian casualties. According to the Ukrainian Air Force, a total of 20 combat drones were fired at Ukraine during the night, of which the air defenses intercepted 11.

What is important today

The summit of the Brics countries Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa continues in South Africa's economic metropolis Johannesburg. Kremlin chief Putin wants to be connected to the plenary session again via video.