Russia says Ukraine launched over 600 drones towards Moscow

**Celia Hatton** (0:00)
This is the Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service.
I'm Celia Hatton, and at 14 GMT on Tuesday, the 18th of August, these are our top stories. As Russia and Ukraine exchange strikes, a senior officer in the Ukrainian military tells the BBC that long-range attacks deep inside Russian territory will continue. Moscow warns Britain that there will be consequences, following revelations that British drones were used by Ukraine to strike Russia. And a cousin of the deposed Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad has been sentenced to death for a series of crimes, including murder and torture.

**SPEAKER_2** (0:40)
Also in this podcast, I therefore declare Hichilema Hakainde S to be president-elect.

**Celia Hatton** (0:51)
The president of Zambia wins another term in office, but the opposition says the vote wasn't fair.
Let's start with Russia's war with Ukraine. The Ukrainian authorities have ordered the evacuation of more than 2,000 families with children from the region of Dniepropetrovsk near the front line, following an increase in Russian strikes. Overnight, both sides carried out attacks on each other, Russia and Ukraine. At least 10 people died in a Russian missile strike in northeastern Ukraine's Kharkiv region. On the other side of the border, the mayor of Moscow says more than 600 Ukrainian drones targeted the Russian capital on Monday evening. It's part of a campaign by Kyiv to try to take the war deep into Russia by destroying military supply lines and infrastructure facilities. In a secret location in Kyiv, our Ukraine correspondent Dan Johnson talked to the country's deputy chief of military intelligence Vadim Skibitsky about how Ukraine is trying to combat Russia.
Dan spoke to me about the interview, but he started by talking about the latest Russian attacks on Ukraine.

**Dan Johnson** (1:59)
There were more strikes on different Ukrainian cities. There were five rounds of air alerts in Kyiv, but also deadly attacks in Kharkiv this morning. A missile attack there is reported to have killed 10 Ukrainians and wounded more people there. Also reports of deaths in Kherson, in Sumi and in Zaporizhzhia too. So the current death toll stands at 17, we understand, because of those attacks last night. It underlines again the challenge that Ukraine faces in defending itself against Russian attacks.

**Celia Hatton** (2:33)
Dan, you've spoken to Ukrainian military intelligence. What have they told you?

**Dan Johnson** (2:37)
Yes, we sat down to talk to the deputy chief of Ukraine's intelligence organization. He's called Major General Vadim Skibitsky. And I started by asking him about Ukraine's long-range drone attacks into Russia.
They've been successful in targeting a number of sites, a number of facilities, including oil refineries and warehouses, distribution centers. And he told me he thought those attacks were justified.

**Vadim Skibitsky** (3:04)
We should destroy and disrupt, first of all, production weaponry. And that is why one of the main objects for us is the defense industry. And of course, next one, logistics system, including in some case, wild berries, for example. Because it's one of the elements of the logistics system of the Russian Federation to wage the war. Including, for example, through wild berries, some military equipment, military components and another elements that the Russian Federation uses for war.

**Celia Hatton** (3:35)
Dan, looking ahead, what do the Ukrainians expect this winter to look like? Because in past winters, Russians have targeted infrastructure, like power facilities.

**Dan Johnson** (3:46)
Yes, the situation last winter was particularly grim for many Ukrainians. It was very cold and they were for long periods without heating, lighting, electricity. And the Major General said that he feared, in fact, his greatest fear looking ahead, was that that situation would be repeated and would be even worse. I asked him what concerns you most. I thought he may say the lack of Patriot missile interceptors that they need to defend the skies. He acknowledged that shortage, but he actually said he worries most about the misery that Russia may inflict in the coming winter.

**Vadim Skibitsky** (4:18)
The destroyer disrupts water supply system, heating system, electricity system, and other objects and facilities for normal life of civilian population.

**Celia Hatton** (4:30)
And Dan, what about accusations that the Ukrainian side might be hitting civilian targets in Russia now?

**Dan Johnson** (4:37)
Yes, Russia has claimed that there have been civilian deaths linked to this campaign of long-range drone strikes. The Deputy Head of Ukrainian Intelligence said that Ukraine does not target civilians, but that he considered the sites they have been hitting to be legitimate because they are supplying the military. I said, given the prospects for this winter and the number of Ukrainian civilians who are being hurt and killed, did he actually consider that Ukraine was winning this war?