Latest Developments in Ukraine: August 13

For full coverage of the crisis in Ukraine, visit Flashpoint Ukraine. The latest developments in Russia’s war on Ukraine. All times EDT. 4:11 a.m.: Spain and Portugal backed Germany's call for a gas pipeline linking the Iberian peninsula to central Europe on Friday, and Madrid said its part of the project could be operational within months, Agence France-Presse reported. The proposal came as Europe struggles to find ways to rapidly reduce its energy dependence on Russia following the invasion of Ukraine, which has upended the power market and sent prices soaring and nations scrambling for supplies. Spain has six liquefied natural gas terminals for processing gas that arrives by sea, which could help the EU boost imports. But it has only two low-capacity links to France's gas network, which has connections to the rest of Europe. Madrid has been pushing to revive the pipeline project linking the Catalan Pyrenees with France, which could significantly increase its supply capacity. 3:18 a.m.: In its latest assessment of the Ukraine conflict, the U.S. think tank the Institute for the Study of War said Russian forces conducted ground attacks east of Siversk, northeast and southeast of Bakhmut, and southwest and northwest of Donetsk City. Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces destroyed the last functioning bridge Russian forces used to transport military equipment near the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant, the update said. Also, Ukrainian officials confirmed additional Ukrainian strikes on Russian ammunition depots and a logistics point in Kherson Oblast. 2:06 a.m.: Russian oil flows to the Czech Republic will resume through the Druzhba pipeline after more than a week on Friday evening, Slovak pipeline operator Transpetrol said, as transit fee payments were unblocked, Reuters reported. Supplies via the Druzhba pipeline had been suspended to the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia since Aug. 4 because Western sanctions prevented paying transit fees to Ukrainian transit company Ukrtransnafta, Russian pipeline monopoly Transneft said Tuesday. A European bank has agreed to process the payment for the transit of Russian oil through Ukraine, removing the cause of the stoppage. 1:07 a.m.: Ukraine's security agencies issued a joint statement on Friday calling for the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross to send representatives to locations where Russia is holding Ukrainian prisoners of war, Reuters reported. The request follows earlier allegations by Kyiv that Moscow's forces have tortured and executed prisoners, including by staging an explosion in a Ukrainian POW camp in Olenivka. Moscow claims Ukraine shelled the facility, killing over 50 POWs. 12:02 a.m.: Russia has told the United States that diplomatic ties would be badly damaged or even broken off if Russia is declared a "state sponsor of terrorism," Tass cited a top official as saying Friday, according to Reuters. Alexander Darchiyev, head of the North American department at the Russian Foreign Ministry, said if the U.S. Senate went through with plans to single out Russia, this would mean Washington had crossed the point of no return, Tass said. "The American side has been warned," he added. Latvia's parliament on Thursday designated Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism over the war in Ukraine and called on Western allies to impose more comprehensive sanctions on Moscow. Some information in this report came from Reuters and Agence France-Presse.

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