Washington called on its citizens in Ukraine to leave immediately, in a warning that is the first of its kind since the start of the war last February, amid expectations that Russia will target civilian and government buildings in the country.

While Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky pledged to restore all of his country's occupied areas, including Crimea, the mutual bombardment intensified between his country's forces and Russian forces on the southern and eastern fronts.

In a statement published by the US Embassy in Ukraine on its website, the US State Department said it had obtained information that Russia is intensifying its efforts to launch strikes against civilian infrastructure and government facilities in Ukraine in the coming days.

The statement noted that Russian strikes in Ukraine pose an ongoing threat to civilians and civilian infrastructure.

Expectations of an escalation of fighting in Ukraine 6 months after the Russian attack (European)

Washington's embassy in Kyiv has also urged its citizens to leave Ukraine now using the ground transportation options available to the private sector, if it is safe to do so.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned a week ago that Russia could launch what he called "brutal" attacks during Ukraine's independence anniversary celebrations.

Ukraine celebrates Independence Day on August 24, which marks the half-year anniversary of the Russian war.

Zelensky vows

In a related context, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky pledged that the Ukrainian flag would be raised over all temporarily occupied Ukrainian lands, including the Crimea, while Russia carried out artillery and air strikes in several areas in Zaporozhye, according to the Ukrainian General Staff.

Zelensky participated in the raising of the Ukrainian flag at the memorial in Kyiv to celebrate National Day on Tuesday, saying that the blue and yellow flag of Ukraine will fly again where it should be.

Zelensky pledged to restore the Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014 (Reuters)

Zelensky stressed that attempts to falsify history will not work, and that his country will not recognize any other flags on Ukrainian lands, including Crimea, Donetsk and Lugansk.

During the summit devoted to Crimea, he stressed that the Crimea is part of the territory of Ukraine, and that he would not accept anything but the restoration of full control over it.

He added that the war on Russia must be won and Crimea liberated from Russian occupation;

Because that will enhance security in Europe, he says.

He explained that Kyiv continues to pay pensions to pensioners in Crimea and is studying how to restore normal life in it after the expulsion of the Russian occupier.

About 60 countries and international organizations are participating in the second Crimean Platform summit, which started on Tuesday.

Turkish armor

The Defense News website, which specializes in defense news, quoted Turkish government and industrial sources as saying that the Turkish government has delivered 50 used mine-resistant vehicles to the Ukrainian army.

The website quoted a government official as saying that the delivery of the "Kirby" mine-proof and ambush-protected vehicles was the result of a government agreement, not a deal between Ukraine and the vehicle manufacturer BMC.

Turkish armored vehicles Kirby during a military parade in Istanbul (Shutterstock)

"Under the agreement, the Turkish Ministry of National Defense has delivered an initial batch of 50 Kirby vehicles to Ukraine... and there will be more deliveries," the government source said.

An official in the company told the website that there is no connection between the company and the agreement, and that the Turkish government has delivered the batch of vehicles in its military stockpile.

It was not possible to obtain an immediate comment on what the site said.

During the Ukrainian war, Ankara delivered Bayraktar drones to Kiev, which had a significant impact in the battles against Russian forces, according to what the Ukrainian Defense Ministry announced.

mutual bombing

On the ground, the pro-Russian Civil and Military Administration in Kherson announced that two people were killed and 16 others injured as a result of Ukrainian shelling targeting the Atonovsky Bridge near the city in southern Ukraine.

The pro-Russian separatists in Donetsk also announced that two people were killed in a Ukrainian bombing of the city center, and the city authorities said that the bombing targeted a presidential building and led to a fire in it, noting that the shells also targeted a hotel, a commercial center and residential buildings in the city.

The authorities indicated that the bombing was carried out by artillery that Ukraine had obtained from NATO.

In turn, the Southern District Command of the Ukrainian Armed Forces announced that they had destroyed ammunition depots and Russian air defense sites in the areas occupied by the south of the country.

Ukrainian planes also attacked military positions in the southern area of ​​operations.

Also on the southern front, the Russian army targeted Odessa, various regions of Zaporozhye, the Dnipro region and the Mykolaiv region.

On the eastern front, the Russian forces continued their attempts to advance on the Bakhmut front, as missiles and artillery bombed the city of Kramatorsk in Donetsk, while Russian missiles fell in Kharkiv near the border with Russia.