We’re closing our live coverage on the war in Ukraine for now.

We’ll return with any major developments this evening. If not, we’ll be back tomorrow with all the latest updates.

Here is a reminder of today’s key events:

• Russia claims to have begun pushing back Ukrainian troops in Kursk, but a senior official admitted Kyiv’s forces were regrouping for another attack.
• Some new Ukrainian soldiers have refused to fire at the enemy and are struggling with basic combat movements, according to the Associated Press. Citing commanders and fellow fighters, it was said that a few new recruits had even walked away from their posts, abandoning the battlefield altogether.
• Russian authorities in Kursk have begun installing concrete shelters for civilians amid the ongoing Ukrainian incursion into the region – suggesting local authorities are bedding down for a sustained battle.

• Ukraine says it is inflicting “tangible losses” on Russia with its Kursk incursion.
• New satellite images show thick plumes of black smoke rising from a burning oil depot in Rostov, Russia.

We reported earlier today (see our 12.20 post) of a volunteer group helping those in need evacuate from settlements around Pokrovsk.

But the Russian advance has seemingly continued throughout today, and further evacuations in Pokrovsk itself is going ahead at pace.

At the train station, loved ones could be seen embracing before they parted ways, before packed carriages left the platform.

A Russian bomb attack has killed two people in Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy region.

Moscow dropped two guided bombs on civilian infrastructure, regional proescutors said in a statement.

Russia has relentlessly pummelled such border regions with strikes and bomb attacks since the invasion began.

Kyiv said its shock incursion into the Kursk region was partly aimed at cutting off Russia’s ability to carry out such attacks.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy recently visited the region and said there had been a decrease in shelling and civilian casualities since the Kursk incursion.

Earlier this week, on 17 August, there was another missile strike in Sumy, which left burnt out husks of cars behind as firefighters had to put out the blaze.

Russia’s air superiority has also proven a problem for Ukraine in the east, where Moscow makes continued creeping progress towards a number of key settlements.

Earlier today (see our 9.26 post), we reported on a Ukrainian drone attack on a Russian military facility.

The airfield was said to be, in part, used as storage for glide bombs, a cheaply produced weapon that has been particularly damaging for Ukraine.

It further shows Ukraine’s desire to hit and cripple Russia’s air superiority to gain an upperhand in the ongoing war.

Readers have been sending in their questions to our senior correspondents and military experts for their take on the changing battlefield environment.

Today, A Douglas asks:

Will the Kursk incursion affect Russia’s ability to resupply its troops in Ukraine?

Military analyst Sean Bell answers:

Although Ukraine has not declared the military objectives of its incursion into Russia, it has stated that it has no intention of holding Russian territory currently occupied.

As part of its offensive in the Kursk region, Ukraine has destroyed three Russian bridges over the Seym river which would have been vital resupply routes for Russian forces in occupied territories.

However, the motive for destroying these arterial routes is probably more focused on protecting the Ukrainian forces involved in the operation, rather than disrupting Russian supply lines.

The Ukrainian attack certainly caught the Russians by surprise when it launched its audacious assault over two weeks ago.

The incursion marks the first loss of Russian territory since Operation BARBAROSSA in 1941.

However, although the Ukrainian operation appears designed to have strategic effect, it involves a relatively small area of Russian territory.

Thus Russia will have a significant number of alternative logistic supply options to maintain the huge logistical support required to sustain its forces in occupied Ukraine.

In sum, it appears unlikely that the Kursk incursion will impact adversely on Russia’s ability to support its forward-deployed forces.

Ukraine has taken another step toward joining the International Criminal Court today.

Kyiv ratified the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, opening up the future possibility of more prosecutions of Russian officials for war crimes.

Ukraine’s parliament voted on Wednesday to ratify the ICC statute.

Membership of the ICC is a requirement to joining the EU, which Ukraine hopes to do.

It was formally accepted as a candidate in June 2022.

The document was initially signed over two decades ago by the Ukrainian government, in 2000, but the Constitutional Court blocked ratification, saying it was unconstitutional to allow the ICC to rule on Ukraine’s actions.

Many Ukrainians feared that ratifying it could allow the ICC to prosecute Ukrainian citizens who had particpated in conflict on their own territory.

To manage such concerns, the legislation contains a clause saying that Ukraine will not recognise the ICC’s jurisdiction in cases where crimes may have been committed by Ukrainian nationals.

In 2023, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Vladimir Putin and Russia’s presidential commissioner for children’s rights Maria Lvova-Belova, over allegations of war crimes.

A Ukrainian teenager who escaped the war in his home country is celebrating “excellent” GCSE results today.

Oles Kuzomko fled Kyiv with his mother Mila and came to the UK in May 2022 while his father, Roman, remained behind to fight – but later died from sepsis.

The 16-year-old relocated to Silsden, near Bradford, and attended Bradford Grammar School (BGS).

Now, he’s celebrating acheiving 10 GCSEs, including three 8s, five 7s and two 6s.

Oles also took online courses for the Ukrainian equivalent to GCSEs – all while studying in the UK.

The teen said: “I’m really proud of my physics and biology grades and I’m so grateful to BGS, especially the teachers who have helped me on an individual basis.”

Simon Hinchliffe, headmaster at BGS, said: “Oles’ extraordinary accomplishments are a testament to his dedication and determination to succeed against all odds.

“His journey from a war-torn country to achieving excellent results at BGS is nothing short of inspiring.”

Ukraine has disputed Vladimir Putin’s claims that they targeted a nuclear power plant in the Kursk region in an overnight attack.

“The enemy tried to strike at the nuclear power plant during the night,” Putin claimed in a meeting with top officials.

He added: “The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has been informed.”

The Russian president put forward no evidence during the meeting to support his claims, as he discussed the situation in Russia’s border regions.

A Ukrainian official called Mr Putin’s claims “propaganda” and “a pure lie”.

Andrii Kovalenko, head of Ukraine’s counter-disinformation department, said: “Russia’s desired scenario of Ukraine’s Defense Forces attacking the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant to accuse them of nuclear terrorism fell apart, so Putin joined the propaganda.

“Everything points to the fact that Russia itself can carry out this provocation and will try to bring it to the international level.”

IAEA chief Rafael Grossi has said previously he would visit the Kursk plant due to safety risks linked to the war.

The Kursk plant is one of Russia’s top nuclear stations and supplies around half the electricity used in the Black Earth region of southern Russia.

Authorities in Kursk erecting concrete shelters (see our 10.11 post) are also going to put them up in Kurchatov, where the Kursk nuclear power plant is located, the region’s acting governor Alexei Smirnov said.

In the call, Mr Putin also said he had ordered the creation of self-defence units in Russian border regions.

This came after the lightning 6 August incursion into Kursk took Russia by surprise and highlighted perceived frailty Moscow has in protecting its own border.

The governor of Bryansk said authorities in the region had conducted training as well for emergency evacuation from border areas in case it was needed.

Ukrainian refugees are reportedly being evicted from shelters in Hungary, according to local media.

Around 120 Ukrainian refugees, mostly of the Roma minority, were evicted from the subsidised accommodation they had been living in, in Hungary, according to Radio Free Europe.

Pictures show Roma families on the streets after an amendment to legislation was said to have changed the procedure for providing housing assistance to refugees from Ukraine.

The move comes after criticism of Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban over his closeness to Russia, and attempts to kowtow to Vladimir Putin.

Earlier this summer, Mr Orban drew strong rebukes from his fellow EU leaders who were quick to say he didn’t speak for them after he travelled to Russia on what he called a “peace mission” to try and bring the war to an end.

At the time, Mr Putin received Mr Orban in the Kremlin and said the talks had been useful.

Ukraine has said it is inflicting “tangible losses” on Russia with its Kursk incursion.

In an update on the war in Ukraine, provided by the country’s staff of armed forces, they outlined where the latest fighting had taken place.

They said there had been 134 recorded clashes yesterday, with Russia also launching five separate missile strikes.

Towards the end of the update, they touched on the Kursk offensive, which has changed the dynamic of the war.

“Defense Forces of Ukraine continue operations in the Kursk direction,” they said, before adding: “Our soldiers are actively inflicting tangible losses in live force and equipment to the occupation forces.”