Friday, June 23

Russia’s war against Ukraine

Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko at the Ukraine Recovery Conference in London, June 21, 2023. (Photo credit: Hannah McKay - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

Zelensky: Summer counteroffensive to pick up the pace. President Volodymyr Zelensky said that though Ukraine’s summer counteroffensive may seem slow now, it will pick up the pace, just like the operations in the fall.

Explosions reported in occupied Dzhankoi, Crimea. Residents of the occupied city of Dzhankoi in Crimea reported a large number of explosions in the area, Deputy Permanent Representative of the President of Ukraine to the Autonomous Republic of Crimea Denis Chistikov said on NV radio on June 22.

Ombudsman: Ukraine has no access to remaining 8 POWs in Hungary. Ukraine did not yet receive access to the remaining eight prisoners of war (POW) transferred to Hungary, Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said on live television on June 22.

Minister: Kakhovka disaster causes over $1.5 billion in damage so far The collapse of the Kakhovka dam has already caused more than $1.5 billion worth of damage to Ukraine, according to the Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources Ruslan Strilets. However, this number will continue to grow, Strilets said on June 21.

Monitoring group: Russian Mi-24 helicopter reportedly crashes in Belarus. A Mi-24 military helicopter crashed in Belarus on June 22, the country’s defense ministry reported, calling the crash a “rough landing.” According to Belaruski Hayun, a group of activists that record the movement of troops within Belarus, the helicopter belongs to the Russian army.

IAEA: No mines observed near Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant’s cooling pond. The International Atomic Energy Agency said on June 21 it is aware of the recent reports of mines having been placed near the cooling pond of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, but no such mines were observed during Director General Rafael Grossi’s visit.

Russian defense minister says ‘reserve army’ will be formed before July. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu pledged to finish forming military reserves as part of a separate army by the end of June and complete an army corps “in the nearest future,” as cited by Russian state-owned news agency RIA Novosti.

Zelensky signs law banning import and distribution of Russian books. President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on June 22 that he signed the law banning the import and distribution of books from Russia and Belarus, adopted last year by the parliament.

SBU detains suspected spy in Mykolaiv. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) detained a Mykolaiv resident on June 22, suspected of coordinating Russian fire and spying on Ukrainian military.

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Zelensky: Russia considering ‘radiation leak’ terrorist attack at Zaporizhzhia plant. President Volodymyr Zelensky said on June 22 that based on intelligence reports, Russia is considering a terrorist attack at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant through radiation leakage.

Minister: Russian gas transit through Ukraine could end by 2024. Renewal of the contract between Ukraine and Russia next year is unlikely, Energy Minister Herman Haluschchenko told the Financial Times on June 22.

Air Force: Russian forces launch Kinzhal missiles, drones on June 21. Russian forces launched four kamikaze drones, three Kh-22 cruise missiles, and three Kh-47M2 Kinzhal cruise missiles overnight, the Air Force reported on June 22.

General Staff reports new positions gained on southern front line. Ukraine’s forces achieved partial success in at least two directions on the southern front and made new gains, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said on June 22.

Minister: Ukraine wants to build 500,000-strong military Ukraine aims to increase its gross domestic product (GDP) from $161 billion to $1 trillion in ten years, among other reasons to maintain a 500,000-strong military, European Pravda cited Economy Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko on June 22.

Russian sources report strikes on key bridge between Crimea and mainland Ukraine. Russian-installed proxy officials in occupied Ukraine have claimed that a Ukrainian strike on the night of June 22 damaged the Chonhar Bridge connecting Crimea with Ukraine’s mainland.

Read our exclusives

Inside Ukraine’s costly mission to grind down Russia near Bakhmut

After months of being on the defensive, Ukrainian forces are taking the initiative and conducting localized counterattacks on the flanks near Bakhmut.

Photo: Asami Terajima/The Kyiv Independent

Ukraine war latest: Zelensky warns of possible Russian terrorist attack at Zaporizhzhia plant; IAEA spots no new mines at site

According to President Volodymyr Zelensky, Russia is considering a terrorist attack at the occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.

Photo: Olga Maltseva/AFP via Getty Images

Human cost of war

Russian forces attack 10 oblasts, kill 1 over past day Over the past day, Russian forces attacked 10 oblasts, killing one person and injuring 13, officials reported on June 22.

Russian strike against Kherson injures 4. Russian forces launched a strike on Kherson, injuring four people, Governor Oleksandr Prokudin informed around 2 p.m. local time on June 22.

Update: Death toll of gas explosion at residential building in Kyiv rises to 3. At least three people were killed in an explosion in a high-rise building on the night of June 22, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said. The mayor reported around 12 p.m. local time that a third victim, a woman, was found in the rubble.

General Staff: Russia has lost 222,650 troops in Ukraine.

The General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces reported on June 21 that Russia has lost 222,000 troops in Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion, with an estimated 540 casualties on June 20.

International response

EU transfers 1.5 billion euros to Ukraine in latest tranche of macrofinancial aid. The EU would disburse another 1.5 billion euros to Ukraine in macro-financial assistance, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wrote on Twitter on June 2022.

Ombudsman: ICRC refuses to disclose number of Ukrainian POWs it visited. Ukraine’s Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said that the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) refused to disclose the number of Ukrainian prisoners of war in Russian captivity it visited.

European Commission presents interim assessment of Ukraine’s progress toward EU membership talks. According to the interim assessment broadcasted by SVT Play, Ukraine has fully completed two out of seven steps identified as priorities in the country’s application.

PACE supports Ukraine’s NATO bid and Zelensky’s peace formula. The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) adopted a resolution on the political consequences of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine on June 22, according to Maria Mezentseva, the head of the Ukrainian delegation.

Reuters: UN adds Russia to global list of offenders for killing children in Ukraine. The United Nations added Russia to a global list of offenders for killing 136 children in Ukraine in 2022, according to a report to the UN Security Council obtained by Reuters.

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