Friday, June 9

Russia’s war against Ukraine

Civilians from Kherson affected by the flood arrive at Mykolaiv train station during their evacuation on June 8. (Photo by Celestino Arce/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Zelensky: ’Brutal battles’ taking place in Donetsk Oblast.  Intense battles are taking place in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk Oblast, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video address on June 8, amid reports that Ukraine’s much-anticipated counteroffensive to regain territory is now underway.

Air Force: Ukraine downs 4 cruise missiles, 10 drones launched by Russia.  Ukrainian air defenses shot down four of six cruise missiles and ten of 16 drones that Russia used to attack military facilities and critical infrastructure overnight on June 9, the Air Force of Ukraine’s Armed Forces reported.

Military intelligence: Russia has enough missiles for key targets like Kyiv.  Russia can produce enough missiles to continue strikes against key targets like Kyiv, the military intelligence spokesperson Andrii Yusov told Ukrainska Pravda in an interview published on June 8.

ISW: Ukraine’s attacks in Zaporizhzhia Oblast don’t fully showcase current counteroffensive capabilities.  Ukraine’s counteroffensive is anticipated to involve a range of operations of different scales, the Institute for the Study of War said in its latest assessment. This includes localized attacks like the one that took place on June 8 in southeastern Ukraine, south of the city of Zaporizhzhia.

State Emergency Service: 2,339 residents evacuated from Kherson Oblast.  According to the State Emergency Service, 2,339 people, including 120 children, were evacuated from the flooded areas of Kherson Oblast by June 8, 8:45 local time.

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NGO: Chechen security forces blackmailing men who refuse to fight in Ukraine.  Russia is forcibly conscripting men in Chechnya to fight in Ukraine, imprisoning those who refuse and threatening their families, the “Severny Kavkaz SOS” (North Caucasus SOS) crisis group reported.

Russian Orthodox Church claims transfer of Ukraine’s POWs to Hungary.  The Russian Orthodox Church announced through its press service on June 8 that it handed over a group of Ukrainian prisoners of war to Hungary.

Report: Cooling pond at Zaporizhzhia plant at risk of rupturing surrounding dike following dam explosion.  A drop in the Dnipro River’s water level could cause the internal pressure of the water in the plant’s cooling pond to rupture the surrounding dike, according to the Institute for Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety.

Governor: Dnipro River carries mines, ammunition to Odesa seaside.  The flooded Dnipro River carries mines and other types of unexploded ordnance to Odesa’s seaside, Governor Oleh Kiper warned the city’s residents on June 8.

Official: Ukrainian exports through Dnipro River won’t be possible ‘for a long time.’ As a result of the Kakhovka dam destruction, the Dnipro River will not be navigable downstream of the city of Zaporizhzhia “for a long time,” Shipping Administration Head Yevhenii Ihnatenko said on June 8. This will effectively block Ukrainian exports through the Dnipro River.

Zelensky: ‘Russia needs to bear full responsibility for ecocide.’  In a June 8 address to the world’s environmental protection community, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russia needs to bear full responsibility for the ecocide it caused through the Kakhovka dam destruction.

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Browder: ‘West must hand Russian Central Bank’s $350 billion to Ukraine for reconstruction’

London-based American investor Bill Browder says people call him the “number one enemy” of Russian President Vladimir Putin and, more recently, an official “Friend of Ukraine.”

Photo: Jordan Vonderhaar/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Ukraine war latest: Zelensky visits Kherson Oblast following Kakhovka dam disaster

President Volodymyr Zelensky met with regional authorities in Kherson Oblast on June 8 after Russia’s destruction of the Kakhovka dam caused substantial flooding in the region.

Photo: President’s Office

Human cost of war

General Staff: Russia has lost 213,770 troops in Ukraine.The General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces reported on June 9 that Russia has lost 213,770 troops in Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion in February 2022, with an estimated 1,010 casualties on June 8.

Update: Russian strike on Cherkasy Oblast injures 8.  Russian missile strike against the Uman district in Cherkasy Oblast injured eight civilians, Governor Ihor Taburets reported on June 8.

Russian forces bomb Kherson Oblast, kill 1, injure 1. Russian attacks against Kherson Oblast killed one woman and injured another resident on June 8, the regional prosecutor’s office reported.

International response

Bloomberg: Pentagon prepares new $2 billion air defense package for Ukraine. The Pentagon is set to announce a substantial long-term arms package for Ukraine, emphasizing air defense capabilities, valued at over $2 billion.

Denmark sends humanitarian aid for victims of dam explosion in Kherson Oblast.The Danish Foreign Ministry announced on June 8 that it would send disaster aid to Ukraine in the wake of the humanitarian crisis caused by Russia’s destruction of the Kakhovka dam in Kherson Oblast.

Biden, Sunak affirm joint support for Ukraine during meeting at White House. U.S. President Joe Biden and U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak met at the White House on June 8 to discuss a variety of issues, with particular focus on the recent humanitarian disaster in southern Ukraine following Russia’s destruction of the Kakhokva dam.

Polish general: ‘No doubt’ that Russia blew up Kakhovka dam.The ex-commander of the Polish Land Forces Waldemar Skrzypczak told Ukrinform on June 8 that the Western military has “no doubt” that Russia was behind the Kakhovka disaster.

Stoltenberg urges NATO members to aid with Kakhovka disaster aftermath.On June 8, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg called on the members of the Alliance to provide humanitarian aid to Ukraine in the wake of the Kakhovka dam disaster.

CNN: US officials say Ukraine advances near Bakhmut but suffers losses.Ukrainian forces achieved some success around Bakhmut but suffered “significant” losses in personnel and heavy equipment, CNN wrote on June 8, citing U.S. officials. Although Kyiv’s troops managed to overrun Russians in some areas, they encountered heavier resistance than expected, according to the report.

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Today’s Ukraine Daily was brought to you by Oleksiy Sorokin, Dinara Khalilova, Toma Istomina, Martin Fornusek, Lili Bivings, Haley Zehrung, Brad LaFoy, and Olena Goncharova.

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