Wednesday, June 28

Russia’s war against Ukraine

The aftermath of the Russian missile strikes against Kramatorsk, Donetsk Oblast on June 27, 2023. (Source: Head of Presidential Office Andrii Yermak/Telegram)

Russian missiles hit downtown Kramatorsk, at least 3 killed, 42 injured. Kramatorsk in Donetsk Oblast was struck by two Russian missile strikes on June 27.  The first strike hit a restaurant in the city’s center, the other targeted the nearby settlement of Bilenke.

Russian forces strike Kremenchuk on anniversary of Amstor shopping mall attack. Russian troops targeted Kremenchuk on June 27 with the same missiles that hit local shopping mall Amstor exactly a year ago, according to Poltava Oblast Governor Dmytro Lunin. The Kremenchuk shopping mall attack killed more than 20 people and injured 59.

Military reports advances up to 1,400 meters in different sectors. Ukrainian forces advanced up to 1,400 meters in various sectors of the front over the past day, Serhii Cherevatyi, the spokesman for the Eastern Command, said on June 27.

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Russia’s FSB says it closed criminal case over Wagner rebellion. Russia’s Federal Security Service said it had closed the criminal case over Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin’s armed rebellion on June 27, as cited by Russian state-owned news agency RIA Novosti.

Lukashenko claims Prigozhin is in Belarus. Belarusian dictator Aleksandr Lukashenko claimed that Wagner Group founder Yevgeny Prigozhin has arrived in Belarus, Belarusian state news agency BelTA said on June 27.

Border Guard Service: No evidence of Wagner camps in Belarus. There is no evidence yet that Wagner Group camps are being constructed on Belarusian territory, the State Border Guard Service’s spokesperson Andrii Demchenko told Ukrainska Pravda on June 27.

Putin claims Wagner militants were fully funded by state. The state fully financed Yevgeny Prigozhin’s Wagner Group, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on June 27. Putin said the mercenary outfit allegedly received over 86 billion rubles ($1 billion) from the state’s budget between May 2022 and May 2023.

CNN: US gathered detailed intelligence on Prigozhin’s insurrection plans but kept it secret. The intelligence was shared only with select allies, such as senior U.K. officials, and not at the broader NATO level, sources familiar with the matter told CNN. The secrecy level was so high that even within the country, only top administration officials and several high-profile Congress members were briefed on the findings.

NYT: Senior Russian general knew about Wagner rebellion. A Russian general had prior knowledge of Wagner group head Yevgeny Prigozhin’s plans to rebel against Russia’s military leadership, according to U.S. officials who spoke with the New York Times on June 27.

CNN: Allies advised Ukraine not to strike inside Russia during Wagner rebellion. “The message was don’t rock the boat here,” an unnamed Western official told CNN, explaining it by the allies’ efforts to ensure the West and Ukraine were not seen as helping Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin.

Official: Russian occupation authorities in Mariupol evict residents from their homes. Moscow-installed occupation authorities in Mariupol are illegally evicting residents from their homes if they cannot provide property ownership documents, according to an exiled advisor to city mayor Petro Andriushchenko.

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Ukraine war latest: 4 killed, including child, 42 injured in Russian missile strike on Kramatorsk

Russian missile strike kills 4, injures 42 in Kramatorsk, Donetsk Oblast on June 27 as Ukrainian forces advance in several directions.

Photo: Wojciech Grzedzinski/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Human cost of war

Russian attacks kill 2, injure 6 in several Ukrainian regions. Two civilians were killed, and six more were injured in Russian attacks against Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, and Kherson oblasts, according to the regional authorities.

General Staff: Russia has lost 226,170 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022. Ukraine’s General Staff reported on June 27 that Russia had also lost 4,036 tanks, 7,834 armored fighting vehicles, 6,772 vehicles and fuel tanks, 4,083 artillery systems, 626 multiple launch rocket systems, 386 air defense systems, 314 airplanes, 308 helicopters, 3,492 drones, and 18 boats.

International response

Pentagon confirms $500 million military aid package for Ukraine. The Pentagon announced on June 27 a $500 million military aid package for Ukraine, including armored vehicles, anti-armor weapons, and munitions.

US lawmakers ask for cluster munitions for Ukraine. A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers is calling on President Joe Biden to provide Ukraine with cluster munitions, also known as dual-purpose improved conventional munition (DPICM), Foreign Policy wrote on June 26.

US Treasury sanctions companies linked to Wagner Group’s mining operations. The U.S. Treasury imposed sanctions against four companies and one individual connected to Yevgeny Prigozhin’s Wagner Group. The targeted entities engaged in illicit gold mining and trading in Africa to fund the mercenary company, according to the Treasury Department’s June 27 press release.

NATO leaders urge response to Wagner’s alleged redeployment to Belarus. “The de facto relocation of Russian forces, the Wagner Group, to Belarus, together with its head Yevgeny Prigozhin, is underway. These are very negative signals for us,” Polish President Andrzej Duda said.

Ukraine expects Israel to condemn Putin’s antisemitic remarks, ‘It looks bad if they don’t.’ President’s Office Head Andriy Yermak said Ukraine expects an official comment from Israel after Russian President Vladimir Putin called the Ukrainian president “a disgrace to the Jewish people.” “If Israel doesn’t issue any reaction, it looks really bad, you can’t be neutral to Nazi statements,” Yermak said on June 27.

What is Russia’s Wagner Group and why does Moscow use it?

In other news

Former Ukroboronprom official charged with state funds embezzlement. The Khmelnytskyi police charged the ex-director of an enterprise within Ukraine’s defense concern Ukroboronprom with embezzling almost Hr 500,000 ($13,500) of budget funds.

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Today’s Ukraine Daily was brought to you by Teah Pelechaty, Dinara Khalilova, Oleg Sukhov, Martin Fornusek, Lili Bivings, Haley Zehrung, Brad LaFoy, and Olena Goncharova.

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