Ukraine Daily

Friday, 3 June 2022

Want to get the news faster? Follow our website: kyivindependent.com.

Russia’s war against Ukraine

New U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink speaks about her objectives in front of St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv on June 2, 2022. (Kostyantyn Chernichkin/The Kyiv Independent)

Dear readers, we are launching a new newsletter, Belarus Weekly, and you are the first to see it! To receive the Belarus Weekly newsletter in the future, subscribe via this link.

Institute for the Study of War: Russian forces struggle to establish ‘permanent societal control’ in temporarily occupied territories. The U.S. think tank said on June 2 that Russian forces are “incapable of controlling local populations, enforcing the use of the Russian ruble, or conducting bureaucratic processes.” Russian forced mobilization is also “highly unlikely to generate meaningful combat power,” serving only to aggravate low morale and poor discipline among Russian troops and proxies. The ISW also said that, should Russia capture Sievierodonetsk and Lysychansk, it is unlikely to have the forces required to capture more of Donetsk Oblast.

Ukraine’s military: Belarus mines roads, bridges, forests near Ukrainian border. Belarus is “strengthening its state border,” the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces said. At the same time, the threat of air strikes from Belarus remains, according to the General Staff.

Zelensky: Russia occupying 20% of Ukraine. In a video address to Luxembourg’s parliament, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russia is currently occupying 20% of Ukrainian territory. According to Zelensky, Russian forces have entered 3,620 Ukrainian settlements since Feb. 24. Some 1,017 settlements have been liberated, and 2,603 remain occupied, he said.

Lviv Oblast Governor: Russian cruise missiles ‘severely damaged’ railway infrastructure. Governor Maksym Kozytsky reported that Russia launched a missile overnight from the Black Sea and hit Lviv Oblast. Kozytsky added that five people were injured, four of whom have been hospitalized.

UK Defense Ministry: Russia continues to make ‘steady local gains,’ takes control of most of Sievierodonetsk. The U.K. Defense Ministry said in its daily briefing that Ukraine likely still has control over the main road into the Sievierodonetsk pocket but Russia continues to advance despite heavy losses, enabling a heavy concentration of artillery. It is likely that Russia will need a short tactical pause before attempting to cross the Siversky Donets River, a natural barrier that is vital for the Russians to cross as they secure Luhansk Oblast.

Ukraine’s military: Russian forces encounter ‘systematic counterattacks’ in southern Ukraine. Ukraine’s Operational Command “South” reported on June 2 that it killed 24 Russian troops and destroyed a Russian T-72 tank, four 152-mm howitzers, and four military vehicles.

Local official: Russian troops set up second ‘filtration prison’ near Mariupol. Petro Andriushchenko, an advisor to the Mariupol mayor, said that local Ukrainian authorities discovered the second “filtration prison” near the city in what used to be a penal colony in Volnovakha, Donetsk Oblast. Over 20 volunteers who helped evacuate Mariupol residents to the Ukrainian-controlled territory are being detained there, he said.

Zelensky: 50 embassies resume operations in Kyiv. President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an address on June 2 that this is important news not just for practical purposes, but also symbolically. “Every new embassy that returns to our capital is a testament to our faith in our victory,” Zelensky said.

Russia’s proxies seek to ‘nationalize’ Ukrainian state property in Zaporizhzhia Oblast. Yevhen Balytsky, the head of Russia’s proxies in the region’s occupied areas, has signed a so-called “nationalization decree” to seize land plots, natural resources, and strategic enterprises owned by Ukraine, Andriy Trofimov, a deputy of Balytsky, said.

Ukraine’s military: Russia faces shortage of drones. The General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces reported that Russian forces are losing drones, and they have already begun using the ones owned by the Ministry of Emergency Situations.

Ukraine identifies 10 Russian soldiers suspected of looting in Bucha. The Prosecutor General’s Office said on June 2 that they had identified 10 Russian service members who allegedly robbed the property of civilians in Bucha when the town northwest of Kyiv was under Russian occupation. The suspects may be put on the international wanted list, the prosecutors added.

Defense Ministry says Russia to intensify air attacks. Ukrainian General Oleksiy Hromov said that Ukrainian military intelligence expects Russian forces to increase air and missile strikes on critical infrastructure and attempt to capture the entire Black Sea coast, all the way from eastern Ukraine to Moldova’s Transnistria.

Over 5 million Ukrainians have fled to EU since Feb. 24. At least 5.3 million Ukrainian citizens have fled to the EU in the past 99 days of the war. According to Frontex, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, in recent weeks more people have been returning to Ukraine than leaving the country. Between May 25–31, almost 260,000 Ukrainians left the EU countries. In total, 2.3 million Ukrainians have returned to Ukraine since the war started.

Zelensky: Over 200,000 Ukrainian children have been deported to Russia. In his daily address on June 1, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russia continues to forcibly move both adults and children into mostly remote areas of Russia, underscoring that this is one of Moscow’s “most heinous war crimes.” He added that the children deported include orphans and children with parents.

Prosecutor General: Medvedchuk treason case sent to court. Iryna Venediktova said the pre-trial investigation had been completed against Kremlin-linked politician Viktor Medvedchuk, who is accused of high treason. Medvedchuk is facing 15 years in jail if proven guilty. The Security Service of Ukraine captured Vladimir Putin’s right-hand man in Ukraine on April 12, after he escaped from house arrest in late February following the start of the Russian full-scale invasion.

Read our exclusive, on the ground stories

At her first press conference as the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, Bridget Brink pledged to maintain Washington’s “steadfast commitment” to help Ukraine defend its sovereignty. Speaking in front of reporters, the career diplomat, who served as U.S. ambassador to Slovakia until recently, announced five objectives that she will be working toward with her team at the Kyiv embassy. Read our story here.

“Artillery sweat saves infantry blood.” The Ukrainian military has this saying for a reason. It has been weeks since Ukraine began to ask desperately for heavy western weaponry, particularly advanced tubed and rocket artillery, as part of an effort to turn the tide of Russia’s invasion, which is not going too well for Kyiv. Read our story here.

The human cost of Russia’s war

Russia shells Kharkiv overnight, killing one civilian, injuring another. Kharkiv Oblast Governor Oleh Synehubov said that Russian forces shelled two city districts overnight.

Russian military shells 30 settlements in Donbas Oblast, killing 5 civilians. Ukraine’s Joint Forces Operation reported that Russian forces damaged 52 infrastructure facilities, including 42 residential buildings, two factories, and some local firefighting vehicles in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts over the past 24 hours. Five people have been killed as a result of attacks, seven more wounded.

Zelensky: Russia’s war kills up to 100 Ukrainian soldiers every day in Donbas. President Volodymyr Zelensky also said at the International Security Forum in Bratislava that between 450 and 500 soldiers are wounded every day. “The war continues and hundreds of families will not meet their loved ones,” Zelensky said.

Washington Post: Russian troops kill 9 employees at Chornobyl nuclear plant, steal equipment. Yevhen Kramarenko, the director of the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone, said Russian forces have stolen equipment totalling $135 million, including nearly 700 computers, 344 vehicles, 1,500 radiation dosimeters, and firefighting equipment. In addition, they kidnapped five workers before leaving the plant on March 31.

Ukraine’s military: Russia has lost 30,850 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24. The General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces reported on June 2 that Russia had also lost 1,363 tanks, 3,354 armored vehicles, 2,325 vehicles and fuel tanks, 661 artillery pieces, 207 multiple launch rocket systems, 95 air defense systems, 175 helicopters, 210 airplanes, 521 drones, and 13 boats.

International response

Turkey to give Lithuania Bayraktar drone it wanted to buy for Ukraine for free. Lithuania’s Defense Minister Arvydas Anusauskas announced the news on June 2. Lithuania fundraised 5 million euros to buy a drone for Ukraine. The country will now use part of the money to buy the required ammunition for the Bayraktar. The rest of the sum will also be spent to support Ukraine, Anušauskas said.

Baltic energy operators decide to reduce dependency on Russian electricity. The Baltic transmission system operators, Estonia’s Elering, Latvia’s AS Augstsprieguma tikls (AST), and Lithuania’s Litgrid, agreed to rely instead on Baltic, Nordic, and Polish sources as of June 1, reports AST. The reasons cited for this decision are issues of payment by Russia and the operators’ unwillingness to make payments to Russian companies.

Slovakia to send 8 Zuzana 2 howitzers to Ukraine. Slovakia’s Defense Ministry said that the self-propelled Zuzana 2 howitzers will be delivered under a commercial contract that a state-controlled producer had signed.

Ireland recognizes Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as genocide. Irish Senator Mark Daly said that Ireland’s Senate adopted the resolution on June 1. Lawmakers called on governments around the world to maintain and strengthen sanctions against Russia while working to end the imports of Russian oil, gas, and coal, which are “funding the Russian war machine,” the resolution reads.

Taiwan bans exports of all high-tech chips to Russia, Belarus in response to war. On June 1, Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs published a list of strategic tech goods prohibited for export to both countries. The ministry included Belarus because it could help Russia bypass the ban.

US targets Russian elites in new round of sanctions. The U.S. Treasury Department announced a new round of sanctions against Russia on June 2, targeting more Russian elites and their luxury assets, including yachts and aircraft belonging to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s associates. The sanctions target Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova, and Sergei Roldugin, who is called “a custodian” of Putin’s offshore wealth, among others.

Sweden to send more military aid to Ukraine, including anti-ship missiles. Sweden’s Foreign Minister Ann Linde said on June 2 that Sweden will send the fourth package of military aid to Ukraine. The package reportedly includes anti-ship missiles, anti-tank weapons, and 12.7 mm rifles.

EU to cut off 3 more Russian banks from SWIFT. Russia’s largest bank Sberbank, Moscow Credit Bank, and Russian Agricultural Bank will be disconnected from the world’s main messaging network for international payments. The measure is part of the EU’s sixth sanctions package, which was formally approved by the EU on June 2.

In other news

Over 48,000 children born in Ukraine since start of Russia’s war. Ukraine’s Health Ministry said in a statement on June 2 that the most babies were born in Lviv, Dnipropetrovsk, and Odesa oblasts since Feb. 24.

AFP: Russian Patriarch Kirill excluded from EU sanctions after Hungary’s demand. The AFP news agency reported, citing undisclosed diplomats, that the EU countries agreed to drop Patriarch Kirill, the head of Russia’s Orthodox Church who supports the war in Ukraine, from the list of targeted individuals in the sixth package of sanctions against Russia. Hungary’s pro-Kremlin authorities insisted on it, withholding approval of the package.

Want to get the news faster? Follow our website: kyivindependent.com.

Today’s Ukraine Daily was brought to you by Asami Terajima, Oleg Sukhov, Thaisa Semenova, Oleksiy Sorokin, Natalia Datskevych, Toma Istomina, and Teah Pelechaty.

If you’re enjoying this newsletter, consider becoming our patron on Patreon or donating via GoFundMe. Start supporting independent journalism today.