Monday, June 19

Russia’s war against Ukraine

In Kyiv, people gather to bid farewell to the commander of the special forces intelligence platoon Oleh Sadik, who died in battle with the Russian army in southern Ukraine on June 18. (Photo by Oleksii Chumachenko/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Zelensky: ‘There will be no alternative to our steps for de-occupation.’ President Volodymyr Zelensky emphasized in his evening address on June 18 that Russia’s primary focus should be on preparing its society for the consequences of destroying its own future.

Ukraine liberates village in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Russian forces claim. Ukrainian forces took control of the village of Piatykhatky in the southeastern Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Russia’s local occupation administration claimed on June 18, as Kyiv continues to take the initiative on the battlefield.

Russia reportedly transferring equipment, troops from Kherson Oblast to Zaporizhzhia front. Russia appears to be transferring equipment and troops from Kherson Oblast to the southeastern Zaporizhzhia front where a Ukrainian counteroffensive is underway, Ivan Fedorov, an exiled mayor of Melitopol, said on June 18.

Official: 240 Ukrainian children taken away from their families in EU. At least 240 Ukrainian children have been taken away from their families in EU countries due to guardianship law, Iryna Suslova, a representative of Ukraine’s children’s ombudsman, said in an interview released on June 18.

Your contribution helps keep the Kyiv Independent going. Become a member today.

Air Force: Ukraine hits Russian ammo depot in occupied Kherson Oblast. Ukrainian forces hit the Russian ammunition depot in the village of Partyzany in southern Kherson Oblast, Air Force spokesperson Yurii Ihnat told national television on June 18. Partyzany sits just on the administrative border with neighboring Zaporizhzhia Oblast, 45 kilometers west of Russian-occupied Melitopol.

UK Defense Ministry: Russia, Ukraine likely experience ‘high casualties’ during Kyiv’s counteroffensive. Russian losses in the south are likely the highest since the Battle for Bakhmut peak days in March, the U.K. Defense Ministry reported on June 18. The ministry added that Russian forces “often conduct relatively effective defensive operations“ during Ukraine’s counteroffensive.

Founder: 32,000 prisoners who fought for Wagner returned to Russia. As many as 32,000 former prisoners have returned home after their contracts with Russian mercenary group Wagner expired, the group’s founder Yevgeny Prigozhin said on June 18, as cited by his press office.

65 hectares of forest in Mykolaiv Oblast remain flooded after dam destruction. Sixty-five hectares of the Snihurivka forestry in the southern Mykolaiv Oblast remain flooded after Russia’s June 6 destruction of the Kakhovka dam, the local branch of a state forestry enterprise said on June 18.

Read our exclusives

Ukraine war latest: Russian forces divided on whether they lost another village in Zaporizhzhia Oblast

Russia’s Defense Ministry dismissed claims that Ukrainian forces liberated the Piatykhatky village, Zaporizhzhia Oblast.

Piatykhatky is located 22 kilometers west of the front-line town of Orikhiv and sits just south of Lobkove, which Ukrainian forces liberated last week.

Photo: AFP via Getty Images

Counteroffensive underway: ‘We overestimated Russians and underestimated ourselves’

After Russia’s attacks from late winter into mid-to-late spring didn’t make significant gains anywhere except the city of Bakhmut, Ukraine hopes to use Russia’s stalled drive to regain momentum, possibly pierce some lines and take back swathes of territory.

Photo: Courtesy

Human cost of war

Minister: At least 17 people killed as a result of Kakhovka disaster. Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said on June 18 that at least 17 people had been killed as a result of the Kakhovka dam disaster.

Russian army shells Sumy Oblast, kills 2 civilians. Russia shelled the town of Bilopillia in Sumy Oblast on the evening of June 18, killing a man and his four-year-old son, the regional prosecutor’s office reported.

Prosecutors: Russia shells Kharkiv Oblast, injures civilian. The Prosecutor General’s Office said on June 18 that the Russian military had shelled the village of Lyptsi, Kharkiv Oblast, and injured one person.

Russian attacks kill 5, injure 8, including children, across Ukraine over past day. Russian attacks across Ukraine killed five civilians and injured eight more, including two children, over the past 24 hours, the regional authorities reported on June 18. Russia targeted nine out of 25 Ukrainian regions — Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipropetrovsk, Mykolaiv, Sumy, and Chernihiv oblasts.

International response

Stoltenberg says peace cannot mean freezing Russia’s war. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg warned against premature peace talks between Ukraine and Russia after South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa said in Kyiv that “peace has to be achieved through diplomacy as soon as possible.”

This Week in Ukraine Ep. 12 – Ukraine’s counteroffensive finally began. What’s next?

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

Today’s Ukraine Daily was brought to you by Oleksiy Sorokin, Alexander Khrebet, Olga Rudenko, Asami Terajima, Oleg Sukhov, Natalia Datskevych, Brad LaFoy, and Olena Goncharova.

If you’re enjoying this newsletter, consider joining our membership program. Start supporting independent journalism today.