Ukraine Daily

Saturday, 4 June 2022

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Russia’s war against Ukraine

STOIANKA, UKRAINE: Ukrainian boys Andrii, 12, and his friend Valentyn, 6, play at being soldiers and man their pretend checkpoint next to a school crossing in their village on May 27, 2022. The two boys have become well known to passing motorists. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

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Kyiv Independent journalist comes second in European Press Prize investigative reporting category. Anna Myroniuk, Kyiv Independent’s head of investigations, was the runner-up for the European Press Prize Investigative Reporting Award on June 2. Her investigation, in partnership with the OCCRP, into the world’s largest tobacco company, China National Tobacco Corporation, revealed that the company’s European branch had exported at least half a billion cigarettes to Ukraine even though none of its brands are legally sold there.

UK Defense Ministry: Russia controls 90% of Luhansk Oblast. Russian forces are reportedly achieving tactical success in Donbas and appear to hold an advantage over Ukrainian opposition. Russia is likely to reach complete control of Luhansk Oblast in the next two weeks, the ministry said.

Institute for the Study of War: Russia unlikely able to ‘accelerate’ its ‘special military operation,’ despite its claims. The U.S. think tank said that, contrary to Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu’s claims about ramping up Russia’s war against Ukraine, it is unlikely that Russia will have the manpower and equipment to advance beyond Luhansk. Russian proxies in eastern Ukraine have also reportedly “not sufficiently prepared frontline units with medical supplies,” resulting in low morale and the refusal of some troops to return to the frontline.

Russian media: Russia begins military drills in the Pacific Ocean. Russia’s Pacific Fleet has commenced military exercises in the Pacific Ocean, involving over 40 of its warships and support vessels, as well as 20 aircraft and helicopters, Russian state-controlled news agency TASS reported on June 3.

Putin proposes exporting Ukrainian grain through Russian-occupied Mariupol, Berdiansk. Russian President Vladimir Putin also said that “the easiest way” to export the grain would be through Belarus, but added that Western sanctions against Belarus should be lifted in order to do sp. Meanwhile, evidence has been piling up suggesting that Russia is stealing Ukrainian grain from temporarily occupied territories.

Luhansk Oblast Governor: Russians control 50% of Sievierodonetsk after Ukrainian counteroffensive. Serhiy Haidai said that Russian forces previously controlled 70% of the city, but Ukraine’s Armed Forces have launched counterattacks, pushing some of them out. He added that Russian troops are suffering heavy casualties.

Ukraine to request personal sanctions on 12,000 Russians. Ukraine will ask the international community to impose sanctions on all individuals that promote or are complicit in Russia’s war against Ukraine, Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleh Nikolenko reportedly told Hromadske media outlet. The list includes the head of Russia’s Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, who was excluded from the EU’s sixth package of sanctions on June 2 at Hungary’s request.

Ukraine’s military: Resistance among locals in Kherson Oblast growing. Ukraine’s Operational Command “South” said on June 3 that, amid growing Ukrainian resistance in the region, occupying Russian forces have brought in four 2S7 Pion heavy artillery and continue to distribute pro-Russian propaganda materials.

Ukraine’s Air Force conducts over 1,000 attacks on Russian forces in 100 days of war. On June 3, Ukraine’s Armed Forces destroyed more than 20 Russian armored fighting vehicles, three unmanned aerial vehicles, and a cruise missile.

Ukraine’s military: Russia concentrates up to 20 battalion tactical groups for offensive towards Sloviansk. The General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces said that Russian troops’ recent offensive towards Barvinkove and Lozova in Kharkiv Oblast have been unsuccessful. However, they have reportedly had some gains in the city of Sievierodonetsk, Luhansk Oblast.

Ukrainian official urges Scholz to deliver heavy weapons quickly. Ruslan Stefanchuk, the speaker of the Ukrainian parliament, met German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin and urged Germany to supply Marder infantry fighting vehicles and Leopard main battle tanks. Stefanchuk also met German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht and discussed the possible supplies of German submarines to Ukraine. Scholz has been repeatedly criticized for blocking and delaying weapons supplies to Ukraine.

Bloomberg: Russian default won’t win the war, West should target Russia’s oil, gas. Bloomberg published an editorial saying that maintaining financial pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s regime is “justified – but it’s no game-changer.” The U.S. and its allies should keep their focus on Russia’s exports of oil and gas, the country’s main economic vulnerability. “Embarrassing Putin with a formal debt default would be well and good. But stopping the war demands a renewed commitment to economic isolation.”

SBU exposes 5 supporters of Russia’s invasion in Odesa Oblast. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) reported on June 3 that it exposed five people who had been “publicly justifying” Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, supporting and glorifying Russian troops on social media, as well as encouraging Ukrainians to cooperate with Russia.

Russia has destroyed 24,000 kilometers of roads in Ukraine since Feb. 24. According to Ukraine’s state-owned road construction agency Ukravtodor, Russia has also destroyed 300 bridges in Ukraine since the beginning of its all-out war. Russia has destroyed $100 billion worth of infrastructure in Ukraine as of April 19, according to Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov.

Reuters: Ukraine’s ambassador accuses Turkey of buying Ukrainian grain stolen by Russia. Ukraine’s Ambassador to Turkey Vasyl Bodnar also reportedly said on June 3 that he had “sought help from Turkish authorities and Interpol investigating who is involved in the shipments of grains transiting Turkish waters.” Earlier on May 31, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russia had stolen half a million tons of Ukrainian grain and was trying to sell it.

Ukraine’s military: Russia targets Odesa, Mykolaiv regions with 4 cruise missiles. Ukraine’s Operational Command “South” reports that a Russian submarine launched four missiles from the Black Sea, all of them were intercepted by Ukraine’s forces. One was shot down over the sea in Odesa Oblast, while other three were downed in Mykolaiv region.

Ukraine’s Police fires officers remaining in Russian-occupied territories. National Police Head Ihor Klymenko said that police officers still in Russian-occupied territories were given time to move to Ukrainian-controlled regions of the country. Those who failed to do so are now fired. He added that the police have opened more than 60 cases on police officers suspected of collaborating with Russia.

Russia attacks Luhansk Oblast with artillery and air strikes, destroys civilian infrastructure. Russia’s recent attacks destroyed dozens of buildings in towns across Luhansk Oblast, including the infrastructure and four cars of a fire station in the city of Lysychansk, Luhansk Oblast, Luhansk Oblast Governor Serhiy Haidai reported on June 3. According to Oleksandr Zaika, the head of the Lysychansk military administration, 60% of all infrastructure and residential buildings in the city are destroyed.

Read our exclusive, on the ground stories

As June 3 marks 100 days of Russia’s all-out war, the Kyiv Independent publishes its staff’s takes on what they have learned or understood over this time. Read about their experiences here.

100 days of Russia’s war in photos, here.

The human cost of Russia’s war

Joint Forces Operation: Ukraine repels 9 Russian attacks in Donbas. Ukraine’s Joint Forces Operation reported that Russian forces fired on over 20 communities in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts on June 3, damaging 26 civilian infrastructure sites and a power line. Four civilians were reportedly killed, including a child, and three injured due to Russian attacks in the region.

Reuters journalists injured, driver killed near Sievierodonetsk. Reuters reported that photographer Alexander Ermochenko and cameraman Pavel Klimov sustained minor injuries after their vehicle came under fire while en route to Sievierodonetsk, Luhansk Oblast, in a car provided by Russian proxies on a Russian-controlled road. The news agency said it couldn’t establish the identity of the driver who had been assigned by the Russian proxies for the reporting trip.

French citizen killed during fighting in Ukraine. France’s Foreign Ministry did not provide any details as to why the man was in Ukraine or when and where he was killed.

Police: Civilian death toll totals 1,314 in Kyiv Oblast. Kyiv Oblast Police Chief Andriy Nebytov said most civilians were killed by portable firearms.

Russia has killed 95 civilians in Kyiv, including 4 children, since Feb. 24. According to the Kyiv civil military administration, Russia has launched tens of missiles at Kyiv, 28 of which have hit the capital. Russia has also damaged 233 residential buildings, 36 homes, 46 schools, and 29 kindergartens in Kyiv, authorities reported on June 3.

Ukraine’s military: Russia has lost 30,950 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24. The General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces reported on June 3 that Russia had also lost 1,367 tanks, 3,366 armored vehicles, 2,329 vehicles and fuel tanks, 661 artillery pieces, 207 multiple launch rocket systems, 95 air defense systems, 175 helicopters, 210 airplanes, 535 drones, and 13 boats.

International response

EU approves new sanctions against Russia. The sanctions target politicians, propagandists, businessmen, and family members of those who have been previously sanctioned, including employees of RIA Novosti and the head of Roskomnadzor. Former gymnast Alina Kabaeva is also included in the list as a person closely associated with Russian President Vladimir Putin. A total of 1,158 people and 98 companies are currently under EU sanctions.

EU imposes partial ban on Russian oil. The EU’s sixth package of sanctions adopted on June 3 includes a partial ban on Russian oil imports, with exceptions made for EU countries that “due to their geographic situation, suffer from a specific dependence on Russian supplies.” The sanctions also disconnect three Russian banks and one Belarusian bank from the SWIFT system, ban three Russian state-owned media outlets, introduce new export restrictions, and target more Russian individuals and entities supporting the war in Ukraine.

EU imposes new sanctions on Belarus. The sanctions target 12 individuals and eight legal entities, including Belaruskali, one of the largest producers of potash fertilizers in the world, the state-owned Belteleradio broadcaster, the Naftan oil refinery, and Belarus’s largest tobacco producer.

Switzerland rejects requests to ship ammunition, armored vehicles to Ukraine. The Swiss government said it rejected a Danish request to supply 22 Piranha III infantry fighting vehicles and a German request to supply 12,400 rounds of ammunition for Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft guns, as well as for Piranha III vehicles. At the same time, Switzerland has allowed Germany to freely dispose of Leopard 2 tanks previously sold back to defense group Rheinmetall. Ukraine has previously urged Germany to supply Leopard tanks. Switzerland banned the export of Swiss-made weapons to conflict zones in the past due to its neutral status.

Von der Leyen: Ukraine’s admission to the EU is the bloc’s ‘moral duty.’ European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that Ukraine must meet all the necessary standards and conditions for accession, but called on the EU to help Ukraine achieve its goals. “Supporting Ukraine on its way to the European Union is not a burden, it is our historical responsibility,” she said.

Polish PM: ‘Ukraine must win this war.’ Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala met on June 3 to discuss how to better support Ukraine amid Russia’s invasion.

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