Ukraine Daily

Sunday, 5 June 2022

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Russia’s war against Ukraine

A family of three stands in front of a destroyed building in Borodianka, Kyiv Oblast, on May 16. (Getty Images)

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Ukraine’s military: Russia amasses warships in Black Sea. Ukraine’s Operational Command “South” said on June 4 that Russia has stationed four ships and one submarine equipped with 36 cruise missiles and five airborne corps, potentially increasing the risk of missile attacks.

Nearly 14 million Ukrainians flee their homes since beginning of Russia’s war. Among those who have fled, nearly half left the country. Additionally, 3 million children were forced to pause their education. Amin Awad, assistant secretary-general and United Nations crisis coordinator for Ukraine, said that the ongoing migration crisis caused by Russia’s full-scale invasion is at “a scale and speed of displacement not witnessed in history.”

Ukraine’s military: Russian ballistic missiles hit 4 settlements in Donbas. The Russian Tochka-U ballistic missiles targeted the areas of Bakhmut, Kramatorsk, Kostiantynivka, and Lysychansk in Donbas, the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces said. It added that Russia launched airstrikes on Sloviansk and Soledar, Donetsk Oblast.

Kuleba slams Macron over calls to avoid humiliation of Russia. Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that such calls can only humiliate France and every other country that would call for it. “We (‘d) all better focus on how to put Russia in its place. This will bring peace and save lives,” he said.

US ambassador visits destroyed Borodianka, Kyiv Oblast. Bridget Brink, the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, said the town had “suffered horribly” as a result of Russia’s atrocities. “(This) strengthens my resolve to do everything we can to hold the perpetrators of these awful crimes to account,” she said. Most of Borodyanka was destroyed as a result of Russia’s aggression in February-March, and many civilians were killed in the town.

Russia accuses Ukraine of attacking its bordering Bryansk Oblast, reports casualties. Bryansk Governor Alexander Bogomaz accused Ukraine of attacking the village of Sluchovsk, claiming that one person was injured. Russia has repeatedly accused Ukraine of launching strikes in bordering Russian regions of Bryansk and Kursk. Ukraine hasn’t yet responded to the recent accusation.

Official: Ukrainian troops aim to regain full control of Sievierodonetsk. Oleksandr Striuk, the head of the city’s military administration, said that Ukrainian troops have regrouped and managed to build a line of defense in Sievierodonetsk, Luhansk Oblast. Serhiy Gaidai, governor of the region, said on June 3 that previously Russian troops had controlled 70% of the city. Gaidai added that the Ukrainian army had counterattacked, and the Russian-controlled area had shrunk to about 50%.

Russian forces destroy, damage 113 churches in Ukraine since start of war. President Volodymyr Zelensky said that some of the churches “survived World War II, but did not withstand Russian occupation.” Earlier on June 4, Russian forces severely damaged the Sviatohirsk Lavra in Donetsk Oblast where 300 people were sheltering, killing four.

Ukrainian army destroys 47 units of Russian equipment in Donbas on June 4. The list includes a downed K-52 helicopter, three tanks, 11 armored vehicles, 26 unarmored vehicles, and four artillery pieces, according to Ukraine’s Joint Forces Operation.

Russia forcibly relocates residents from Sievierodonetsk, Luhansk Oblast. Head of the Sievierodonetsk civil military administration, Oleksandr Striuk, said in a televised address on June 4 that some of the city’s residents have been forcibly moved by Russian forces to Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine. However, Striuk reportedly noted that Ukraine’s military is taking measures to return Sievierodonetsk back to Ukrainian control.

UK Defense Intelligence: Air, artillery strikes key factors in Russia’s recent tactical successes in Donbas. The recent Defense Intelligence report also suggests that Russia’s increased use of unguided munitions has led to widespread destruction and has “almost certainly” caused substantial collateral damage and civilian casualties.

Ukrainian military shuts down Russian drone in Black Sea. Odesa city council, citing Ukraine’s Operational Command “South”, reported that Ukraine shut down a Russian intelligence drone Forpost in the Black Sea. According to media reports, the Forpost drone is estimated at about $7 million. The General Staff earlier said that Russian forces are facing a shortage of drones and they have started using the ones owned by the Ministry of Emergency Situations.

Russia fires 6 missiles on Sumy Oblast over past 24 hours. According to Dmytro Zhyvytsky, several buildings were damaged in one of the oblast’s settlements. There were no civilian casualties, he said.

Zelensky: Over 3,600 Ukrainian settlements under Russian occupation since Feb. 24. “Many of them are simply unsuitable for civilized life. This is the reality brought by Russia,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said on June 3 during the United States Conference of Mayors.

The human cost of Russia’s war

Russian forces killed 6, injured 9 civilians in Donetsk Oblast. Donetsk Oblast Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said four people were killed in the community of Vesele, one in Adamivka, and one in Khrestysche on June 4. Kyrylenko noted that these numbers do not include casualties in Mariupol and Volnovakha.

4 foreign fighters killed in Ukraine. The International Legion of Defense of Ukraine wrote on Facebook on June 4 that the foreign soldiers are from the Netherlands, Australia, Germany, and France. Their names are Ronald Vogelaar, Michael O’Neill, Björn Benjamin Clavis, and Wilfried Blériot. “We wish to remember and honor our fallen brothers, who traveled to Ukraine to join the bravest of the brave and fight shoulder to shoulder with the defenders of Ukraine,” the legion said.

Russian attack on monastery in Sviatohirsk, Donetsk Oblast, kills 4 people. According to President Volodymyr Zelensky, four people were killed and another four were wounded due to the Russian attack on Sviatohirsk Lavra. About 300 people, including 60 children, were sheltering in the monastery, he said. Zelensky urged UNESCO to expel Russia from the organization as a response to its attacks on cultural heritage in Ukraine.

Reintegration Ministry: Ukraine, Russia exchanged bodies of soldiers killed in combat. Ukraine’s Reintegration Ministry reported that the exchange took place on June 2 at the front line in Zaporizhzhia Oblast. The two countries swapped 160 killed soldiers each.

Mayor: Russian shelling of Mykolaiv kills 3, injures 4. According to Mykolaiv Mayor Oleksandr Sienkevych, three people were killed and another four were wounded in a Russian attack on the city on June 4. According to preliminary data, three high-rise buildings were damaged.

Russian mine kills 3 in Kherson Oblast. Three civilians were killed by a mine planted by the Russian military on a beach in the occupied village of Lazyrne. The prosecutor’s office began a pre-trial investigation, treating the incident as a war crime and premeditated murder.

Around 31,050 Russian troops dead after 100 days of war. As of June 4, Russia has lost around 31,050 troops, 1,376 tanks, 3,379 armored vehicles, and 680 artillery systems, as well as 210 planes and 175 helicopters, since the beginning of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24.

International response

US Defense Secretary to host June 15 meeting to coordinate help for Ukraine. Lloyd Austin said that defense leaders from all over the world “will discuss the ongoing crisis in Ukraine in the wake of Russia’s unprovoked invasion” at a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group on June 15 in Brussels. The first meeting of the group, which includes over 40 countries, was held at the Ramstein Air Base in Germany on April 26, and the second one took place on May 23.

Reuters: Macron warns against ‘humiliating’ Russia despite Putin’s ‘historic’ mistake. French President Emmanuel Macron said it is crucial that Russia is not “humiliated” in order to find a possible diplomatic solution after the fighting in Ukraine stops. “I am convinced that it is France’s role to be a mediating power,” he said. Macron has spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin regularly since Russia began a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Temporary EU import duties suspension for Ukraine comes into force on June 4. On May 24, the EU suspended all import duties for Ukrainian products for one year. According to Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, this move will help strengthen the country’s economy and save Ukrainian businesses “tens of millions of dollars,” as the EU is one of the biggest importers of Ukrainian products.

Polish deputy FM: EU already working on 7th package of sanctions against Russia. In an interview with Polska Agencia Prasowa, Paweł Jabłoński said that the EU has already begun working on the seventh package of sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. “Sanctions should be even tougher regarding the gas that Russia can still sell,” he said. The EU imposed a partial ban on Russian oil in the sixth sanctions package on May 30.

In other news

Zelensky’s vyshyvanka sells for $100,000 at charity auction in Washington, DC. President Volodymyr Zelensky’s vyshyvanka, a traditional Ukrainian embroidered shirt, was the one he wore for Vyshyvanka Day on May 19. The charity was part of a presentation to the White House of Zelensky’s UNITED24 initiative, which raises funds in support of Ukraine.

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

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