Thursday, June 22

Russia’s war against Ukraine

The aftermath of a Russian attack on the Nikopol district in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast on June 20, 2023. (Governor Serhii Lysak via Telegram)

Zelensky: Ukrainian forces advance in south, firm defense on eastern front. Amid heavy fighting across the front line, Ukrainian forces are advancing in the south and firming their defense in the east, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his evening address on June 21.

UK Defense Ministry: Russia fortifying approaches to Crimea. Russia has been building up rear defensive lines in southern Ukraine over the past weeks, particularly on the approaches to occupied Crimea, the U.K. Defense Ministry wrote on June 21.

General Staff: Russian forces focus on Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka, Marinka directions. The General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces reported on June 21 that Russia continues to focus its main efforts on the Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka, and Marinka directions.

Russian attack damages civilian infrastructure in Nikopol. Russian troops shelled Nikopol in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast three times on June 21, damaging four residential buildings and a power transmission line, Mykola Lukashuk, head of the regional legislature, reported.

Ombudsman: Hungary’s transfer of Ukrainian POWs violates international law. Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said that Budapest’s transfer of 11 Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) from Russia to Hungary without Ukraine’s knowledge violates international law, Liga.net said on June 21, citing a televised interview.

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Kyiv official under house arrest over closed shelter case. A Kyiv court has put Roman Tkachuk, the head of Kyiv’s Municipal Security Department, under house arrest for suspected negligence over a closed shelter which three people died trying to access during a Russian attack on June 1, the Kyiv City Council said on June 21.

Ukraine Recovery Conference begins in London. The 2023 Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC), an event aimed at mobilizing international support for Ukraine’s economic stabilization and war recovery, started in London on June 21.

Ministry: Ukraine’s farmers received over $1 billion in loans in 2023. Over 7,600 Ukrainian agricultural enterprises received a collective 38 billion Hr. ($1 billion) in loans for development support since the beginning of 2023, the Agriculture Ministry said on June 21.

Bloomberg: EU estimates it can’t ‘legally confiscate’ frozen Russian assets. The EU has assessed that it “can’t legally confiscate outright frozen Russian assets” and focuses on using those assets temporarily instead, Bloomberg reported on June 21, citing a document it had obtained.

Kyiv mayor accuses authorities of trying to discredit him. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko claimed on June 21 that there is a campaign to discredit him and the city government

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Kyiv’s frustration boils as flow of Western chips for Russian missiles continues uninterrupted

Destroyed apartments, burnt-out cars, lives upturned or extinguished altogether: Russia’s June 13 missile attack on the city of Kryvyi Rih was, in many ways, nothing out of the ordinary for wartime Ukraine.

Photo: Diego Fedele via Getty Images

Ukraine war latest: Military keeps advancing south, Zelensky says offensive ‘slower than desired’ but not ’a movie

Ukrainian forces keep advancing on the southern front line as the summer counteroffensive continues, the military said on June 21.

Photo: Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Human cost of war

Death toll in Russia’s June 14 attack on Odesa rises to 4. The death toll of Russia’s June 14 missile attack on Odesa has risen to four people, the Odesa City Council reported on June 21.

Russian forces attack 10 regions, kill 4 people from June 20-21. Over the past day, Russian forces attacked 10 oblasts, killing four people and injuring 15 more, Ukrainian officials reported on June 21. Two people were killed in Kherson Oblast and two were killed in Donetsk Oblast.

General Staff: Russia has lost 222,000 troops in Ukraine. The General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces reported on June 21 that Russia has lost 222,000 troops in Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion, with an estimated 540 casualties on June 20.

International response

EU agrees on 11th sanctions package against Russia. European Union ambassadors on June 21 backed the eleventh sanctions package against Russia, according to the Swedish government, which presides in the Council of the EU.

World Bank to provide $1.75 billion in aid to restore Ukraine. The World Bank Group on June 21 announced a new financing package worth $1.75 billion for emergency assistance to Ukraine.

US to purchase $1 billion worth of air-to-air missiles, some will go to Ukraine. The Pentagon announced on June 20 a contract for Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) worth around $1 billion, some of which are intended for Ukraine.

Germany delivers missiles for Patriot systems, more military aid to Ukraine. The German government said in a weekly update on June 21 that it had delivered a Patriot air defense system with missiles to Ukraine.

Latvia says it transfers all of its helicopters to Ukraine. Latvia’s Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš said at the Ukraine Recovery Conference (UCR 2023) on June 21 that his country is completing the transfer of all of its helicopters to Ukraine.

In other news

Australian businessman to invest **$500 million in Ukraine Development Fund.**Andrew Forrest, the second-richest Australian, announced on June 21 that he would be seeding the Ukraine Development Fund with $500 million and called on other investors to follow suit.

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