Ukraine Daily

Wednesday, 8 June 2022

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Russia’s war against Ukraine

A Russian soldier patrols a Mariupol street on April 12, 2022, photographed as part of a trip organized by the Russian military. (Alexander Nemenov/AFP via Getty Images)

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General Staff: Russia preparing for renewed offensive on Sloviansk. Ukraine’s General Staff said that Russian troops are currently preparing for thane offensive on the city of Sloviansk, Donetsk Oblast. The Ukrainian military added that Russian forces continue to try to capture Sievierodonetsk in Luhansk Oblast.

Russia claims control over southeast Ukraine, says it has launched overland connection with Crimea. Russia’s Minister of Defense Sergei Shoigu announced the opening of a road connection between Russia and the Russian-occupied Crimea. The road will run through Russian-occupied Donbas.

Zelensky: Ukraine to launch ‘Book of Executioners’ to detail war crimes. In his nightly address, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine will soon launch a data collection system to record evidence of war crimes Russian forces determined to have committed or ordered in Ukraine. The system is set to launch next week.

Russian media: Russian authorities admit sending conscripts to Ukraine. The military prosecutor of Russia’s Western District said about 600 conscripts had been sent to fight in Ukraine, leading to the dismissal of 12 officials. Russian dictator Vladimir Putin earlier said he would not send Russian conscripts and reservists to Ukraine.

Governor: Russian troops ‘likely withdraw’ from Melitopol district in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, move towards Kherson. Oleksandr Starukh, head of the Zaporizhzhia Regional State Administration, said the move could be part of a troops’ rotation.

Zelensky says stalemate with Russia not an option, criticizes Macron’s advice to “not humiliate” Russia. President Volodymyr Zelensky told the Financial Times that he does not see preconditions for Russia to stop the war in Ukraine, adding that sanctions “haven’t had much influence on Russia yet.” Zelensky urged the West to impose a full oil and gas embargo. He also criticized French President Emmanuel Macron over his recent call “not to humiliate Russia,” saying that Ukraine isn’t planning on humiliating anyone, but “we are going to respond in kind.”

Governor: Russian attack wounds 2 in Kharkiv Oblast. Kharkiv Oblast Governor Oleh Synehubov said that Russian forces shelled residential buildings in the village of Oleksiivka on June 7, injuring two people, according to the preliminary data. The official added that Russia also shelled residential neighborhoods in Kharkiv, the regional capital.

Podolyak accuses EU of easing sanctions against Russia. According to Mykhailo Podolyak, an advisor to the President’s Office, the European Council had edited the official message about the sixths sanctions package, removing the ban from EU cloud services. “No clarifications or explanations from the officials,” he said. Podolyak called for intensifying sanction pressure, not decreasing it.

Mayor: Urban warfare in Sievierodentsk continues, situation tense. Sievierodonetsk Mayor Oleksandr Striuk says the fighting between the invading Russian troops and Ukraine’s Armed Forces are ongoing in the city’s streets. “Large quantities of enemy artillery and equipment are located in the city. They try to attack, we’re trying to stop them,” he added.

Donetsk Oblast governor: five more people wounded by Russian attacks on June 7. According to Pavlo Kyrylenko, in addition to the earlier reported four injured civilians, five more people were wounded due to the Russian attacks in three settlements — Ocheretyne, Lastochkyne, and Mykolaivka.

Satellite picture shows heavy destruction in Rubizhne. A satellite image released by Maxar Technologies shows significant destruction in the city of Rubizhne, Luhansk Oblast, where heavy fighting has been ongoing for weeks.

Reuters: Russia transfers over 1,000 Ukrainian troops that surrendered in Mariupol onto its territory. Reuters reports citing TASS, the Russian state-owned news agency, that more than 1,000 Ukrainian soldiers who surrendered in the city of Mariupol after weeks of fierce resistance have been transferred to Russia for investigation. Ukraine is working to bring all the prisoners home.

US Treasury: Russia’s war in Ukraine impacting energy, food prices globally. “We are not the only country experiencing inflation. You can see that in virtually every developed country worldwide,” U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said on June 7. The UN Food and Agriculture agency earlier said that the war is pushing global food prices to a “new all-time high.”

Zelensky: Ukraine will limit energy exports to prepare for winter, aims to keep prices low. President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine will keep prices of utilities roughly the same as before the war to alleviate the financial strain for citizens. He said Ukraine will not sell its gas and coal abroad, instead saving it for domestic use. “Whatever the occupiers plan for themselves, we must prepare for next winter – in our country, on our land, for all our citizens,” Zelensky said.

Read our exclusive, on the ground stories

One hundred days of all-out war has been plenty of time to get acquainted with the Russian troops. The Kyiv Independent put together a portrait of the invader. Read our story that will help you learn about the Russian soldier here.

The human cost of Russia’s war

Ukraine’s intelligence: Bodies of 210 Mariupol defenders returned. The Defense Ministry’s Main Intelligence Directorate said on June 7 that most of the bodies returned were those of “heroic defenders of Azovstal.” The process of returning the bodies of Mariupol defenders is ongoing, the agency added.

Russia has killed 263 children in Ukraine, wounded more than 467 since Feb. 24. On June 3, an 8-year-old boy was killed in a mine explosion on the beach in Mariupol. The figures are expected to be higher since they do not include child casualties in the areas where hostilities are ongoing and in the occupied areas, the Prosecutor General’s Office said.

One killed, three injured in Russian shelling of Kharkiv. According to Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov, Russian forces shelled one of the residential neighborhoods of the city, killing one and injuring at least three people on June 7.

UN: 9,394 civilian casualties in Ukraine since Feb. 24. According to the UN’s human rights agency, as of June 6, Russia’s war against Ukraine has killed at least 4,253 civilians and wounded at least 5,141. The agency believes the actual figures are considerably higher. Ukrainian officials said up to 22,000 have been killed in Mariupol alone.

Governor: Civilian casualties grow as situation in Mykolaiv Oblast worsens. According to governor Vitaliy Kim, Russian forces have intensified shelling in Mykolaiv Oblast. He said the situation is more dangerous than two weeks ago, as Russia is using not only MLRS but also long-range artillery.

General Staff: Russia has lost 31,360 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24. Ukraine’s General Staff reported on June 7 that Russia had also lost 1,390 tanks, 3,416 armored vehicles, 694 artillery pieces, 207 multiple launch rocket systems, 125 surface-to-air missiles, 177 helicopters, 212 airplanes, 553 drones, and 13 boats.

International response

VOA: US and allies are working on supplying Ukraine with anti-ship missiles. A White House official confirmed to Voice of America that the U.S. will provide Ukraine with unmanned coastal defense vessels and is looking into providing long range anti-ship missiles which could help Ukraine regain control of portions of the northwestern Black Sea.

Bulgarian PM says they ‘already done enough,’ won’t provide arms to Ukraine. Kiril Petkov said that the country will stick to its decision to not send arms to Ukraine, adding that Bulgaria has already done enough to support Ukraine by helping the refugees, providing funds and humanitarian aid, as well as supporting sanctions against Russia, the BGNES news agency reported on June 7. Petkov, however, also said that Bulgaria will be repairing Ukrainian defense equipment and will continue to provide its support to Ukraine.

Poland signs $650 million defense deal with Ukraine. Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on June 7 that this is Poland’s largest defense contract in 30 years. He said that the weapons sold to Ukraine under the deal would be “very important” on the battlefield in eastern Ukraine. Polish media earlier reported that the country will sell Ukraine additional 60 KRAB self-propelled howitzers, which will be delivered in the next few months.

Charles Michel says Russia is responsible for global food crisis. During his speech at the UN Security Council, European Council President Charles Michel accused Russia of “using food supplies as a stealth missile against developing countries” by blockading Ukraine’s ports and holding millions of tons of Ukrainian grain hostage. “Russia is solely responsible for this food crisis, Russia alone,” he said.

Reuters: Johnson says Ukraine must not be pressured into accepting ‘bad peace deal’ with Russia. U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson told his Cabinet on June 7 that it is vital that President Volodymyr Zelensky is not pressured into accepting a bad peace deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin, adding that “bad peace deals do not last.”

European Parliament to recommend EU leaders to grant Ukraine candidate status. European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee chairman David McAllister made a statement on June 7 saying that Ukraine should be provided with requested weapons and equipment, in addition to candidate status as a “clear political signal of solidarity with the courageous people of Ukraine.”

World Bank approves $1.49 billion in funds for Ukraine. The World Bank will provide Ukraine with additional funds to assist with payments for social and government workers. The latests funding is supported by financing guarantees from Britain, the Netherlands, Lithuania and Latvia.

In other news

Ukrainian tennis player Elina Svitolina joins UNITED24 as ambassador. President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that Svitolina will work together with Ukrainian football legend Andriy Shevchenko, the first ambassador of UNITED24, a platform dedicated to collecting charitable funds in support of Ukraine. A charity match featuring world No.1, Iga Świątek, is planned under the patronage of Svitolina for the end of July. During the first four weeks of UNITED24 activity, more than $52.5 million was collected to cover Ukraine’s needs.

Russian Orthodox Church takes full control of Ukrainian eparchies in occupied Crimea. On June 7, the synod of Russia’s Orthodox Church decided to move the Dzhankoi, Simferopol, and Feodosia eparchies of the Moscow-controlled Ukrainian Orthodox Church under the direct authority of Patriarch Kirill, the head of Russia’s Orthodox Church, who is an outspoken supporter of the war in Ukraine. Prior, the Russian-controlled Ukrainian church issued a statement against Kirill and the war.

Newlyweds donate more than $3,000 to Armed Forces. According to the Lviv Oblast State Administration, a young couple who got married on June 6 in Lviv Oblast transferred Hr 100,000 they had received as a wedding gift to support the Ukrainian troops.

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Today’s Ukraine Daily was brought to you by Alexander Query, Daria Shulzhenko, Thaisa Semenova, Olga Rudenko, Oleksiy Sorokin, Toma Istomina, Olena Goncharova, Brad LaFoy and Sergiy Slipchenko.

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