Saturday, June 17

Russia’s war against Ukraine

President of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa during a joint press conference with the President of Ukraine on June 16, 2023, in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Photo credit: Vitalii Nosach/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)

Putin attacks Zelensky, says he is ‘not Jewish.’ Russian dictator Vladimir Putin proclaimed that according to his Jewish friends, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky is “not Jewish” and a “shame to the Jewish people,” Telegram channel Smotri media reported on June 16.

Defense Ministry: Ukraine advances 2 kilometers in multiple directions. Ukraine’s forces have advanced up to 2 kilometers in multiple directions but face heavy resistance, Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar summarized the battlefield situation on June 16.

Health Minister: Pollution level in Dnipro River rises dramatically after dam destruction. Health Minister Viktor Liashko told BBC News on June 15 that the water in the Dnipro River is “tens of thousands of times” more polluted due to the Kakhovka dam breach.

Government to provide victims of Kakhovka disaster with $136 per person. The Cabinet of Ministers has allocated Hr 560 million ($15 million) to pay Hr 5,000 ($136) to each victim of the flooding caused by the Kakhovka dam disaster, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal reported on June 16.

UK Defense Ministry: Russian general-major likely killed in southern Ukraine. Russia’s General-Major Sergei Goryachev, the chief of staff of the 35th Combined Arms Army (35 CAA), was “almost certainly” killed in a strike on a command post in Ukraine’s south on or around June 12, reported the U.K. Defense Ministry.

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Russian media: IAEA chief to visit Moscow over Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant situation. The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi is expected to visit Moscow in the following week, the news agency Interfax cited Russian state-owned nuclear company Rosatom.

Stoltenberg: NATO invite for Ukraine not to be discussed at Vilnius summit. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said that an invitation for Ukraine to NATO will not be a topic of the upcoming Vilnius summit in July, in comments at a press conference in Brussels on June 16.

Kuleba: Russian June 16 attack on Kyiv Oblast conveying message to African delegation. Russian missiles are a message to Africa: Russia wants more war, not peace,“ Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba tweeted after Russian troops launched a missile barrage on Kyiv Oblast during a visit by an African delegation.

Media: Biden allegedly supports simplified procedure for Ukraine’s NATO accession. U.S. President Joe Biden has supported a proposal by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg to announce that Ukraine does not need to implement a “membership action plan” (MAP) to join NATO, Axios reported, citing two people familiar with the matter.

African leaders visit grave of Russian troops’ victims in Bucha. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and other African leaders on June 16 visited the town of Bucha in Kyiv Oblast.

Read our exclusives

EU top justice official: We aren’t waiting for war’s end to prosecute Russian crimes

As Russia’s war against Ukraine rages on, the European Union’s top justice official says the EU and its partners want to bring all perpetrators of international crimes to justice.

Photo: Getty Images

Ukraine war latest: Russia attacks Kyiv with Kinzhal missiles as African leaders visit the capital

Following his meeting with African leaders on June 16 in Kyiv, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that peace talks with Russia will only be possible after the withdrawal of the Russian forces from the occupied territories.  

Photo: President’s Office

Human cost of war

2 killed, 16 injured in Russian attacks across Ukraine over past day. Russian attacks against Ukraine killed two civilians and wounded 16 more over the past 24 hours, according to regional authorities. Russia targeted eight Ukrainian oblasts — Donetsk, Sumy, Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipropetrovsk and Luhansk**.**

Update: Russian missile debris injures 4 in Kyiv Oblast. As of 2 p.m. local time, four people, including a child, are known to have been injured by the debris of some of the Russian missiles launched at Ukraine on June 16, reported the regional department of the State Emergency Service.

Update: 23 injured in Russian attacks on Kherson Oblast. The number of civilians injured in a Russian attack on the city of Kherson around 1 p.m. on June 16 has climbed to at least 23 people, including three children, Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andrii Yermak said.

General Staff: Russia has lost 218,500 troops in Ukraine since Feb 24, 2022. Ukraine’s General Staff reported on June 16 that Russia had also lost 3,965 tanks, 7,683 armored fighting vehicles, 6,519 vehicles and fuel tanks, 3,812 artillery systems, 606 multiple launch rocket systems, 364 air defense systems, 314 airplanes, 301 helicopters, 3,357 drones, and 18 boats.

Opinions and insights

Peter Gleick: A call to condemn attacks on water systems in Ukraine

Early in the morning of June 6, the massive Kakhovka dam on the Dnipro River, under the control of Russian occupying forces, was destroyed in the largest attack on vital civilian water infrastructure since World War II.

International response

South African president presents 10-step peace plan in Kyiv. South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa presented a ten-point peace plan of the African Peace Mission during his visit to Kyiv, Ukrinform wrote on June 16. As the main points, Ramaphosa emphasized that the Russo-Ukrainian War must be settled, and peace has to be achieved through diplomatic means as soon as possible.

Minister: Germany to provide Ukraine with 64 missiles for Patriot systems. Germany will “immediately” provide Ukraine with another 64 guided missiles for Patriot air defense systems, Germany’s n-tv television wrote on June 16, citing German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius.

Estonia to draft law to use Russian assets for Ukraine’s reconstruction. The Estonian government has supported a proposal to draft legislation for using the frozen assets of individuals linked to Russia’s aggression to rebuild Ukraine, Estonia’s Foreign Ministry reported on June 15.

German minister: NATO may agree to simplify Ukraine’s path to alliance. NATO allies may be ready to remove some hurdles on Ukraine’s path to the military alliance, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said on June 16, as cited by the Guardian.

Sweden pledges $23.5 million aid package, confirms fighter jet training for Ukraine. Sweden’s Defense Ministry announced on June 16 its 12th aid package for Ukraine worth $23.5 million. Among others, it will include training Ukrainian pilots on JAS 39 Gripen fighter jets.

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

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Today’s Ukraine Daily was brought to you by Oleg Sukhov, Dinara Khalilova, Olesya Boyko, Alexander Query, Francis Farrell, Martin Fornusek, Haley Zehrung, and Lili Bivings.

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