Sunday, June 9

Russia’s war against Ukraine

A war veteran explains how to disassemble and reassemble a war weapon during a training course in Kharkiv on June 8, 2024. (Vincenzo Circosta/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Russia fails to fulfill its Kharkiv operation, Zelensky says. Russian troops failed their Kharkiv Oblast offensive, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his evening address on June 8 after meeting with Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi.

Governor: Russia reduces offensive operations in Kharkiv Oblast. The statement comes nearly a month after Russia opened a new front in Kharkiv Oblast’s border areas. Heavy fighting rages on for Vovchansk, a town occupied by Russian troops in 2022 – and now largely reduced to ruins by intense glide bomb attacks.

Biden warns that Putin is ‘not going to stop at Ukraine.’ U.S. President Joe Biden reaffirmed his strong support for Kyiv in its fight against the Russian invasion during a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron on June 8: “The United States is standing strong with Ukraine. We will not — I say it again — walk away.”

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Russia attacks 11 communities in Sumy Oblast. Russian forces struck 11 communities in Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy Oblast in 26 separate attacks throughout the day, the regional administration reported on June 8. No casualties were reported.

Ukraine uses over 110 types of vehicles on the battlefield. More than 110 models of Ukrainian and foreign-made military vehicles have been approved for use in the Armed Forces of Ukraine since March 2022, Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said on June 8.

Ukraine to launch registry of mine-affected areas. Ukraine will launch a state register for areas contaminated with explosives, according to a report from the Economy Ministry.

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Ukraine war latest: US announces $225 million aid package; France looks for partners to send military instructors

U.S. President Joe Biden announced an aid package for Ukraine worth $225 million during a meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, in Paris on June 7.

Photo: President’s Office

Human cost of war

Russian guided bomb attack on Kharkiv Oblast kills 1, injures 2. Russian troops attacked the village of Khotimlia in Kharkiv Oblast on June 8, killing one person and injuring two, Kharkiv Oblast Prosecutor’s Office reported.

Local authorities: 1 killed, 2 wounded by Russian shelling in Kherson Oblast. A 60-year-old woman was fatally wounded in the village of Dudchany at around noon, regional governor Oleksandr Prokudin said in a Telegram post.

Governor: Rescued woman dies in hospital after Russian strike on Poltava Oblast. “Doctors fought for her life until the last minute,” regional governor Filip Pronin said in a Telegram post, sending condolences to her family.

Military intelligence: Collaborant ex-mayor of Kupiansk in ‘critical condition’ after assassination attempt in Russia. The life of Hennadii Matsehora, the former mayor of the city of Kupiansk in the country’s northeast, was targeted on June 7 in the city of Stary Oskol in Belgorod Oblast, HUR reported in a Telegram post. It did not disclose further details about the incident.

Tracking down perpetrators of sexual violence in Russia’s war

International response

NATO considering to create new special envoy post in Ukraine. NATO is considering to establish a permanent envoy position in Kyiv as part of its long-term commitment to Ukraine amid the ongoing war, Western officials and U.S. congressional aides familiar with the matter told Foreign Policy.

Bloomberg: Stoltenberg abandons plan to set up $100 billion fund for Ukraine aid after pushback. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg is scrapping plans to set up a $100 billion fund to aid Ukraine after facing rejection from alliance members, Bloomberg reported on June 7 citing people familiar with the matter.

Czechia won’t send military instructors to Ukraine, defense minister says. Czech Defense Minister Jana Cernochova voiced support for the France-led initiative, but said that unlike Czechia, such a move is practical for France and some other countries due to their distance from Ukraine.

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Today’s Ukraine Daily was brought to you by Lili Bivings, Nate Ostiller, Francis Farrell, Asami Terajima, Oleksiy Sorokin, Kateryna Denisova, and Olena Goncharova.

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