Thursday, June 6

Russia’s war against Ukraine

A woman walks with a dog down a dark street during a partial electricity blackout in Kyiv on June 5, 2024, following Russian strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure. (Roman Pilipey / AFP via Getty Images)

FT: Ukrainians may face blackouts for most of day during winter. Russia’s systematic destruction of Ukraine’s energy system means that by winter, Ukrainians may be without electricity for the “vast majority” of the day, the Financial Times reported on June 5, citing Ukrainian officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Moldova’s ex-chief of General Staff leaked intelligence to Russia, The Insider reports. Igor Gorgan, who lost his post after pro-Western President Maia Sandu took office in 2021, continues to use his contacts in the Defense Ministry and pass sensitive information on military aid for Ukraine, the investigation said, citing accessed Telegram correspondence.

Zelensky arrives in Qatar to discuss return of kidnapped Ukrainian children. “Qatar took an active part in the preparation of the peace summit and should become one of the Middle East’s voices for the return of people, and global food, nuclear, and energy security,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

Ukraine evacuates children from Kharkiv Oblast’s Zolochiv border area. Local authorities in the Zolochiv community have launched mandatory evacuations for children in six villages: Ivashky, Oleksandrivka, Perovske, Basovo, Tymofiivka, and Vidrodzhenivske.

Ukrainian cyberattack ‘paralyzed’ work of Russian ministries, companies, source said. Ukraine’s military intelligence agency (HUR) was behind a large-scale DDoS attack that “paralyzed” the work of several Russian ministries and companies, a source in the agency told the Kyiv Independent on June 5.

Your contribution helps keep the Kyiv Independent going. Become a member today.

Ukraine has used US weapons to hit targets inside Russia, source tells AP. Ukraine’s armed forces have used U.S.-supplied weapons to strike targets inside Russia, the Associated Press (AP) reported on June 5, the first such confirmation since the White House partially lifted a ban on such actions last week.

US allowed Ukraine to down planes in Russian airspace since start of full-scale war, White House says. The U.S. gave Kyiv permission at the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion to down military aircraft flying in Russian territory if they pose a threat to Ukraine, U.S. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said at a press briefing on June 4 in response to a question on the use of U.S.-supplied weapons on Russian territory.

Russia still hasn’t restored ferry crossing in Crimea after Ukraine’s recent strike, military says. The Ukrainian military reportedly struck the ferry crossing in occupied Kerch with U.S.-provided long-range ATACMS missiles overnight on May 30. Two Russian ferries were “significantly damaged,” according to Ukraine’s General Staff.

Explosions, oil refinery fire reported in Russia’s Rostov Oblast. A fire broke out at Russia’s Novoshakhtinsk oil refinery following a series of explosions in Rostov Oblast in the early hours of June 6, according to Russian media.

Gazprom won’t recover losses from full-scale war, report says. “The main consequences of sanctions for Gazprom and the energy industry are the contraction of export volumes, which will be restored to their 2020 level no earlier than in 2035,” the report said.

Read our exclusives

Ukraine war latest: Kyiv ‘has chance’ to change difficult battlefield situation

The situation on the battlefield in Ukraine’s east remains difficult, but Ukrainian soldiers can shift it to their advantage by doing “everything possible,” Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine’s Armed Forces Oleksandr Syrskyi said on June 5.

Photo: Oleksandr Syrskyi / Telegram

EU aid and accession talks: Why European elections matter for Ukraine

The European Union’s upcoming parliamentary election, held between June 6 and June 9 and often downplayed as irrelevant by voters, will have a major impact on EU domestic and foreign policy, among them the union’s dealings with Ukraine.

Photo: Ksenia Kuleshova/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Explainer: What is the global peace summit in Switzerland?

Against the backdrop of competing peace initiatives, including a plan released by China in February that is more favorable to Russia than Ukraine’s plan, there is pressure for Ukraine to demonstrate that its process is relevant and valid through strong support.

Photo: Oleksandr Gusev/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images

10 authors shaping contemporary Ukrainian literature

The persistence of literary culture during the full-scale Russian invasion serves as a testament to Ukrainian authors’ talents—bookstores continue to open across the country, and literary festivals and book events consistently draw major crowds.

Photo: Yurii Rylchuk/ Ukrinform/Future Publishing via Getty Images

Human cost of war

Russian attacks on Kherson, Donetsk oblasts kill 1, injure 7. Russian forces attacked the village of Pivniche and the town of Selydove in Donetsk Oblast, as well as the village of Inhulets in Kherson Oblast.

Over 800 children killed due to Russia’s war in Ukraine since 2014, Prosecutor General says. At least 551 children have been killed during the full-scale invasion, Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin said on June 4.

General Staff: Russia has lost 513,700 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022. This number includes 1,280 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day.

Opinions and insights

Khutor: Estonia leads the charge on using frozen Russian assets

“Estonia’s parliament enacted a law on May 15 enabling the use of frozen Russian assets to compensate Ukraine for the damages caused by Russia’s war. As of October 2023, the Estonian government estimated having 38 million euros ($41.3 million) in frozen Russian assets,” writes Tetiana Khutor, chair of the Institute of Legislative Ideas.

Photo: Alexey Druzhinin/RIA Novosti/AFP via Getty Images

International response

FT: US proposes $50 billion Ukraine loan conditional on EU extending sanctions against Russia until end of war. The U.S. has proposed that a $50 billion loan to Ukraine could be repaid by profits from frozen Russian assets, on the condition that the EU agrees to extend sanctions against Russia until the end of the war, the Financial Times reported on June 5, citing a leaked EU discussion paper.

China’s peace plan has international backing, Beijing claims after Ukraine summit snub. The document, which China and Brazil laid out in a joint statement in May, called for an international conference recognized by both Ukraine and Russia, Bloomberg said.

French President Macron to attend global peace summit. Ukraine hopes the summit will address several key areas, such as energy security, the exchange of captives, the return of deported children, global food security, and other topics.

France to provide Ukraine over $700 million in critical infrastructure support. The funds will primarily focus on projects related to Ukraine’s transportation and energy infrastructure, hit hard by heavy Russian assaults in 2024.

Paris says it will respond to Russia after remarks about French instructors in Ukraine. Christophe Lemoine, deputy spokesperson of the French Foreign Ministry, said Paris is considering how to respond to Russian embassy spokesperson Alexander Makogonov’s remarks. “These are outrageous statements that will not go unanswered,” he said.

In other news

Politico: Ukraine-born Congresswoman Spartz under preliminary inquiry due to allegations of abuse of staff. Republican Congresswoman Victoria Spartz, the first member of the U.S. Congress born in Ukraine, is under a preliminary inquiry by the House Ethics Committee due to allegations of abusive treatment of staff and “general toxicity,” Politico reported on June 4.

50% of Ukrainians think Zelensky failed to fulfill all or most pre-election promises, survey shows. Sociologists interviewed 1,002 respondents from all Ukrainian oblasts that are not under Russian occupation. The participants of the survey were asked to what extent Zelensky fulfilled his pre-election promises during his five years in office.

Want to get the news faster? Follow our website: kyivindependent.com.

Today’s Ukraine Daily was brought to you by Martin Fornusek, Kateryna Denisova, Elsa Court, Oleksiy Sorokin, Kateryna Hodunova, Chris York, Lili Bivings, and Abbey Fenbert.

If you’re enjoying this newsletter, consider joining our membership program. Start supporting independent journalism today.