Ukraine may have endured its worst week since the fall of Mariupol
Ukraine may have endured its worst week since the fall of Mariupol
Analysis from CNN’s Tim Lister
Ukraine’s defense of Lysychansk — the last city in the Luhansk region it still holds — just became a lot more tenuous.
For weeks, Russian forces have been trying to obliterate Ukrainian defensive positions to the south and east of the city, in an effort to encircle it and cut off Ukrainian troops tasked with holding it.
In the last couple of days, the Russians have advanced into several villages south of Lysychansk, though not without sustaining losses from Ukrainian artillery fire. Indeed, the Ukrainian military claims that some Russian battalion tactical groups are being consolidated or withdrawn to restore their combat capabilities.
The Institute for the Study of War, in its latest daily analysis of the battlefield, says the Russian breakthrough from the south means they “may be able to threaten Lysychansk in the coming days while avoiding a difficult opposed crossing of the Siverskyi Donets River.”
The settlements that Ukrainian officials confirmed as lost Wednesday are all on the western Siverskyi Donets Riverbank, within 10 kilometers of the southern outskirts of Lysychansk.
Ukrainian forces continue to fight on the fringes of the city of Severodonetsk, and in adjacent communities — and they benefit from higher ground in Lysychansk.
But their already-compromised supply lines are becoming more tenuous, and the sheer magnitude of Russian firepower is grinding down defensible positions.
The reverses suffered in the past few days, after weeks of determined resistance, probably mark the most difficult week for the Ukrainian military since the surrender of the last defenders in Mariupol.
The attacks near Lysychansk are being carried out in tandem with renewed Russian efforts to cut the highway that runs west to Bakhmut, a critical line of communication for the Ukrainians. In some places, Russian forces are within a few kilometers of the highway.
The Ukrainian defense of Severodonetsk and Lysychansk has consumed the firepower of many Russian units and blunted their efforts to make progress in the neighboring Donetsk region, but the Russians can still call on reserves holding in nearby areas of southwest Russia — while some of Ukraine’s best units are seriously depleted by months of missile, rocket, artillery and air attacks.
Russian forces target key holdout city of Lysychansk
From CNN’s Tim Lister, Olga Voitovych and Julia Kesaieva
Ukrainian officials have acknowledged the loss of several communities near the city of Lysychansk, the only conurbation in Luhansk region they still control.
“The Russians are approaching Lysychansk, entrenching in nearby towns. The city is being shelled by aircraft,” according to Serhiy Hayday, head of the Luhansk regional military administration.
Hayday acknowledged it was “difficult” in the area south of Lysychansk. “The enemy entered Toshkivka, which allowed it to increase fire on other settlements.”
He said Russian forces were entrenched in several villages immediately to the south of Lysychansk, including Ustynivka, Pidlisne and Myrna Dolyna, and were advancing at Bila Hora. “It is not easy for our soldiers to keep the defense,” he admitted.
Hayday’s comments suggest that Ukrainian defenses around Lysychansk have begun to succumb to much greater Russian firepower, after weeks of bombardment.
He said that “street fights continue in Severodonetsk,” where Ukrainian defenders still occupy a part of the Azot chemical plant.
But he said the Russians were trying to surround Ukrainian units in some areas (such as Borivske) near Lysychansk and Severodonetsk. Military analysts have said that the risk of a Russian advance from the south means that some Ukrainian troops could be cut off.
Hayday added: “Lysychansk is under heavy fire now. The city is shelled from artillery, tanks and aircraft. There are at least three wounded civilians there, several policemen were injured.” He said the police and security service buildings were hit by missiles.
Throughout its campaign, Russia has used the tactic of intense bombardment before trying to take territory.
Elsewhere, the Ukrainian military’s General Staff said Russia held up to three battalion tactical groups and airborne units in border areas as potential reinforcements.
Settlements near Kharkiv had been intensively shelled, it said. On Tuesday, 15 people were reported killed by artillery strikes in the area.
In the Donetsk region, the General Staff said that Russian forces were using multiple launch rocket systems “in order to create conditions for the resumption of the offensive on the city of Sloviansk.”
But it also said that Ukrainian units had prevented the Russians advancing towards Bakhmut from the south.
Elsewhere, along active front lines that extend for more than 1,000 kilometers, the Ukrainians reported shelling of settlements in Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions.
The head of the Donetsk regional military administration, Pavlo Kyrylenko, said six children had been wounded and one person killed in shelling of Chasiv Yar. He said cluster munitions had landed on a beach at a lake in the town.
Analysis: In Beijing’s BRICS summit, Putin is back on the world stage
Analysis from CNN’s Simone McCarthy in Hong Kong
When Russian President Vladimir Putin dials into the virtual BRICS summit hosted by Beijing on Thursday, it will be his first time attending a forum with the heads of major economies since launching an invasion of Ukraine earlier this year.
For Putin, this could offer a welcome picture: his face beamed onscreen alongside other leaders whose countries make up this acronymous grouping: China’s Xi Jinping, India’s Narendra Modi, Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro, and South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa — a signal that Russia, though battered by sanctions and remonstrations for the invasion, is not alone.
It’s a message that may resonate even more clearly as China and Russia, weeks before the invasion, declared their own relationship to have “no limits,” and as each of the BRICS leaders have avoided condemning Russia outright, even as they hold varying levels of interest in not being seen to endorse its actions — and run foul of Western friends.
Below the surface, Putin’s invasion is likely to throw another complication into BRICS, a more than a decade-old grouping of major emerging economies, which already suffers from mistrust between members and mismatched ideologies.
But the decision by the group to press ahead with its 14th annual summit does reflect a view held by BRICS countries on the global order and, by extension, the situation in Ukraine, that departs from that of the West, experts say.
“We’re talking about some very major economies whose leadership is willing to be seen with Putin, even if it is only on a virtual platform,” said Sushant Singh, a senior fellow at the Center for Policy Research (CPR) in New Delhi.
“The fact that Putin is welcome, he’s not a pariah, he’s not being pushed out — and this is a normal engagement, which has taken place every year and it’s still taking place — that is a big plus for Putin,” he said.
Editor’s Note: A version of this post appeared in CNN’s Meanwhile in China newsletter, a three-times-a-week update exploring what you need to know about the country’s rise and how it impacts the world. Sign up here.
Read the full analysis here.
Intense Russian shelling in Kharkiv and Donetsk
From CNN’s Tim Lister, Olga Voitovych and Julia Kesaieva
The Ukrainian military’s General Staff said Russia held up to three battalion tactical groups and airborne units in border areas as potential reinforcements.
It said there had been intense shelling of settlements near Kharkiv, in the northeast. On Tuesday, 15 people were reported killed by artillery strikes in the area.
In the Donetsk region: The General Staff said Russian forces were using multiple launch rocket systems “in order to create conditions for the resumption of the offensive on the city of Sloviansk.”
Bakhmut: It also said that Ukrainian units had prevented the Russians advancing towards Bakhmut from the south.
The front lines: Elsewhere along active front lines that extend for more than 1,000 kilometers (620 miles), the Ukrainians reported shelling of settlements in Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions.
The head of the Donetsk regional military adminstration, Pavlo Kyrylenko, said six children had been wounded and one person killed in shelling of Chasiv Yar. He said cluster munitions had landed at a beach on a lake in the town.
Ukraine loses territory near Lysychansk
From CNN’s Tim Lister, Olga Voitovych and Julia Kesaieva
Ukrainian officials have acknowledged the loss of several communities near the city of Lysychansk, the only conurbation in Luhansk region they still control.
“The Russians are approaching Lysychansk, entrenching in nearby towns. The city is being shelled by aircraft,” said Serhiy Hayday, head of the Luhansk regional military administration.
Hayday said it was “difficult” in the area south of Lysychansk. “The enemy entered Toshkivka, which allowed it to increase fire on other settlements.”
Russian forces were entrenched in several villages immediately to the south of Lysychansk, including Ustynivka, Pidlisne and Myrna Dolyna, and were advancing at Bila Hora.
“It is not easy for our soldiers to keep the defense,” Hayday said
His comments suggest that Ukrainian defenses around Lysychansk have begun to succumb to much greater Russian firepower, after weeks of bombardment.
Hayday said “street fights continue in Severodonetsk,” where Ukrainian defenders still occupy a part of the Azot chemical plant.
But he said the Russians were trying to surround Ukrainian units in some localities (such as Borivske) near Lysychansk and Severodonetsk. Military analysts have said the risk of a Russian advance from the south is that some Ukrainian troops could be cut off.
“Lysychansk is under heavy fire now. The city is shelled from artillery, tanks and aircraft. There are at least three wounded civilians there, several policemen were injured,” Hayday said. Police and security service buildings were also hit by missiles.
Some context: Throughout its campaign, Russia has used the tactic of intense bombardment before trying to take territory.
It’s 9:30 a.m. in Kyiv. Here’s what you need to know
The Ukrainian Army said it has launched “aimed strikes” on Zmiinyi Island, also known as Snake Island, where Russian forces and infrastructure are stationed.
Here are the latest headlines on Russia’s war in Ukraine.
- Snake Island strikes: Large burn marks and a damaged tower have appeared on the island after the Ukrainian Army said it conducted “aimed strikes,” a new satellite image from Maxar Technologies shows. In the past two months, Ukrainian forces have repeatedly hit Russian forces and infrastructure stationed on the island.
- Kaliningrad could be new flashpoint: Tensions are mounting around the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, an isolated but strategically significant territory on the Baltic coast. Russia reacted furiously after Lithuania banned the passage of sanctioned goods across its territory and into Kaliningrad. But Lithuania says it is merely upholding EU sanctions, and the European bloc has backed Vilnius.
- Zelensky calls for more sanctions: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said a “seventh package of European Union sanctions is needed as soon as possible” as the 27 EU leaders meet this week to make a final decision on formally giving Ukraine candidate status.
- Deaths in Kharkiv: The Military Administration of Kharkiv said 15 people were killed and 16 others injured in Russian attacks across the region. Russian forces shelling Ukraine’s second largest city have targeted residential and industrial zones, according to a police official in Kharkiv.
- War crimes team: US Attorney General Merrick Garland announced a war crimes accountability team during a trip to Ukraine, which will work to identify and prosecute anyone who committed war crimes in the country. The team will be led by the department’s best-known Nazi Hunter, Eli Rosenbaum.
- Battle for key city: Russian troops have captured the frontline village of Toshkivka in the Donbas region as they try to seize the strategic city of Severodonetsk. Toshkivka is located south of the city, where Ukrainian forces have mounted fierce resistance to Moscow’s armies.
Large burn marks appear on Snake Island after Ukrainian “aimed strikes,” satellite image shows
From CNN’s Paul P. Murphy
Large burn marks and a damaged tower have appeared on Snake Island after the Ukrainian Army said they conducted “aimed strikes,” a new satellite image from Maxar Technologies shows.
The burn marks are visible in three parts of the island in the satellite image, taken on June 21. One is near a tower structure on the southern side of the island. The other two are closer to the main building complex.
In the past two months, Ukrainian forces have repeatedly hit Russian forces and infrastructure stationed on the island. They’ve also knocked out a Russian helicopter and a number of naval craft located offshore.
Snake Island, or Zmiinyi Island, was the scene of one of the opening salvos of the war in Ukraine and is of strategic importance to both sides. During the opening days of the war, it was the site of a demand from a Russian warship to Ukrainian defenders to surrender. They replied, infamously, with “Russian warship, go f**k yourself” — a phrase that become a motif of Ukrainian resistance.
Zelensky calls for 7th EU sanctions package as bloc considers Ukraine for candidate status
From CNN’s Mariya Knight
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said a “seventh package of European Union sanctions is needed as soon as possible,” in his nightly address on Tuesday.
It came as the 27 EU leaders are meeting this week to make a final decision on formally giving Ukraine candidate status.
I will do my best to ensure that the historic decision of the European Union is adopted. This is important for us,” Zelensky said.
Zelensky also spoke of Russia’s “anti-European policy,” and Moscow’s response to Lithuania blocking sanctioned goods from Europe into Russia’s European exclave of Kaliningrad.
“Russia must feel a constant increase in pressure for the war and for its aggressive anti-European policy,” he said.
“Another Russian threat to Lithuania, another wave of energy pressure, another batch of lies from Russian officials about the food crisis are all arguments to agree on the seventh package of sanctions.”
Where is Kaliningrad? The exclave is Russia’s westernmost territory, and the only part of the country surrounded by EU states. Lithuania stands between it and Belarus, a Russian ally, while Poland borders it to the south.
CNN reported on Monday that Lithuanian Railways, the state-owned railway company, had notified Russia that transit trains with goods subject to EU sanctions would no longer be allowed to pass through.
Russia’s reaction: Moscow has responded furiously to Lithuania’s move.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Monday called the action unprecedented and illegal.
It is part of a blockade, of course,” he said.
The Charge d’Affaires of Lithuania in Moscow was summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry and told that if freight transit to the Kaliningrad region was not fully restored, Russia reserved the right to take action to protect its national interests.
But the EU, whose sanctions Lithuania is enforcing by blocking transit, has backed its member state.
Read more on the situation here.
Luxembourg commits 15% of its defense budget to support Ukraine: Zelensky
From CNN’s Mariya Knight
Luxembourg has committed 15% of the nation’s annual defense budget to support Ukraine’s war efforts, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
“15% of the defense budget of this state — this was a contribution to the defense of Ukraine. Both the greatness and the nobility of the state are immediately felt,” Zelensky said in his nightly address on Tuesday.
According to NATO figures, Luxembourg spent $462 million on defense in 2021.
Luxembourg’s Prime Minister Xavier Bettel visited Kyiv on Tuesday to show “Luxembourg’s solidarity with the people of Ukraine.”
“Mr. Bettel visited the cities of the Kyiv region that had been liberated from the occupiers,” Zelensky said.
“I am grateful to him for his sincere understanding of our people and for Luxembourg’s readiness to take part in the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine.”
Bettel visited Bucha, Borodyanka and Irpin, all places that have been heavily impacted by the war.
The Prime Minister called Borodyanka “a symbol of senseless cruelty and violence.”
Nothing can convey the horror of what has happened here,” he tweeted on Tuesday.
Source: https://www.cnn.com/europe/live-news/russia-ukraine-war-news-06-22-22/h_069ac4d91141abc524758c7062e5e463
