07:28 – Kiev: “150 children deported from Luhansk to Russia”
Ukraine says 150 children have been smuggled from occupied Luhansk region to Russia. Children were deported from the Starobilsk district of Luhansk on June 8 to two centers in the Prikuban district of Russia’s Karachay-Cherkess republic, the National Center of Resistance of Ukraine said. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said last month that so far 19,393 children had been illegally transferred to Russia from occupied Ukraine. The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant in March for Russian President Vladimir Putin for overseeing the abduction of Ukrainian children. In granting a request for warrants by the ICC prosecutor, a panel of judges agreed that there were “reasonable grounds” to believe that Putin and his children’s rights commissioner, Maria Alekseyevna Lvova-Belova, were responsible for the “illegal deportation” of Ukrainian children. The National Center of Resistance of Ukraine reported yesterday that 750 children from Luhansk are expected to arrive at the two centers in Karachay-Cherkess this month.
07:06 am – Zelensky: “If Kiev loses, the US is forced to choose between war and NATO collapse”
If Ukraine loses to Russia, the US may have to choose between going to war with Moscow or the “collapse of NATO”. The president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, is convinced of this, explaining in an interview with Nbc News: “If Ukraine loses, if Russia occupies Ukraine, Russia will continue to go towards the Baltic countries”, thus starting the war «with one of the NATO countries» and at that point «the United States would have to choose the collapse of NATO or entry into the war».
06:58 – African leaders on mission to Kiev and St. Petersburg
Some African leaders they are expected in Ukraine for the start of a mission in which they will attempt mediation between the countries at war. The delegation, which was supposed to bring together 7 presidents, will actually include 4 presidents and three representatives. Talks are scheduled with President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kiev tomorrow and with Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg the following day.
The mission takes place in the midst of the Ukrainian counter-offensive but, as South African Cyril Ramaphosa explained before departure, “it is precisely in moments of escalation of the conflict that the search for peace must be equally accelerated”. African representatives want to raise the voice of a continent that has been hit hard by rising grain prices and the broader impact on global trade since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year.
05:03 am – NATO: “Ukrainian pilots trained to fly F-16s”
According to Guardian NATO is reportedly training Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16 fighters. NATO allies have sent the latest generation jets to the Ukrainian resistance: Jens Stoltenberg, NATO secretary general, confirmed that training is underway.
04:43 am – Prigozhin and the mystery of his participation in Berlusconi’s funeral: “I wasn’t there”
(by Fabrizio Dragosei) He had answered a question about the war events on Wednesday, giving the journalist news that appeared to be sensational: “I can’t say anything about what happened because I went to Berlusconi’s funeral”. Was Evgenij Prigozhin, Putin’s so-called cook, head of the Wagner private militia fighting in Ukraine in Milan for the funeral of the former prime minister? Nothing short of incredible news that he immediately set the diplomatic world in motion.
03:56 am – Prigozhin challenges Putin and rebels: “Wagner will not sign contracts with the defense”
(by Fabrizio Dragosei) The endless clash between the head of Wagner’s mercenaries and the highest leaders of the state continues. And once again Yevgeny Prigozhin seems determined to disobey even the Supreme Commander, not just the hated Defense Minister Shoigu and the Chief of Staff Gerasimov.
After Vladimir Putin had supported the initiative of the military leaders on Tuesday which provides for the obligation for all the autonomous forces to sign a contract with the Defense, the extroverted former restaurateur replied spadely: «None of the Wagner fighters is ready to go the path of shame again. Therefore no one will sign agreements », he replied to those who reminded him of the president’s words. (…)
03.19 am – On the road to the offensive that liberates ghost towns
(by Francesco Battistini, posted on the N15 towards Donetsk) Sometimes everything comes. «How do you move, they throw at you…». And those times you have to stay still, and that’s it. «The Russians are even more afraid than us…». Sunday, the sixth day of the counteroffensive, was one of those times. Sergeant Stefan, 47, had been crouching with his soldiers for five hours in a beech clump, camouflaged by foliage, waiting for the right moment to get out of there. “We were in an awkward position. The Russians are also hiding, perhaps less than a kilometer away. All motionless. All silent. Not even breathing.” Until the sergeant, in the silence of the no man’s land between Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk, heard that hum. At first, far. So above himself. “Bees!” He recognized them immediately: «Before enlisting, I was a farmer and I had thirty hives…». (…)
01:56 am – THE MILITARY POINT | Those 67 thousand Ukrainian soldiers trained by 33 allied countries: the numbers of NATO training
(by Andrea Marinelli and Guido Olimpio) Western aid to Ukraine has turned into a Babel of weapons, a flow of equipment of various types that official sources say Kiev has dealt with skillfully.
The numbers, contained in an article by the Pentagon, were released to illustrate the visit of US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to Wiesbaden, the German town which hosts the allied coordination center which manages the support provided by over 50 states. Let’s start here: the staff is made up of 200 elements originating from 21 countries, personnel who have followed orders and passage for 150 thousand tons of material. A mountain transferred with planes, ships, trains, trucks made up of over 600 different models of war vehicles and systems. We are talking about tanks, armored vehicles, light vehicles, pick-ups, off-road vehicles, medium and long-range guns, ammunition, drones, radars. And each of the categories requires maintenance, spare parts, logistics, preparation of the “mechanics”. (…)
– Ukrainian soldiers during training in the Donetsk region (photo Afp/Anatolii Stepanov)
01:02 am – Kiev: “Progress in various directions in the eastern offensive”
«As of now, offensive and defensive operations are underway in various directions. In the east, the enemy continues to concentrate a significant amount of forces and resources and is gathering reserves from other directions,” writes Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar in a message on Telegram. “Notably, an enemy unit of amphibious assault troops has been moved from the south to the east. In the Bakhmut direction, offensive actions continue in the Rozdolivka – Krasnopolivka and Brekhivka – Yagidne directions, where there are successes. Offensive actions continue in the Berdnyansk and Mariupol directions». «There is progress in all directions of attack. About a kilometer each,” writes Malyar. Throughout the day, the enemy increased the number of rocket and air strikes and artillery and mortar attacks. Our troops are facing strong enemy resistance and their superiority in numbers of men and weapons. The enemy is trying with all his might to impede the advance of our troops. At the same time, the offensive continues in multiple directions, our defenders gradually but surely advance and inflict significant losses on the enemy,” the statement concludes.
00:12 – Kiev: «More than 100 square kilometers freed from the Russians in one week»
«Over the past week, our troops have advanced deep into the enemy’s depths up to 3 km in the area of the Mala Tokmachka settlement and up to 7 km south of Velika Novosilka. 7 settlements in Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions were liberated More than 100 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory were returned to control». This was stated by Brigadier General Oleksiy Hromov, deputy head of the Main Operational Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. UNIAN brings it back.