- The governor of Luhansk said Russian troops largely controlled Severo Donetsk, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the fate of the Donbass was being decided in the city.
- Two Britons and a Moroccan who were arrested while fighting for Ukraine could face the death penalty in a Russian proxy court in eastern Ukraine, according to the Russian state news agency.
- Russia and Turkey have expressed support for a security corridor in the Black Sea that would allow Ukrainian grain exports, but Kyiv rejected the proposal, arguing it was not credible.
- An aide to the mayor of Mariupol said searches of the two high-rise buildings that had been attacked, each of which found between 50 and 100 bodies, called it an “endless convoy of deaths.”
- The Institute of International Finance estimates that the Russian economy will contract by 15% this year.
Which areas of Ukraine do the parties control?
Ukrainian parties say around 600 Ukrainians have been imprisoned and tortured in the Russian-occupied southern region of Kherson. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky tells British newspaper that standoff with Russia “is not an option” (Al Jazeera)
Here are the latest developments since the war entered today:
Reuters: China, U.S. to clash over Ukraine over Shangri-La dialogue
According to Reuters, China and the United States are expected to use the upcoming Shangri-La Dialogue to discuss issues including the war in Ukraine, which will attract senior military officials, diplomats and weapons manufacturers around the world.
The summit will take place in Singapore from June 10 to 12, during which Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe is expected to meet U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin for the first time since Biden took office more than two years ago.
Although the summit will focus on Asian security issues, Russia’s military action against Ukraine will remain at the center of discussions at the summit. A source with knowledge of the list of participants told Reuters that Ukraine will send a delegation to the meeting, but Russia will not.
Think tank: Russian army trying to lower morale in Ukraine
According to the Institute of War Research, the Russian military is using psychological tactics to undermine Ukraine’s morale.
The think tank cited multiple sources for its assessment, including Ukraine’s main intelligence service, which said on the 8th that the Russian army sent a threatening message to Kyiv soldiers “to betray their oath of service, lay down their arms, surrender, or turn to Russia. .”
According to the agency, the messages were sent across multiple web platforms, including SMS, Telegram, Viber, Signal and WhatsApp.
The agency also quoted Ukrainian military expert Dmitro Snegirov as saying that Russian propagandists were also trying to degrade Ukraine by spreading the message that Severo Donetsk would be the “next Mariupol” morale.
Adviser: Russia “bombs” Severo Donetsk
Oleksi Arestovich, an adviser in Zelensky’s office, said the Russian army changed tactics in the battle for Severo Donetsk.
Russian soldiers have withdrawn from the city and are now bombing it with artillery and airstrikes, Oleksi Arestovich said on the 8th.
He also pointed out that, as a result, the city center was abandoned.
In his daily online interview, Arestovich said, “They retreated, our troops retreated, so the shells hit an open space. They were hitting hard, but not making any particular progress.”
Ambassador: Arctic Council decision without Russia is ‘illegal’
According to the TASS news agency, Russia’s ambassador to the United States, Antonov, said the decision of the Arctic Council without Russia’s participation was illegal and violated the principle of consensus.
Antonov was quoted as saying by the Russian embassy’s Telegram channel: “Without Russia, it is simply impossible to effectively solve the problems of the far Arctic,” because Russia occupies about 60 percent of the region.
Antonov made the remarks while referring to the council’s statement on the 8th. The statement said the council was resuming “limited” activities without Russian participation.
Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and the United States, known as the “Arctic Seven,” suspended the work of the council on March 3 this year because of Russia’s military campaign against Ukraine.
Zelensky: Russia still feels too powerful to negotiate
Zelensky said Russia is now “impossible to participate in negotiations to end the war because Russia still feels its power”.
“We need to weaken Russia, and the world should do it,” Zelensky said in a speech to U.S. business leaders via video link on the 8th.
Zelensky said Ukraine was doing its part on the battlefield and called for tougher sanctions to weaken Russia economically. “We need to get Russia out of the global financial system completely,” he told the business leaders.
He also said Ukraine was willing to negotiate an end to the war with Russia, but “not at the expense of our independence.”
Russia and Turkey show support for food security corridor
Russia and Turkey have expressed support for a security corridor in the Black Sea that would allow Ukraine to export grain, but Kyiv has rejected the proposal as not credible. Earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov and Turkish Foreign Minister Cavusoglu held a meeting in Ankara.
Putin has previously pledged that Moscow would not use the security corridor for attacks, but Ukrainian and EU officials have expressed skepticism about that pledge. But Lavrov promised on the 8th that if Ukraine clears its ports of mines, Moscow will not “abuse” its naval superiority and will “take all necessary measures to ensure that ships can leave the area freely.”
Turkey said it would facilitate and protect grain shipments from the Black Sea, but the head of Ukraine’s grain trade organization scoffed.
Sergei Ivashchenko, chairman of the Ukrainian Grain Union, said on the 8th that “Turkey does not have enough power in the Black Sea to ensure the safety of goods and Ukrainian ports.” He also said that demining will take 3 to 4 months, and emphasized that it is Russia has laid mines in the area.
Report: Volkswagen offers bonuses to employees who quit major Russian plant
Kommersant, citing union sources, reported that Volkswagen offered to one of its two main plants in Russia to offer bonuses to employees who resigned voluntarily.
The outlet said the offer – in some cases equivalent to six months’ salary – was for 200 employees at the Nizhny Novgorod plant.
In March, Volkswagen announced it would suspend production at its plants in Kaluga and Nizhny Novgorod until further notice due to Western sanctions, and would immediately stop exporting cars to Russia.
Ukraine PM thanks EU for voting for Ukraine as candidate
Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmigal thanked the European Parliament for voting for Ukraine’s candidacy for EU membership.
“Deputies passed this resolution and called for arms to Ukraine to fight the aggressors. Thanks for the solidarity with the Ukrainian people. Together we will win!” Shmigal tweeted.
There were 438 delegates who voted for the resolution to make Ukraine a candidate, 65 against and 94 abstentions.
Ukraine’s parliament speaker calls for EU membership
Ukrainian Supreme Gora President Stefanchuk called on Ukraine to become a candidate for EU membership, arguing that the move would bring Ukraine closer to the EU.
Stefanchuk told EU lawmakers on the 8th that if Ukraine is not given a signal to open the door, it is to send a clear signal to Russian President Vladimir Putin that “he can move forward with impunity. “.
European heads of state and government are expected to formally consider Ukraine’s application for EU membership by the end of June. The European Parliament has passed a resolution supporting Ukraine’s candidacy for EU membership.
Rising prices sparked by Ukraine war cost millions
A U.N. report said the war in Ukraine has caused millions of people to suffer more through rising food and energy prices, in addition to the growing financial crisis, the impact of the new crown epidemic and the problems caused by climate change.
The UN’s Global Crisis Response Team report said the war “has exacerbated a global cost of living crisis not seen in at least a generation” and undermined the UN’s goal of ending extreme global poverty by 2030.
The panel was appointed by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to assess the impact of Russia’s war with Ukraine.
Visegrad Group: Russia fired at least 2,100 missiles into Ukraine
According to information collected by the Visegrad Group, Russia has fired at least 2,100 missiles into Ukraine since the war began. More than 600 of these missiles were launched from Belarusian territory.
The Visegrad Group, a cultural and political alliance made up of the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia, released an online video with a map of Ukraine showing where the missiles landed.
Two Britons and a Moroccan face death penalty in Donetsk court
Two Britons and a Moroccan who were arrested while fighting for Ukraine could face the death penalty after pleading guilty in a court of Russian proxies in eastern Ukraine, according to the Russian state news agency.
A video released by RIA Novosti shows Britons Aiden Aslin, Shaun Pinner and Moroccan Brahim Saadoun being held in a white fence. Inside the court cage. RIA Novosti said Pinner and Sarden had pleaded guilty to their violent seizure of power.
The video shows Aslin pleaded guilty to a lesser charge involving weapons and explosives. He was seen standing inside a cage flipping through a stack of legal documents while the court translated them.
Governor: Severo Donetsk is now largely under Russian control
The eastern Ukrainian city of Severo-Donetsk is now “largely” under Russian control after intense fighting, while its twin city, Lisichansk, is suffering massive damage, the regional governor said.
“Moscow troops control most of Severo-Donetsk. But the industrial area is still ours, there are no Russians there. The fighting takes place only on the streets of the city,” Luhansk region governor Khaidai said on Telegram.
The city of Severo Donetsk, with a population of 100,000 before the war, and Lisichansk were under the attack of the Russian army on the Luhansk region.
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Mariupol local official: “Endless death convoy”
An aide to the mayor of the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol said workers were removing bodies from the rubble of destroyed high-rise buildings and carrying them away in an “endless convoy of death.”
They searched about two-fifths of the buildings and found between 50 and 100 bodies in each, the official said on the Telegram app. They transported the bodies to morgues and landfills.
Ukrainian authorities estimate that at least 21,000 civilians have been killed and hundreds of buildings destroyed during Russia’s weeks-long siege of Mariupol. There are reports of thousands of bodies in the mass graves.
Last month, Russia claimed full control of Mariupol.
Zelensky: Defenders of Severo Donetsk inflict huge losses on Russian army
Zelensky said that the defenders of Severo Donetsk caused heavy losses to the Russian army in “fierce and difficult” fighting.
“In many ways, the fate of the Donbass will be decided there,” he said in an online speech.
Trade bloc: Russia’s economy will shrink by 15%
Russia’s economy will shrink by 15% this year and another 3% in 2023, nearly wiped out the country’s past 10-year loss, as the sanctions hit hard, the Institute of International Finance, a global banking industry group, said in an analysis. economic growth during the year.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said earlier this week that unemployment and inflation were falling, confirming his repeated assertion that Russia is succeeding despite Western sanctions.
However, the financial institution believes that the sanctions, in part by encouraging foreign companies to abandon Russia, “are unraveling the Russian economy, erasing the country’s economic growth over the past decade or more, with some of its most impactful consequences yet to be seen”.
UN seeks deal on Ukrainian food and Russian fertilizer
The United Nations said it was seeking a deal that would allow Ukrainian grain exports through the Black Sea and unhindered access to global markets for Russian grain and fertilizers.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres told UN reporters that without a deal, hundreds of millions of people in developing countries will face unprecedented threats of hunger.
“Despite the war, Ukrainian food production, as well as Russian production of food and fertilizers, must enter the world market,” Guterres noted.
Russia steps up pressure on domestic opposition to military actors
Russia has stepped up its crackdown on Russians who oppose its military operations at home and extended the detention of Vladimir Kara-Murza. Russia has accused the journalist of spreading “false information” about the Russian military. Russia had previously passed a law making “false information” about the war a crime, punishable by up to 15 years in prison.
Under pressure to publicly support the war, some public figures have fled the country. Moscow’s chief rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt fled to Israel under pressure to make a public statement in support of the military action.
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Ukraine files 8 more war crimes cases
In addition to the three cases in which Russian soldiers have already been sentenced, Ukraine has brought another eight war crimes cases to the court.
In total, Ukraine has opened more than 16,000 investigations into possible war crimes committed during the Russian invasion, prosecutor Irina Venediktova said in a televised address.
“We’re seeing an increase in investigations every day,” she added, “and we’re talking about people who aren’t just as military combatants, they come to rape, kill, rob, humiliate civilians, and so on.”
Moscow denies allegations of war crimes by its troops.
Welcome to Al Jazeera’s ongoing coverage of the Russian-Ukrainian war.
Click here to read all updates for Wednesday, June 8.