06/06/2023
Ukraine war in the live ticker
+++ 03:13 “Air defense active”: Klitschko reports explosions in Kiev +++
According to Mayor Vitali Klitschko, loud explosions can be heard in the Ukrainian capital of Kiev. They came from the anti-aircraft missiles, Klitschko said on the Telegram news app. The sirens are also wailing in all other parts of Ukraine, as “Ukrajinska Pravda” reports.
+++ 02:15 US Russia expert fears division of Ukraine +++
Fiona Hill, who has worked as a Russia expert for several US presidents, fears that an end to the war in Ukraine could mean a partition of the country, similar to the Korean partition. “We mustn’t let Putin turn back the clock,” Hill demands in an interview with the “Tagesspiegel”. The West must do everything in its power “to make it extraordinarily difficult for Putin to assert himself.” “With its invasion, Russia skilfully exploited the deep-seated global resistance to US global dominance,” Hill told the paper. “The way people view the war in Ukraine is defined by how they view the US.” The widespread anti-Americanism plays wonderfully into the hands of Putin’s propaganda.
+++ 01:15 Moscow: Another major Ukrainian attack in Donetsk failed +++
Russia claims to have thwarted another major offensive by Ukrainian forces in Donetsk. “After suffering heavy casualties the previous day, the Kiev regime reorganized the remnants of the 23rd and 31st brigades into separate, consolidated units that continued their offensive operations,” the Russian Defense Ministry said on its official telegram channel with. Russian ground and air forces inflicted defeat on Ukrainian forces with rockets, artillery and heavy flamethrower systems. The report cannot be independently confirmed, and Ukraine has not issued a statement. On Monday, Ukraine already rejected the Russian claim that a counter-offensive had been launched in the Donetsk region.
+++ 00:25 Prigozhin trusts Ukraine to recapture Bakhmut +++
Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin trusts the Ukraine to win back Bakhmut quickly. If the Russian Defense Ministry sticks to its current stance, the city will be under the control of Kiev’s armed forces again in a month and a half, the mercenary leader says in a video message.
+++ 23:30 attempted coup in Moldova: USA sanctions seven people +++
The United States has imposed sanctions on seven people with contacts to the Russian secret service for alleged coup attempts in Moldova, neighboring Ukraine. Those now under sanctions “were part of a conspiracy aimed at capitalizing on protests in Chisinau and occupying Moldova’s government building,” US National Security Council communications director John Kirby said in Washington. Her assets in the United States have been frozen. The US Treasury Department sanctioned anti-government groups in neighboring Ukraine to demonstrate in order to overthrow the democratically elected government – in cooperation with an oligarch from Moldova who lives in exile.
+++ 22:55 “Well done, warrior”: Selenskyj praises his soldiers +++
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy praised the successes of his country’s troops, which according to Ukrainian reports have achieved near the destroyed city of Bakhmut. “Well done, warrior,” says Zelenskyj in a video message. “We see how hysterically Russia reacts to every step we take there, to every position we take.” Zelenskyy goes on to say that “the enemy knows that Ukraine will win”. The Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malijar had previously announced land gains near Bakhmut in the east of the country.
+++ 22:13 EU sanctions nine Russians after verdict against Kremlin critics +++
The European Union has imposed sanctions on nine Russians in connection with the detention of Kremlin critic Vladimir Kara-Mursa. Among those sanctioned are the deputy justice minister, judges and other judicial representatives as well as a high-ranking prison official, explains EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell. Their assets have been frozen and they have been banned from traveling to or through EU countries. In mid-April, Kara-Mursa was sentenced in Moscow to 25 years in prison in a penal colony with “strict conditions” for his criticism of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine.
+++ 21:40 Training of Ukrainian fighter jet pilots in Great Britain starts +++
According to Prime Minister Denys Schmyhal, Ukraine is preparing to train its pilots on fighter jets in Great Britain. At a meeting with British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly in Kiev, Schmyhal thanked London for its willingness to train Ukrainian fighter pilots on the planes. At his meeting with Cleverly, Schmyhal also called for tougher sanctions against Russia. “This will bleed the Russian war machine dry,” he says.
+++ 21:18 Kuleba: Ukraine has enough weapons for a counteroffensive +++
According to Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine has enough weapons for a counter-offensive against Russia. This will bring his country the victory needed for Ukraine to join NATO, says Kuleba. According to Kuleba in an interview in Kiev, Ukraine would “probably” only be able to join the alliance after the end of the fighting. According to him, NATO membership is the next big goal on Ukraine’s agenda after allies agreed to train Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets. “We (already) unlocked all weapons.” When asked, Kuleba did not say whether the counter-offensive that had been expected for months had now been launched. The most important thing is not when it starts, but that it ends with a Ukrainian victory.
The events of the previous day can be found here.