Ukraine updates: War escalates as Kyiv quiet on counteroffensive
Russia reports heavy fighting along front in southern Ukraine as analysts suggest Kyiv’s offensive is under way.
This blog is now closed. Thanks for joining us. These were the updates on the Russia-Ukraine war on Friday, June 9:
This blog is now closed. Thanks for joining us. These were the updates on the Russia-Ukraine war on Friday, June 9:
- Russia reports heavy fighting along the front in southern Ukraine, where bloggers describe the first sightings of German and US armour, signalling that Ukraine’s long-anticipated counterattack is under way.
- Ukrainian officials are keeping quiet about their military moves; President Zelenskyy has spoken about “hottest” battles and heavy fighting, but hinted it is not yet the time to comment on the reported counterattack.
- Ukraine’s security service says it intercepted a call proving a Russian sabotage group was responsible for the Kakhovka dam blast, and it posts an audio clip of the alleged call on Telegram.
- A drone hit a residential building in the Russian city of Voronezh, injuring three people.
Water gradually receding in flooded Ukraine regions: officials
Water levels in parts of southern Ukraine that were flooded after the destruction of a Russian-held dam were beginning to fall, officials have said.
“Thirty-five settlements remain flooded on the right bank, 3,763 houses are under water, but the water is gradually receding,” said Oleksandr Prokudin, head of the Kherson military administration.
His counterpart in the Mykolaiv region, Vitaly Kim, also said that “the water level began to fall.”
UN aid chief: Too soon to see extent of ‘environmental damage’ after destruction of Kakhova dam
United Nations aid chief Martin Griffiths said it’s going to take “a little bit of time” to see the extent of environmental damage after the Nova Kakhovka dam was destroyed earlier this week.
Therefore, it’s also going to take time to assess the damage to “people’s lives and livelihoods”, Griffiths told Al Jazeera.
“But we all know … this is an absolute calamity,” he said, describing the reservoir as a “bread basket” that was important for the livelihoods of people living in southern Ukraine.
“We’ve now reached 30,000 people with humanitarian assistance. That’s a start, but I understand the frustration of the people of Ukraine when they see these events happening and they need help,” Griffiths said.
“We’re doing the best we can to reach them … What we need to prepare for [the long term], is the water supply problem,” he said.
Other long-term issues may include the spread of diseases, as well as environmental damage, he added.
Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra will tour to support war effort
The Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra will tour for the second straight summer, appearing in eight cities in Europe and UK in support of the nation’s war effort against Russia.
Keri-Lynn Wilson, the Canadian-Ukrainian wife of Metropolitan Opera general manager Peter Gelb, will conduct the tour, which runs from August 20 to September 3 and is being produced by the Met and the Teatr Wielki-Polish National Opera. The August 24 concert at Berlin’s Schönhausen Palace coincides with Ukrainian Independence Day and will be a free outdoor performance.
“Putin and the Russian propaganda machine have kind of weaponised culture and it’s very important for Ukraine to mount its own cultural defence,” Gelb, referring to the Russian president. “Ukrainian people need to be bolstered. They’ve been battered and their morale needs to be lifted.”
Musicians include members of the Kyiv National Opera, National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine, Lviv Philharmonic Orchestra and Kharkiv Opera. Wilson said all but a dozen of the 74 musicians are holdovers from last summer.
UN focused on improving Russian exports before grain deal deadline
The United Nations has helped boost Russian exports of food and fertilisers, facilitating a steady flow of ships to its ports and lower freight and insurance rates, a UN spokesman has said after UN and Russian officials discussed the efforts.
Top UN trade official Rebeca Grynspan met Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin in Geneva as Moscow threatens to walk away from a deal allowing the safe export of food and fertiliser from Ukraine’s Black Sea ports on July 17 if obstacles to its own such shipments are not removed.
To convince Moscow to agree to the pact known as the Black Sea Grain Initiative, a three-year agreement was struck at the same time under which UN officials agreed to help Russia with its own food and fertiliser exports.
UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said “the past months have shown tangible progress” on improving Russian exports, but added, “Challenges remain but we will spare no effort to overcome all remaining obstacles.”
Zelenskyy hails ‘heroism’ of soldiers fighting ‘tough battles’
Zelenskyy hailed the heroism of his armed forces amid reports of intensified fighting in the south, seen as the possible start of Kyiv’s long-expected offensive.
“For our soldiers, for all those who are in particularly tough battles these days. We see your heroism, and we are grateful to you for every minute of your life,” Zelenskyy said in his daily address.
Zelenskyy visits flooded area in Ukraine
Ukraine’s Zelenskyy has visited the flood zone in Kherson to witness rescue efforts, after the Nova Kakhova dam was destroyed earlier this week.
Russia working to produce Iranian drones next year, White House says
Russia is receiving materials from Iran to build a drone factory on its territory that “could be fully operational early next year,” White House national security spokesman John Kirby has warned.
The White House released a satellite image of the location of the prospective plant in the Alabuga special economic zone, some 900km (560 miles) east of Moscow.
“The Russia-Iran military partnership appears to be deepening,” Kirby said in a statement, citing US intelligence information.
Washington estimates that Russia has received hundreds of attack drones as well as related equipment from Iran to aid Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
According to US data, the drones are built in Iran, shipped across the Caspian Sea “and then used operationally by Russian forces against Ukraine,” Kirby said.
In Kherson, flood aid slow to come, residents say
Residents in Russian-occupied areas are reportedly trapped in floodwaters while Ukrainians in the Kyiv-controlled parts of the Kherson region receive help.
They say Russian forces are taking rescue boats, and others say the soldiers will only help people with Russian passports.
Read more here.
US announces $2.1bn military package for Ukraine
The US Department of Defense has announced an additional $2.1bn military package for Ukraine that it says includes air defence support and ammunition.
It will provide additional munitions for Patriot air defence systems, Raytheon HAWK air defence systems and missiles, 105mm and 203mm artillery rounds, AeroVironment Puma unmanned aerial systems, laser-guided rocket system munitions and support for training and maintenance, the department said in a statement.
Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative funds will be used to purchase the weapons, allowing President Joe Biden’s administration to buy weapons from the defence industry rather than pull from its own stocks.
Putin says Ukraine’s counteroffensive has begun
Putin says Ukraine has begun its expected counteroffensive against Russian forces but without success.
“The offensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has begun. This is evidenced by the use of strategic reserves,” he said at a conference in Sochi.
“Ukrainian troops did not achieve their goals in any sector – thanks to the courage of Russian soldiers, proper organisation of troops.”
Iceland to suspend its embassy operations in Russia from August 1
Iceland will suspend its embassy operations in Moscow from August 1 and has asked Russia to scale back its diplomatic activities in Reykjavik, the foreign ministry says in a statement.
The suspension is due to an “all-time low” level of commercial, cultural and political relations between the two countries, the ministry said.
“The current situation simply does not make it viable for the small foreign service of Iceland to operate an embassy in Russia,” Foreign Minister Thordis Gylfadottir said.
But diplomatic relations between the two nations have not been severed, the ministry said, adding that the embassy will be reopened once relations normalise.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba thanked Iceland’s foreign minister for the decision and said, “Russia must see that barbarism leads to complete isolation.”
I thank @ThordisKolbrun for Iceland’s decision to suspend operations of its embassy in Moscow and request Russia to limit the operations of its embassy in Reykjavík. Russia must see that barbarism leads to complete isolation. I encourage other states to follow Iceland’s example.
— Dmytro Kuleba (@DmytroKuleba) June 9, 2023
Hungary recieves 11 Ukrainian POWs, Kyiv unaware of release
Hungary says it received a group of Ukrainian prisoners of war from Russia, a release that Ukraine welcomed but expressed concern about not being informed.
The POWs were from the western part of Ukraine that borders Hungary, according to both the Russian Orthodox Church, which said it had assisted in the release, and Hungarian Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjen.
“This is my human and patriotic duty … we have brought back from Moscow 11 prisoners of war from Transcarpathia,” a post on Semjen’s official Facebook page said.
Ukraine’s foreign ministry said it had asked Hungary’s representative in Ukraine to grant immediate access to the prisoners and said it was not aware of the release.
“The release of Ukrainian prisoners of war is always good news,” foreign ministry spokesperson Oleg Nikolenko wrote on Facebook, adding that the ministry had “emphasised the need to coordinate cooperation on such sensitive issues”.
US satellites detected dam blast before collapse: NYT
The New York Times reports that a US official said American spy satellites detected an explosion at the Kakhovka dam before it collapsed.
The unnamed official said satellites with infrared sensors detected a heat signature consistent with a significant explosion.
While US intelligence analysts suspect Russia was behind the breach, American spy agencies do not have solid evidence about who was responsible for the dam’s collapse, which led to widespread flooding.
Belgium to supply Kyiv with artillery rounds worth $35m
Belgium plans to supply Ukraine with 105mm artillery rounds worth 32.4 million euros ($35m), a spokesperson for Belgium’s defence ministry says.
The ammunition will be purchased from the Belgian defence industry and will be delivered as soon as possible, a statement added.
Including this delivery, Belgium has provided 306 million euros ($330m) in lethal and non-lethal military support to Ukraine.
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 471
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‘Everything indicates’ Russia behind dam blast: EU minister
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrel says “everything indicates” to Russia as being behind the Kakhovka dam breach.
“The dam was not bombed. It was destroyed by explosives installed in the areas where the turbines are located. This area is under Russian control,” Borrell told Spanish public television.
“I wasn’t there to find out who did it. But everything seems to indicate that if it took place in an area under Russian control, it is difficult to believe it could have been someone else,” he added.
At least five people died, and 13 are missing in flooding after the breach, Ukraine’s Interior Minister Igor Klymenko said earlier on Friday.
Japan offers Kyiv $5m after dam collapse
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told Zelenskyy Japan would offer emergency humanitarian aid worth about $5m after the bursting of the Nova Kakhovka dam, a Japanese government spokesperson said.
Kishida also told the Ukrainian leader that Japan is ready to host a conference on Ukraine’s reconstruction early next year.
“Many Ukrainian citizens fell victim to the long-running Russian invasion, and civilian facilities including power plants were damaged,” Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told a regular news conference after the phonecall.
“This can never be justified, and we strongly condemn this anew.”
Russia to begin deploying tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus in July
Russia will begin deploying tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus after the facilities are ready on July 7-8, President Vladimir Putin told his Belarusian counterpart, Alexander Lukashenko, in a meeting in Sochi.
“So everything is according to plan, everything is stable,” Putin said, according to a readout from the Kremlin.
Russian governor enacts state of emergency after drone attack
The Russian governor of Voronezh has imposed a state of emergency after a drone hit an apartment building.
Three people were hurt by broken glass but did not need hospital treatment, Alexander Gusev said.
Russia’s state Investigative Committee opened a criminal case against “persons acting in the interests of the military-political leadership of Ukraine”.
There was no official reaction from Kyiv.
Drone strikes inside Russia have become a frequent occurrence in areas close to the Ukrainian border.
Russia says it repelled attacks in Zaporizhia
Russian news agencies reported that Russia’s defence ministry had repelled Ukrainian attacks in the southeastern region of Zaporizhia.
Russia reported heavy fighting in the region early on Friday after saying it had thwarted repeated attempts by the Ukrainian army this week to break through the front line.
A spokesman for Russia’s Vostok group of forces said 13 Ukrainian tanks were destroyed in battles in the Zaporizhia region, and eight in the Donetsk region.
The defence ministry also said it had launched a long-range strike against “foreign-made ammunition and weapons” overnight.
Five killed in dam flooding, Kyiv says
As Ukraine continues to evacuate people in areas affected by the dam breach, officials say at least five people had been killed due to the flooding.
Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said on Telegram that four people had died and 13 people were missing in the Kherson region and one person had died in the Mykolayiv region.
Zelenskyy said authorities are trying to save as many people as they can.
“The evacuation continues. Wherever we can get people out of the flood zone, we are doing it,” he said.
‘No doubt’ that both sides are intensifying attacks: Journalist
Journalist Yulia Shapovalova, reporting from Moscow, said there is “no doubt” that both sides are intensifying their offensives.
“At our end, we hear that Ukraine’s armed forces have been striking in several parts of the front over the course of five days, and the Russian side says it is not possible for Ukraine to achieve any success but it is still too early to talk about the end of the offensive,” Shapovalova said.
“Russian military bloggers have called the Ukrainian attacks a failure. They’ve reported that the Ukrainian forces have unsuccessfully tried to attack the Russian positions in the Zaporizhzhia and Bakhmut directions,” she added.
Russia summons Japanese ambassador over military supplies to Kyiv
Russia’s foreign ministry has summoned the Japanese ambassador over Tokyo’s decision to supply military equipment to Ukraine.
Earlier in the day, Zelenskyy said he had spoken to Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida about the Kakhovka dam and the situation on the front lines.
“We discussed further involvement of Japan’s security support, particularly in the area of humanitarian demining, and steps to implement the Ukrainian Peace Formula and prepare for the Global Peace Summit. I am grateful for the readiness to hold a conference on the recovery of Ukraine early next year,” he added.
I had a call with the Prime Minister of Japan @kishida230.
I spoke about the consequences of Russia blowing up the Kakhovka HPP. This is a deliberate act of terrorism and another war crime of Russia, which, in particular, threatens the safety of the Zaporizhzhia NPP.
I also…
— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) June 9, 2023
Greta Thunberg accuses Russia of ecocide after dam collapse
Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg accuses Russia of causing the collapse of the Nova Kakhovka dam in Ukraine, calling it an act of “ecocide”.
On Twitter, Thunberg wrote on Thursday: “This ecocide as a continuation of Russia’s unprovoked full-scale invasion of Ukraine is yet another atrocity which leaves the world lost for words. Our eyes are once again on Russia who must be held accountable for their crimes.”
On Friday, Thunberg told the Reuters news agency that the aftermath of the dam breach was “absolutely horrifying and awful”.
“Russia needs to be held accountable for their action and for their crimes. The eyes of the world are on them now,” she said.
This ecocide as a continuation of Russias unprovoked full-scale invasion of Ukraine is yet another atrocity which leaves the world lost for words. Our eyes are once again on Russia who must be held accountable for their crimes. https://t.co/GDWrJnMkmb
— Greta Thunberg (@GretaThunberg) June 8, 2023
Ukraine not providing commentary on offensive: AJ correspondent
Al Jazeera’s Jonah Hull, reporting from Kyiv, says it’s hard to corroborate reports that Ukraine has begun its counteroffensive.
“You’ll notice how thin on detail those comments by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy are. He talks about heavy battles. He talks about results. He doesn’t provide any details. In fact, he goes on in those comments to specifically say he won’t provide any details, and that is very much the company line in Ukraine,” Hull said.
“Ukrainian officials will not confirm whether their summer offensive has begun. They will not confirm whether these are the preparatory stages to it. They simply say they will not be providing a running commentary.”
Hull highlighted that the one city that Zelenskyy mentioned is Bakhmut and the Ukrainian deputy defence minister also said earlier in the day that Ukraine is “conducting active combat operations in several areas of the Bakhmut direction”.