News of the war in Ukraine, NY Times: “Kakhovka Dam was blown up by Russia, there is evidence”

8:00 a.mKyiv: 300 children deported to RussiaMoscow’s occupying forces have kidnapped nearly 300 children from Ukraine’s Berdyansk district to Russia’s Chuvash Republic, exiled mayor of occupied Melitopol Ivan Fyodorov told Telegram. “They are sending the children 1,000 miles from home deep into Russia and will hold them hostage,” Fedorov wrote, citing Ukrainian media.9:00 a.mKiev: 2 helicopters and 12 Russian drones shot downBetween yesterday, June 17, and the early hours of today, June 18, the Ukrainian Air Defense Forces destroyed two Russian Ka-52 attack helicopters, four Iranian-made Shahed-136/131 combat drones and a Lancet UAV. According to Ukrinform, this was reported by the Ukrainian Air Force via Telegram.10:30 a.mDam blast: Flood deaths rise to 45The consequences of the floods caused by the destruction of the Kakhovka dam are worsening: at least 16 people are killed in the areas controlled by Ukraine, 29 in the areas controlled by Russia. In addition, according to the Ukrainian Interior Ministry, 31 people are missing. Meanwhile, the New York Times states that the evidence clearly indicates that the “dam was crippled by an explosion caused by the party that controls it: Russia.” The US media quizzes engineers and explosives experts, claiming the dam has “an Achilles’ heel” and since “Moscow was built in Soviet times, every side had technical drawings and knew where it was”. The dam, they further explain, “was built with a huge concrete block at the base” and is traversed by “a small passage accessible from the engine room”: It is here that “the tests suggest” “the charge that destroyed the dam.11:00 o’clockPutin: The commander of the armed forces of Ukraine is abroadRussian President Vladimir Putin said he understands that the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian armed forces, General Valerii Saluzhnyi, is abroad. Putin held a meeting with military correspondents on Tuesday and a new excerpt of their conversation was published today by Rossiya 1. During the meeting, one of the correspondents asked Putin if he knew about Zaluzhnyi’s whereabouts. “I know. i think i know Well, ask him. But for that you have to switch to a foreign language. It seems to me that he is abroad. But I could be wrong,” Putin said.– – : – –The Pope: Let’s pray for UkrainePope Francis invites us to pray “for the people of tormented Ukraine”. “Let us not forget her, who suffers greatly,” said the Pope during the Angelus prayer.1:02 p.mMoscow: 2 dead in Zaporizhia regionTwo people were killed in an airstrike by Ukrainian forces on a Moscow-controlled village in the Zaporizhia region. This was reported by the local emergency services, citing the news agencies Tass and Ria Novosti. Among the injured is a child from a village in Zelenopol.1:40 p.mUkrainians capture a village in the Zaporizhia regionUkrainian forces captured a village in the Zaporizhia region. According to the pro-Russian government of the region, it is Piatykhatky. Meanwhile, the Russian Defense Ministry reports that a series of Ukrainian attacks in three sectors of the front line have been repelled.2:23 p.mNATO to African countries: “Peace in Ukraine must be just”Responding to the African countries who met with Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stressed: “The more occupied territories Ukraine can liberate, the more cards it has at the negotiating table to achieve a just and lasting peace .” In an interview with Die Welt, Stoltenberg adds: “We all want that.”

“The war is ending,” but “for it to last, it must be just” and “it cannot mean freezing the conflict and accepting a pact dictated by Russia.” Only Ukraine alone can define acceptable terms.”

3:48 p.mKachowka Dam Collapse, CNN: “At Least 45 Dead”The death toll from the collapse of a major Kachowka dam now stands at at least 45 people, according to updates from authorities on both sides. CNN reports on this, adding up the 16 missing people reported by Ukrainian authorities and the 29 dead reported by pro-Russian authorities. Ukraine also claims that 31 people are also missing due to the flooding and that 3,614 people have been evacuated from the flooded areas, “including 474 children and 80 people with reduced mobility”.5:18 p.mZelensky’s message for Father’s DayPresident of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy issued a message on Father’s Day, which is celebrated in Russia

In Ukraine and in many countries of the world today is the third Sunday in June. Zelenskyy thanked the soldiers and wished them a speedy return home. “Dad… this word is heard a million times every day and each time it conveys protection, strength and boundless love. On this Father’s Day, I want as many Ukrainian men as possible to hear this word: Dad!” said the President. “May our fathers live long and in good health. And may all fathers who are on the front lines go home. Thanks to every Ukrainian father, to every family.”

Ukraine, for our strong and brave soldiers who defended our independence and are fighting for it with their lives

Ukraine”.

6:27 p.mIn Kherson, 14,000 people are without electricity“In the Kherson region, 14,000 grid subscribers are without electricity, mainly in the Korabelnyi district. Engineers work every day. Yesterday the power supply was restored in Yasna Poliana and several houses in this district.” This was stated by Oleksandr Prokudin, the head of the Kherson regional military administration, reports Ukrinform, according to which about 80% of the electrical equipment was not affected. “Therefore, if the weather conditions are favorable, the restoration work will continue,” he added. Ukrinform reminds that the current average water level in the Kherson region is 93 centimeters after the Russian army blew up the Kakhovka dam on the night of June 6.8.50 p.mHow is the counteroffensive in Kiev going?

How is the Kiev counter-offensive going in the Moscow-held areas? That is the crucial question at this stage of the war, when Ukraine has repeatedly proclaimed its goal of regaining the areas controlled by the Russians. Zelenskyy on the one hand and Putin on the other answer the question in diametrically opposite ways, and it couldn’t be otherwise. According to Kiev, his army advanced in all southern areas where the counterattack began, especially in the area between Zaporizhia and Donbass.

According to Deputy Secretary of Defense Hanna Maliar, the troops are having “tactical successes” and are “gradually advancing.” The Kremlin’s opinion is quite different. The President himself reiterated at the St. Petersburg Economic Forum that Ukraine’s chances of winning the war are zero and that Russia can destroy any building in the center of the capital at any time if it wants to.