• New York Times: “The Kakhovka Dam was destroyed by the Russians.”
• More settlements in Kherson flooded, 14,000 without electricity.
• Mystery about Budanov, the head of the Ukrainian 007: the rumors about the coma, the absences.
• Kiev: “Moscow’s peace plan always provided for an occupation.”
01:20 – The UN accuses Moscow of blocking aid to dam victims
The United Nations has accused Russia of continuing to block humanitarian aid shipments to Moscow-controlled areas in eastern Ukraine affected by the recent breach of the Kakhovka Dam. The June 6 dam collapse flooded large areas of the Kherson region under Russian and Ukrainian control, forcing thousands to flee and sparking fears of an environmental disaster. “The government of the Russian Federation has so far denied our request for access to areas under its temporary military control,” UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Ukraine Denise Brown said yesterday. “The United Nations will continue to do everything in its power to reach out to all people, including those suffering from the recent dam destruction who are in urgent need of life-saving assistance, wherever they are,” Brown said. “We call on the Russian authorities to act in accordance with their obligations under international humanitarian law,” he added. Officials in Russian-controlled areas said on Saturday the death toll from the dam rupture rose to 29, while Kiev said the death toll on its territory rose to 16, with 31 still missing. Kiev has accused Moscow of blowing up the Dnipro River dam, while Russia has blamed Ukraine. According to a detailed New York Times investigation, the dam was blown up by the Russians.
11.40pm – Breton: EU will deliver 1 million large caliber weapons to Kiev
The European Union is accelerating arms supplies to Ukraine to support the counter-offensive by Ukrainian forces, EU industry chief Thierry Breton said today in an interview with French newspaper Le Parisien. The EU will deliver a million large caliber weapons to Kiev over the next 12 months. “We intend to increase our arms and ammunition supply efforts,” Breton said. He emphasized that these are high-intensity battles in which ammunition plays a crucial role. “We are preparing for a conflict that will last several months or even longer,” Breton said.
10:20 p.m. – Zelenskyy: “The African delegation has seen who is interested in peace”
“You all saw how the visit of the delegation of African leaders and representatives to Ukraine and then to the Russian terror state took place. The delegation had the opportunity to see who is really interested in peace and who instead embodies war, that was very clear,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Twitter. “Everything that was discussed in Ukraine,” he says, “concerned the #peace formula.” Point by point. All content. Everything that was said in Russia was about war, about how to keep destroying lives. It is obvious that there is no alternative to the Ukrainian peace formula. It’s good that the world is hearing and seeing it more and more often.”