Saturday, June 03, 2023
Ukraine’s security service has arrested an official of the military administration of the Kherson region on suspicion of collaborating with the Russian occupation forces. He faces 15 years in prison. The official would have voluntarily joined the occupation administration created by the Russians during the occupation of the city. According to the security service, the suspect was appointed chief specialist in finance, accounting and criminal justice. He supposedly traveled to Moscow to complete an education. The officer went into hiding after the liberation of Kherson, but later returned to the (now again Ukrainian) administration of Kherson Oblast.
+++ 16:44 parents have to pay for the evacuation of their children from Schebekino +++
Authorities in the Russian town of Schebekino, which have been under pressure for days, are demanding money from parents who want their children evacuated. According to media reports, parents must pay 3,000 rubles per child (about 35 euros). On May 30, Belgorod Oblast Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov announced that the authorities would start evacuating children from Shebekino. A few days later, the parents complained that they had to pay for it. “We were promised that everything would be free, but at the last minute they said that I would have to pay for transport. 6,000 rubles for two children. I had to spend my last money,” wrote a woman in “VK”- Page of the head of the district from Shebekino, Vladimir Zhdanov. In his response, the politician indirectly confirmed that the evacuations are not free: “Such a decision was taken in order not to have to take children by school bus over long distances”. He probably meant that school buses are uncomfortable which is why more comfortable buses had to be arranged.
+++ 16:06 Borrell: talks with South Korea on weapons delivery +++
The EU’s top diplomat Josep Borrell is optimistic about talks with South Korea’s defense minister. “Nice meeting with Korean Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup at #SLD23. We (…) talked about Ukraine’s need for ammunition,” tweeted Borrell after the meeting on the sidelines of the “Shangri-La Dialogue”, the most important security event summit Asia. The United States and NATO countries have long asked South Korea to supply Ukraine with weapons and ammunition. So far, South Korea has refused. According to a media report, however, South Korean ammunition is now on its way to Ukraine via the US.
+++ 15:16 Russia: Two killed in bombing in Belgorod region +++
According to Russian sources, two people died in a bombing of two villages in the Belgorod region of Russia. According to the governor of the oblast, Vyacheslav Gladkov, they are civilians. Two other people were injured. According to Gladkov, villages around the town of Shebekino, not far from the Ukrainian border, have been under fire since early morning.
+++ 14:36 Hungary government teases Ukraine map without Crimea +++
The Hungarian government released a video calling for a ceasefire, showing a map of Ukraine minus Crimea. “Tens of thousands of children have been orphaned, hundreds of thousands of homes have been destroyed, over tens of millions of people have been forced to flee their homes, but the war continues and could easily take on a global dimension. , only a ceasefire can end the devastation, only peaceful negotiations can save lives. It’s time for peace,” the video says. The words are accompanied by images of children and women and destruction during war. It is then shown a map of Ukraine, which does not include the peninsula occupied and annexed by Russia in 2014. Officially, EU member Hungary does not recognize the annexation of the peninsula.
+++ 13:58 Russia would again comply with the nuclear weapons treaty – under “certain conditions” +++
Russia announces that it will again comply with the “New Start” nuclear weapons treaty with the US under certain conditions. Russian agencies quote Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov as saying that the prerequisite for a return to a fully functioning treaty is for the United States to abandon “its fundamentally hostile attitude towards Russia”. In February, Russia suspended the core nuclear arms control program with the United States. Among other things, the treaty limits the number of strategic nuclear warheads the US and Russia can deploy and the deployment of land- and submarine-launched missiles and bombers to deliver them.
Ukrainian fighter rests near Bakhmut.
(Photo: picture Alliance/dpa/AP) ×
Ukrainian fighter rests near Bakhmut.
(Photo: photo alliance/dpa/AP)
+++ 13:45 More than 60,000 women fight for Ukraine +++
More than 60,000 women are defending Ukraine today, and more than 42,000 of them are soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense reported on Telegram today. The number is steadily increasing as many Ukrainian women enlisted in the ranks of the Ukrainian armed forces in response to the Russian invasion. “They defend on an equal footing with men, they fight, they take risks and, unfortunately, they also give their lives. They are an example of courage and dedication for the whole world”, emphasizes the ministry. In 2021, about 30,000 women soldiers served in the ranks of the Kiev army.
+++ 13:22 Prigozhin threatens to march to Belgorod with Wagner +++
The head of the Russian mercenary group Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, accused the Ministry of Defense in Moscow of failing in view of the continuous fire from the Ukrainian side in the border region of Belgorod. “The ministry can’t do anything. The ministry is in chaos,” he said today. The 62-year-old is competing with the Russian regular army for the favors of Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin. He announced that he would invade the region, which had been under fire for days, with his own troops from Wagner if the Russian military did not restore order there “as soon as possible”. “Let’s not wait for an invitation,” emphasized Prigozhin. However, the Russian military must supply ammunition.
+++ 12:53 Weichert: Farmers look for mines and failures with the tractor +++
Again and again, Ukrainians are killed by mines and duds. Police are reporting that a resident of the Kharkiv region has blown up a mine between two villages. As the Ukrinform news portal writes, the man’s car had a flat tire. “The 40-year-old man went into the woods to look for a stick. There he found an unknown explosive device. As a result of the explosion, the man was killed,” the statement said. Despite these risks, Ukrainian farmers sometimes use tractors to clear their fields of duds. A life-threatening procedure that is necessary as fields urgently need to be cultivated NTV correspondent Jürgen Weichert reports.
+++ 12:31 Ukraine rejects Indonesia’s peace plan +++
Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs reacted to Indonesia’s proposed peace plan and urged the country to join in the implementation of the Ukrainian peace formula. Indonesian President Joko Widodo last year became the first Asian leader to visit Kiev to learn about the fallout from Russian aggression. From the Ukrainian point of view, a ceasefire combined with the withdrawal of armed forces to a distance of 15 kilometers and the creation of a demilitarized zone cannot work together. “A ceasefire without Russian troops withdrawing from Ukrainian territory will allow Moscow to buy time to regroup, gain a foothold in the occupied territories and restore capacity for a new wave of attacks,” the ministry said.
+++ 11:50 am London: Russian troops less flexible after Wagner withdrawal +++
According to British military experts, the Russian armed forces in Ukraine lost some of their flexibility as a result of the withdrawal of Bakhmut’s Wagner mercenary unit. Units of the VDV airborne troops, formerly known as elite troops, are now deployed at the battlefront in Bakhmut, according to the British Ministry of Defense’s intelligence report on the war. “The VDV has lost much of its ‘elite’ status since the invasion,” the British said. Russian commanders would have tried to keep some of these troops in reserve. Due to its front deployment in Bakhmut, however, the entire Russian military is now less able to react flexibly to challenges.
According to British information, the Russian paratroopers must compensate for the withdrawal of the Wagner group.
(Photo: IMAGO/UPI Photo) ×
According to British information, the Russian paratroopers must compensate for the withdrawal of the Wagner group.
(Photo: IMAGO/UPI Photo)
+++ 11:19 Danilov: Iranian drones contain parts produced by Ukraine partners +++
Components believed to have been manufactured by Ukraine’s allies in previous years were found in Iran’s Shahed drones, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Oleksiy Danilov told Ukrainian television today. Ukraine dismantled the Shahed drones that were attacking cities and found “parts that are not made in Iran or Russia”, Danilov said. He suggested that parts could have been delivered to Russia before the war broke out, as the drones were mostly manufactured in 2019-2021. US news outlet CNN reported in April, citing an analysis by Britain’s conflict weapons research institute, that the Shaheds sold by Iran to Russia would be “powered by an engine based on German technology – technology that Iran found out almost 20 years ago”. for years.”
+++ 10:49 Legion “Freedom of Russia”: created a corridor for Ukraine +++
According to its own statement, the “Freedom of Russia” legion has created a humanitarian corridor for Russians wishing to flee across the border into Ukraine. This was coordinated with the Ukrainian armed forces. “The enemy is somehow trying to target our forces by bombing settlements without regard for civilian casualties,” writes the Legion in Telegram. Faced with the threat to the civilian population, an agreement was reached with the Ukrainian leadership to open humanitarian corridors for Belgorod residents suffering from bombing by regime forces. Beyond the border, people must be given shelter and everything they need.
Fighters of the “Freedom of Russia” legion in the Donetsk region
(Photo: Portal) ×
Fighters of the “Freedom of Russia” legion in the Donetsk region
(Photo: Portal)
+++ 10:25 No Russian passport: emergency doctor refuses to transport an injured child to clinic in Melitopol +++
According to the Ukrinform news portal, an emergency doctor in Russian-occupied Melitopol refused to take a child to the hospital because he did not have Russian citizenship. Ukrinform refers to a report by the agency RIA Melitopol. According to the report, there was suspicion of tibial fracture and concussion. The doctor’s first question was: “What country does the child come from?” A hospital stay is now systematically refused because of the lack of Russian citizenship in Melitopol. The emergency physician also questioned the child before starting the examination. Among other things, he wanted to know what the family said about the Ukrainian army’s offensive. The child was not hospitalized.
+++ 09:44 Weichert: Mine clearance will take “decades” +++
In many parts of Ukraine, deadly dangers are lurking on the ground as a result of the Russian invasion: areas close to the battlefront are almost all mined. In other areas of the country there are also failures, parts of rockets and grenades thrown, which put people at risk because they are difficult to locate. Ukrainian search parties are unable to avoid this danger and serious accidents continue to happen. According to NTV correspondent Jürgen Wiechert, mine clearance “will take decades”.
+++ 09:10 Zelenskyy: Ukraine ready for the counter-offensive +++
According to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukraine is ready for its counter-offensive to recover the territories occupied by Russia. “We firmly believe that we will succeed,” Zelenskyy said in an interview with the “Wall Street Journal”. He does not know how long the offensive will last and how it will develop. “But we’re going to do it and we’re prepared.” Russia controls large areas in eastern, southern and southeastern Ukraine
+++ 08:50 German drone manufacturer Quantum Systems sets up logistics center for deliveries in Ukraine +++
According to the portal “New Voice of Ukraine”, the German manufacturer of surveillance drones, “Quantum Systems”, has established a technical and logistical support center to train UAV operators and facilitate the procurement of spare parts and repair services. . At the end of May, Ukraine ordered 300 medium-range Vector reconnaissance drones from Quantum Systems, which is funded by the government. Previously, the company had received orders for 105 drones in January 2023 and 33 drones in August 2022.
The drone “Vector” from the German manufacturer Quantum Systems is used by Ukraine for reconnaissance.
(Photo: photo alliance / ASSOCIATED PRESS) ×
The drone “Vector” from the German manufacturer Quantum Systems is used by Ukraine for reconnaissance.
(Photo: photo alliance / ASSOCIATED PRESS)
+++ 08:29 Media investigationteln names of nearly 25,000 dead Russians +++
Using public sources, Mediazona, an independent Russian media outlet, worked with BBC Russia to identify 24,470 Russian soldiers killed in the last 15 months. The media takes a nominal count of the dead. Since the last update on May 19th, a total of 1,184 names have been added to the death list. Journalists and volunteers have also identified more than 6,000 former prisoners and mercenaries killed in Ukraine. Mediazona explains that obituaries published in Russian newspapers and on the Internet rarely indicate where exactly a fighter died. Furthermore, much of the data does not come from public reports, but from cemeteries across Russia that are visited by volunteers. By June 2, nearly a dozen mass graves of Wagner fighters had been identified.
+++ 07:58 Ukraine: Russia lost 560 soldiers yesterday +++
According to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Russia lost about 209,470 troops in Ukraine, 560 over the course of yesterday. Since the beginning of the invasion, the total combat losses of the Russian armed forces also included 3,829 tanks (+10 compared to the previous day), 7,502 armored fighting vehicles (+12), 3,533 artillery systems (+32), 582 systems missiles (+7), 342 Anti-aircraft Systems (+7), 313 Aircraft, 298 Helicopters and 6289 Cars and Fuel Tanks (+22). A total of 1132 Russian cruise missiles (+15) were shot down. The information cannot be independently verified.
+++ 07:20 USA: Delivered enough for the counter-offensive +++
According to the US government, Washington, along with Ukraine’s other allies, provided sufficient military support for a counter-offensive. “First of all, we are very pleased that we have met Ukraine’s needs to conduct its counter-offensive at this time,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said yesterday. Kirby said, according to the Ukrinform portal, that it depends on Ukraine when it starts the offensive. According to him, this is not only about providing Ukraine with air defense systems, which are most urgently needed, but also about providing armored vehicles, artillery, ammunition, and conducting training.
+++ 06:52 Prigozhin: Russian army undermined retreat routes +++
The head of the Wagner Group makes serious accusations against the Russian army. According to Yevgeny Prigozhin, regular Russian troops have undermined Bakhmut’s retreat routes, which is making it difficult for the mercenaries to withdraw. According to Prigozhin, shortly before leaving Bakhmut, contested since July 2022, the mercenaries noticed “suspicious activity” and found “dozens of explosive devices”. “What was that? We understand it was an attempt at public humiliation,” he said. None of Wagner’s fighters were injured in the incident.
Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin took part in a “youth project” of the mercenary group last week.
(Photo: IMAGO/ITAR-TASS) ×
Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin took part in a “youth project” of the mercenary group last week.
(Photo: IMAGO/ITAR-TASS)
+++ 06:16 Ukraine: Russia can produce 30 “Kalibr” cruise missiles per month +++
Russia’s military-industrial complex is currently capable of producing up to 30 sea-launched Kalibr cruise missiles a month, Ukraine’s military intelligence service spokesman Andriy Yusov told Radio Liberty. The relative lull in airstrikes in March and April was due to Moscow stockpiling missiles before it resumed bombing, Yusov said. According to Yusov, it is more difficult to refuel Iskander missiles. “It’s a made-to-measure product. You can only produce a few pieces a month,” said the secret service official.
In December, Vladimir Putin inspected the production of Russian weapons systems in Tula.
(Photo: IMAGO/ZUMA Wire) ×
In December, Vladimir Putin inspected the production of Russian weapons systems in Tula.
(Photo: IMAGO/ZUMA Wire)
+++ 01:49 Moscow accuses Kiev of disinterest in negotiations +++
The Kremlin accuses Ukraine of being unwilling to resolve issues at the negotiating table. This shows Kiev’s ambitions to join NATO, says Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov. Ukrainian membership of the military alliance would cause problems for years to come. Many European countries are aware of this. However, the US would set the tone in NATO.
+++ 00:30 Stoltenberg talks with Erdogan +++
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg is traveling to Ankara at the weekend for the inauguration ceremony of re-elected Turkish President Erdogan. The military alliance announced that he would also meet the Turkish head of state for bilateral talks. The focus is expected to be Sweden’s entry into NATO, which has been blocked by Turkey. In view of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, Sweden applied for NATO membership along with Finland. While Finland was accepted into the alliance in early April, Sweden still needs approval from Turkey and also Hungary.
+++ 22:28 Ukrainian army: more than a dozen attacks repulsed +++
Russian forces reportedly carried out 62 air strikes and 15 rocket attacks on Ukraine during the day. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine also accuses Russia of firing on civilian settlements with multiple rocket launcher systems. The Ukrainian military claims to have repelled all 15 attacks by the occupying forces in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions. The information cannot be verified.
+++ 22:07 Zelenskyy finds bunker problems intolerable +++
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy complained again about problems with shelters in Kiev in the face of nighttime Russian rocket and drone attacks. Citizens complained about shortages, locked bunkers and denied access to them, criticizes Zelenskyy. In some parts of the city, there were no emergency shelters at all. He instructed the government to take measures to improve the situation. After everything that happened in Kiev on Thursday, this state of affairs is intolerable. People in the capital stood in front of a locked bunker overnight when there was an air raid alarm. Three people died after further Russian attacks, including a nine-year-old child.
+++ 21:50 Zaporizhia nuclear power plant for three months without emergency power line +++
According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the Russian-occupied Ukrainian nuclear power plant in Zaporizhia has been without an external emergency power supply for three months. This makes the nuclear power plant extremely vulnerable in case the only working main power line fails again. In these cases, cooling is provided by existing diesel generators. In the most recent incident, it was said there would be enough fuel for ten days. The IAEA is concerned that failure of cooling systems could result in overheating of fuel rods and nuclear waste, leading to a nuclear accident.
The previous day’s events can be consulted here.