► Possible resumption of Severodonetsk with more western weapons, says governor
Fighting continues this Thursday, June 9, in eastern Ukraine. According to the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, the losses amount to “daily up to 100 Ukrainian soldiers killed and 500 injured”.
In Severodonetsk, the Russian army has made up ground in recent days and has “largely” control of the city again, according to the governor. The situation there was “very dynamic” on Thursday, with street fighting and “constant” Russian bombing of areas still controlled by the Ukrainians. The Russians are also pressuring both north and south fronts to strangle Ukrainian forces to the east.
However, Ukraine could recapture Severodonetsk “in two or three days” once it has western “long-range” artillery weapons, Luhansk region governor Sergei Gaidai said on Thursday. For Russia, capturing this city would be crucial to seizing the entire vast Donbass coal basin, which has been partially held by pro-Russian separatists since 2014.
► Three foreign fighters sentenced to death by separatists
Two Britons, Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner, and a Moroccan, Brahim Saadoun, were sentenced to death by separatist authorities in Donetsk on Thursday on mercenary charges, official Russian news agency TASS reported. All three had been captured in eastern Ukraine, where they fought alongside the Ukrainian army.
The UK responded immediately by saying it was “deeply concerned” by this death sentence for its two nationals.
► The body of French journalist Frédéric Leclerc-Imhoff repatriated
The remains of journalist Frédéric Leclerc-Imhoff, who was killed in Ukraine on May 30, arrived in France on the night of Wednesday June 8th to Thursday June 9th. She was greeted by members of her family, relatives and Minister of Culture Rima Abdul-Malak.
A moment of reflection took place on the tarmac at Le Bourget Airport in front of his black-wrapped coffin.
► Boris Johnson rejects a ‘bad’ compromise
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Thursday warned against any desire from the West to encourage Ukraine to enter into a “bad” compromise with Russia, saying it was “morally repugnant”.
“Fostering a bad peace in Ukraine means encouraging Putin and encouraging anyone in the world who believes aggression pays,” the leader said in a speech in Blackpool, north-west England.
► “hunger wave”
The financial, food and energy consequences of the war are worsening worldwide, affecting 1.6 billion people, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned on Wednesday.
“For people around the world, the war threatens to unleash an unprecedented wave of hunger and misery, leaving in its wake social and economic chaos,” he warned. There is only one way to stop this brewing storm: the Russian invasion of Ukraine must stop. »
The Russian Black Sea Fleet’s closure of Ukrainian ports is crippling the country’s grain exports, particularly wheat, which was on track to become the world’s third-biggest exporter before the war. The countries of Africa and the Middle East are the first to be hit and fear serious food crises.
► Zelenskyy calls for Moscow’s expulsion from the FAO
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday called for Russia’s expulsion from the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), amid allegations of blocking and stealing Ukrainian grain.
“There can be no discussion about extending Russia’s membership of the FAO. What would be Russia’s place if it caused famine to at least 400 million people, or even more than a billion people? “The President of Ukraine presented a speech at an OECD ministerial meeting in a video conference.