According to Kiev, a new location previously in the hands of Russian forces has been liberated from Ukraine. This is the eighth in two weeks, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense announced on Monday.
News of the counter-offensive. The Ukrainian army has recaptured the village of Pjatychatky, located on the southern front of the conflict with Russian forces, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry announced on Monday (June 19). We take stock of the latest news on the Warfront.
According to Kiev, the village of Pyatykhatky has returned to the Ukrainian side
Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said on Monday that the Ukrainian army had recaptured the village of Pyatychatky, located on the southern front of the conflict with Russian forces. With this village, a total of “eight villages have been liberated” and 113 km2 of territory have been recaptured in two weeks since the start of the counter-offensive, Deputy Defense Minister Ganna Maliar said on the social network.
In the south, Ukrainian troops advanced from Russian positions “up to seven kilometers deep,” the official said.
A Franco-Italian surface-to-air defense system delivered to Kiev
A French-Italian-made SAMP/T medium-range surface-to-air defense system has been delivered to Ukraine, where it is now operational, Emmanuel Macron announced, four months after promising it to Kiev.
Paris had announced the delivery of this counterpart to the Patriot at the beginning of February. “I am pleased to announce, together with my Italian colleague Giorgia Meloni, that the Franco-Italian SAMP/T is now deployed and operational in Ukraine, protecting vital assets and lives,” said the French leader in a speech Paris on Europe’s air and missile defense systems.
Ukraine accuses Hungary of blocking access to its prisoners of war
Kiev has accused Budapest of blocking access to a group of Ukrainian prisoners of war who were transferred from Russia to Hungary via the Russian Orthodox Church and unbeknownst to Ukrainian authorities. “All attempts by Ukrainian diplomats in recent days to establish direct contact with these Ukrainian citizens have been unsuccessful,” spokesman for Ukrainian diplomacy Oleg Nikolenko said on Facebook.
These 11 Ukrainians, who were transferred to Hungary on June 8, “are de facto in solitary confinement, they have no access to open sources of information, their communication with relatives takes place in the presence of third parties,” he complained. This group of prisoners hail from Zakarpattia, a region in western Ukraine that is home to a large Hungarian community.
Injured in strikes in Russia
Seven people, including a child, were injured in Ukrainian attacks on the Belgorod region on the border with Ukraine on Monday, regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov told Telegram. The attacks targeted several residential buildings in Valouïsk district, the same source said, posting a picture of a teddy bear next to a broken window in one of the affected buildings.
According to local governor Roman Starovoit, Ukrainian attacks also targeted two villages in the Kursk region, which also borders Ukraine.
UN accuses Moscow of blocking humanitarian aid
The United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine has criticized Russia for obstructing the delivery of aid to victims of the Kakhovka Dam destruction in Moscow-controlled areas in the south of the country. “We urge the Russian authorities to act in accordance with their obligations under international humanitarian law,” Denise Brown wrote in a statement.
Norway will spend more than 20 million euros on nuclear safety in Ukraine
Norway has announced it will allocate 250 million kronor (almost 21.5 million euros) to Ukraine’s nuclear safety amid concerns over the Zaporijia power plant following the destruction of a dam. “The illegal war started by Russia poses a threat to nuclear security in Ukraine,” Norway’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
The aid will be split between a 100 million kroner contribution to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to allow its experts to maintain their presence at several nuclear sites in Ukraine, including Chernobyl and Zaporizhia, and an amount of 150 million kroner for reinforcement the Atomic Energy Agency safety of the plants.