Ukrainian Perspective: Invasion of Ukraine: June 30th, 2023
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Korrespondent] 23:11 Zelensky said in an interview with RTVE that Ukraine wants to show results on the battlefield before the NATO summit in Vilnius: "Before the summit, we must show results, but every meter costs a life." The President acknowledged that the plans of the Armed Forces of Ukraine have slowed down in recent months: "Torrential rains have been going on for a very long time, and this has slowed down some processes." At the same time, he called on European partners to continue to provide armed support to Ukraine.

"This autumn we launched a counteroffensive and we needed a result. We counted on certain things, but the artillery arrived late. We stopped because we could not move further. Moving forward meant losing people, and we did not have artillery. We are very careful in this regard. Fast things are not always safe. If they tell me that two months will pass and thousands of people will die, or three months and fewer people will die, of course, I will choose the latter. Between time and people, the most important thing is people," he said. Zelensky.
22:59 Lukashenka is convinced that nuclear weapons will not be used while they are in Belarus, but "we must have them."
22:37 Since March 2022, Swiss factories have received 75 tons of gold from Russia for processing, taking advantage of the fact that it is imported through London and does not violate sanctions, according to a joint investigation by the Swiss publications SRF and Die Wochenzeitung.
22:30 The monitoring group of Belarus Gayun reports that the construction of a field camp for more than 8,000 people has been completed in Belarus - it is likely that Wagner PMC mercenaries will be stationed there. On satellite images, analysts counted approximately 298 M-30 tents, which can accommodate an average of 30 people.
21:48 The Russians fired at a residential building in Antonovka, Kherson region - three people were injured, including a six-year-old child, said the head of the OVA, Alexander Prokudin.
21:35 The head of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Mark Milley, said that the Ukrainian counteroffensive is slower than previously predicted: "This does not surprise me. They are moving confidently, purposefully, making their way through very difficult minefields." According to him, this is "part of the nature of war", and "a war on paper and a real war are two different things." Milli also predicts that the Ukrainian counteroffensive will be "very long and very bloody."
20:41 The UN is concerned about the lack of registration of ships in the Black Sea due to the expiration of the grain deal. UN spokesman Farhan Haq urged the parties to "commit themselves to the continuation and effective implementation of the agreement without further delay." No new ships have been registered since June 26, according to the UN.
20:19 Roskomnadzor has blocked access to Prigozhin's media projects. Also, Russian publics report that Prigozhin's media cease to exist, even the "military correspondents" under his control are left without work. In particular, Nevskiye Novosti, RIA FAN, People's News, Politics Today and Economy Today were closed. All of them were united under the common brand of Mediagroup Patriot. Employees have been informed of their layoffs. In addition to the media, the holding included the so-called "troll factory", which for ten years promoted Russia's interests on the Internet and interfered in US elections.
20:05 Ukrainian troops have advanced in all areas of active operations today, Zelensky said in an evening video message. He also said that all international affairs officers received today additional tasks for the supply of ammunition for artillery: "Although our work with partners is already at its maximum for the sake of shells for Ukrainian soldiers, we will make it even more active. Strengthening our artillery is an obvious priority."
19:22 Zelensky said that he had met in Kiev with an American businessman and philanthropist, founder and CEO of Wasatch Group Dell Loy Hansen: "We discussed projects that will help our people return to normal life faster. Wasatch Group in partnership with the charity organization To Ukraine With Love plans in 2023-2024 to build in Ukraine, in the Kiev region, 600 fully furnished modular houses for people whose house was destroyed by the war."
19:17 The head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said that Prigozhin's rebellion showed obvious cracks in the Kremlin regime, and it's time to increase support for Ukraine. "So now it's time to really double down on our support for Ukraine, and it's been discussed on many different topics," she said after a two-day European Council meeting, recalling that the EU has mobilized 70 billion euros for Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion.
18:28 Against the background of information about the transfer of PMC Wagner militants to Belarus, Ukraine decided to strengthen troops on the northern border. About whether such a decision is connected with a possible new attack by Russian troops from the territory of this country, or whether Kiev decided to play it safe - in the material Danger from Belarus .
17:51 In the Kirovograd region, the curfew has been reduced since July 1: it will operate from 00:00 to 04:00. The work of public catering establishments and public events have been extended until 23:00, said the head of the OVA, Andrei Raikovich.
17:34 Denmark has announced a new aid package to Ukraine for almost 175 million euros. It will include ammunition for air defense and funds for the purchase of artillery shells. Approximately 40 million of this amount are intended for joint purchases of artillery shells with the European Union.
17:10 Commander of the Joint Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Sergei Naev, who was instructed by Zelensky to strengthen the Northern Direction, said that at the moment there is no immediate threat of offensive actions from Belarus and Russia in this direction. However, in the event of an increase in the level of threats, "an increase in forces and means is envisaged, as well as other practical measures to increase the defense capabilities of the group." According to Naev, the command is in control of the situation and is gradually increasing its defense capabilities.
16:53 Orban opposed the plan of the European Commission to allocate 50 billion euros to Ukraine: "We, the Hungarians, will not give more money to Ukraine until they tell where the previous about 70 billion euros went."
16:47 The leaders of the EU member states supported the plan to use the frozen assets of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation in favor of Ukraine, which provides for the collection of income tax from them, writes Bloomberg. It is estimated that this profit could be around 3 billion euros per year. The EU plans to enlist the support of the G7 countries in this matter. Brussels has already been in talks with Washington, and the UK has already backed the plan, according to Bloomberg.
16:39 The Russians took another 185 children out of the Kherson region - they were allegedly sent to "rest" in Russia, said Yury Sobolevsky, deputy head of the regional council.
16:32 The Russians fired from multiple launch rocket systems with. Sergeevka, Pokrovsky district, Donetsk region, the Office of the Prosecutor General said. The projectile hit the territory of the local school, in which at that time there were 12 people - representatives of the administration, teachers and technical staff. As a result of the shelling, a primary school teacher and chief accountant were killed, and six more employees were injured.
16:17 Poland wants to place American nuclear weapons on its territory in response to the deployment of a Russian one in Belarus, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said.
16:08 EU leaders at the summit in Brussels agreed to expand the production of ammunition in Europe, said Scholz. Thus, the European Union hopes to meet the needs of Ukraine in ammunition.
15:59 EU leaders have decided to extend economic sanctions against Russia for another six months, Radio Liberty's Brussels correspondent Rikard Jozwiak said. According to him, Hungary demanded an assessment of the impact of the sanctions, but finally agreed to give the green light, given the soon-to-be assessment of the sanctions by the Commission.
15:23 Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Army Valery Zaluzhny very rarely gives interviews. The Washington Post was able to talk to the most influential Ukrainian military. What the commander-in-chief told about - in the material About Wagner and the F-16: theses of the interview with Zaluzhny .
15:00 Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that Ukraine is preparing a terrorist attack at the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant. In her opinion, this is allegedly evidenced by the fact that additional devices for measuring radiation were installed in Kyiv, and exercises began in a number of regions in case of an accident at the ZNPP.
14:52 Zelensky announced that he had held a meeting of the Headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, at which he instructed Zaluzhny and Naev to strengthen the Northern direction near the border with Belarus. They also discussed the situation on the battlefield and moving forward, strengthening operations with additional artillery systems and shells. There was a separate report on the situation in Belarus by the Main Intelligence Directorate, the SVR, the SBU and the State Border Guard Service. "We keep it under constant control," the President assured.
14:28 The IAEA experts did not see any signs of the occupiers preparing a terrorist attack at the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant, said the agency's director general Rafael Grossi. However, he did not rule out that "anything can happen." Grossi says the situation at the nuclear power plant after the explosion of the Kakhovka dam is "serious" but is gradually stabilizing. "Initial measures were taken by the management of the plant to save the required amount of water, but in the long term this will not be enough," he added.
14:09 To strengthen control over the Azov region, Russia is forming the Azov naval region as part of the Black Sea Fleet with headquarters in Mariupol, the Ministry of Defense reports. This naval area will be completed by the ships of the Black Sea Fleet and the Caspian flotilla of the Russian Navy. The main efforts of Russia in the Azov and Black Sea operational zones are focused on improving the systems of anti-sabotage defense of naval bases, as well as on protecting the naval personnel of the Russian Navy.
13:43 Russia has prepared everything for the implementation of a man-made disaster at the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant, Budanov said in an interview with American journalist Howard Altman: "The part of the plant that, if a decision is made, is likely to be blown up, is an artificial reservoir on the territory of the plant, which provides cooling. What they are going to do is damage a link in the system, which will subsequently cause this techno-disaster that no one can stop or mitigate because search and rescue is not possible in a war zone."
13:27 Ukraine has information about the whereabouts of 19,498 children taken out by Russia, Ombudsman Dmitry Lubinets said in an interview with LB.ua. According to him, these children are either in the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine or in the territory of the Russian Federation. According to him, the Russians adopted 365 Ukrainian children.
13:04 Zaluzhny said in an interview with The Washington Post that Leopard tanks at the front are "just a target", several vehicles have already been destroyed. According to him, for a successful advance, Ukraine needs more of all types of weapons, much more ammunition and, of course, F-16 fighters - even a limited number of aircraft is enough. The Commander-in-Chief stressed that the Armed Forces of Ukraine are moving forward every day, but every meter is given in blood, many soldiers die. Without full support for the troops, the plans are impossible, he added.
"The number of planes on duty at our western borders is twice the number of Russian planes destroying our positions. Why can't we take at least a third from there and transfer here? I don't need 120 planes. A very limited number is enough," the commander in chief said. Zaluzhny also expressed his annoyance that some did not like the speed of the counteroffensive. "Offensive is not a show to bet on," he stressed.
12:53 Direct damage to Ukraine due to the explosion of the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station amounted to $ 2.08 billion, calculated by the Ministry of Economy and the KSE Institute. In particular, losses for housing amounted to 960 million dollars, for energy - 624 million, for transport infrastructure - 311 million, for industry - 105 million, for the social sphere - 55 million, for agriculture - 25 million.
12:44 Damage to the environment due to the explosion of the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station exceeds 146 billion hryvnia, the Ministry of Ecology said.
12:37 Zelensky signed law No. 9342 on payments and holidays for the military.
12:06 The Armed Forces of Ukraine confirmed the attack on Berdyansk: the headquarters and warehouse of fuel and lubricants of the invaders were destroyed.
11:49 Surovikin was a secret high-ranking member of the Wagner PMC, CNN reports, citing documents received by the editors. According to them, the top management of the PMC included at least 30 high-ranking Russian military and intelligence officers.
11:42 The movement of S-300 air defense systems by Russians from Mariupol in the direction of Berdyansk has become systemic, said Petr Andryushchenko, adviser to the mayor of Mariupol. According to him, after several days of shelling in the direction of Zaporozhye, these systems are returned to Mariupol for servicing at one of the factories, and then they are taken back to Berdyansk.
11:35 Lavrov said he did not see "what could be the reasons for extending the grain deal."
10:54 After an attempted armed rebellion in Russia, the FSB was given the task of eliminating Prigozhin, Budanov said in an interview with American journalist Howard Altman. The head of the Main Intelligence Directorate confirmed that the Ukrainian military intelligence had known about the intentions to carry out such actions inside Russia for a long time.
“We know that the task of killing Prigozhin was assigned to the FSB. Will they be successful in this? Time will tell. One way or another, all potential assassination attempts will not be quick. They will need some time to develop suitable approaches and reach the stage when they will ready for a massive operation. But I would like to emphasize that this is a big open question. Will they be able to carry it out? Will they dare to carry out this order?" - said Budanov.
10:23 In Poland, a Russian hockey player was detained on charges of espionage, the Polish Prosecutor General's Office said. It is known that the detainee was a player of the hockey club of the first league, but the name of the athlete is not called. This is the 14th detained member of the exposed spy network.
09:48 11 explosions thundered in Berdyansk, a fire with detonation near the airport, the city military administration reported. Ambulances drove towards the airport.
09:29 In the morning, the Russians fired artillery at a residential area of Kherson, one person was wounded. Another person was wounded due to an artillery strike on the village of Mikhailovka in the Novoaleksandrovskaya community, said the head of the OVA, Alexander Prokudin.
09:26 In the Kherson region over the past day, as a result of Russian shelling, three people were killed, four were injured. In the Donetsk region, two wounded, according to the IVA.
09:21 At night, the Russians attacked Zaporozhye, civilian infrastructure facilities were damaged, the head of the OVA, Yuri Malashko, said. Also during the day, the enemy fired at 16 settlements - two people were killed, one was wounded.
09:17 The Russians are gradually leaving the territory of the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant. According to the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, one of the first to leave the station were three employees of Rosatom, who led the actions of the invaders. Also, recommendations to evacuate before July 5, preferably to the Crimea, were received by Ukrainian employees who signed a contract with Rosatom. To date, it is known about the departure of the head of the legal department, the chief inspector and the deputy head of the supply station to the occupied peninsula.
The number of military patrols is gradually decreasing on the territory of the ZNPP itself and in the satellite city of the Energodare station. The personnel remaining at the station were instructed "to blame Ukraine in case of any emergencies."
09:10 Ukrainian troops continue their offensive in the Melitopol and Berdyansk directions, said the speaker of the General Staff Andriy Kovalev. On the directions Levadnoye - Priyutnoye, Malaya Tokmachka - Ocheretovatoye they had partial success, they are fixed on the achieved lines. Partial success was also achieved in the direction of Privolye - Zheleznyanskoye.
On the flanks of the city of Bakhmut, Ukrainian troops are putting pressure on the enemy, knocking them out of the previously captured lines. They have been successful, and are fixing themselves on the achieved frontiers. Also, units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine continue to restrain the offensive of Russian troops in the Limansky, Avdeevsky and Mariinsky directions.
08:52 The United States may announce the supply of cluster munitions to Ukraine as early as early July, NBC reports, citing high-ranking American officials. According to them, discussions have intensified in the White House about the possibility of supplying such ammunition, and now Washington is closer to making a decision than at any time since the start of the war in Ukraine. The US hopes that this will help the Ukrainian counteroffensive.
08:38 The World Bank approved a $1.5 billion loan to Ukraine guaranteed by the Japanese government.
08:19 The General Staff announced the approximate losses of the Russian Federation as of the morning of June 30.
- personnel - about 228,340 (+560) people liquidated,
- tanks - 4041 (+3),
- armored combat vehicles - 7863 (+6),
- artillery systems - 4127 (+11),
- MLRS - 630 (+3),
- air defense systems - 389 (+1),
- aircraft - 315 (+0),
- helicopters - 308 (+0),
- UAV operational-tactical level - 3519 (+6),
- cruise missiles - 1261 (+0),
- ships/boats - 18 (+0),
- automotive equipment and tankers - 6785 (+5),
- special equipment - 569 (+0).
08:15 At night, the Russians attacked Ukraine from the southeast, fired 13 Shahed-136/131 kamikaze drones from the eastern coast of the Sea of Azov (Primorsko-Akhtarsk) and four anti-aircraft guided missiles from the S-300 air defense system. Attacked military and infrastructure facilities in the Zaporozhye region. Air defense forces destroyed ten of the 13 attack drones. Previously - without casualties, the command of the Air Force reported.
07:47 The Russian army is concentrating its main efforts on the Limansky, Bakhmutsky and Maryinsky directions, there are heavy battles. During the day, there were 31 combat clashes, the General Staff reported in the morning summary .
07:30 Trump said that Putin is "slightly weakened" by the Prigozhin rebellion, and the US should use this moment to negotiate: "I want people to stop dying because of this senseless war. I think the biggest thing that the US should to do now is to establish peace: to gather Russia and Ukraine and make peace." He also did not rule out that Ukraine would have to cede part of the territory in favor of Russia in order to stop the war.
07:21 EU leaders at the summit in Brussels adopted a statement in which they expressed their readiness "together with partners to contribute to future security commitments to Ukraine, which will help Ukraine protect itself in the long term, deter acts of aggression and counter attempts to destabilize." It is assumed that these commitments "will be made with full respect for the security and defense policies of individual Member States and with due regard for the security and defense interests of all Member States."
Separately, EU leaders reaffirmed their readiness to provide sustained military support to Ukraine for as long as needed, in particular through the EU Military Assistance Mission and the European Peace Fund. The decision specifically notes the importance of continued efforts by EU Member States to assist in meeting the urgent military and defense needs of Ukraine, "without prejudice to the specifics of the security and defense policy of individual Member States and taking into account the security and defense interests of all Member States."
04:25 Pentagon Speaker Patrick Ryder denied The Wall Street Journal's information that the United States is allegedly close to making a decision on the transfer of ATACMS missiles to Ukraine: "I saw this publication. I will say that I have nothing to announce on ATACMS. And I certainly do not no imminent decisions regarding ATACMS are known."
01:27 European Parliament President Roberta Metsola said she supports the start of negotiations on Ukraine's EU membership in December this year: "Ukraine's reform efforts were extraordinary, especially during the war. If the reform criteria were sufficiently met, we must respond. And I remain optimistic that this can be achieved this year."
00:34 PMC Wagner continues to recruit militants throughout Russia for the war in Ukraine, BBC News reports. Journalists called dozens of mercenary recruitment centers located in Russia - they said that "nothing has stopped, we continue to recruit people."
00:12 Great Britain imposes a ban on individuals and companies associated with the Kremlin, on access to British legal expertise. Now British lawyers will not be able to advise Russian companies on certain business agreements. The British Ministry of Justice explained that Russia is very dependent on Western countries in terms of legal expertise. Previously, the UK annually exported legal services to Russian businesses in the amount of about 56 million pounds.
Posted by: badanov 2023-07-01 |