Ukraine: Kyiv bombed Russian sites in the Kherson region | war in ukraine

Our Air Force bombed Russian positions, sites where equipment and personnel are concentrated, warehouses around five localities of the Kherson region.The General Staff of the Ukrainian Army said Friday on Facebook.

Over several days, Ukrainians reported fighting in this area, which had been occupied by almost all Russian forces since the early days of the Russian invasion that began on February 24.

The local authorities created by Moscow strongly advocate annexation. A Russian negotiator on the conflict in Ukraine mentioned on June 1 the imminent organization of a referendum in the Russian-occupied territories on this issue, which could take place in July.

Qualified project in the name ofillegal By kyiv, which refers to the referendum that Russia organized in Crimea in 2014, before annexing the peninsula in the process.

Information about what is happening in this region – which is connected to the Crimea by a strip of land – is scarce.

Kyiv accused, on Tuesday, the Russian army of imprisoning nearly 600 people there, most of them journalists and pro-Kevin activists, and subjugating them. to torture. During a press trip organized by the Russian Defense Ministry in Kherson at the end of May, the residents interviewed by AFP were silenced.

Russian President Vladimir Putin compared his policy to that of Tsar Peter the Great, who conquered part of Sweden as well as Finland, part of Estonia and Latvia.

It seems that in the fight against Sweden he was catching something. He didn’t catch anything, he took chargeMr. Putin said during a meeting with young businessmen in Moscow. Apparently, it is also our duty to resume and strengthenThe Russian president added, apparently referring to the Russian attack on Ukraine.

Fire and Fury in Donbass

In the Donbass, the battle for the main city of Severodonetsk and its twin city, Lessichansk, continues and becomes more and more deadly.

Sievierodonetsk, Lysychansk and other cities of the Donbass, which the occupiers now consider their targets, still hold their landMr. Zelensky said in a statement Thursday evening.

The region’s governor, Sergio Gaudai, said on Friday that fighting continues in the city and shelling continues. He noted in particular that the Ice Palace, one of the symbols of the city, was destroyed in a fire caused by Russian bombing.

Whoever said three days ago that Moscow had set itself the goal of capturing the city by June 10, also welcomed the fact that they had not. incompleteon his messenger Telegram.

The capture of Severodonetsk would open Moscow’s route to the other major Donbass city, Kramatorsk, an important step in conquering the entire Donbass Basin, a predominantly Russian region of eastern Ukraine under the control of partly pro-Russian separatists ever since.

The battle, which lasted several weeks, is especially deadly. Kyiv laments every day Up to 100 soldiers kill and 500 wounded On Thursday, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said the fighting. The Russians say nothing of their losses.

However, Ukraine can, restore Sievierodonetsk In two or three daysAs soon as you use western artillery Long-termOn Thursday, Mr. Gaïdaï confirmed.

Empty arsenals

The Ukrainians, who during the 107 days of the war exhausted their Russian and Soviet weapons according to US military sources, are constantly demanding their Western allies. More powerful new weapons.

Washington and London have announced the delivery of multiple launch rocket systems, including the HIMARS system with a range of about 80 kilometers, slightly longer than the Russian systems, but it is unclear when the Ukrainians will be able to start using them.

If Western weapons appear to be flowing into Ukraine, it’s because the allies want to make sure Kyiv can absorb them safely and reduce the risk of bombing its munitions stockpiles, these US military sources explained.

We try to keep the flow goingsaid a US military official.

Zelensky said he discussed French military aid to Ukraine with Emmanuel Macron in a phone conversation on Thursday. The French president, who holds the presidency of the European Union until June 30, questioned the Ukrainian president about his needs In military equipment, including with heavy weaponsParis confirmed.

The two leaders also discussed Kyiv’s candidacy to join the European Union. Ukraine hopes that, after a summit on June 23-24, the 27 nations will give it the official status of a candidate for membership, beginning a process that could last for years.

The death penalty for fighters loyal to Kaif

In this context, the pro-Russian separatist authorities announced On Thursday, the death sentence handed down to two Britons and a Moroccan was announced.

The British accused Aiden Aslin and Sean Benner and the Moroccan Ibrahim Saadoun, who will resume participating in the fighting. mercenaries Besides the Ukrainians, the official Russian news agency TASS reported.

And after London Thursday, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights expressed concern on Friday.

Since 2015, we have noted that the so-called judicial system of these unilaterally proclaimed republics does not fulfill basic fair trial guarantees. […] Such trials against prisoners of war constitute a war crimespokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani said from Geneva.

Meanwhile, the heads of nine countries from Central and Eastern Europe (Romania, Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, the Czech Republic, Slovakia) are meeting in Bucharest on Friday to demand the strengthening of the eastern flank of NATO, less than three weeks before the summit The alliance, scheduled for June 28-30 in Madrid.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg will participate by video only.

The war has also caused a spike in grain and fertilizer prices, which is supposed to lead to 2022 Significant increase in the bill of importing countriesAccording to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

Ukraine’s grain exports have been crippled by the closure of its ports by the Russian Black Sea Fleet, and the countries of Africa and the Middle East are the first to experience a food crisis.

Senegalese Head of State Macky Sall, the current head of the African Union, will meet with Emmanuel Macron in France on Friday, intending to ask him to lift European sanctions on Russia, especially the exclusion of Russian banks from the SWIFT system. The system, an essential cog in international money transfers, he said.

On Thursday, Mr. Zelensky called for Russia to be excluded from the FAO. The organization did not immediately respond to this call.