Mykolaiv in the south and Kharkiv in the east are under attack, officials say
The main cities of Mykolaiv, a port in the south, and Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city in the northeast, have been under heavy attack, according to officials in their respective regions.
Mykolaiv Regional Council chief Hanna Zamazeeva said on Tuesday in her Telegram account that Russian forces continued to fire on Mykolaiv and hit targets throughout the city, leaving 15 people injured.
Aerial view of completely destroyed settlements after the bombing, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the Russian border in Kharkiv, eastern Ukraine, on June 12, 2022.
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Meanwhile, Oleh Synehubov, the head of the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration, told his Telegram account that Russian forces had fired on various parts of the city, damaging and destroying several public and commercial buildings.
Synehubov said three people had been killed and seven injured in the past 24 hours.
A Ukrainian woman collects water in Mykolaiv, Ukraine, on June 12, 2022.
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Mykolaiv and Kharkiv are key targets for Russian forces, as control of these cities would allow Russian forces to occupy a larger area in the east and south of the country.
“Holly Ellyatt.”
“Calm before the storm” as Russian forces regroup in eastern Ukraine: governor
The governor of the Luhansk region, where the most intense clashes between Ukrainian and Russian troops are taking place, said he was witnessing the “calm before the storm” after a relatively quiet night on the front lines.
Serhiy Haidai, the governor of Luhansk province, where heavy fighting is taking place in and around the cities of Severodonetsk and Lysychansk, said in a Facebook update on Tuesday that Russian forces had stopped to regroup. .
He said that “a difficult time has passed in the Lugansk region, after a whole day of progress in all directions” by Russian forces.
Haidai said Russian forces had set a June 26 deadline to take the Luhansk region, although he did not give the source of the information. “It will not happen in five days,” he said, adding that Ukrainian forces in the region were still waiting for long-range artillery.
Ukraine has been desperate for more powerful weapons to help turn the tide in the battle in eastern Ukraine, where Russia has seen slow but steady progress in terms of territorial gains.
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Russia says it can’t guarantee captured US fighters not face death penalty
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov at an event during Russia’s Victory Day commemorations in Moscow on May 9, 2022.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman told NBC News on Monday that Moscow would not guarantee that two American veterans fighting captured in Ukraine would face the death penalty.
“It depends on the investigation,” Dmitry Peskov told NBC News when asked if Alexander Drueke and Andy Huynh would “face the same fate” as two British citizens and a Moroccan man who were sentenced to death in a separatist “court.” prorusso. widely seen as a kangaroo court in eastern Ukraine this month.
Peskov said Drueke and Huynh were “involved in illegal activities” in Ukraine and said “those guys on the battlefield were firing on our military. They were endangering their lives,” he told NBC.
“There will be a court and there will be a court decision,” Peskov said, adding, “They should be punished.”
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“You’re my hero”: Ben Stiller meets President Zelenskyy
Hollywood actor Ben Stiller met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Monday and called the war leader “my hero.”
Stiller is a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and has been in Ukraine for several days as part of his role, meeting with Ukrainian refugees.
“It’s a great honor for me,” Stiller said as he introduced himself to Zelenskyy, adding, “You’re my hero. You’re amazing.”
Stiller also praised the president for his former acting career, saying “you left a great acting career for it.” “Not as fantastic as yours,” Zelenskyy replied.
Stiller added that the president’s wartime leadership was “inspiring” to the rest of the world.
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Mariupol residents ‘on survival’
According to the city’s regional military administration, residents of the southern port city of Mariupol, which was captured by Russian forces in May, are on the verge of surviving due to lack of drinking water.
Citing information from Mariupol Mayor Vadim Boychenko, the administration said that “more than 100,000 people still living in the city do not have access to drinking water.”
“Currently, the occupants provide it once a week. Residents queue for 4 to 8 hours. They are about to die. This is a humanitarian catastrophe. So we must do everything we can to open a green corridor and save people, “the mayor said.
He added that the Russians and “collaborators” had also restricted residents’ access to food. “At the same time, the city is running out of gas, electricity and drainage.”
CNBC could not verify the information of the administration and Boychenko.
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The battles move to the surrounding villages of Severodonetsk and Lysychansk
Clashes between Ukrainian and Russian forces are taking place in “several villages” around the twin cities of Severodonetsk and Lysychansk, with Ukrainian forces losing control of a settlement, according to the head of the Regional Military Administration. Luhansk, Serhiy Haidai.
In his latest update on Twitter, the official said that the Ukrainian army has lost control of the village of Metiolkine, on the outskirts of the regional center.
“Battles are taking place in several villages around Siverodonetsk and Lysychansk. Unfortunately, we currently have no control over Methiolkine near the regional center,” he said, adding that Russian forces had “intensified artillery and air fire “.
Garbage and cars destroyed along a street in Lysychansk.
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Russian and Ukrainian forces have been embroiled in heavy fighting and street fighting in recent weeks, with the conflict in Severodonetsk, the last Ukrainian-controlled city in Lugansk province, and its “twin” city across the river. Siverskyi Donets, Lysychansk.
Haidai noted that Ukrainian fighters are successful in melee warfare, but enemy artillery predominates in the area. He added that Russia is “hitting” Lysychansk, but said a “silent” civilian evacuation with armored vehicles is taking place.
“The lost settlement does NOT mean ‘lost war’. The Luhansk region will be defended to the last, we will restrict the horde as much as necessary,” Haidai said.
The flames rise from a structure after being hit by a projectile on June 20, 2022 in Druzhkivka, Ukraine. In recent weeks, Russia has concentrated its firepower in the Donbas region of Ukraine, where since 2014 it has supported two separatist regions at war with the Ukrainian government.
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He added that “the Russians are hitting the industrial area of Severodonetsk and the outskirts of the city hard. The same is true of the Toshkivka and Ustynivka districts,” where the “orcs” are looking to make great strides. “That’s why they’ve put together a lot of equipment,” he said.
Ukrainian officials often compare Russian fighters to the monstrous, fictional “orcs” in JRR Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings” series.
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