Putin to commemorate the anniversary of World War II
Russian President Vladimir Putin will mark the day when Hitler’s Nazi Germany forces invaded the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941.
The date is significant in Russia and is remembered as “Day of Remembrance and Pain.”
Putin is said to have laid flowers in honor of the dead on Wednesday.
To commemorate the anniversary, the Russian Defense Ministry released documents dating back to the outbreak of World War II that sought to show that Germany intended to claim that the Soviet army was bombing churches and cemeteries to justify the war. its invasion.
“Just like today, in 1941, the Nazis prepared provocations in advance to discredit our state,” the Russian Defense Ministry said.
June 22 is one of the most tragic dates in Russian history: the Memorial and the Mourning. This day 81 years ago the Great Patriotic War began.
There will be a divine liturgy and a memorial service in the main cathedral of the Russian Armed Forces. “
▪️June 22 is one of the most tragic dates in the history of Russia: the Memorial and the Mourning. This day 81 years ago the Great Patriotic War began. There will be a divine liturgy and a memorial service in the main cathedral of the Russian Armed Forces.📽 🇷🇺Ministry of Defense pic.twitter.com/4YYuMYXKCD
– Embassy of Russia, SWE (@RusEmbSwe) June 21, 2022
Updated at 06.14 BST
Satellite images provided by Maxar Technologies, dated June 21, appear to show damage inflicted on Snake Island after Ukraine claimed to have launched an attack on the small southern territory on Tuesday.
A destroyed tower can be seen at the southern end of the island and burned areas at the northern end.
Russia says it has repulsed a Ukrainian attempt to retake the island in the Black Sea captured by Russian forces on the first day of the invasion.
A destroyed tower seen at the southern end of Snake Island in a satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies on June 21. Photo: Satellite image © 2022 Maxar Tech / AFP / Getty Images Burn marks can be seen at the northern end of Snake Island. Photo: Satellite image © 2022 Maxar Tech / AFP / Getty Images Russia said it had repulsed a Ukrainian attempt to retake Snake Island, a small territory in the Black Sea captured by Russian forces on the invasion. Photo: Satellite Image © 2022 Maxar Tech / AFP / Getty Images
Ukraine launches snake island attacks
The Ukrainian military says it has launched airstrikes on Zmiinyi Island, also known as Snake Island, causing “significant losses” to Russian forces.
In a video address posted on Facebook, the army’s southern operational command said it had used “multi-force targeted attacks” on the island.
The order added:
Zmiinyi Island received a concentrated blow with the use of various forces and methods of destruction. “
Russian troops stationed on the island suffered “significant losses”
The military operation continues and requires informational silence until it ends.
Moscow claimed to have repelled the “crazy” attack that saw Ukraine “plan to carry out a large-scale air and artillery fire … before landing and capturing” the island.
In an update posted on its Telegram channel, Russia’s defense ministry said:
On June 20 at 5 a.m., the Kyiv regime undertook another crazy attempt to take possession of Snake Island.
This is another false “victory” of the Ukrainian army.
The ministry said 15 Ukrainian attack and reconnaissance drones were involved in the airstrike while missile and shell launchers fired on the island, with 13 drones shot down.
Updated at 06.25 BST
Summary and welcome
Hello, we are Samantha Lock with you as we continue to report on all the latest news from Ukraine.
Here are all the other major developments from 8 am in Kyiv.
- The military situation of Ukrainian defenders in the eastern Donbas is “extremely difficult,” officials said. 568 civilians are believed to be locked up at the Sievierodonetsk Nitrogen Chemical Plant, while Russian attacks are intensifying in an effort to capture Sievierodonetsk and Lysychansk. Serhiy Haidai, governor of the Luhansk region, said Lysychansk was being bombed “en masse”.
- Russian forces have captured several settlements near Lysychansk and Sievierodonetsk. The head of the military administration of the Sievierodonetsk district, Roman Vlasenko, said that the front-line village of Toshkivka had not been under Ukrainian control since Monday. Russian forces also captured Pidlisne and Mala Dolyna, located southwest of Sievierodonetsk, and were successful near the Hirske settlement in Luhansk.
- At least 15 civilians were killed in the Kharkiv region of Ukraine by Russian bombing on Tuesday, according to regional governor Oleh Synegubov.
- Mass mobilization “is about to take place” in Russia with the Kremlin recruiting people in the poorest regions to fight in Ukraine, according to Western officials. Officials also said there was “more talk” about Vladimir Putin’s health and “more speculation” about who would replace him in Russia. However, there does not appear to be any “immediate threat” to the Russian president’s position from the elite or the general population, they said.
- U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland visited Ukraine on Tuesday to discuss Russia’s war crimes, a Justice Department official said. Garland met with Attorney General of Ukraine Iryna Venediktova and announced a war crimes responsibility team to identify and prosecute the perpetrators. “There is no hiding place for war criminals,” Garland said.
- German self-propelled shells have arrived in Ukraine in the first heavy weapons delivery promised by Berlin. “We have a replacement!” This was announced by the Minister of Defense of Ukraine, Oleksii Reznikov. “The German Panzerhaubitze 2000 with trained Ukrainian crews joined the Ukrainian artillery family.”
- Turkey should be cautious in delivering more weapons to Ukraine, said the head of Turkey’s arms production agency. Ismail Demir’s statements to the Wall Street Journal show how Ankara is increasingly playing on both sides of the war. Turkish-made drones have played a critical role in defending Kyiv.
- The Turkish military delegation will travel to Russia this week to discuss a possible safe passage to the Black Sea to export Ukrainian grain, according to Turkish presidential sources. A meeting between Turkey, Ukraine, Russia and the United Nations will be held in Istanbul in the coming weeks, possibly with the participation of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and UN Secretary-General António Guterres, sources said.
- European countries are united in their support for granting Ukraine EU candidate status, the Luxembourg foreign minister said. Jean Asselborn told reporters: “We are working to the point where we tell Putin that Ukraine belongs to Europe, that we will also defend the values that Ukraine defends.”
- The UK government is “determined” to impose more sanctions on Russia and will continue to do so until Moscow withdraws completely from Ukraine, said British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss. He told parliament he would travel to Turkey on Wednesday to discuss options to help extract grain from Odessa. Boris Johnson also warned of the need to resist “growing fatigue” around the war and said any concessions to Vladimir Putin would be a “disaster.”
- Estonia on Tuesday summoned the Russian ambassador to protest an “extremely serious” violation of its airspace by a Russian helicopter. The Estonian Foreign Ministry said the helicopter flew over a point in the southeast without permission on June 18.
A member of the Ukrainian service with a dog seen in the ruined city of Sievierodonetsk in eastern Ukraine. Photo: Reuters