June 23, 2023 - Russia-Ukraine news

15 hr 15 min ago

From CNN's Katharina Krebs in London

The damaged Chonhar bridge is seen in this picture released on Thursday by Russian-installed leader of the Kherson region Vladimir Saldo on Telegram.
The damaged Chonhar bridge is seen in this picture released on Thursday by Russian-installed leader of the Kherson region Vladimir Saldo on Telegram. Vladimir Saldo/Telegram via Reuters

Damage to the Chonhar bridge that crosses into Crimea was more severe than expected, and it is currently not fit for use, according to the Russian-appointed acting head of the Kherson region, Vladimir Saldo. 

"Unfortunately, the bridge is much more seriously damaged than we originally thought. The bridge is unsuitable for movement for the next 15 to 20 days, maybe more," Saldo told Russian state TV Rossiya-24. 

On Thursday, Russian authorities claimed that four missiles were fired at the Chonhar road bridge that connects the Russian-held parts of Ukraine’s southern Kherson region with the Crimean peninsula, which Russia declared annexed from Ukraine in 2014.

Crimean authorities had said previously that the bridge — which is critical for Russia to move troops, ammunition and equipment to and from the peninsula — would be fully operational in two weeks maximum.

Saldo had said the strike “won’t decide any results of the special operation,” but then admitted it will make some food and other deliveries a little harder. They will have to use another, longer route, he added, to the west through Armyansk and Perekop, closer to Ukrainian positions.

15 hr 16 min ago

US sanctions Russian intel officers for undermining elections in other countries

From CNN's Kylie Atwood

As Russia's war in Ukraine continues, the US has sanctioned two more Russian intelligence officers who were involved in the Russian Federation’s efforts to undermine the democratic processes in the United States and other countries, the State Department and the Treasury Department announced on Friday.

The Russians — Yegor Sergeyevich Popov and Aleksei Borisovich Sukhodolov – are both Russian Federal Security Service officers who have worked with other co-opted members of the service who were sanctioned by the US last year for conducting foreign malign influence activities, the State Department said. 

“The Kremlin continues to target a key pillar of democracy around the world — free and fair elections,” said Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian E. Nelson.

“The United States will not tolerate threats to our democracy, and today’s action builds on the whole of government approach to protect our system of representative government, including our democratic institutions and elections processes," he added.

“To safeguard our democracy, as well as help protect our allies and partners, the United States will continue to act to deter and disrupt the Kremlin’s malign influence operations,” the State Department wrote.

15 hr 49 min ago

Zelensky criticizes lack of adequate bomb shelters across Ukraine

From CNN's Yulia Kesaieva and Lindsay Isaac

Volodymyr Zelensky attends the International Book Arsenal Festival in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Friday.
Volodymyr Zelensky attends the International Book Arsenal Festival in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Friday. Les Kasyanov/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has decried inadequate bomb shelters across the country, calling the conclusions of a nationwide inspection "disappointing."  

The inspection was launched after the death of three people, including a child, who were trying to get into a closed bomb shelter in Kyiv earlier this month.

Following a meeting of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council Friday, Zelensky said shelters were examined in the areas being attacked the most by Russia. The findings were uniformly disappointing "almost all over the country," he said, including in bigger cities like Kyiv, Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv and Dnipro. 

"The situation is especially cynical and shameful in those cities that have significant financial resources but, unfortunately, other priorities," the Ukrainian president said, pledging that reliable shelters will be made a "priority for leaders at all levels."

Work is ongoing to return ownership of shelters that Zelensky claimed were "illegally" taken from local authorities, likely under corruption. There are currently 400 such claims across Ukraine, he said.

More on combating corruption and EU recommendations: Zelensky also said he discussed an interim report by the European Commission about progress on fighting institutional corruption and judicial reform.

Zelensky said proposals include increasing jail time and confiscation of property for judicial officials found guilty of corruption, as well as implementing integrity checks on judges throughout their terms. Zelensky said he is confident that Ukraine can fully implement European Commission recommendations for the start of negotiations on joining the EU.

"Today is exactly one year since Ukraine became a candidate for accession to the European Union, and this year, the goal is to start membership negotiations. Ukraine will definitely do its part," he said.

12 hr 13 min ago

US ambassador to UN calls for urgent investigation into Russian use of Iranian-supplied drones 

From CNN's Richard Roth in New York and Lauren Kent in London

US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield speaks during a Security Council meeting at the United Nations on Friday.
US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield speaks during a Security Council meeting at the United Nations on Friday. Yuki Iwamura/AP

The United States ambassador to the United Nations on Friday called for an urgent investigation into Iranian-supplied drones used by Russia. 

In a UN Security Council meeting, US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said, "Moments ago, I stood with Ukraine, France, the United Kingdom and Albania to call out Russia and Iran for flagrant violations of UN Security Council Resolution 2231." 

That UN Security Council Resolution was passed to endorse the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and control the transfer of weapons from Iran.

"We know the Kremlin has procured hundreds of UAVs [unmanned aerial vehicles] and is now working with Iran to produce these weapons inside Russia. And we know that in recent weeks, the Kremlin has used these UAVs to destroy Ukrainian infrastructure and kill and terrorize civilians," Thomas-Greenfield said. "The United Nations must implement Security Council Resolution 2231."

"We still have no explanation as to why experts from the 2231 team have not been dispatched to Ukraine to review evidence of these weapons' origins and the destruction these weapons have caused," she said. "The UN must act with urgency. This is a matter of life or death for the Ukrainian people."

"Moscow publicly feigns deep concerns about attacks on critical infrastructure. And they have called Security Council meetings to try to convince us of that," Thomas-Greenfield added. "But Russia's hypocrisy is on full display as we watch Russian missiles and drones reduce entire Ukrainian cities to rubble."

What Russia says: Russian UN Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya disagreed on what Resolution 2231 calls for. On Friday, Nebenzya blasted Western information on drones used by Russia. 

Russia, which held the rotating presidency of the UN Security Council during April, continues to scoff at Western sanctions. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said last year that reports the country is using Iranian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are “unsubstantiated inferences,” despite Ukraine, its allies and arms-tracking experts finding ample evidence of their use in Ukraine.

More on Iranian-supplied drones: Earlier this month, National Security Council official John Kirby said that the US believes an attack drone manufacturing plant Russia is building with Iran’s help could be fully operational by early next year.

Iran is shipping equipment for the plant, as well as fully-built drones, to Russia via the Caspian Sea, US officials believe.

CNN's Natasha Bertrand contributed reporting to this post.

16 hr 46 min ago

Allies and Ukrainian officials will discuss Zelensky's peace proposal in Denmark meeting, source says

From CNN's Victoria Butenko in Kyiv 

Senior Western and Ukrainian officials are expected to meet in Copenhagen in the coming days to discuss President Volodymyr Zelensky's peace proposal, a Ukrainian government source told CNN.

Representatives from the Global South are also expected to attend, the source said.

Zelensky presented a 10-point peace plan to end Russia's invasion of Ukraine to G20 leaders in Bali by video in November 2022. 

According to a transcript of the speech, the steps include:

  • a path to nuclear safety
  • food security
  • a special tribunal for alleged Russian war crimes
  • a final peace treaty with Moscow
17 hr 5 min ago

Ukraine expects clear indication of NATO accession at upcoming summit, defense minister says

From CNN's Yulia Kesaieva and Lindsay Isaac

Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov speaks to the media after a meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, on April 21.
Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov speaks to the media after a meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, on April 21. Thomas Lohnes/Getty Images

Ukraine is anticipating that it will be given "clear terms and conditions" toward becoming a member of NATO at the alliance's summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, in mid-July, Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said.  

"I expect that we will be given a clear, understandable signal and a formula by which we will obviously become a NATO country," he said during a military briefing in Kyiv Friday. 

The summit, he hopes, will "outline the terms of accession" or define a specific event that will trigger Ukraine's acceptance to the alliance and make the process "no longer be an incomprehensible vague form of open doors."

The matter of Ukrainian membership in the alliance is one of several issues leaders will tackle when they meet in the Lithuanian capital next month. Also up for discussion are new defense spending commitments and a successor to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, who is planning on leaving his post in the autumn. 

But it appears increasingly likely that the 31 NATO members will be unable to coalesce around a candidate to be the alliance’s next secretary general and Jens Stoltenberg will be asked to remain in the job for an additional year, multiple sources told CNN.

Some more background: After meeting with US President Joe Biden at the White House last week, Stoltenberg said, “At the Vilnius summit, we will send a strong message of support and solidarity with Ukraine. And make clear that Ukraine’s future is in NATO.”

Stoltenberg said he expected member states to agree on a “multi-year program where we help to move Ukraine to transition from old standards, equipment, procedures, doctrines to NATO standards and become fully interoperable with NATO.” Those steps, he said, would bring “Ukraine closer to NATO.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said he understands that his country cannot become a member of NATO while it is still at war.

But earlier this month, he told the Wall Street Journal, “If we are not acknowledged and given a signal in Vilnius, I believe there is no point for Ukraine to be at this summit.”

CNN's Jennifer Hansler, Kevin Liptak and Tim Lister contributed reporting to this post.

10 hr 48 min ago

Wagner chief accuses Russian defense ministry of deceiving Putin into invading Ukraine

From Katharina Krebs and Lindsay Isaac

In this grab taken from video and released by Prigozhin Press Service on Friday, June 23, 2023, Yevgeny Prigozhin, speaks during an interview at an unspecified location.
In this grab taken from video and released by Prigozhin Press Service on Friday, June 23, 2023, Yevgeny Prigozhin, speaks during an interview at an unspecified location. Prigozhin Press Service/AP

Russian private military group Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin has claimed that Moscow invaded Ukraine under false pretenses, and is actually losing ground on the battlefield.

Prigozhin, who has been publicly feuding with Russian military leaders, directly criticized the reasons for the war in a highly critical video interview posted on Telegram Friday by Wagner's media arm.

The Ukrainian invasion or the so-called "special operation," he says, was not launched because of a threat to Russia from Ukraine or NATO despite what Moscow claims.

The situation in eastern Ukraine had not changed in eight years from the time Crimea was annexed, with both sides taking the occasional shot at each other, without any escalation, he said.

"On February 24, nothing extraordinary happened. Now, the Ministry of Defense is trying to deceive the public, trying to deceive the president and tell the story that there was insane aggression on the part of Ukraine, and that they were going to attack us together with the NATO bloc. Therefore, the so-called special operation on February 24 was launched for completely different reasons," he said.

Prigozhin has previously defended the reasoning for the war but has been critical of Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu's, with whom he is directly fighting with over the handling of military contracts. Now, Prigozhin claims the defense ministry misled Russian President Vladimir Putin entirely, and also accuses Shoigu of deceiving Putin about the status of the Ukrainian battlefield, claiming Russian troops are on the back foot in the south of Ukraine, and that the whole invasion was a "poorly planned operation."

 "The reality right now is that the Russian army is retreating in Zaporizhzhia and Kherson directions. The Armed Forces of Ukraine are pushing through the Russian army, we are washing ourselves with blood, no one deploys reserves, there is no control," he said.

What Western officials are saying: According to Western assessments, Russian lines of defense have been proving well-fortified, making it difficult for Ukrainian forces to breach them. In addition, Russian forces have had success bogging down Ukrainian armor with missile attacks and mines and have been deploying air power more effectively.

The officials cautioned that the counteroffensive is still in its early stages – and that the US and its allies “remain optimistic” Ukrainian forces will be able to make territorial gains over time. 

CNN's Jim Sciutto contributed reporting to this post.

18 hr 43 min ago

Russian attack leaves 3 dead in southern Ukraine, authorities say

From CNN’s Olga Voitovych in Kyiv

At least three people were killed in Russian attacks in southern Ukraine on Friday, local officials say. 

A 35-year-old civilian was killed when the village of Mala Tokmachka came under artillery attack, said Yurii Malashko, the regional governor of Zaporizhzhia.

Separately, two men were killed after Russian shelling of the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, the regional governor said on Friday.

“In Kherson city, the occupation forces attacked a municipal transport company with precision fire. They hit civilian workers who ensure the life of the city. Unfortunately, a 55-year-old man died on the scene. Five more of his colleagues were wounded and hospitalized,” governor Oleksandr Prokudin said on Telegram.

In a later Telegram post, Prokudin said another 43-year-old man had died in a medical facility of his injuries despite doctors trying to save his life.

Kherson: For eight months last year, residents of Kherson lived under brutal occupation, with reports of people being tortured and disappearing. But in November, Ukrainian forces swept into the sitting, driving Russian troops out to the east and liberating the city. Jubilant crowds filled the city’s Freedom Square with blue and yellow Ukrainian flags, shouting “Slava Ukrayini” – glory to Ukraine.

The retreat represented a major blow for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war effort in Ukraine. At the time, Kherson was the only Ukrainian regional capital that Russia’s forces had captured since the start of the invasion.

But the city has since come under intense Russian bombardment. Over the course of two days in February, the city endured more than 130 strikes by rockets, artillery, mortars and even direct tank fire across the Dnipro River from Russian forces.

Since the start of Ukraine’s counteroffensive, officials in Kyiv have repeatedly warned that, while their forces attempt to drive Russian invaders from territories they have occupied, Moscow’s troops have launched offensives of their own – with Friday’s shelling of Kherson just the latest.

19 hr 17 min ago

It’s mid-afternoon in Kyiv. Here’s what you need to know

From CNN staff

While fighting rages on the front lines, Ukraine’s diplomats are engaged in a battle of their own: One of expectation management. For months, Kyiv’s allies waited, questioning when Ukraine’s long-awaited counteroffensive would begin. Kyiv repeatedly urged patience. Now that the counteroffensive is underway – but struggling to build momentum – Kyiv is urging patience again, as it tries to temper hopes for a swift resolution to the conflict.

Here are the latest developments.

  • Patience, please: Ukrainian officials stressed this week that their counteroffensive would take time, with the prime minister calling for patience and President Volodymyr Zelensky warning allies that the fighting would not play out like a “Hollywood movie.” His comments came after Western officials told CNN that Kyiv’s counteroffensive was “not meeting expectations.”
  • More to come: The “main strike” of Ukraine’s counteroffensive is still ahead and some reserves are being held back from the fight, deputy defense minister Hanna Maliar told state television Friday. “Every day we make progress. Every day. Yes, it’s gradual, but our troops are gaining a foothold on these lines and they are advancing confidently,” Maliar said.
  • "Partial" successes: The Ukrainian military claimed on Friday to have had “success in two areas of the southern front” in Zaporizhzhia, and are continuing to launch offensive operations toward the occupied city of Melitopol and the port of Berdiansk, according to a spokesperson for the armed forces. But Russia is launching offensives of its own, which killed two civilians in the region on Friday.
  • Kherson shelling: Two men were killed in Russian shelling of the southern city of Kherson, according to the regional governor. Kherson was liberated by Ukrainian troops in November after being occupied by Russian forces for the majority of last year, but has since come under heavy bombardment as Russia attempts to recapture the territory it had captured in the early days of the war.

  • Grain deal fears: Russia is “99.9%” likely to quit the Black Sea grain deal when it expires in mid-July, ambassador at large for Ukraine’s foreign ministry, Olha Trofimtseva, said Friday. The grain deal, which enables the safe passage of ships from Ukraine’s ports, was brokered last year by Turkey, bypassing Russia’s blockade. But the Kremlin has repeatedly said there are “no grounds” to extend the deal again, sparking fears of global food security.
  • Bridge repairs: Restoration work is underway on the Chonhar bridge, connecting the Russian-held parts of Ukraine’s Kherson region with Crimea, which was damaged by Ukrainian shelling Thursday. Four missiles were fired at the road bridge, with one hitting the structure, according to Russia’s Investigative Committee. The bridge was described by a Ukrainian official as “critical” for Russia “moving troops, ammunition and equipment to and from Crimea” – an annexed region Ukraine hopes to retake.
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