- Ukrainian forces have more difficulty retaining Russian troops in the key city east of Severodonetsk, as the Moscow army continues to strike the city with artillery, the Luhansk governor says.
- Russia has urged Ukrainian fighters taking refuge at the Severodonetsk Azot chemical plant to surrender.
- The Russian military said Wednesday it would establish a humanitarian corridor to evacuate hundreds of civilians from the plant.
- The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has urged the West to send more modern anti-missile systems.
- U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin will lead a meeting in Brussels on Wednesday with dozens of NATO and other parts of the world defense ministers to discuss arms deliveries to Ukraine.
- Nearly two-thirds of children in Ukraine have been uprooted, says a UN official, who described the war as a “crisis of children’s rights.”
Here are the latest updates:
21 minutes ago (07:01 GMT)
Moscow destroying Russian-speaking cities in Ukraine: Zelenskyy
Moscow claims to be protecting the rights of Russian-speaking people in Ukraine, but most of the cities destroyed by the Russian army were largely Russian-speaking, Zelenskyy said.
“And now they are switching to Ukrainians because they are surprised at how the Russian army could have done this to them,” Zelenskyy told Danish journalists at an online press conference.
Zelenskyy reiterated that he would only negotiate with Russia if his forces withdrew from Ukraine.
“If the Russian Federation is ready to end the war, which means withdrawing troops from our territories, I am personally ready for this format at any time,” he said.
35 minutes ago (06:46 GMT)
Ukraine says 313 children died in the middle of the war
Ukraine says 313 children have been killed and 579 wounded in the middle of the war.
Most child casualties were reported in the Donetsk (291), Kharkiv (169), Kyiv (116), Chernyhiv (68), Luhansk (54), Kherson (52) and Mykolaiv (48) regions, he said. Attorney General’s Office in Telegram
1 hour ago (06:09 GMT)
Moscow-backed separatist says Ukraine “holds civilians hostage” at Azot plant
Russia-backed separatists in the Luhansk region say Ukrainian forces have “taken hostage” up to 1,200 civilians at the Azot chemical plant in Severodonetsk, Moscow news agency TASS reported.
“Now, in Severodonetsk, between 1 and 1,200 civilians have been taken hostage and are in the territory of Azot. They are kept there by force and for a long time … there is no water, no food, no medicine, among them are about 127 children “, quotes TASS the Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of the self-proclaimed People’s Republic of Luhansk settled in Moscow Vitali Kiselev, as he said.
Luhansk’s Ukrainian governor, Serhiy Haidai, has said about 500 civilians are taking refuge in the Azot chemical plant, which Russian forces are attacking with artillery.
2 hours ago (05:41 GMT)
More difficult for the Ukrainian army to detain the Russians in Severodonetsk: governor
It is becoming increasingly difficult for Ukrainian forces to curb Russia’s attacks on Severodonetsk, which come from three directions at once, the Lugansk governor said.
Russian forces fired back at the Azot chemical plant on Tuesday, Serhiy Haidai told Telegram.
“High-rise buildings closer to the chemical giant are being destroyed. The enemy is weaker in street battles, so open artillery fire, destroying our homes,” he said.
The surrounding towns and villages were also badly damaged with many injured and dozens of houses destroyed, Haidai added.
2 hours (05:17 GMT) ago
“Extensive collateral damage” in Severodonetsk due to Russian artillery: United Kingdom
Russia’s reliance on heavy artillery has caused “extensive collateral damage” throughout Severodonetsk, which Moscow forces are largely controlling after more than a month of heavy fighting, the kingdom’s defense ministry said. United.
Ukrainian fighters are likely to survive in the underground bunkers at the city’s Azot chemical plant, where they hold several hundred civilians, the ministry said, adding that Russian forces are likely to be fixed at and around the plant.
“This will probably temporarily prevent Russia from reallocating these units for missions elsewhere,” he said in an intelligence briefing on Twitter.
“It is very unlikely that Russia would anticipate such strong opposition, or such a slow and attrition conflict during its original planning for the invasion,” the ministry added.
Last update of the Defense Intelligence on the situation in Ukraine: June 15, 2022
Learn more about the UK government’s response:
🇺🇦 #StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/RX2bHMeIEc
– Ministry of Defense 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) June 15, 2022
3 hours ago (04:39 GMT)
Europe imports more South African coal as the ban approaches Russia
European countries, struggling to secure alternatives to Russian coal, imported 40 per cent more coal from South Africa’s main export hub in the first five months of this year than throughout 2021, according to figures by Reuters.
The Richards Bay Coal Terminal (RBCT) in South Africa delivered 3,240,752 tonnes of coal to European countries at the end of May this year, 15 per cent of total RBCT exports, compared to 2,321,190 (4 percent) in 2021, according to figures.
From the second week of August, imports of Russian coal will be banned in the European Union, as part of widespread sanctions on Moscow. RBCT did not immediately respond to a request for comment. RBCT usually provides figures annually and does not provide a comprehensive breakdown of export destinations.
The Netherlands, Italy, France, Spain, Denmark, Poland, Germany and Ukraine have received coal from RBCT so far this year. Some of them only started importing from RBCT after Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24th.
4 hours ago (03:37 GMT)
China should look at Western Ukraine’s response when considering Taiwan: Blinken
China should consider the world’s response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as it looks to any future action on Taiwan, the US Secretary of State said.
“Unfortunately, what we’ve seen over the last 10 years is that China is acting more repressively at home and more aggressively abroad, to include actions that have been taken against Taiwan that are potentially dangerous. and destabilizing, “Antony Blinken said in an interview with PBS NewsHour on Tuesday.
“One of the things I think China should take into account in any calculation is the response we have seen to Russia’s aggression on Ukraine, and so many countries coming together to deal with that aggression, both assuring “I know that Ukraine has the support it needs, and also making sure that Russia pays a price for the aggression,” he added.
Blinken also said the fighting in Ukraine’s Donbas was “horrible” and led to “terrible death” and destruction.
4 hours ago (03:24 GMT)
Ukraine’s need for more weapons is mainly focused on the meeting of defense ministers
Dozens of NATO and other defense ministers are expected to discuss arms deliveries to Ukraine in Brussels on Wednesday, Reuters reported.
“Russia has not given up the fight, despite its rather anemic progress … What we have is this slow, progressive Russian operation,” a senior U.S. defense official told Reuters under the condition. of anonymity.
“So the question is what do Ukrainians need to continue the success they have already seen in curbing and thwarting this Russian goal and that will be a major focus for Defense Ministers,” the official said at the third meeting of this led type. by United States Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.
Ukraine needs 1,000 shells, 500 tanks and 1,000 drones, among other heavy weapons, Presidential Adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said on Monday. In addition, Zelenskyy has called for more modern anti-missile systems.
5 hours ago (02:46 GMT)
A Russian-backed separatist announces the opening of the road from Donbas to Crimea
The route between the Donbas region of Ukraine and the Crimean territory annexed to Russia through the occupied regions of Mariupol, Melitopol and Kherson is now available for civilian vehicles, reports the Russian state news agency TASS, citing a member of the self-proclaimed Moscow. -supported administration of the Zaporizhia region.
“It’s not just for the military,” Vladimir Rogov said. “I myself have already traveled from Kherson through Melitopol to Berdyansk, Mariupol, Novoazovsk. I went to Russia through Novoazovsk. “
“People are taking advantage of this, and there are many who want it, there are queues at the border, it was not intended for so many people. But that corridor exists, “he added.
Last week, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced the opening of the route to Crimea from the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, passing through the occupied Ukrainian cities of Mariupol, Berdyansk and Melitopol.
5 hours ago (02:03 GMT)
The Nicaraguan Congress renews its approval of Russian training exercises
The Nicaraguan Congress has renewed a decree a decade ago to train Russian forces in the Central American country, a decision that the United States criticized.
Tuesday’s decision allows 230 Russian soldiers to enter Nicaragua between July 1 and December 31 to patrol Pacific waters with the Nicaraguan army.
President Daniel Ortega has backed Russian President Vladimir Putin in his attack on Ukraine, and this most recent decision was expected.
Since 2012, the Nicaraguan Unicameral Congress has approved the entry of foreign military personnel, including Russians, into the country every six months.
6 hours ago (01:49 GMT)
Almost 2 out of 3 children in Ukraine uprooted in the middle of the war: UN
Nearly two-thirds of children in Ukraine have been uprooted during the war, according to a UN official who visited the country last week.
“The war in Ukraine is a crisis of children’s rights,” said Afshan Khan, UNICEF’s director for Europe and Central Asia.