Russia’s war against Ukraine: Day 111, June 14 – Update 1

Here are the latest developments in the war in Ukraine:  

– Last bridge to eastern city of Severodonetsk destroyed –

Ukrainian authorities say Russian forces have destroyed the last bridge into the eastern city of Severodonetsk, cutting off an escape route for civilians trapped in a scorched earth battle for a key city in Ukraine’s industrial heartland, the Donbas.

“They destroyed all the bridges, and getting into the city is no longer possible. Evacuation is also not possible,” Serhiy Haidai, governor of Luhansk Region, part of which makes up the Donbas,  where Severodonetsk is located, tells Radio Free Europe.

The head of the city’s administration, Oleksandr Stryuk, says that communication channels to the city remain open but “are quite complicated.”

President Volodymyr Zelensky describes the human cost of the battle for Donbas as “simply terrifying”, but insists Ukrainian forces could regain lost ground if they received more heavy weapons from the West.

– Ukraine grain circumvents blockade –

A Ukrainian grain shipment has arrived in Spain after successfully circumventing Russia’s blockade of the country’s Black Sea ports, a Spanish food association says.

The grain was transported overland to Poland, from where it was shipped to Spain via Baltic Sea, the first time the northern sea passage has been used for Ukrainian grain, the Agafac food manufacturers association claims.

Before the Russian invasion, Ukraine was the world’s top producer of sunflower oil and a major wheat exporter, but millions of tonnes of grain exports remain trapped in silos and ports because of the blockade.

Some grain is being exported by rail and truck, but the quantity is only a fraction of that exported through ports such as Odesa before the war.

– “Shocking” use of cluster bombs: Amnesty –

Amnesty International accuses Russia of the repeated use of cluster bombs in attacks on residential neighbourhoods of Ukraine’s second city, Kharkiv.

The London-based NGO says it has uncovered proof of the use of 9N210 and 9N235 cluster bombs and scatterable land mines, all of which are banned under international conventions.

“The repeated use of widely banned cluster munitions is shocking, and a further indication of utter disregard for civilian lives,” Donatella Rovera, Amnesty International’s Senior Crisis Response Adviser, says.

– More bodies in Bucha –  

Ukrainian police say another seven bodies, several with their hands and legs tied, have been found in a grave near Bucha, the Kyiv suburb that has become synonymous with allegations of Russian war crimes.

Regional police chief Andriy Nebytov claims the seven found near the village of Myrotske, about 10 kilometres (six miles) north-west of Bucha, “were tortured by the Russians then executed in a cowardly manner with a bullet to the head”.

The bodies of dozens of civilians were found lying on the street, in basements and buried in mass graves in Bucha after Russian troops left the area in late March.

– France ups spot purchases of Russian gas –

A report shows Russia’s revenues from exports of oil and gas reaching record highs during the first 100 days of Russia’s war on Ukraine, with Moscow taking in EUR 93 billion ($98 billion), most of it from European Union customers.

The report from the independent Finland-based Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) shows some countries increasing their purchases from Moscow since the war began, including France, which has boosted its purchases of Russian liquefied natural gas.

Last month EU members agreed to halt most Russian oil imports. They have also vowed to reduce, but not halt, Russian gas purchases.