Ukraine Breaking News Today Live on 06-07-2024

There remain many questions including who would issue the debt and what would happen if the assets were unfrozen in the advent of a peace deal.

G7 leaders still hope to reach a deal on using profits from Russian assets for Ukraine at next week's summit in Italy but there is no consensus yet, diplomatic sources said Friday.

US President Joe Biden and the leaders of the other Group of Seven rich democracies – France, Italy, Germany, Japan, Canada and Britain – are gathering at the June 13-15 summit in Puglia.

Kyiv post spoke to Andreas Umland, analyst at the Stockholm Center for Eastern European Studies and one of the foremost scholars regarding contemporary Europe and Russia.

A Trump victory could lead to a “redrawing” of the European map, strengthening Putin and enabling him to weaken the NATO alliance. How do you assess these concerns of Eastern European politicians?

Over the past 30 years, Eastern Europe has not become accustomed to a seemingly perfect world or a magical belief in the political power of peacefulness, which has spread in Western Europe in recent decades. The memory of Tsarist and Soviet oppression and Western betrayal of European values is hardly a living memory today. Nevertheless, the collective perception of national security in Central Eastern Europe is still shaped by knowledge of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact of 1939, the division of Europe at Yalta in 1945, and the Budapest Memorandum of 1994. Today, Eastern Europeans have confidence in NATO, as the alliance is feared in Moscow as strong and determined. However, if Russian respect for NATO were to diminish after Trump’s victory, the Central Eastern European nations would be very worried. They fear that they would then become fair game for Russia again – just as Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova are today.

The war in Ukraine has seen aerial and seaborne drones increasingly dominate the battlefield now the focus has switched to the development and use of their ground-based cousins.

Ukrainian and, increasingly, Russian milbloggers are posting videos depicting the appearance of unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) drones on the battlefield following on the success shown by Ukraine’s unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) and unmanned surface vessels (USV).

The favorite subjects are so-called kamikaze versions delivering explosive charges onto a target – which means the video clip usually ends with an impressive explosion. Others carry weapons – grenade launchers, machine guns and cannon, shown firing bursts of tracer bullets at enemy positions. Other versions are intended for landmine clearance, as logistic vehicles to deliver supplies to troops in contact or even used for medevac.

Zelensky told France's National Assembly he hoped a summit hosted by Switzerland later this month on bringing peace to Ukraine could hasten a fair end to the war.

President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday urged the West to do more to achieve a fair peace as Ukraine battles the Russian invasion, telling US leader Joe Biden that Kyiv is counting on "shoulder-to-shoulder" support.

One day after Western leaders descended on northern France to mark the 80 year anniversary of the D-Day landings in World War II, Zelensky addressed the French parliament while Biden was also to deliver a keynote speech in Normandy on democracy.

In this new episode of ”Talking Substance” host Alina Hrytsenko talks to Dr Hanna Shelest, ”Ukrainian Prism” expert, editor-in-Chief of UA: Ukraine Analytica.

Four human rights organizations have called for six of the main purveyors of Russian hate speech against Ukraine to be made to answer for their crimes.

The International Federation of Human Rights (FIDH), acting with Ukraine’s Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group (KHPG) and the Center for Civil Liberties (CCL), and an unnamed Russian NGO, sent an appeal on Thursday, June 6 to the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate instances of hate speech by six Russian propagandists and government officials, which they say are tantamount to war crimes.

Its appeal names TV presenters Vladimir Solovyov and Dmitry Kiselyov, Sergei Mardan writer for Komsomolskaya Pravda, Margarita Simonyan RT television’s editor-in-chief along with Dmitry Medvedev deputy chairman of the Security Council and Alexei Gromov the First Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration.

Biden also expressed regret for the delay in getting new aid through Congress.

US President Joe Biden on Friday pledged his support for Ukraine and announced another $225 million in aid to Kyiv as he met Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky for talks in Paris.

"The United States will stand with you," Biden told Zelensky after both attended hugely symbolic D-Day commemorations in northern France on Thursday.

Introduced by Justin Trudeau, a 99-year-old World War II veteran sitting in a wheelchair praised Zelensky, calling him “the savior of the people,” and even trying to kiss his hand.

At the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had a touching moment with 99-year-old World War II veteran Melvin Hurwitz.

Introduced by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Hurwitz, sitting in a wheelchair wearing a blue WW II veteran’s cap, praised Zelensky, calling him “the savior of the people” and even trying to kiss his hand.

The UAV crew of the 73rd Maritime Center of Special Ops found a Russian troop concentration during reconnaissance and coordinated an artillery strike with a US-produced HIMARS.

Ukrainian troops, using Ukrainian drones and American HIMARS, found and struck the concentration of Russian troops in the country’s occupied southern sector, the Special Operations Forces (SSO) reported via Telegram

with accompanying video footage.

The Russians allocated $15 million to implement it, HUR said.

Russia is preparing another information and psychological operation, Ukrainian military intelligence (HUR) said in a Telegram post Friday, June 7.

The operation is “aimed at discrediting the military leadership of our country, in particular against the Ukrainian military intelligence,” the post reads.

The world in focus, as seen by a Canadian leading global affairs analyst, writer and speaker, in his review of international media.

An Israeli strike early Thursday on a school sheltering displaced Palestinians in central Gaza killed at least 33 people, including 12 women and children, according to local health officials. The Israeli military said that Hamas militants were operating from within the school. It was the latest instance of mass casualties among Palestinians trying to find refuge as Israel expands its offensive. A day earlier, the military announced a new ground and air assault in central Gaza, pursuing Hamas militants it says have regrouped there. Troops repeatedly have swept back into parts of the Gaza Strip they have previously invaded, underscoring the resilience of the militant group despite Israel’s nearly eight-month onslaught. Witnesses and hospital officials said the predawn strike hit the al-Sardi School, run by the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees known by the acronym UNRWA. The school was filled with Palestinians who had fled Israeli operations and bombardment in northern Gaza, they said.

At least 50 people were killed by Myanmar soldiers in a raid on a village in Rakhine State last week, say local residents and opposition forces. Eyewitnesses told the BBC the village was subjected to two-and-half days of terror as soldiers blindfolded and beat them up, poured burning petrol on their skin and forced some of them to drink their urine. They were looking for supporters of the Arakan Army (AA), which has become one of the most effective ethnic fighting forces in Myanmar. Fifty-one people aged between 15 and 70 were "violently tortured and killed", the National Unity Government (NUG), representing the ousted civilian government, said in a statement. The AA estimated the death toll to be more than 70 people. The ruling military council, or junta, has denied the accusations, which would amount to one of the worst atrocities committed in the three year-old Myanmar civil war. - BBC

A raft of EU countries are pressing the 27-nation bloc to formally start the talks on June 25 -- after leaders took the landmark decision to open negotiations in December.

The European Union's executive told member states on Friday that Ukraine and Moldova had met all the criteria needed to launch negotiations to join the bloc, officials said.

A raft of EU countries are pressing the 27-nation bloc to formally start the talks on June 25 -- after leaders took the landmark decision to open negotiations in December.

Ukrainian social media reports say that the oil depot in Luhansk, used since the initial 2014 invasion as a Russian military facility, was hit and set ablaze.

The guerrilla movement Atesh reported a series of explosions in Russian-occupied Luhansk and damage to an oil depot on Friday, June 7, via Telegram.

The site had been occupied by Moscow’s troops who used it as a headquarters and logistics base following Russia’s first invasion of Ukraine in 2014.

Serhiy Kolyada on the Moscow-Bejing anti Ukrainian and anti-Western axis.

Political leaders and veterans from all over the world have travelled to Normandy to mark the anniversary. Commentators draw parallels between then and now.

The seeds of today's Europe

With the Normandy landings, the Allies began the liberation of the continent from Nazi rule, La Stampa emphasises:

Ukrenergo chairman Volodymyr Kudrytsky said it could take "years" for Ukraine to restore its full generating capacity.

Ukraine faced severe energy shortages on Friday in a week that saw parts of the capital Kyiv and several regions plunge into darkness due to relentless Russian strikes on energy infrastructure.

Crippling attacks on power plants have forced emergency blackouts to preserve limited electricity supplies and ensure that critical industries and infrastructure can stay online.

Paris will give Mirage fighters to Ukraine and train 4,500 troops in France; Biden and Macron call Putin “tyrant bent on domination”; Zelensky says first weeks of June will determine the whole year.

France’s President Emmanuel Macron announced Thursday that Paris would send Mirage 2000-5 fighter aircraft to Ukraine and increase training for Kyiv’s troops, confirming the French government’s recent willingness to more openly support Ukraine.

“Tomorrow we will launch a new cooperation and announce the transfer of Mirage 2000 [fighters], which help Ukraine protect its skies,” Macron said during an interview with France’s TF1 in Caen, near the June 6 commemoration of the Normandy beach landings on D-Day in 1944.

Exclusive photos by Kyiv Post from the city that rid itself of Russian occupation, yet continues to be bombarded daily.

In response to the heightened activity of Russian aviation frequently used for missile attacks, Poland, alongside allied nations, scrambled their military aircraft.

Russian forces launched yet another missile attack against Ukraine on Friday morning, June 7, firing Shahed drones and missiles from at least four strategic bombers, targeting different regions across Ukraine.

The Ukrainian Air Force reported on the morning of June 7 that air defense units had intercepted 48 Shahed drones and 5 out of 5 launched cruise missiles overnight, protecting regions including Kyiv, Zaporizhzhia, Odesa, Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Khmelnytskyi, Mykolaiv, and Kherson.

A glance at the European commentaries shows that EU citizens' expectations regarding the MEPs and the outcome of the elections vary widely.

The elections to the European Parliament began today, Thursday, with the opening of polling stations in the Netherlands. Voting will take place in the Czech Republic and Ireland on Friday, followed by Italy, Latvia, Slovakia and Malta on Saturday and the remaining countries on Sunday. A glance at the European commentaries shows that EU citizens' expectations regarding the MEPs and the outcome of the elections vary widely.

Use the little say you have

Russia's invasion of Ukraine and Kyiv's Western-backed defence have shown the vast appetite of modern conflicts for ammunition and other equipment.

NATO member nations are ready to defend themselves but need to build up production of military equipment, the alliance's top general Christopher Cavoli told AFP on Thursday.

As Allied nations marked 80 years since the D-Day landings that began the liberation of France from Nazi German occupation, Supreme Allied Commander Europe Cavoli's eyes were turned to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and Moscow's potential future threat to NATO countries.

During the upcoming meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris on Friday, Macron plans to offer Zelensky a training program for Ukrainian pilots to start this summer.

France will provide Ukraine with Mirage-2000 fighter jets and train Ukrainian pilots as part of a new military cooperation agreement, President Emmanuel Macron announced on Thursday, June 6, during the D-Day commemorations.

"Tomorrow, we will begin a new cooperation phase and confirm the transfer of Mirage 2000-5 jets to Ukraine, produced by French manufacturer Dassault. We will also train their pilots in France," Macron stated on French TV.

Speaking to French television, Macron said France would transfer Mirage-2000 fighter jets to Ukraine and train Ukrainian pilots as part of a new military cooperation with Kyiv.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will on Friday address the French parliament and US President Joe Biden give a keynote speech on democracy after world leaders marked 80 years since the D-Day landings in World War II.

Biden, Britain's King Charles III, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and French President Emmanuel Macron paid tribute Thursday to the tens of thousands of Allied troops who stormed the beaches of Normandy in northern France on June 6, 1944.

Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) claimed at the time that Washington was behind the hack, but the Russian cybersecurity firm said there was no concrete evidence to confirm the source.

Kaspersky Lab, an international cybersecurity firm based in Russia, said Apple has refused to pay a security bounty for its 2023 work in identifying a sophisticated system vulnerability potentially connected to US espionage activity.

Big tech companies commonly issue security bounties to those who help discover and address system vulnerabilities. For Apple, the bounty ranges from $5,000 to $1 million.

Latest from the Institute for the Study of War.

Key Takeaways from the ISW:

• Russian President Vladimir Putin sought to repackage longstanding, tired threats about direct confrontation with the West by claiming that Russian will provide long-range strike capabilities to unspecified actors for strikes against the West. Putin's threat aims to influence Western decision-making about Ukraine's ability to strike military targets within Russia using Western-provided weapons but notably does not threaten escalation in Ukraine or through direct confrontation, suggesting that the Kremlin may be adjusting to select Western perceptions about the credibility of such Russian threats.
• Russian naval vessels will make a port call in Cuba on June 12–17, likely as part of a larger effort to invoke the historical memory of the Cuban Missile Crisis as part of Russia’s reflexive control campaign to encourage US self-deterrence.
• Putin inadvertently indicated on June 5 that Russian forces may be suffering roughly 20,000 monthly casualties in Ukraine, which, if accurate, would be roughly equal to or just below the number of new personnel that Russia reportedly generates per month.
• Limitations on Western capabilities to train partner pilots on F-16 fighter jets are reportedly creating bottlenecks that will affect Ukraine's ability to effectively field F-16s in the future.
• French authorities are investigating multiple recent pro-Russian sabotage and societal influence operations in France amid continued Russian hybrid war measures against NATO states and France aimed at weakening support for Ukraine.
• The Russian Investigative Committee announced the arrest of a French citizen on June 6 following the early June arrest in France.
• Ukrainian forces struck an oil refinery in Rostov Oblast and reportedly struck an oil depot in Belgorod Oblast on the night of June 5 to 6.
• Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada Committee on Human Rights, Deoccupation, and Reintegration Deputy Chairperson Ruslan Horbenko estimated that the Ukrainian military will recruit roughly 120,000 personnel in 2024, although the apparent slow arrival of Western security assistance will likely limit Ukraine's ability to sufficiently provision and equip these forces at scale in the near-term.
• Russian and Taliban officials expressed interest in bilateral cooperation, indicating that Russia will likely soon delist the Taliban as a prohibited organization in Russia.
• Russian forces recently advanced within Vovchansk, southeast of Kupyansk, northeast of Siversk, northwest of Avdiivka, south of Velyka Novosilka, and near Krynky.
• Russia's continued demographic crisis will present long-term constraints on human capital within Russia.