Ukraine Breaking News Today Live on 06-09-2024

The Ukrainian Air Force has been successfully using the French high precision AASM Hammer bomb since March 2024 – yielding significant benefits in certain areas of the front.

The AASM Hammer is not just a bomb, but a modular air-to-ground weapon system using high-precision aerial-guided technology.

It has been in French service since 2007, but Paris announced the transfer of these bombs to Ukraine in early 2024, with the aim to deliver about 600 over the course of the year, equating to 50 per month.

Sunday marks one of the few days in recent weeks when Ukraine could enjoy an uninterrupted power supply following renewed Russian strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure.

There are no scheduled blackouts in Ukraine on Sunday, June 9, thanks to reduced energy consumption over the weekend and the resumption of operation of a nuclear power plant (NPP) reactor, reported Ukraine’s energy provider.

“TODAY, June 9, schedule application hourly outages for industrial and household consumers are NOT FORECASTED.

Kyiv Post Chief Editor Bohdan Nahaylo discussed the EC's recommendation to start accession talks with Ukraine and Moldova and the EU elections in a television interview with Poland's TVP World.

Russia’s lethal attack on the Factor Druk printing plant in Kharkiv is an attack on the purpose of civilization.

It is viscerally awful when any individual or nation attacks that cornerstone of knowledge, advancement and civilization –books. In their many forms, these are the means by which we create that uninterrupted expanding horizon of human thought and potential for action. Little surprise it is then, that burning books is a favored pastime of thugs who resent culture, science and progress.

The beginnings of book burning are lost in time. The Library of Alexandria, at its height containing over half a million manuscripts, was burned down at least three times after its founding around 330 BCE. It is said that in 213 BCE, the Emperor Qin Shi Huang, insistent on ensuring that his regime was not compared unfavorably to anyone preceding him, and keen to clean a new historical slate, went on a book burning spree.

Switzerland will continue to support the digital transformation of the Ukrainian administration begun by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) in 2015.

“At its meeting on 7 June, the Swiss Federal Council decided to continue supporting Ukraine in the areas of digitalization and e-governance, approving CHF 58.7 million ($65 million) for this purpose over the next four years,” the Swiss Federal Council announced in a press release.

“Switzerland is thus promoting democratic reforms in Ukraine through digitalization and at the same time increasing the transparency of state-provided services. Both areas are of crucial importance for Ukraine to rebuild,” the government’s statement explained.

Ukraine’s defense intelligence said it managed to damage a Su-57 stealth fighter for the first time during an overnight drone strike at the Akhtubinsk air base close to 600km from the front.

Ukraine’s defense intelligence (HUR) said it struck a Russian Su-57 multirole stealth fighter during an overnight drone strike on Friday evening at the Akhtubinsk airfield, which is confirmed by satellite imagery.

“The pictures show that on June 7, the Su-57 was standing intact, and on June 8, there were ruptures from the explosion and characteristic spots of fire caused by fire damage near it,” read HUR’s announcement.

Russia’s colonization of seized Ukrainian lands being stepped up.

The Russians are going to unite the temporarily occupied territories of four regions and the Autonomous Republic of Crimea into a federal district called Novorossiya.

This was announced by [Ukraine’s] head of the Luhansk Regional Military Administration Artem Lysohor on Telegram

The official website of the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, published this notification on June 8.

According to the instructions of the President of Ukraine and the Head of the Presidential Office, Deputy Head of the Presidential Office Ihor Zhovkva held another round of talks with Deputy Secretary General for Peace, Security and Defense of the European External Action Service Charles Fries on the EU's security commitments.

Today's round of talks marked another milestone in the implementation of the G7 Joint Declaration of Support for Ukraine and the preparations for the conclusion of a security agreement between Ukraine and the EU.

The strengthening of the European commitment to Ukraine was the big story of the week.

I’ve been writing a lot about the fighting on the front lines over the last few weeks—and this week I feel I can start with another story. The line barely moved this week, and around Kharkiv and Chasiv Yar the front seems basically stable. Indeed, it’s so stable that the newspapers seem to have stopped reporting on it (in a rather pointed contrast to the way they reported the start of the Kharkiv counteroffensive).

Because of that, I think I can move to a potentially very important decision—the open stationing of European troops in Ukraine. This is a very important strategic threshold that is being crossed—and should be followed in the future with more and more European support for Ukraine. Yes, it’s late—but it’s important.

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

Israel on Saturday carried out its largest hostage rescue operation since the latest war with Hamas began, taking four to safety out of central Gaza in a heavy air and ground assault. At least 210 Palestinians, including children, were killed, a Gaza health official said. Israelis were jubilant as the army said it freed Noa Argamani, 26; Almog Meir Jan, 22; Andrey Kozlov, 27; and Shlomi Ziv, 41, in a daytime operation in the heart of Nuseirat, raiding two locations at once while under fire. All were well, the military said. They were taken by helicopter for medical checks and tearful reunions with loved ones after 246 days held. Argamani had been one of the most widely recognized hostages after being taken, like the three others, from a music festival. The video of her abduction showed her seated between two men on a motorcycle as she screamed, “Don’t kill me!” - AP

Europeans in 20 countries go to the polls on Sunday, on the biggest and final day of voting for the European Parliament. In a year of pivotal elections, the EU vote is especially significant, on a continent witnessing polarised politics and increased nationalism. The run-up to the vote has been marked by violent incidents - although an attack that left Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen with minor whiplash and forced her to halt campaigning is not being seen as politically motivated. Europe’s main centre-right grouping is expected to come top across the EU when first projections emerge later on Sunday, however three parties on the far right all have their eye on winning the most seats nationally. France’s National Rally, Italy’s Brothers of Italy and Austria’s Freedom Party are leading in the polls, as is Belgium’s separatist and anti-immigration party, Vlaams Belang. - BBC

The US president is continuing to send the wrong signal to Ukraine and NATO and sounds more like Hungary’s obstructive Orban than the leader of the free world.

Time Magazine interviewed US President Joe Biden on May 28. The dialogue content [President Joe Biden 2024 TIME Interview Transcript: READ] was released just before he departed for the D-Day anniversary event in Normandy. 

Early in that interview he was asked by the interviewer:

This is not the first time Ukraine was shown utilizing a Soviet-era trainer aircraft to down Russian drones, but the newest interception might indicate a shift in Ukrainian tactics.

Ukraine has used a Yak-52 propeller-driven trainer aircraft to down a Russian ZALA drone over the Mykolaiv region.

A Ukrainian Telegram channel shared the footage allegedly taken from the Russian drone of the Yak-52 trainer, though it’s unclear how it obtained the footage.

The vote outcome will determine the bloc's next parliament and indirectly the makeup of the powerful European Commission – thus helping to shape European Union policies over the coming five years.

Voting began across Europe Sunday on the final – and biggest – day of marathon EU elections, with balloting due in 21 countries, including France and Germany, where support for surging far-right parties is being tested.

It is a pivotal time for Europe. The continent is confronted with the war in Ukraine, global trade and industrial tensions marked by US-China rivalry, a climate emergency and a West that within months may have to adapt to a new Donald Trump presidency.

Ukraine’s Center of National Resistance said the new courses at local universities would be focused on radio-electronic warfare.

Russia is reportedly planning to open courses in occupied territories to train officers for the Russian military, said the Center of National Resistance, a governmental body that promotes non-violent resistance under Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces (SSO).

“Departments for the training of radio-electronic warfare officers will be opened at higher educational institutions in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. We are talking about civilian universities that will train officers for the army of the occupier,” read the group’s announcement on Saturday, June 8.

On Friday, Biden warned of the need to preserve American democracy and drew parallels between World War II and Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

US President Joe Biden on Saturday pledged Washington's support for Kyiv in its battle against the Russian invasion, warning that Vladimir Putin would "not stop" at Ukraine.

"Putin is not going to stop at Ukraine," Biden said alongside French President Emmanuel Macron after talks in Paris.