We’ll be closing this blog shortly. Here is a roundup of today’s developments.
The council of the EU on Saturday announced fresh sanctions against Belarus due to its involvement in Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Ten Ukrainians held prisoner for years by Russia were released with the Vatican’s mediation, president Volodymyr Zelenskiy announced.
The Kremlin refused to comment after Donald Trump has said that if re-elected in November, he will settle its war against Ukraine.
Russia has lost 541,560 troops in Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion, Ukraine’s armed forces reported on Saturday as part of their rolling update on casualties.
At least one person was killed and 12 were injured in Dnipro, after a Russian strike destroyed the top four floors of an apartment building on Friday evening, regional head Serhii Lysak said.
Ukraine has lost 80% of its thermal and a third of its hydroelectric power in Russian strikes, Zelenskiy said.
Russia has taken control of village of Shumy in the Donetsk region, Russian-state media reported.
Belarus has increased air defence forces along Ukraine border following rising drone activity.
Council of the EU announces fresh sanctions against Belarus
The council of the EU has introduced new sanctions against Belarus due to its involvement in Russia war against Ukraine.
The council on Saturday adopted measures targeting the Belarusian economy, which it said aim to echo several of the sanctions already in place against Russia.
The measures target trade with Belarus, as well as prohibiting the provision of certain services to the state. It will be illegal to import gold and diamonds from Belarus, as well as helium, coal and mineral products including crude oil. The move also bans the export of certain goods, including luxury products, to Belarus.
It has also broadened the ban on the road transportation of goods within the EU, by trailers and semi-trailers registered in Belarus.
Some images showing the aftermath of Friday’s missile attack in Dnipro, where at least one person was killed and 12 injured.
An apartment block is damaged by the June 28 Russian missile attack, Dnipro, east-central Ukraine. Photograph: Ukrinform/REX/Shutterstock
Women affected by the June 28 Russian missile attack on the apartment block share an embrace, Dnipro, east-central Ukraine. Photograph: Ukrinform/REX/Shutterstock
While the Kremlin refused to comment on Donald Trump’s claims that he would settle the war, the US presidential debate was watched closely in Ukraine.
Yaroslav Zhelezniak, a Ukrainian lawmaker, told the Kyiv Independent that the result looked bad for Biden. “I would definitely not pay attention to some of the statements now, but the results of the debates do not look like they helped Biden. It seems to me that they have made it much worse… even within the Democratic Party,” Zhelezniak told the Kyiv Independent.
He added that it appeared that the odds of Trump’s re-election were increasing.
“It is not good that he repeats this — ‘if he is elected president, he will resolve this issue.’ To put it mildly, it probably won’t be on Ukraine’s terms,” Zhelezhiak added.
Oleksandr Kraiev, an international relations analyst at the foreign policy thinktank Ukrainian Prism, described the overall debate as “very depressing”.
“In terms of information and narrative saturation, none of them showed any real class — one because of fatigue, the other because of lies,” Kraiev said on social media.
Belarus increases air defence forces along Ukraine border after rising drone activity
Reuters reports that Belarus has deployed additional air defence forces to its border with Ukraine to protect “critical infrastructure facilities” due to increased Ukrainian drone activity in the area, a Belarusian military commander said on Saturday.
Belarus, an ally of Russia in the war with Ukraine, said earlier this week it had shot down a quadcopter that had illegally crossed the border from Ukraine “to collect information about the Belarusian border infrastructure”.
The situation in the airspace over the border remains tense, Andrei Severinchik, commander of the Belarusian Air Defence Forces, said on Saturday.
“We are ready to decisively use all available forces and means to protect our territory and the population of the Republic of Belarus from possible provocations in the airspace,” he said in a statement published on the Defence Ministry’s Telegram channel.
The Defence Ministry said earlier on Saturday it had information showing Ukraine had been moving more troops, weapons and military equipment to the northern Zhytomyr region, which borders Belarus.
After Russia took the village of Shumy in the Donetsk region, let’s take a step back and look at the bigger picture of how the war is progressing this summer.
Russian forces are pushing through outgunned Ukrainian defences, who are struggling with insufficient manpower and have bitterly suffered the consequences of US delays in delivering military aid.
Russia took advantage of these shortages to intensify attacks in several areas along the 1,000-kilometer front, the AP news agency reports. Relatively small Russian units are searching for weak spots in Ukrainian defences – and could be preparing for an expanded push.
In a positive development for Ukraine, Russia’s offensive near Kharkiv, the country’s second biggest city, that began in May appears to be running out of steam after the Ukrainian army redeployed troops from other sectors to this section of the front. But Russia has made small but steady advances within the Donetsk region.
By stretching out its army along the length of the frontline, Russia is playing to its strengths – and against the weaknesses of Ukraine, which lacks the size and training for a major offensive, Jack Watling of the Royal United Services Institute told AP.
The breadth of the strikes has forced Ukraine to spread out its artillery, “expending munitions to break up successive Russian attacks,” Watling said in an analysis. “Russia’s aim is not to achieve a grand breakthrough but rather to convince Ukraine that it can keep up an inexorable advance, kilometre by kilometre, along the front.”
Moscow also has increased the frequency of its airstrikes on Ukraine’s energy facilities and other vital infrastructure, with president Volodymyr Zelenskiy saying Ukraine had lost about 80% of its thermal power and a third of its hydroelectric power in the strikes.
Watling said the shortfall of air defences is forcing Ukraine to choose between safeguard critical infrastructure or protecting troops on the front.
Jewish people in Dagestan have vowed to regroup and rebuild following the deadly attacks on Jewish and Christian houses of worship by Islamic militants in two cities in the north Caucasus region last weekend.
The attacks in the regional capital of Makhachkala and the city of Derbent on Sunday killed 21 people and injured at least 43 others.
The Associated Press reports that Chief Rabbi of Russia Berel Lazar said a 110-year-old Derbent synagogue was destroyed in a fire during the attacks. Among those slain was the Rev. Nikolai Kotelnikov, a 66-year-old Russian Orthodox priest who was killed as the faithful gathered on Pentecost, also known as Trinity Sunday, at a church in Derbent.
“The message we are getting from the Jewish community in Dagestan is that they are not going to hide behind high walls and be intimidated by extremists,” said Lazar.
“They are going to practice their religion openly,” he said. “They are optimistic that the government will take steps to protect them. They believe they can rebuild and get stronger.”
Rabbi Lazar said a majority of Dagestan’s Muslim population still has a good relationship with Jews and is dismayed by Sunday’s attacks.
“This was not just an attack on Jews, but also on churches, the state and all people,” he said. “Most Muslims in Dagestan are also worried about this new wave of extremism. But we know that this is coming from outside the country and a very small percentage of Muslims are influenced by such ideology.”
Russia seizes control of Shumy village in Donetsk region
Russia has taken control of village of Shumy in the Donetsk region, Russian-state media reports.
Citing the country’s ministry of defence, Russian state-owned news agency Ria reported on Saturday that the army had seized control of the settlement, which is near the city of Toretsk.
It claimed that Ukrainian suffered 360 casualties. The Guardian has not verified this.
Ukraine has lost 80% of its thermal and a third of its hydroelectric power in Russian strikes, Zelenskiy says
At least one person was killed and 12 were injured in Dnipro, after a Russian strike destroyed the top four floors of an apartment building on Friday evening, regional head Serhii Lysak said.
The attacks came as Russia intensifies airstrikes in a bid to drain Ukraine’s resources, often targeting energy facilities and other vital infrastructure, the Associated Press reported.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy said his country had lost about 80% of its thermal power and a third of its hydroelectric power in Russian strikes.
He said the attack in Dnipro showed that Ukraine needed more air defense systems. The Ukrainian air force said on Saturday that it had downed 10 Russian drones overnight.
This is why we constantly remind all of our partners: only a sufficient amount of high-quality of air defense systems, only a sufficient amount of determination from the world at large can stop Russian terror,” he said.
Kyiv has also struck back at Russia with its own aerial attacks, also often targeting energy infrastructure.
Russian attacks on residential areas in the eastern Donetsk region have killed four civilians and wounded six over the past day, Donetsk governor Vadym Filashkin said.
Most of the casualties took place in Niu-York, a village on the frontline that has been under fire since 2014, Filashkin said on Telegram.
The Ukrainian authorities are urging civilians remaining in frontline areas like Niu-York – which is less than five kilometres from the front – to evacuate.
Further casualties were reported in the southern Kherson region, where one civilian was killed, and two were wounded during the morning attacks, according to the local authorities.
In the northeastern Kharkiv region, one person was killed, and nine were wounded over the past day, according to the region’s governor Oleh Syniehubov.
Russia has lost 541,560 troops in Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion, Ukraine’s armed forces reported on Saturday as part of their rolling update on casualties.
This number includes 1,070 casualties Russian forces suffered over the past day, according to the Ukrainian army.
It also reported that Russia has lost the following military resources and weaponry since its invasion began: 8,073 tanks, 15,505 armored fighting vehicles, 19,568 vehicles and fuel tanks, 14,480 artillery systems, 1,109 multiple launch rocket systems, 871 air defense systems, 360 airplanes, 326 helicopters, 11,538 drones, 28 ships and boats, and one submarine.
As a new recruitment drive looms, some Ukrainian men are turning to online handlers and forgers to escape the horror of war.
Attempts to flee the country are expected to increase after Ukraine’s recent adoption of new sweeping mobilisation measures, which allow the military to call up more soldiers and impose stricter penalties for draft evasion.
I am not made for war. I can’t kill people, even if they are Russians. I won’t last long on the front … I want to build a family and see the world. I am not ready to die,” Dmytro, 31-year-old Ukrainian, said.
As the number of available soldiers dwindles, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, last April signed a controversial law that lowered the mobilisation age from 27 to 25. Under the new guidelines, draft evaders can lose their driving licence, have their bank accounts frozen and property seized.
A Ukrainian drone has killed five people in Russia’s borderline Kursk region, the Russian state-owned news agency Tass news agency reported on Saturday, citing Kursk governor Alexey Smirnov.
“Tonight, a Ukrainian copter attacked a residential building in the village of Gorodishche, Rylsky district. Unfortunately, 5 people died as a result of the discharge, including 2 small children.
“Two more family members were taken to the Rylsk regional hospital in serious condition, where they are receiving medical care. I offer my deepest condolences to the families and friends of the victims,” Smirnov wrote on Telegram.
The Guardian has not independently verified the report.
Both sides have used drones extensively throughout the conflict which began in February 2022.
Ten Ukrainians held prisoner for years by Russia have been released with the Vatican’s mediation, president Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Friday.
The Associated Press reported that part of the group arrived overnight at Kyiv International Airport – the first passengers the airport has received in over two years. The rest of the group arrived by bus.
Among the freed was Nariman Dzhelyal, the deputy head of the Mejlis, a representative body of Crimean Tatars that was relocated to Kyiv after Russia seized Crimea.
After Vladimir Putin’s illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014, Crimean Tatars were persecuted using harassment, arrests and disappearances.
Nariman Dzhelyal, second right, deputy head of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People stands among with other prisoners who have been recently released in Kyiv airport, Ukraine, Saturday, June 29, 2024 Photograph: Alex Babenko/AP
Moscow banned the Mejlis, declaring it an extremist organisation, and it has jailed members of the community since, citing security concerns.
Dzhelyal was taken from Crimea, where he lived despite the annexation, one year before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. “I was in captivity, where many Ukrainians remain,” he said. “We cannot leave them there, because the conditions, both psychological and physical, are very frightening there.”
According to Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, 3,310 Ukrainians have been released from Russian captivity. But many thousands, both civilians and military personnel, are still imprisoned.
Although the Kremlin refused to comment on Donald Trump’s claims that he would end the Russia-Ukraine war, Russian state media state media reported on the debate in detail, honing in on Joe Biden’s weak performance and Trump’s remarks on settling the conflict.
The Kremlin downplayed the significance of the event. “I don’t think you expect the president of Russia might set an alarm clock, wake up before morning and watch the debates in the United States of America,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters when asked if he had watched the debate, adding: “Debates in the United States are not part of the main issues on the agenda.”
But while the Kremlin affected an unbothered stance on the event, which later saw president Biden acknowledge his shaky performance, Russian state news honed in on it. In its coverage of the debate, state news agency RIA included a tally of how many times the candidates mentioned the name “Vladimir Putin” (seven times for both) and Russia (Trump: 16, Biden: 0).
State media also shared the results of a CNN poll showing that two-thirds of US voters believe Trump won the debate. Several Russian media outlets also published stories on Trump’s comments that “Ukraine’s not winning that war” because of Biden “and his stupid decisions”.
Kremlin refuses to comment on Trump's Ukraine claim
Good morning and welcome to today’s Ukraine blog. The local time in Kyiv is 10:42am.
The Kremlin has refused to comment after Donald Trump has said that if re-elected in November, he will settle its war against Ukraine.
Trump made the remarks during Thursday’s US presidential debate, where he and president Joe Biden competed to appear tougher on foreign policy.
“As far as Russia and Ukraine, if we had a real president, a president that knew – that was respected by Putin, he would have never – he would have never invaded Ukraine,” Trump said.
Biden responded: “Go ahead, let Putin go in and control Ukraine, and then move on to Poland and other places. See what happens then. He has no idea what the hell he’s talking about.”
More on that in a bit. Meanwhile, the following developments have been reported:
A Russian missile strike hit a nine-storey residential building in the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro on Friday, killing at least one person and injuring six others, officials said.
Volodymyr Zelenskiy said 10 civilians including a politician and two priests taken prisoner in Russia and Belarus had been freed in a deal mediated by the Vatican.
Russia’s defence ministry claimed its forces had taken control of the settlement of Rozdolivka in eastern Ukraine, but the Ukrainian military said heavy fighting was raging in areas around the settlement.
The Biden administration will provide Ukraine with $150m worth of weapons and ammunition, including Hawk air defence interceptors and 155mm artillery munitions, two US officials said.
We’ll bring you more updates and context as the day unfolds.
