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Here are the highlights of the day:
Five other people were killed and three wounded in Russian strikes in the Donetsk region, prosecutors said.
A woman and her husband were killed in an artillery shelling in the village of Pleshchiivka, the prosecutor general said.
Three other women were killed in an attack on private homes in the village of Hrodivka, he added.
Separately, the Russian army dropped two guided bombs on the village of Velyka Novosilka, wounding a man and his wife inside their home, while another man was injured in an artillery attack on the town of Zalizne.
In April this year, the United States nevertheless approved a long-awaited aid package of some $60. 8 billion (£49 billion) to Ukraine.
These included gigantic quantities of weapons and ammunition for the front lines, something that Kiev had not had easy for months.
So what was its impact on the war?
Nichita Gurcov, Eurasia Analyst for Armed Conflict Location
“This would possibly have led Russia to intensify its offensive to conquer as much territory as possible, before the arrival of weapons made the task more difficult,” he says.
Russia resumed its offensive in October last year after repelling the last Ukrainian who cut off land to Crimea, Gurcov says.
“In mid-February [this year], Russia secured the stronghold of Avdiivka and has been advancing towards Ukrainian logistics in Pokrovsk ever since,” he said.
ACLED counted the number of colonies gained by Russia during the month of the conflict.
Five were captured in February and two in March.
In April (the month the U. S. aid package was announced), seven settlements were captured, followed by nine in May and 11 in June, highlighting a sharp intensification of Russian offensive action.
“The sharp increase in the number of settlements claimed in May is due to the Russian reinvasion of the northern Kharkiv region,” Gurcov said.
“It may have simply continued, by diverting Ukrainian forces, but so far it has been contained,” he adds (see 11:40 a. m. message).
Another indicator of the intensification of fighting is the number of reported battles, according to ACLED:
“The sharp increase in fighting in April and the subsequent increase of around 50% in May constitute a record point since the invasion,” Gurcov said.
“This intensification is partly due to the reinvasion of the Kharkiv region, as we are recording a stable intensification of the offensive in the Donetsk region,” he added.
Closing arguments in the trial of Wall Street Journal journalist Evan Gershkovich will be heard in a Russian court.
Mr. Gershkovich attended a closed-door trial hearing today; More information on this in our 8:10 a. m. article.
The 32-year-old was arrested in March last year while reporting. Authorities claimed, without offering any evidence, that he collected secret data for the United States, something he, his employer and his government vehemently deny.
Russia will rule out further nuclear missile deployments in reaction to the U. S. plan to place traditional long-range weapons in Germany, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said.
Russia publicly threatens Europe and the United States with the nuclear option.
“I exclude any options,” news firm Interfax told reporters in the Russian capital when asked about US deployment plans.
Washington announced last week that it would begin deploying weapons to Germany from 2026, which will come with SM-6s, Tomahawks and new hypersonic missiles to demonstrate its commitment to NATO and European defense.
Interfax quoted Mr. Ryabkov as saying that the defense of Russia’s Kaliningrad region, wedged between NATO members Poland and Lithuania, is a specific priority.
“Kaliningrad is no exception in terms of our absolute determination to do everything necessary to repel those who might harbor competing plans and who are trying to influence us to adopt safe measures that are not desirable for anyone and are fraught with further complications. ” ”Ryabkov stated.
Readers sent their questions to our senior correspondents and army experts to get their perspectives on the changing battlefield surroundings in Ukraine.
Today, Ross Tregembo asks:
Is there an option for internal dissent within Putin’s inner circle that would lead to his overthrow from power?
Moscow correspondent Ivor Bennett responds:
“Not at the moment, no. This is incredibly unlikely for several reasons.
“First of all, Vladimir Putin has just had a new presidential term, which will keep him in the Kremlin for another six years.
“The potential political threat of an election has evaporated and his approval ratings are near record levels (85% according to the independent Levada Center), which helped Russia gain the upper hand on the battlefield in Ukraine.
“So there is no transparent public to replace at the top.
“Secondly, who would succeed him? His refusal to decide on a successor all those years planned and is key to preserving his power.
“Third, their rivals are concentrating elsewhere.
“Look at what is happening in the Ministry of Defense and the series of corruption scandals. By replacing his old best friend Sergei Shoigu as Minister of Defense, Putin gave the impression of opening the door to a whole purge of the top brass. wise men of the army.
“Analysts say this was a planned ploy to pit rivals against each other: security versus the military. By doing so, you are less likely to be shot.
“Yes, it has only been a year since his authority was challenged like never before, with the uprising led by Prigozhin. But 12 months later, his control of the force is more powerful than ever. “
A Russian court sentenced American citizen Michael Travis Leake to thirteen years in prison for drug trafficking, the court said in a statement.
Leake, an American musician and former paratrooper, arrested in June 2023, was found guilty of large-scale drug sales, the court said.
It is unclear how he pleaded.
He is one of a dozen Americans recently detained in Russia, along with Wall Street Journal journalist Evan Gershkovich, whose trial continues (see 8:10 a. m. post).
Another American, Robert Romanov Woodland, was sentenced by a Russian court to 12 and a half years in prison for drug trafficking earlier this month.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s preference to create “a true European Defense Union” if re-elected makes the atmosphere in Europe one of militarization and confrontation, the Kremlin said.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said von der Leyen’s plans are “changing priorities” and that her proposals give a “military color” to the EU.
Peskov told reporters that his proposal “confirms the general attitude of European states towards militarization, escalation of tensions and the use of all strategies in their foreign policy. “
“Everything here is obvious,” he added.
Another line from Volodymyr Zelensky’s speech at Blenheim Palace related to Russia’s progress in northern Kharkiv.
Trying to convince leaders to contribute to kyiv’s air defense capability, the president said Ukraine had completely stopped Moscow’s forces.
“We have stopped the Russian advance on Kharkiv, period,” he said.
“Putin has sacrificed tens of thousands of people and has not achieved anything significant,” he added.
“This was made possible by the courage of our warriors and the courage of our partners, who lifted limitations on the use of Western weapons along our border,” he added.
Russia introduced a wonderful attack on Vovchansk in the Kharkiv region in May, opening a new front for Ukraine to defend.
Moscow’s troops made immediate gains in the days after the incursion, before being held back by stubborn Ukrainian resistance.
Earlier reports this week that Russian operations were winding down in the region prompted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov to deny those claims yesterday.
“This operation is ongoing and will continue until it is complete,” he told reporters.