Vladimir Putin’s troops are moving towards Donetsk amid a Russian plan to seize the entire Donbas region of eastern Ukraine. It comes days after the Russian president on Monday declared a “great victory” in Donetsk’s neighboring Luhansk. Both areas – controlled by Moscow-backed separatists before the start of the invasion of Ukraine – have suffered massive damage with Putin’s troops “bombing everything in their path”. This is according to the governor of Luhansk, Serhiy Haidai, who said that Russia has captured the cities of Lysychansk and Severodonestk in his region. Mr Heidai told Ukrainian television, according to Reuters: “A large amount of equipment is being sent to the Donetsk region. Of course, after the Luhansk region, Donetsk is at the top of their list.” He added: “There is still a large amount of shelling in both the Luhansk and Donetsk regions… They are taking very heavy losses. “A few battalions have been moved there to make up the numbers they need… They are not taking all their wounded with them. Hospitals are full to overflowing, as are morgues.”
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At least five civilians have been killed in Donetsk in the past 24 hours
Russian shelling has reportedly killed at least five civilians in the past 24 hours and wounded 21 in eastern Donetsk province, where Russia has stepped up its attacks in recent days. Donetsk Governor Pavlo Kirilenko said in a Telegram post this morning that two people were killed in Avdiyivka, one in Sloviansk, one in Krasnohorivka and one in Kurakhove. Fire burns a shopping center after a missile strike on July 03, 2022 in Sloviansk (Getty Images) He wrote: “Every crime will be punished.” On Tuesday, Mr Kyrylenko urged the region’s 350,000 residents to leave, saying it was necessary to evacuate Donetsk. Lamiat Sabin 6 July 2022 11:00 1657099812
Russian invasion ‘kills and injures 1,000 Ukrainian children’
About 1,000 Ukrainian children have reportedly died or been injured amid the Russian invasion of their country. The General Prosecutor’s Office of Ukraine announced that 346 children were killed and more than 645 were injured. It read: “Since the morning of July 6, 2022, over 991 children have suffered in Ukraine as a result of Russia’s full-scale armed offensive. “According to official information from juvenile prosecutors, approximately 346 children were killed and more than 645 were injured. “Children in the Donetsk region suffered the most, i.e. 346 children, while 186 in Kharkiv. about 116 in Kyiv; about 68 in Chernihiv; about 61 in Luhansk; about 53 in Mykolaiv; about 52 in Kherson; about 31 in Zaporizhia”. According to the data, 2,108 schools have been damaged and 215 have been completely destroyed by Russian troops. Lamiat Sabin July 6, 2022 10:30 am 1657098012
EU ‘must urgently prepare for Russian gas cut’
European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said the EU must make contingency plans to prepare for a complete shutdown of Russian gas. Ursula von der Leyen delivers her speech in Strasbourg (AP) The EU has already imposed sanctions on Russia, including some energy supplies. Ms von der Leyen told the European Parliament in Strasbourg: “We must also prepare now for a further cut in gas supplies and even a total cut in Russian gas supplies.” Lamiat Sabin 6 July 2022 10:00 1657096212
Two people are killed in shelling of Sloviansk in the Donetsk region
The death toll from bombings in the Ukrainian city of Sloviansk has risen to two, according to mayor Vadym Liakh. Seven people were injured in the attacks by Russian forces on Tuesday, he said. Mr. Liakh said on Facebook: “According to the results of yesterday’s shelling, we have two dead and seven wounded. “In total, since the start of large-scale hostilities, approximately 17 people have been killed and 67 people have been injured in the community.” The city is located in the Kramatorsk region of the Donetsk region of Ukraine. The British Ministry of Defense has warned that “there is a realistic possibility that the battle for Sloviansk will be the next key battle in the race for Donbas.” Lamiat Sabin 6 July 2022 09:30 1657094412
Russia ‘loses 36,500 troops’ amid invasion of Ukraine
Russia has lost 36,500 soldiers, 1,600 tanks and 3,789 armored fighting vehicles since February – according to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Lamiat Sabin 6 July 2022 09:00 1657092612
Russian Lavrov and American Blinken to attend G20 meetings in Bali
G20 foreign ministers are set to discuss the war in Ukraine and its impact on global energy and food security when they meet in Indonesia this week. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is among those expected to attend the meetings in Bali. US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will also attend. It will be the first time Lavrov and Blinken have been in the same place since January, the month before Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine. The US State Department said there would be no formal meeting between the two. “We would like to see the Russians get serious about diplomacy,” said US spokesman Ned Price. “We haven’t seen it yet. We would like the Russians to give us a reason to meet bilaterally with them, with Foreign Minister Lavrov, but the only thing we have seen coming from Moscow is more brutality and aggression against the people and country of Ukraine.” Lamiat Sabin 6 July 2022 08:30 1657090812
Sergey Lavrov seeks support for Russia on Vietnam trip
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has arrived in Vietnam to ask for support amid his country’s invasion of Ukraine. (AP) In the photos, he walks with a Vietnamese military official to lay a wreath at the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum in Hanoi. He then met with Vietnamese Foreign Minister Bui Tan Son. (AP) Yesterday, Lavrov was in Mongolia where he met with his Mongolian counterpart Batcheg Batmuk and President Ukhnaagin Khurelsukh. They discussed a partnership that includes trade, investment and environmental protection. Lamiat Sabin 6 July 2022 08:00 1657088633
Irish Prime Minister arrives in Kyiv for solidarity meetings
Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin arrived in Kyiv today for a series of meetings in which he will reiterate Ireland’s solidarity with Ukraine amid the Russian invasion. He will discuss how Ireland and the EU can support the country and will also witness first-hand the damage caused by Vladimir Putin’s forces. Mr Martin will reiterate Ireland’s full support for continued sanctions against the Russian president’s regime, Ukraine’s path towards full EU membership and Ireland’s commitment to work with the EU to rebuild Ukraine. (Brian Lawless/PA) He said: “The people of Ireland stand with Ukraine and its people against Russia’s immoral and unprovoked war on terror. “Bombings and attacks on civilians are nothing short of war crimes and I will use my visit to voice Ireland’s support for moves to fully bring to justice those responsible behind these attacks. “The spirit and determination of the Ukrainian people has inspired us all and Ireland will provide every support on Ukraine’s path towards full EU membership and will continue to welcome and support civilians fleeing this war.” Lamiat Sabin 6 July 2022 07:23 1657084570
Battle for Sloviansk in Donetsk to be Ukraine’s next key fight, UK claims
The British Ministry of Defense said Russian troops were advancing into several enclaves of eastern Ukraine such as Izium, creating a battle situation in Sloviansk, Donetsk. “In the last week, Russian forces have probably advanced up to another 5 kilometers down the main E40 road from Izium, in the face of extremely determined Ukrainian resistance,” the ministry said in its latest intelligence update on Wednesday. He added that Russian forces from the eastern and western force groups are likely now about 16 kilometers north of the city of Sloviansk. “With the city also under threat from Forces Groups Central and South, there is a realistic possibility that the battle for Sloviansk will be the next key battle in the fight for Donbass,” the British Foreign Office said. He added: “Russia is likely continuing to consolidate its control over Lysychansk and Luhansk Oblast. To the north, he has committed most of the remaining available units from the eastern and western force groups to the Izium axis.’ Arpan Rai 6 July 2022 06:16 1657082290
Who will last longer in power, Johnson or Zelensky?
When Boris Johnson called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday, it was a bit of a surprise. It showed how Mr Johnson is resorting to his traditional playbook, trying once again to present himself as a world leader, a serious man for serious times, deflecting from the facts as Westminster burned around him, set on fire by his own lies and deficiencies, writes International Affairs Editor David Harding in this editorial. He also points to a recent pub debate about the permanence, or lack thereof, of world leaders. Which of them would be more in power: Johnson, Zelensky or Putin? How about Johnson, Zelensky, Putin or Biden? What about which of them would be in power in three years: Johnson, Zelensky, Putin, Biden or Trump? Everyone agreed that whatever happened, Xi, Orban and Modi would definitely be there longer than any of them. It was also a game of not only what-if, but also what might be. There seems little reason, in Putin’s logic, to end the war. If somehow the conflict can spill over into the next US presidency, who knows what might happen? Read the entire editorial here: Arpan Rai 6 July 2022 05:38
