Ukraine Invasion: Part 49

[MagicFox]

Welcome to our 49th thread with the usual thanks to all regular contributors and lurkers 🇺🇦

**
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A. The agreed purpose of the thread is for the sharing of information and commentary on current events

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Kyiv Independent Telegram Highlights

⚡️ FT: NATO's B9 group considers barring Hungary https://kyivindependent.com/ft-bucharest-nine-considers-barring-hungary-from-groups-meetings/ from meetings.
Diplomats of the Bucharest Nine (B9), a group of central and eastern European NATO allies, discussed the possibility of excluding Hungary from future meetings of the club, the Financial Times (FT) reported on June 11, citing its undisclosed sources.

⚡️The Ukraine Recovery Conference 2024 started in Berlin on June 11 with the attendance of representatives from governments, businesses, civil society, and international organizations from around the world.

⚡️ Ukraine controls Ivanivske near Chasiv Yar, battles ongoing in Staromaiorske, military says. https://kyivindependent.com/ivanivske-staromaiorske/

⚡️Nearly 20,000 Wagner mercenaries died taking Bakhmut* *https://kyivindependent.com/nearly-20-000-wagner-mercenaries-died-taking-bakhmut-media-investigation-confirms/ media investigation confirms.
BBC Russia and Mediazona obtained documents shortly after the death of Wagner Group's founder, Yevgeny Prigozhin in August 2023, detailing the posthumous payments to relatives of those killed fighting in Ukraine between January 2022 and August 2023.

⚡️ Scholz: Germany to deliver 3rd Patriot, IRIS-T, Gepards, and ammunition to Ukraine in coming weeks and months.

⚡️Von der Leyen: Ukraine to receive 1.5 billion euros https://kyivindependent.com/von-der-leyen-ukraine-to-receive-1-5-billion-euros-in-russian-frozen-assets-revenue-in-july/ in Russian frozen assets revenue in July.

⚡️FT: Government shake-up straining relations https://kyivindependent.com/ft-government-shake-up-straining-relations-between-kyiv-and-western-allies/ between Kyiv and Western allies.
A series of government firings, resignations and reshuffles have strained relations between Kyiv and Western allies and raised concerns about how Ukraine can deal with fixing the country's energy infrastructure as it comes under repeated attacks by Russia, the Financial Times (FT) reported on June 10, citing unnamed Ukrainian and Western officials.

⚡️Ukraine confirms attack on Novoshakhtinsk oil refinery https://kyivindependent.com/ukraine-confirms-attack-on-novoshakhtinsk-oil-refinery-claims-damage-totalling-540-million/ claims damage totalling $540 million.
The military said the attack had been carried out by "Ukrainian-made means," but did not elaborate.

⚡️Russian military plane breaches https://kyivindependent.com/russian-military-plane-breaches-finnish-airspace/ Finnish airspace.

⚡️Moldovan President Sandu approves https://kyivindependent.com/moldovan-president-sandu-signs-controversial-treason-bill-into-law/ changes to treason law despite concerns from opposition, Amnesty International.

⚡️Report: Russia's war has caused over $56 billion in damage to Ukraine's energy sector https://kyivindependent.com/report-russias-war-has-caused-over-56-billion-in-damage-to-ukraines-energy-sector/

⚡️US lifts https://kyivindependent.com/us-lifts-weapons-ban-for-ukraines-azov-brigade/ weapons ban for Ukraine's Azov Brigade.
The United States will allow Ukraine's Azov Brigade to use weapons provided by the U.S. to fight Russia's full-scale invasion, the State Department announced June 10, reversing a long-standing policy. [see that, Trolls? the ban is lifted]

⚡️Russian ship Admiral Levchenko https://kyivindependent.com/russian-ship-admiral-levchenko-on-fire-in-barents-sea-ukrainian-official-claims/ on fire in Barents Sea, Ukrainian official claims.

⚡️Zelensky arrives https://kyivindependent.com/zelensky-arrives-in-germany-for-recovery-conference-talks-with-scholz/ in Germany for recovery conference, talks with Scholz.

⚡️First Rheinmetall-Ukraine joint production plant https://kyivindependent.com/first-rheinmetall-ukraine-joint-production-plant-becomes-operational/ becomes operational. The facility will enable faster repair of foreign-supplied equipment and their subsequent return to the front line. In the future, the plant will also produce new armored vehicles, according to the minister.

⚡️Italy prepares $150 million aid package https://kyivindependent.com/italy-plans-150-million-aid-package-for-ukraines-recovery/ for Ukraine's recovery.

⚡️Poland says no 'external force' https://kyivindependent.com/poland-says-no-external-force-behind-fatal-arms-plant-explosion/ behind fatal arms plant explosion.
In an apparent reference to increased cases of Russian sabotage across Europe, Poland's PM Donald Tusk said his government was "very vigilant and sensitive" to such cases for "obvious reasons."

⚡️Switzerland encounters https://kyivindependent.com/switzerland-encounters-rise-in-cyberattacks-and-disinformation-prior-to-upcoming-ukraine-summit/ rise in cyberattacks and disinformation prior to upcoming Ukraine summit. "We haven't summoned the ambassador," Swiss President Viola Amherd said. "That's how I wanted it, because the disinformation campaign is so extreme that one can see that little of it reflects reality."

⚡️Czech PM suspects https://kyivindependent.com/czech-pm-suspects-russias-involvement-in-foiled-arson-attack-on-prague-buses/ Russia’s involvement in foiled arson attack on Prague buses.

Vadym Sukharevskyi, deputy commander-in-chief of Ukraine's Armed Forces, was appointed the commander of the newly-created Unmanned Systems Forces on June 10, the General Staff reported. https://kyivindependent.com/deputy-chief-commander-of-ukraines-armed-forces-appointed-commander-of-new-unmanned-systems-forces/

At Ukraine’s key hospital https://kyivindependent.com/fear-mounts-at-eastern-ukraines-main-hospital-as-russian-offensive-intensifies-in-donbas/* for wounded soldiers, surgeons work non-stop to save lives*

⚡️Dnipro hospital says it has received 29,000 injured https://kyivindependent.com/dnipro-hospital-reports-saving-95-of-critically-wounded-soldiers-it-treats/ soldiers since start of full-scale war.

⚡️Russian Su-34 warplane crashes https://kyivindependent.com/ukraine-shoots-down-russian-su-25-aircraft-military-says/ in North Ossetia.

⚡️Ukraine shot down Russian Su-25 aircraft (https://kyivindependent.com/ukraine-shoots-down-russian-su-25-aircraft-military-says/), military says.

⚡️Russia has seized https://kyivindependent.com/russia-has-seized-almost-24-million-in-ukrainian-assets-from-occupied-crimea-since-2022-proxy-leader-says/ almost $24 million in Ukrainian assets from occupied Crimea since 2022, proxy leader says.

⚡️High-ranking officials arrested https://kyivindependent.com/high-ranking-officials-arrested-for-alleged-budget-theft-in-russias-karachay-cherkessia-fsb-says/ for alleged budget theft in Russia's Karachay-Cherkessia, FSB says.

⚡️ Local official shot dead in Zaporizhzhia, police say. https://kyivindependent.com/local-official-shot-dead-in-zaporizhzhia/

⚡️Russia strikes Kharkiv with glide bombs injuring 8 people.
⚡️3 injured in Russian attack on Zaporizhzhia.
⚡️ Russia attacks residential area in Kostiantynivka in Donetsk Oblast, injuring 6

Ragnar Bjartur Gudmundsson 🇺🇦

• JUN 11, 2024

■ Engagements at 7-day average, casualties below at 1.1k ■ Equipment above average; record special equipment losses, 5 air defence systems hit & plane downed ■ Improved strike ratio despite an increase in 🇷🇺 strikes

Just to re-state after the 2nd to last troll's link for no less than 2018 -

⚡️US lifts https://kyivindependent.com/us-lifts-weapons-ban-for-ukraines-azov-brigade/* weapons ban for Ukraine's Azov Brigade.*
The United States will allow Ukraine's Azov Brigade to use weapons provided by the U.S. to fight Russia's full-scale invasion, the State Department announced June 10, reversing a long-standing policy.

All we can do is report the endless influx of trolls ....

UNITED24 Media Telegram Highlights

The meeting of the Contact Group on the Defense of Ukraine in the Rammstein format will take place this week, according to the North Atlantic Alliance's website.
On June 13 at 11 a.m., the meeting will commence, followed by speeches from the NATO Secretary General and the Minister of Defense of Ukraine. At 4 p.m., there will be a meeting of the Ukraine-NATO defense ministers' council.

Switzerland has confirmed the participation of almost 90 countries and organizations in the Summit on Peace for Ukraine
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Switzerland, Ignatius Cassis, confirmed again that Russia will not be represented at the Summit on Peace for Ukraine, because it "has made it clear several times that it is not interested in participating." [Some seem to have pulled out of attending. Russia and China put pressure on countries not to go]

Russia has destroyed 80% of heat generation and a third of Ukraine's hydro generation, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. Ukraine was left without 9 GW of capacity, the peak of electricity consumption in Ukraine last winter reached 18 GW.

88% of those who died during the storming of Bakhmut were mercenaries of the "Wagner" PMC — were prisoners, according to Russian sources.
In the battles for Bakhmut, 19,547 "Wagnerians" died, 17,175 of them were prisoners recruited in the colonies by Prigozhin, who exchanged their lives and health for money and freedom. The other almost 2,500 people are ordinary "free" mercenaries.
According to sources, the total number of convicts recruited by "Wagner" is no less than 48,300 people. Based on these figures, it becomes clear that every third convict rotted in Donetsk region.

Poland to Establish Buffer Zone on Border with Belarus
Poland will create a buffer zone along its border with Belarus, extending up to two kilometers deep in some areas, according to Prime Minister Donald Tusk. ....."This zone will span several tens of kilometers and have a depth of 200 meters. In some nature reserve areas, the zone will extend up to two kilometers, but these are short sections," Polish Radio quotes Tusk.
Tusk emphasized the necessity of these measures to hinder the illegal transfer of migrants across the border.
Recently, there have been 50 attacks on Polish soldiers, and border guard Mateusz Sitek died from a knife wound.

The President of the Czech Republic rejected most of the Czechs' requests for permission to fight for Ukraine, according to iRozhlas.
Since taking office last March, Czech President Petr Pavel has reviewed 95 applications for permission to join the Armed Forces. In total, he answered affirmatively to only 25 of them. His predecessor, Milos Zeman, also rejected the majority of requests — during his tenure, 132 people received permission out of 477 applicants.

The War Zone publication released a satellite image showing a damaged Russian Su-57 fifth-generation fighter at the "Akhtubinsk" airfield in the Astrakhan region. The damage occurred during a drone attack on the night of June 8.

How long before the next troll?

I think we just need a 'do not engage' policy with those that are clearly trolls. I'm happy to engage with those who have genuine alternative viewpoints but some of them don't even hide that they're posting in bad faith.

Do you think the troll farm in Siberia has a Mumsnet Department?!

Live: Ukraine Telegram Highlights

🇪🇺 The Head of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen confirmed https://www.eurointegration.com.ua/news/2024/06/11/7187875/ that Ukraine has taken all the necessary steps to start negotiations on EU accession by the end of this month

🇫🇮On the morning of June 11, a flight from Helsinki to the city of Joensuu in southeastern Finland, which is just over 60 km from the Russian border, was unable to land at its destination airport due to GPS interruptions and flew back.
The Joensuu airport area has previously experienced problems with GPS interference, but in previous similar cases, planes have managed to land

The Taliban arrived at an education ministers' forum in Kazan, Russia
Shortly before forum, it became known that Russia was going to make a decision to remove the Taliban from the list of terrorists.

[more details] A Russian Su-34 fighter-bomber has crashed in a mountainous area in North Ossetia, resulting in the death of the crew
According to Russian reports, the preliminary cause of the crash was a technical malfunction.

tbh yes!

The general media warned that it was happening, and one of them specifically mentioned Mumsnet. it's kinda incredible to think it, but yes Mumsnet is being targeted.

There are the trolls, and then there are the longer term and probably genuine posters who unfortunately either support Russia and push the disinfo, or sincere posters who have been misinformed.

It's actually in a Moscow suburb. I think they do have MN department, but it's filled with trolls who aren't considered good enough for Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, etc. It's what we call in the US a "farm team".

https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-june-10-2024

Key Takeaways:

• Ukrainian forces conducted a strike against Russian air defense assets in occupied Crimea overnight on June 9 to 10, likely with ATACMS.
• Ukraine's Southern Operational Command Spokesperson Captain Third Rank Dmytro Pletenchuk denied on June 10 a Sky News report that Ukrainian forces struck a Russian Ropucha-class landing ship in the Sea of Azov on the night of June 8 to 9.
• New Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov met with a select group of Russian milbloggers and military commentators on June 10, suggesting that the Kremlin seeks to partially use Belousov's replacement of widely unpopular former Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu to build bridges and cultivate ties with a broader milblogger community via a cadre of coopted and loyal military commentators.
• Officials from Russia, Iran, and the People's Republic of China (PRC) held bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the BRICS foreign ministers meeting in Nizhny Novgorod on June 10.
• The Armenian National Assembly will likely hold an emergency session by June 17 during which the Armenian opposition parties will demand Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's and his cabinet's resignation.
• The US Department of State announced on June 10 that the US and Poland jointly launched the Ukraine Communications Group (UCG) in Warsaw to counter Russian disinformation by offering fact-based reporting about the war in Ukraine.
• Finnish authorities reported that a Russian military aircraft temporarily violated Finnish airspace on June 10 amid continued Russian efforts to undermine Finnish sovereignty.
• Russian forces recently advanced southwest of Donetsk City and in the Donetsk-Zaporizhia Oblast border area.
• Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov appears to be focusing on healthcare programs for Russian servicemembers in his new role.

From Bloomberg, about the disinfo ops from the ever-civilized Sophie Perrin https://x.com/SophiePerrin18/status/1800593321980551567

A Russian intelligence operative who’s leading a Kremlin disinformation campaign in Africa has helped run influence operations in Europe for years, according to documents seen by Bloomberg and government officials familiar with the matter.
Artem Kureyev, identified as a Russian Federal Security Service agent in an Estonian court case in 2022, has had frequent contacts with at least half a dozen European journalists, arranged and covered travel costs for some of them to visit occupied territories in Ukraine, and at times appears to have offered to pay for planted news articles, the documents show.
On other occasions he has adopted more subtle methods to try to sway coverage, by arranging interviews, flagging and debating topics in the news or organizing press events.
The Group of Seven nations and the European Union have made combating Russian disinformation and influence operations a top priority ahead of a leaders’ summit in Italy this month. Those efforts have included publicly exposing Russian campaigns and methods, sanctioning outlets and individuals, and coordinating responses to Moscow’s actions, as well as striving to prevent disinformation spreading on major technology platforms.
Still, countering such disinformation campaigns isn’t easy as they’re aimed at sowing confusion and doubt in target audiences rather than convincing people of a particular set of facts, in order to polarise societies on issues such as migration, war or the West’s relations with the rest of the world.
The documents provide deep insight into the operations and methods of one Russian intelligence operative involved in influence campaigns in Europe. There will be many others like him running similar operations across the continent and elsewhere.
The US State Department in February called out Russia’s intelligence services for providing material support and guidance to a new information agency called “African Initiative.” It said the project spread “deadly disinformation” about the US and Europe, including on a mosquito-borne viral disease outbreak in an attempt to undermine public health programs.
It named Kureyev as the initiative’s chief editor and said the project had also recruited members from the “disintegrating enterprises” of the late Wagner mercenary group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, who died in a plane crash last year.
The Federal Security Service, known as the FSB, and African Initiative didn’t respond to requests to comment on Kureyev.

Kureyev was also named by The Insider investigative website in January as a contact of a Latvian lawmaker in the outgoing European Parliament, Tatjana Zdanoka, that the outlet accused of cooperating with Russian intelligence. Zdanoka, who didn’t run in the weekend’s European Parliament elections, denied the allegations in a Facebook statement. Her office said in an email that Zdanoka saw Kureyev once in Brussels at an event in the European Parliament but beyond that she doesn’t known anything further about him.

The Kremlin denies Russia is engaged in disinformation campaigns in Europe. Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, in January dismissed espionage accusations against Zdanoka as a “witch hunt” comparable to the McCarthyism era in the US in the 1950s. “How many people were arrested and thrown into prison on charges of having relations with communists or the KGB?” he told reporters. “This is the same thing.”
One of the authors of The Insider’s story, ex-Bellingcat reporter Christo Grozev, claimed last year that a journalist from North Macedonia called Darko Todorovski had received payments to get stories published in Bulgaria.
A Russian document seen by Bloomberg indicates that Kureyev had agreed to pay Todorovski 300 euros for articles in two publications. It’s not known if or when such payments were made.
Todorovski said he took part in three visits to military zones in Ukraine organized for journalists by Russia’s Defense Ministry. He knew Kureyev through these press tours as someone with a media company who’d been “collaborating with many journalists from different countries, including the West,” he said Monday in emailed answers to questions.

Todorovski said articles he wrote about these visits were published in Bulgaria, though he denied Grozev’s allegation about payments. “Statements without evidence that I received money and instructions are not serious,” he said.
According to the documents, correspondence between the two men from 2021 to 2023 includes instructions for distributing and finding articles in Russian and English translations on fringe websites such as londonnewstime.com and veteranstoday.com, as well as hotel bookings made by Kureyev for two of Todorovski’s stays in Russia in April last year.
Todorovski said he had an invitation at the time to take part in TV programs about Asia “and there was a conference and working meeting at the university.” He added that since he takes part in many conferences and forums, he cannot know who pays for all his hotels. Todorovski said he met Kureyev in 2022, in Russia.
Some of the exchanges echo the techniques of a typical pro-Russian propaganda campaign, which often include fabricated news stories planted on fringe websites and then amplified through social media posts or picked up by state media outlets.
One European government official said Kureyev and Todorovksi were last year involved in working on a website called “antibellingcat,” dedicated to discrediting the investigative outlet.
Todorovski said he left the project a year ago and he believed it was no longer active.
The European official, who asked not to be identified because the information is sensitive, said Kureyev has had contact with Russia’s GRU military intelligence about some aspects of his European influence operations. The GRU didn’t respond to a request to comment.
Separate documents show that Kureyev booked and paid the flights for a group of journalists to visit Crimea in 2023, long after Russia’s full-scale war on Ukraine had begun. Russia seized Crimea in 2014, prompting international sanctions in response.
Kureyev has been in contact with other reporters since Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine and for years prior to that.
Documents indicate* *that he and another intelligence officer met separately with at least one reporter from an EU member state in Russia, Turkey and elsewhere. On at least two occasions, in August 2019 and in March 2022, the journalist’s Russian contacts covered the travel costs.
Though many of these discussions relate to news coverage, such as facilitating interviews or arranging trips to Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine, the documents don’t provide evidence that any of these journalists’ work is directed or funded by Moscow.
In 2021, Kureyev was in contact with journalists and intermediaries as part of a plan to engage the press in European nations around Russia’s chairmanship of the Arctic Council, according to some of the documents. One of the intermediaries reached out to several local journalists in a Nordic country but it’s not clear if any of them replied.

Posted about this in the wrong thread earlier today but the visitors mean it's donation time again

This is getting expensive

I’ll be needing a second mortgage soon

So insulting. Surely MN deserves the A Team?!

We may have got the WFH Team.

Kyiv Independent Telegram

⚡️ Media: Number of Switzerland peace summit participants decreasing. https://kyivindependent.com/media-number-of-switzerland-peace-summit-participants-decreasing/
The number of countries and organizations that have confirmed their participation in Ukraine's global peace summit dropped from 93 to 78, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) reported on June 11, citing several unnamed EU diplomats.

⚡️US to deploy additional Patriot missile battery https://kyivindependent.com/us-to-deploy-additional-patriot-missile-battery-to-ukraine/ to Ukraine.

⚡️ Russia deploys assault units from 8 brigades in Pokrovsk, Kurakhove sectors, Syrskyi says. https://kyivindependent.com/russia-deploys-units-in-pokrovsk-kurakhove-sectors/

⚡️ Netherlands to provide its first F-16s https://kyivindependent.com/netherlands-to-provide-its-first-f-16s-to-ukraine-in-summer-dutch-minister-says/ to Ukraine in summer, Dutch minister says.

⚡️ G7 to create Ukraine aid fund https://kyivindependent.com/media-g7-to-set-up-ukraine-aid-fund-using-frozen-russian-assets-income/ using income from frozen Russian assets, Nikkei Asia reports. A final agreement on the issue is expected at the upcoming G7 summit in Italy on June 13-15, which President Volodymyr Zelensky will attend.

Russia might be storing up to 100 nuclear warheads in Kaliningrad Oblast, located approximately 260 km (160 miles) from Warsaw, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski claimed on June 11, during the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Berlin. https://kyivindependent.com/russia-may-store-100-nuclear-warheads-in-kaliningrad-oblast-polish-fm-claims/

⚡️ US to announce new Russia sanctions https://kyivindependent.com/us-to-announce-new-russia-sanctions-at-g7-summit/ at G7 summit.

Stoltenberg: Hungary https://kyivindependent.com/stoltenberg-hungary/* won't join NATO initiatives for Ukraine but won't block them either.*

⚡️ Ukrainian strikes on Russia have helped reduce attacks on Kharkiv, mayor says.
https://kyivindependent.com/ukrainian-strikes-on-russia-have-helped-reduce-attacks-on-kharkiv-mayor-says/

⚡️ Baltic states to disconnect from joint Russian power grid https://kyivindependent.com/baltic-states-to-disconnect-from-joint-russian-power-grid-in-february-2025/ in February 2025.
Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania initially aimed to join the European system by the end of 2025. However, following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, they advanced the timeline by nearly a year.

⚡️Ukraine to receive additional 68 Patriot missile from https://kyivindependent.com/germany-to-supply-ukraine-with-68-patriot-missiles-german-defense-minister-says/ German-led initiative, German defense minister says. Thirty-two missiles have been sent to Ukraine in the past two days, bringing the total number received to 100.

⚡️ Ukraine, Germany sign declaration to boost cooperation in business sector. (https://kyivindependent.com/germany-ukraine-cooperation/)

⚡️German Uniper won arbitration against Gazprom https://kyivindependent.com/german-uniper-won-arbitration-against-gazprom/ over $14 billion. An arbitration court awarded the German energy company Uniper the right to terminate a long-term contract with Russia's Gazprom and more than 13 billion euros ($14 billion) in damages for failed gas deliveries, Uniper said on June 12.

⚡️Ukraine destroyed Russian S-300, S-400 systems' radars https://kyivindependent.com/ukraine-destroyed-russian-s-300-s-400-radars-in-occupied-crimea-overnight-military-says/ in occupied Crimea, military says.

⚡️ Bloomberg: Russian operative spreading Kremlin disinformation https://kyivindependent.com/bloomberg-russian-operative-spreading-kremlin-disinformation-across-europe/ across Europe.

⚡️ Russian 'peacekeepers' complete withdrawal https://kyivindependent.com/russian-peacekeepers-leave-karabakh/ from Nagorno-Karabakh, Azerbaijan says.

Worst-case scenario in Ukraine’s energy system ‘very close to realistic,’ largest private energy company says https://kyivindependent.com/worst-case-scenario-in-ukraines-energy-system-very-close-to-realistic-largest-energy-company-says/
Ukrainians could face up to 20 hours of blackouts a day under a “worst-case” scenario if the country cannot repair and defend its energy infrastructure, the executive director of Ukraine’s largest privately-owned energy company told the Kyiv Independent in an interview on June 9.

⚡️ European Bank for Reconstruction and Development to provide 1 billion euros https://kyivindependent.com/norway-to-allocate-257-million-to-bolster-ukraines-air-defenses/ for Ukraine's energy infrastructure.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) will give Ukraine nearly 25 million euros ($26.8 million) to restore the water supply in Mykolaiv kyivindependent.com/ebrd-to-provide-almost-25-million-euros-to-restore-mykolaiv-water-supply/

The European Investment Bank (EIB) will provide Ukraine with 100 million euros ($107 million) to assist with the restoration and modernization of the country's social infrastructure kyivindependent.com/european-investment-bank-to-give-ukraine-100-million-euros-for-social-infrastructure-restoration/

⚡️ Norway to allocate $257 million (https://kyivindependent.com/norway-to-allocate-257-million-to-bolster-ukraines-air-defenses/) to bolster Ukraine's air defenses.

⚡️Netherlands allocates https://kyivindependent.com/netherlands-allocates-60-million-euros-for-ukrainian-drone-production/ 60 million euros for Ukrainian drone purchases.

⚡️In rare defense investment, Ireland will spend https://kyivindependent.com/in-rare-defense-investment-ireland-will-spend-close-to-13-million-in-replenishing-eu-arms-stocks/ around $13 million to replenish EU arms stocks.

⚡️ Russia, Belarus begin second stage of tactical nuclear weapons https://kyivindependent.com/russia-and-belarus-begin-second-stage-of-tactical-nuclear-drills/ drills.

⚡️ Russian arrested in Denmark https://kyivindependent.com/russian-citizen-who-allegedly-spied-for-russia-arrested-in-denmark/ for helping foreign secret service, DR reports.

Why are Ukrainian banks so profitable https://kyivindependent.com/why-are-ukrainian-banks-so-profitable-during-war/ during war?
An influx of foreign aid, high interest rates on government bonds, pay rises for soldiers, and central bank policies after the start of the full-scale invasion boosted the banking sector's profits to 40.5 billion hryvnia ($1 billion) in the first three months of 2024, 19% higher than the same period last year.
The banking sector’s stability is largely down to reforms and nationalization over the last decade that cracked down on redoubtable oligarchs running money laundering schemes. Just four banks collapsed in 2022 and only eight of the 63 banks operating in Ukraine saw losses so far this year.

⚡️FT: Russia posts https://kyivindependent.com/ft-russia-posts-abducted-ukrainian-children-on-government-linked-adoption-sites/ abducted Ukrainian children on government-linked adoption sites.

⚡️Media: Explosions reported https://kyivindependent.com/media-explosions-reported-across-occupied-crimea-3/ across occupied Crimea, Krasnodar Krai.
⚡️ Russian attacks against Ukraine injure 8 civilians over past day.

⚡️ Energy facility damaged https://kyivindependent.com/russia-launches-missile-attacks-on-ukraine-explosions-reported-in-kyiv/ in overnight Russian attack on Sumy Oblas

Under 1000 dead for the first time in many weeks.

Ragnar Bjartur Gudmundsson 🇺🇦

• JUN 12, 2024

■ Engagements close to average, casualties ≈1k ■ Equipment losses below 7-day average; >100 tank losses in the last 7 days ■ Fewer strikes but 🇺🇦 ones above average; decent strike ratio ■ >80k names now confirmed as KIA

FYI on the trolls issue, there seems (to me) to be a sudden and massive influx of climate change deniers around on the general election threads right now. Worrying.

That’s really interesting to know it’s not just us! Thanks for flagging. I just hope it doesn’t put people off engaging with such important issues.

@Igotjelly lots on this thread. Lots.

Why is climate change not a bigger election issue? | Mumsnet

apologies for mistakes, trying to fit in the roundup in between other things

UNITED24 Media Telegram Highlights

Russia is accelerating the development of roads in the occupied south. The occupiers are hastening the completion of a new railway and doubling the land road corridor near Mariupol, according to the "Center for Journalistic Investigations."
"Fresh satellite data indicate the complete readiness of two bridges on the first branch of the new railway, which Russia has been laying from scratch since last fall. Construction is in the final stages of laying the rails and is progressing surprisingly quickly. An 80 km new railway track between the villages of Burne and Novoselivka will allow the delivery of goods from Mariupol to the north and east of the occupied part of Donetsk region four times faster," the investigation says.
In parallel, work is being carried out on other sections of the new railway and highways, including the expansion of the land corridor from Russian Rostov to the occupied Ukrainian Crimea through the territory of the Azov region.
In April, the occupiers began to build a bypass road north of Mariupol. This 70 km long section of the land corridor can consist of parallel roads and railways.
Active work on the construction of roads continues not only in Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk regions but also in the Kherson region. Journalists assume that the occupiers will build a Taganrog-Mariupol branch parallel to the Rostov-Melitopol railway branch.
"Then these 100 km between the cities will become the main logistics route for supplying the Russian army of occupation on both the Zaporizhzhia and eastern fronts. By tying the Kherson region to the Rostov-Crimea and Donetsk-Crimea routes, Russia will complete its 'Ring of Azov' logistics operation," the investigation emphasizes.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has announced that the country will withdraw from the Collective Security Treaty Organization, a de facto military alliance controlled by Russia

The G7 is discussing the possibility of using not only the income from frozen Russian assets but also the assets themselves to help Ukraine, said Josep Borrell, head of EU diplomacy. It should be noted that earlier, the USA and the EU rejected the possibility of confiscation of Russian assets due to risks for the dollar and the euro.

Ukraine needs at least seven Patriot air defense systems to protect key cities, stated Zelenskyy during a conference on the reconstruction of Ukraine in Berlin.
Zelenskyy highlighted the significant daily threats, including up to a hundred guided air bombs, 80 guided air strikes on Sundays, and 95 KAB (kerovanykh aviaudariv) on Mondays. He emphasized the destructive pressure, compounded by missiles and attack drones.

Italy has agreed to a package of 140 million euros for Ukrainian infrastructure and is ready to send an additional package to support air defense, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said during a conference on the reconstruction of Ukraine in Berlin.
"The primary strategy for recovery, for reconstruction, is the protection of Ukrainian infrastructure and buildings with the help of an air defense system. That is why I want to inform you that Italy is ready to send a new military package with SAMP/T for the air defense of Ukraine," Tajani said.

The White House officially announced a meeting between Presidents Biden and Zelenskyy on June 13 on the sidelines of the Group of Seven (G7) summit in Italy.

The G7 will create a fund to help Ukraine using proceeds from frozen Russian assets, reports Nikkei.
The fund will be established under the auspices of an international organization, such as the World Bank. The USA, Britain, Japan, and other countries will contribute in the form of loans. Profits from the investment of frozen assets will be used to repay these loans.
The fund will provide assistance to Ukraine in the form of donations, meaning the country will not be required to repay the money.
G7 leaders plan to finalize this agreement at a summit in Italy.

Control over Ukraine would allow the Russian Federation to reintegrate the huge Ukrainian military-industrial complex. During most of the Soviet era, Ukraine produced a significant portion of the USSR's missiles, tanks, aircraft, and warships. If Russia seizes and revives military production in Ukraine, this will solve many of the Kremlin's sanctions problems.
Economically, the conquest of Ukraine would significantly improve the financial situation of the Russian Federation and strengthen its ability to influence world politics. The Kremlin would receive Ukraine's vast untapped energy reserves, as well as potentially trillions in mineral assets. Additionally, the famous Ukrainian granary would allow Russia to establish itself as a dominant force in international agricultural markets almost overnight, the Atlantic Council notes. - The Atlantic Council

During the massive shelling of Ukraine on the night of June 12, the Russian army used Kh-101 missiles with a cluster munition warhead for the first time since the beginning of the full-scale invasion.