- The Kremlin declines to answer questions about Sergey Surovikin, the Russian general reportedly detained after the Wagner Group’s aborted weekend rebellion.
- Ukrainian forces are advancing “slowly but surely” around the longstanding flashpoint of Bakhmut, according to military officials.
- Satellite images of a military base in Belarus hint at new facilities set up for Wagner fighters following their mutiny.
- Sweden’s prime minister aims to talk to his Hungarian counterpart after reports that Budapest will delay the ratification of Stockholm’s NATO membership.
Swedish PM to speak to Hungarian counterpart about NATO
Sweden’s prime minister aims to talk to his Hungarian counterpart on Thursday after reports that Budapest would delay the ratification of Sweden’s NATO membership.
“I have earlier been informed that they don’t plan to delay anything about the Swedish NATO membership and I will surely get the chance to exchange a few words with Viktor Orban here today,” Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said.
“I just want to discuss with him and ask him if earlier messages are still valid,” he told reporters in Brussels.
At least two Ukrainian generals killed in Kramatorsk attack: RIA
Russia’s Ministry of Defence says two Ukrainian generals and up to 50 Ukrainian military officers were killed in a missile strike in Kramatorsk on Tuesday, the Russian RIA news agency reports.
Ukrainian officials have said 12 people were killed and 60 hurt when a Russian missile slammed into a crowded restaurant in the city.
Asked about the strike, Russia said it attacked only military targets, not civilians, adding that a temporary Ukrainian army command post had been hit.
Ukraine begins nuclear disaster drills; Kremlin warns of ‘provocations’
Ukraine has begun nuclear disaster response drills near the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, regional officials say.
Similar exercises started in the neighbouring Kherson region, its governor, Oleksander Prokudin, said.
“The purpose of the event is to coordinate the actions of all services in case of a real threat of an emergency situation at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant,” he said on Telegram, urging residents to remain calm.
Prokudin said officials and civil defence forces were working jointly on scenarios that might follow a nuclear disaster, including how to inform and evacuate people.
On Thursday, the Kremlin said there was a constant threat of “provocations” from the Ukrainian side at the plant.
The Kremlin declines to answer questions about General Surovikin
The Kremlin declined to answer questions about Russian General Sergey Surovikin, whose status and location are unknown since the Wagner Group’s aborted rebellion.
Asked by reporters if the Kremlin could clarify the situation with Surovikin, spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “No, unfortunately not.
“So I recommend that you contact the defence ministry; this is its prerogative.”
When a reporter asked if Putin still continued to trust Surovikin, Peskov said: “He is the supreme commander-in-chief and he works with the defence minister and with the chief of the General Staff.”
Nicknamed “General Armageddon” by the Russian press for his aggressive tactics in the Syrian conflict, Surovikin has been absent from view since Saturday, when he appeared in a video appealing to the Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin.
Hungarian parliament rejects vote on Sweden’s NATO aims
Hungary’s parliament has rejected a proposal to schedule a vote on the certification of Sweden’s NATO membership for next week, a politician from the opposition Democratic Coalition (DK) party said.
Agnes Vadai told the Reuters news agency that lawmakers of the ruling Fidesz and Christian Democrat parties did not support putting the vote on the agenda for next week’s plenary session.
She said it was “obvious” Fidesz would decide when to schedule the vote depending on Turkey’s stance.
“(Prime Minister) Viktor Orban moves in tandem with (Turkish President Recep Tayyip) Erdogan … ignoring Hungarian sovereignty and … breaking the unity of NATO,” she said.
“As it stands today, there won’t be a ratification before the NATO summit.”
Sweden is expecting to join the military alliance by the July 11-12 NATO summit in Lithuania.
The Kremlin says there is a threat of ‘provocations’ at nuclear plant
The Kremlin says there was a constant threat of “provocations” from the Ukrainian side regarding the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said inspectors had recently been at the site to check on the safety of the plant.
The UN atomic energy agency has frequently appealed to both sides to avoid shelling near Europe’s largest nuclear plant.
Russians strongly support military operation in Ukraine: Kremlin
The Kremlin says its data suggests there is continued strong support among Russians for the “special military operation” in Ukraine and President Vladimir Putin.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was responding to a question about a survey suggesting an equal number of people supported negotiations to end the conflict to those who favoured continuing it.
“The data we have show something quite different – dominant support for the special military operation and for the president,” said Peskov.
“The main thing for Russians is achieving the goals before us which were formulated by the president,” Peskov said.
Wagner fighters shot down Russian aircraft: British MoD
The British Ministry of Defence (MoD) says Wagner Group fighters shot down Russian military helicopters and an Ilyushin Il-22M airborne command post aircraft during their rebellion.
In its daily briefing, the MoD said, “These special mission aircraft have played a key role in orchestrating Russian forces in their war against Ukraine.
“The loss of this aircraft is likely to have a negative impact on Russian air and land operations. In the short term the psychological shock of losing a large number of aircrew in this manner will almost certainly damage morale within the Russian Aerospace Force.”
The update added that the loss of aircraft would “likely undermine Russia’s ability to command and coordinate its forces, particularly during periods of high tempo operations”.
Path to victory is ‘difficult’, says Zelenskyy
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says the path to victory is “difficult” and there is no timeframe on when Ukraine will reach its goal.
On Twitter, Zelenskyy wrote, “We have to realise that the path to our victory is difficult. And now, no one can say when we will complete it. But when the goal is clear and fair, it does not matter how thorny the path to this goal is. Ukraine will walk this path to victory! And this is no longer a dream – it is a reality.”
Russia opens criminal case against 160 mercenaries fighting for Kyiv
Russia has opened a criminal case against 160 foreign mercenaries fighting in Ukraine, the Russian Tass news agency reported, citing the investigative committee.
A report by the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation said, “As a result of interaction with the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation and other operational services, evidence of the participation of mercenaries from Georgia, the United States, Latvia, Sweden and other states has been collected. Currently, 160 foreigners from 33 countries are being prosecuted.”
The committee added that investigations of those involved in recruitment and the participation of mercenaries on the side of the Ukrainian forces are continuing.
Ukraine arrests man accused of being involved in Kramatorsk blast
Ukraine has arrested a man suspected of committing treason by helping Russia carry out a missile attack on a busy restaurant that killed 12 people in the eastern city of Kramatorsk.
The prosecutor general’s office said an employee at a local gas transportation company helped Moscow target the restaurant by filming cars with military licence plates in its parking lot and sending the footage to Russian special services.
Local officials said 12 people were killed and 60 hurt when a Russian missile hit the restaurant on Tuesday evening.
In President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s nightly video message, he wrote: “Anyone who helps Russian terrorists destroy lives deserves the maximum punishment.”
Poland looks to the EU to fund security measures after Wagner mutiny
After Warsaw announced it is tightening security following the presence of Wagner Group fighters in Belarus, an official said it expects the European Union to help fund these measures.
On Wednesday, the leader of Poland’s ruling nationalists Law and Justice (PiS), Deputy Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski, said temporary and permanent steps to strengthen the border, including boosting the presence of security forces and increasing fortifications, would be taken.
Wagner’s presence in Belarus could mean “a new phase of hybrid warfare, a phase much more difficult than the one we have dealt with so far,” Kaczynski added.
Deputy Foreign Minister Pawel Jablonski was asked on Thursday if Brussels should help Warsaw pay for such measures, and said, “Poland expects it.
“European solidarity means supporting countries threatened with destabilisation,” he told public radio.
“These safeguards need to be increased.”
In pictures: Lives upended as war rages on in Ukraine
Loss of high-value asset likely to lower Russia’s morale: UK
Wagner mercenary troops shot down a Russian special mission aircraft during an aborted march on Moscow, inflicting damage that is likely to lower the morale of Russian troops, British intelligence has said.
In its latest update, the British Ministry of Defence said the loss of the aircraft – part of a small fleet of up to 12 military vehicles – could curtail Russian activities in a bid to manage the remaining fleet.
Czech Republic bans all Russian athletes from local competitions
The Czech government says it has banned all athletes representing Russia from taking part in local competitions, as the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues.
The government said it banned “the participation of individual athletes and sports teams representing the Russian Federation in sports competitions and games organised on Czech soil”.
At the same time, athletes and teams representing the Czech Republic must not take part in competitions held in Russia, it added in a statement.
Czech Republic bans all Russian athletes from local competitions
The Czech government says it has banned all athletes representing Russia from taking part in local competitions, as the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues.
The government said it banned “the participation of individual athletes and sports teams representing the Russian Federation in sports competitions and games organised on Czech soil”.
At the same time, athletes and teams representing the Czech Republic must not take part in competitions held in Russia, it added in a statement.
Kremlin adviser, papal envoy on Ukraine discuss refugees
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s foreign policy adviser and a papal envoy on the Ukraine conflict have discussed humanitarian issues, including refugees, Russia’s senior Catholic prelate was quoted as saying.
The Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Moscow in Russia, Paolo Pezzi, told TASS news agency that Kremlin adviser Yuri Ushakov and Cardinal Matteo Zuppi had focused on refugees on Wednesday, particularly children.
“The main element was humanitarian issues linked to refugees, including minors,” he said without elaborating.
The Vatican said on Tuesday that the main purpose of its initiative was to encourage “humanitarian gestures” that could contribute to resolving the conflict.
EU should not ‘lower the bar’ to take in Ukraine: Denmark
Denmark’s Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen says his government supports European Union membership for Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia and the western Balkans, but “geopolitical circumstances” do not justify skating over governance reforms.
The EU risks “importing instability” if it relaxes its standards on democracy and corruption to hasten the accession of Ukraine and other candidate countries, Rasmussen said in an interview with the Financial Times.
EU leaders to debate Russia mutiny, pledge support for Ukraine
European Union leaders are expected to debate the repercussions of the aborted mutiny in Russia as they pledge further support for Ukraine at a summit in Brussels.
The leaders will also talk with NATO boss Jens Stoltenberg and discuss what role the EU could play in Western commitments to bolster Ukraine’s security.
“Ever more in these circumstances, we will reassert our commitment to support Ukraine for as long as it takes, including through sustainable financial and military assistance,” Charles Michel, the president of the European Council of EU leaders, wrote in a letter inviting members to the summit.
Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said the leaders were certain to discuss Saturday’s mutiny by the Wagner mercenary group in Russia, even though it was not on the agenda.
Death toll rises to 12 in Ukraine’s Kramatorsk after Russian attack
Rescuers have pulled another body from the ruins of a restaurant in the eastern city of Kramatorsk, taking to the death toll to 12, Ukraine’s emergency services have said.
Three children were among the dead, while 60 more people were wounded, the authorities said.
Ukrainian security officials said a suspect accused of intentionally directing the Russian missiles at the popular Ria Pizza restaurant in the city centre had been arrested.
Ukrainian forces advance ‘slowly but surely’ in Bakhmut area
Ukrainian forces are advancing “slowly but surely” on the front lines in the east and southeast of the country as well as around the longstanding flashpoint of Bakhmut, senior military officials have said.
Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief General Valery Zaluzhny told Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley that his forces had “succeeded in seizing the strategic initiative”.
“Ukraine’s defence forces are proceeding with their offensive action and we have made advances. The enemy is offering strong resistance, while sustaining considerable losses,” Zaluzhny wrote on Telegram.
Since launching an anticipated counteroffensive this month, nearly 16 months into the war, Ukraine says it has reasserted control over clusters of villages in the southeast and along the flanks of Bakhmut.
Source: Aljazeera
