As the war enters its 464th day, here are the key developments.
This is the state of affairs on Friday, June 2, 2023.
To fight
- Ukrainian officials said at least three people, including a girl and her mother, were killed in a Russian missile strike on Kiev.
- The governor of Russia’s Belgorod region said alleged Ukrainian shelling of the city of Shebekino injured nine people and damaged buildings. Belgorod borders the Ukrainian region of Kharkiv.
- Russia’s defense ministry said it repelled three cross-border attacks near the city, accusing Ukraine of using what it said were “terrorist formations”. Ukraine denies that its army is involved in the raids.
- The Russian Volunteer Corps (RVC), an ethnic Russian far-right paramilitary group that supports Ukraine, posted images on social media of fighters firing weapons and said a “second phase” of raids had begun.
- The Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a Washington DC-based think tank, said Russian military commanders likely directed Chechen fighters to take the lead in fighting in the war in Ukraine.
- In a new video, Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin condemned the Russian army’s “clowns” and said his mercenaries would take a month’s rest after leaving Bakhmut on June 5.
- Russian investigators said they were looking for a third suspect in the April murder of popular pro-war blogger Vladlen Tatarsky in an explosion at a St Petersburg cafe.
Diplomacy
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reiterated his call for his country to join NATO and the European Union at a meeting in Moldova, but the security alliance remained divided.
- Zelensky said he had discussed Ukraine’s peace plan with Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission
- NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance was looking at ways to strengthen Ukraine’s non-member status in the alliance and preparing a framework for security commitments after the end of the war.
- US President Joe Biden said he is confident Sweden will join NATO “as soon as possible”, despite Turkey and Hungary continuing to block the country’s membership.
- Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva echoed his country’s criticism of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, but said he was trying to remain neutral in order to broker potential peace talks.
- Ukraine’s Ministry of Renovation and Infrastructure said the deal for the export of Black Sea grain had been halted again because Russia blocked the registration of ships in all Ukrainian ports.
- A spokesman for the United Nations said Russia has informed officials overseeing the Black Sea grain deal that it would limit the registration of ships in the port of Pivdennyi in Ukraine’s Odessa province until all parties agreed to stop the transit of Russian to unblock ammonia. Spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the situation was “very serious”.
- A BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) meeting of foreign ministers in South Africa was overshadowed by questions over whether Russian President Vladimir Putin will be arrested if he tops the bloc in attend August.
- Canada’s State Department has announced sanctions against Moldovan oligarchs, businessmen and politicians for their connections to Russia and to prevent alleged Russian destabilization efforts in the region.
- The US Department of Defense said in a statement that it would buy Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite communications service for Ukraine.
Weapons
- Zelenskyy called for European leaders for a “coalition” of Patriot air defense systems and modern fighter jets in a speech to other European leaders. He said they would be “decisive components” in the war.
- The Netherlands wants to buy dozens more Leopard 1 tanks for Ukraine, the Dutch news agency ANP reports based on sources.