This is the situation as it stands on Thursday, June 8, 2023.
Fighting
- Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Ukraine of a “barbaric act” in his first public comments on the destruction of the Nova Kakhovka dam, which has caused widespread flooding.
- Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who has accused Moscow of destroying the Russian-held dam, said Russia-backed forces were failing in their efforts to evacuate residents.
- Russian troops also shot at Ukrainian rescue workers helping to evacuate residents in occupied areas of Kherson following the dam breach, according to Zelenskyy.
- Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said 30 settlements had been flooded, 10 of which were under Russian control. Nearly 6,000 people were evacuated from both sides of the Dnipro river.
- The Red Cross warned the breach of the dam would have a catastrophic effect on locating landmines in the affected region.
- Oleksiy Danilov, Secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council, said Ukraine had not launched its anticipated counteroffensive, and when it does, it would be clear to all.
- Vyacheslav Gladkov, the governor of Russia’s Belgorod region said the town of Shebekino was hit by dozens of shells from Ukraine.
- Ukrainian Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar said troops advanced from 200 to 1,100 metres (from 218 to 1,203 yards) in parts of the front around Bakhmut.
Diplomacy
- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for a “comprehensive investigation” to establish the cause of the Nova Kakhovka explosion, following separate calls with Zelenskyy and Putin. Erdogan said an inquiry could be set up to include representatives from the United Nations, Ukraine, Russia and the international community.
- France promised to send aid to Ukraine to help the country deal with the humanitarian consequences of the dam blast.
- China expressed “serious concern” over the breach of a Russian-held dam in Ukraine, saying it feared “humanitarian, economic and ecological impacts”.
- NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said he would chair a meeting on Thursday of an emergency coordination panel with Ukraine on the “outrageous destruction” of Nova Kakhovka.
- The White House said United States President Joe Biden will host Stoltenberg for talks on Monday, one month before the military alliance’s summit, and Ukraine will top the agenda.
- China’s trade with Russia in May hit $20.5bn – its highest level in a single month since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, according to official customs data.
- The European Commission began legal action against Poland over its creation of a body probing “Russian influence”, which is seen as targeting the opposition.
Weapons
- Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu ordered military contractor Almaz-Antey to accelerate the manufacture of air defence systems.
- Kyiv’s backers have trained about 54,000 Ukrainian soldiers, including more than 6,000 who make up 12 battalions that have been instructed by the US in combined arms operations.
- British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said the United Kingdom would not be deterred by “sabre-rattling” from Russia over the delivery of Western weapons to Ukraine because it was important to do the “right thing”.
