Live blog: Moscow strikes kill 'huge' number of Wagner forces — chief

Friday, June 23, 2023

The chief of the Russian mercenary group Wagner has accused Moscow's military leadership of ordering strikes on their camps and killing a "huge" number of forces.

"We were ready to make concessions to the defence ministry, surrender our weapons," Yevgeny Prigozhin said in a furious audio message released by his spokespeople.

"Today, seeing that we have not been broken, they conducted missile strikes at our rear camps."

Prigozhin vows to 'stop' Russian military leadership.

"The council of commanders of PMC Wagner has made a decision -- the evil that the military leadership of the country brings must be stopped," Yevgeny Prigozhin said in an audio message released by his spokespeople, urging Russians to remain calm.

Russian defence ministry denied the accusation of strikes on Wagner forces.

More updates👇

1733 GMT — Ukraine warns against 'panic' after alleged nuclear threat

Kiev has urged Ukrainians not to panic or stockpile iodine tablets after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy alleged that Russia planned to organise a radiation leak at an occupied nuclear plant.

Zelenskyy said this week that Russian forces controlling Zaporizhzhia - Europe's biggest nuclear plant - were planning a "terror attack" by orchestrating a radiation leak.

The Kremlin said it was a "lie" but the president's warning put many Ukrainians on alert and sent demand for iodine at many pharmacies skyrocketing.

"Read and share but don't panic! Don't play the enemy's game. President Zelenskyy said nothing new," the Ukrainian health ministry said late Thursday.

1716 GMT — UN urges removal of obstacles for continuation of Black Sea grain deal

Speaking at a Security Council meeting on Ukraine, Rosemary DiCarlo, UN Undersecretary General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, recalled the Black Sea Initiative has enabled the safe transportation of over 32 million metric tons of foodstuffs.

"We urge all obstacles to be removed to ensure the continuation of this agreement," said DiCarlo. She voiced disappointment about the slowing pace of the implementation of the Initiative.

"Food exports through the maritime humanitarian corridor have dropped from a peak of 4.2 million metric tonnes in October to 1.3 million metric tonnes in May, the lowest volume since the Initiative began," she noted.

1648 GMT — EU fund that bankrolls Ukraine arms to get $3.81B boost

European Union foreign ministers will approve a boost of $3.81 billion to a military aid fund used to bankroll weapons and ammunition for Ukraine, officials said.

The ministers are expected to raise the financial ceiling on the European Peace Facility (EPF) - a fund that has already allocated some 5.6 billion euros ($6.1 billion) in military aid for Ukraine - at a meeting in Luxembourg on Monday.

However, Hungary continues to block the allocation of another 500 million euro ($544 million) tranche of the fund for Ukraine, according to officials.

Budapest has said it will not lift its block until Kiev removes Hungarian bank OTP from a list of companies it deems "international sponsors" of Russia's war in Ukraine. Hungary has branded the bank's inclusion "scandalous".

1615 GMT — Zelenskyy orders audit of heads of military draft offices in regions

Zelenskyy has ordered the creation of a special commission to carry out an audit of heads of military draft offices in regions across Ukraine.

After meeting his top military commanders, Zelenskyy said the commission would be headed by General Oleksandr Pavliuk, who is first deputy defence minister.

The decision follows Ukrainian media reports of corruption allegations against the head of a draft office.

Zelenskyy said he had ordered the urgent dismissal of the head of a draft office whose family was reported by the Ukrainska Pravda media outlet to own property and cars worth millions of dollars in Spain.

1603 GMT — Russia-held bridge 'unusable for movement' after Ukraine strike: pro-Kremlin official

A Russian-held bridge that connects southern Ukraine to the annexed Crimean peninsula has been badly damaged and is "unusable" at present, a Moscow-backed official said.

"It is unusable for movement," said Vladimir Saldo, pro-Russian governor of the southern Ukrainian region of Kherson, adding that the Chongar bridge would be closed to traffic for around 20 days

"The bridge sustained more damage than we initially thought," Saldo said in televised remarks, adding repairs were underway.

1540 GMT — Top Biden aide to Denmark for international talks on Ukraine

US President Joe Biden's national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, is travelling to Denmark this weekend to participate in a meeting about Ukraine which may include some countries that have refused to condemn the Russian military offensive against its neighbour.

The talks in Copenhagen are being organized by Ukraine "to discuss basic principles of peace," a US official said.

India, South Africa and Brazil were among the countries invited but it was unclear yet whether they were attending, a source familiar with the matter said.

1508 GMT — Bodies of 51 fallen soldiers handed over by Russia: Ukraine

Ukraine received the bodies of 51 fallen soldiers from regions under Russian control, the country's Commissioner for Missing Persons Oleh Kotenko said.

He said the bodies were returned with the help of government agencies, including the Security Service of Ukraine, and the Central Security Service of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

“The process of returning the bodies continues in accordance with the norms of the Geneva Convention,” Kotenko added.

1500 GMT — Ukraine rebuffs Obama's comments on Russia's annexation of Crimea

Ukraine's presidential adviser, Mykhailo Podolyak, rebuffed comments by former US President Barack Obama on Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea during an interview with CNN.

"If Mr. @BarackObama publicly states that #Russia's annexation of #Crimea in 2014... was 'legal and justified,' then we should not be surprised that today there is a full-scale Russian aggression in Europe and a large-scale war of aggression that is taking hundreds of thousands of lives," Mykhailo Podolyak said on Twitter.

Podolyak also argued it should come as no surprise that international law "practically does not exist" based on Obama's statements, further claiming that the current Russian government is "a blatant reflection of a specific pre-war 'Western policy'."

"Maybe it's time to start admitting critical mistakes instead of coming up with new excuses?" Podolyak concluded.

1355 GMT — Ukraine's president tells other countries to act before Russia attacks nuclear plant

Ukraine wants other countries to heed its warning that Russia may be planning to attack an occupied nuclear power plant to cause a radiation disaster, Zelenskyy said.

Members of his government briefed international representatives on Thursday on the possible threat to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. In his nightly address, Zelenskyy said he expected other nations to “give appropriate signals and exert pressure” on Moscow.

“Our principle is simple: The world must know what the occupier is preparing. Everyone who knows must act,” Zelenskyy said. “The world has enough power to prevent any radiation incidents, let alone a radiation catastrophe.”

1338 GMT — Ukraine to bring officials to justice over bomb shelter deaths - Zelenskyy

Ukraine's top security body decided to bring officials to justice over the deaths of three people who were locked out of a bomb shelter during a Russian missile strike, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

There would be personnel changes following an inquest into the state of Ukraine's bomb shelters, Zelenskyy said.

The investigation was launched after the deaths of three people who were locked out of a bomb shelter in Kiev during a Russian missile strike.

"There will be personnel decisions," Zelenskyy said in a statement, without saying who the changes would affect.

1308 GMT — Russia calls EU's 11th sanctions package 'illegitimate'

Russia said the EU's 11th sanctions package against Moscow over its war on Ukraine was “illegitimate” and undermined "international legal prerogatives of the UN Security Council.”

The Foreign Ministry in a statement said the move was an "unfriendly action" and Moscow had also expanded its list of EU officials and representatives who are prohibited from entering the country.

“We are talking about representatives of law enforcement agencies, state and commercial organizations of EU countries, citizens of EU member states involved in providing military assistance to the neo-Nazi regime in Kiev … representatives of European structures responsible for imposing sanctions against our country and trying to undermine Russia's relations with other states,” the statement said.

It added that restrictions were also extended to EU parliamentarians who are "promoting a confrontational agenda with Russia."

"Any unfriendly actions by Western countries will continue to receive a timely and adequate response," the ministry said.

1250 GMT — Ukraine says counteroffensive hindered by slow supply of weapons

A Ukrainian presidential adviser said the progress in its long-awaited counteroffensive against Russia was hindered by a slow supply of weapons by its Western partners.

"Time is always important ... especially in war. The time lost in convincing our partners to provide the necessary weapons is reflected in the specific Russian fortifications built during this period, the deeply dug defence line, and the system of minefields," Mykhailo Podolyak said on Twitter.

Podolyak said offensives on the front line continue “in a number of areas,” but added that breaking the Russian lines requires “a reasonable and balanced approach.”

1100 GMT — Russian offensives in Donetsk, Kharkiv repelled - Ukraine

Ukraine has claimed that its forces repelled Russian offensives in the direction of the cities of Kupiansk and Lyman in the Kharkiv and Donetsk regions, respectively.

“In the Kupiansk and Lyman directions, our defence forces stopped the enemy's offensive,” Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said in a statement on Telegram.

In an earlier statement, Maliar said that Ukrainian forces continued to deter Russian advances in the directions of Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka, and Marinka in the Donetsk region.

Maliar further claimed that fierce clashes were taking place in the direction of Lyman, particularly in the districts of Dibrova, Serebryansk, and Hryhorivka.

1100 GMT — Ukraine warns against 'panic' after alleged nuclear threat

Kiev has urged Ukrainians not to panic or stockpile iodine tablets after Zelenskyy alleged that Russia had prepared a radiation leak at an occupied nuclear plant.

Zelenskyy said this week that Russian forces controlling Zaporizhzhia - Europe's biggest nuclear plant - were planning a "terror attack" by orchestrating a radiation leak.

The Kremlin said it was a "lie" but the president's warning put many Ukrainians on alert with demand for iodine at many pharmacies skyrocketing.

1030 GMT — Ukraine says its offensive operations are meant to shape battlefield

Offensive operations launched by Kiev against occupying Russian forces are designed to shape the battlefield, a senior Ukrainian presidential official said.

Presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak also said Ukraine's armed forces were continuing attacks in a number of areas, despite Russia depicting a long-anticipated Ukrainian counteroffensive as failing and entering a lull. "The counteroffensive is not a new season of a Netflix show. There is no need to expect action and buy popcorn," Podolyak wrote on Twitter.

Ukraine has reported recapturing eight villages in the south in the last two weeks. Though small, the advances are the biggest by its forces since November as they push into heavily fortified and mined Russian-held areas.

0930 GMT — Wagner chief: Russia 'retreating' from Ukraine attacks

Moscow's forces are retreating in Ukraine's east and south following Kiev's counteroffensive, the head of Russia's Wagner mercenary group has said.

"On the ground now ... the Russian army is retreating on the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson fronts. The Armed Forces of Ukraine are pushing back the Russian army," Yevgeny Prigozhin said on social media.

The Kremlin last year claimed to have annexed the southern Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions despite not fully controlling them, and Ukraine has posted limited gains recently.

"We are washing ourselves in blood. No one is bringing reserves. What they tell us is the deepest deception," Prigozhin added, referring to the Russian military and political leadership.

0800 GMT — Ukraine stops Russian attack in east - defence official

Ukraine's armed forces have halted a Russian offensive towards the cities of Kupiansk and Lyman in the east of the country, and are advancing in the south, a senior Ukrainian defence official said.

"We had very fierce battles in the Kupiansk and Lyman directions, but our soldiers stopped the enemy there," Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar told Ukrainian television.

Ukraine is in the early stages of its most ambitious counterattack since Russia's full-scale incursion in February 2022 and says it has retaken eight villages, its first substantial gains on the battlefield for seven months.

But Russia still holds swathes of territory in eastern and southern Ukraine, and Ukrainian forces have yet to push to the main defensive lines that Russia has had months to prepare.

0630 GMT — Russia says it detained Caesium smugglers working for a Ukrainian citizen

Russia's FSB security service said it had detained five people who were trying to buy 1 kg of radioactive Caesium-137 for $3.5 million on behalf of a citizen of Ukraine, the TASS news agency reported.

The FSB was cited as saying that the Caesium-137 was meant to be taken out of Russia to be used to stage an incident with purported weapons of mass destruction aimed at discrediting Russia.

Reuters could not independently confirm the assertions and there was no immediate comment from Ukraine.

0621 GMT — Ukraine's Naftogaz takes legal action in US against Russia over Crimea compensation

Ukrainian state-owned energy company Naftogaz said it had taken legal action in the United States against Russia to recover $5 billion awarded in the Hague as compensation for damages and lost property in Crimea.

It said it had filed a motion in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, and that it had the right to do so as the US is among countries hosting Russian assets.

Naftogaz's assets in Crimea included Chornomornaftogaz, which produced significant amounts of gas from the Black Sea.

0615 GMT — One killed in Zaporizhzhia shelling

One person was killed and one injured as Ukrainian forces shelled a road in the southern Zaporizhzhia region of Ukraine which Russia now considers part of its own territory, TASS cited emergency services as saying.

The incident took place near the village of Novohorivka, it said.

0520 GMT — US receives request from Denmark to support F-16 training for Ukrainians: Pentagon

The Pentagon said that it received a request from Denmark to assist with training Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets.

Speaking at a press briefing, spokesperson Pat Ryder said it was a topic of discussion last week at the Ukraine Defense Contact Group and the Netherlands and Denmark are in the lead in developing the training program for Ukrainian F-16 pilots.

"We have received a request from Denmark to support F-16 training, which would be expected. That is currently under review," Ryder told reporters.

The training is expected to take place before the end of the year "somewhere in Europe," said the spokesperson. "The United States will work closely with our allies to implement that training.”

0420 GMT — Ukraine deflects Russian missile attack on military airfield

Ukrainian air defences have downed 13 Russian cruise missiles in the early hours of Friday that were headed towards a military airfield in the western Khmelnitskyi region, Ukraine's Air Force said in a statement.

The missiles had been launched by Russian strategic bombers from the Caspian Sea area, it said.

0220 GMT — Blinken, Guterres hold talks on Russia's statements to not renew Ukraine grain deal

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres discussed Russia's recent statements on not renewing the Türkiye-brokered grain deal, said the State Department.

"Blinken spoke with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres regarding Russia’s statements to not renew the Black Sea Grain Initiative (BSGI) by the July 17 deadline," said spokesperson Matthew Miller in a statement.

The two men also agreed on the importance of the grain deal to global food security and on the adverse impact its suspension would have on food importers, especially in developing countries.

2340 GMT — Air raid alerts in effect throughout Ukraine

Air raid alerts were in effect throughout Ukraine early on Friday, the military said, with warnings of Russian missile and drone attacks issued over wide areas.

Telegram channels reported explosions in several regions, from Lviv in the west, far from the front lines, to Kherson in the south.

There were no immediate reports of strikes or casualties.

Moscow's forces are retreating in Ukraine's east and south following Kiev's counteroffensive, the head of Russia's Wagner mercenary group said Friday.

2000 GMT — Russia hiding bodies of dam breach victims: Zelenskyy

Russia has formed special groups to collect and hide bodies of people killed in the aftermath of the breach this month of the Kakhovka dam in southern Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said.

"The Russian evil has formed special groups there to remove and, obviously, hide the victims' bodies," Zelenskyy said in his fresh video address.

Zelenskyy described the situation in Russian-occupied parts of the region as "catastrophic to put it mildly".

For our live updates from Thursday (June 22), click here.