Live blog: Ukraine suffers 'catastrophic' losses, claims Putin

Tuesday, June 13, 2023

His assessment came hours after Russia asserted having captured Western armoured vehicles from Kiev's forces on the battlefield and following deadly Russian missile strikes on the Ukrainian leader's hometown.

"Their losses are approaching a level that could be described as catastrophic," Putin said during a meeting in the Kremlin with Russian journalists and bloggers covering the conflict.

"We have 10 times fewer losses than those of the armed forces of Ukraine," he noted, citing a ratio that could not be independently confirmed.

Kiev over recent days has claimed to re-capture a series of villages in its eastern Donetsk region after launching a long-awaited offensive bolstered with Western weapons and training.

Putin however conceded during the meeting in the Kremlin that Russian forces were suffering from depleting stockpiles of some military equipment, pointing in particular to attack drones and missiles.

"High-precision ammunition, communications equipment, drones etc... We have them, but unfortunately, there is not enough."

He acknowledged that authorities could have better anticipated recent cross-border attacks into Russia from Ukraine that forced Moscow to deploy artillery and fighter jets on its own territory.

"In principle, one could have assumed that the enemy would behave this way, and one could have prepared better," he said.

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1806 GMT — Ukrainians are making progress, advancing against Russian forces: Stoltenberg

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told President Joe Biden at an Oval Office meeting that Ukrainians are "making progress” with their counteroffensive, which could bolster their position when there's an opportunity to reach a diplomatic end to the war with Russia.

“The support that we are providing together for Ukraine is now making a difference on the battlefield as we speak,” Stoltenberg said.

“Because the offensive has launched, and the Ukrainians are making progress, making advances." He added: “It's still early days, but what we do know is that the more land that Ukrainians are able to liberate, the stronger hand they will have at the negotiating table.”

Biden said NATO has grown more unified during the Ukraine war and “we’re going to be building on that momentum” when the alliance holds its annual summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, on July 11 and 12.

1739 GMT — WHO concerned about water-borne disease outbreak

Potential outbreak of water-borne diseases was the "primary concern" of the World Health Organization after the destruction of the Kakhovka dam in southern Ukraine, the country head of the global health body said.

"There had so far been no reports of such outbreaks, but WHO is prepared to respond to disease outbreaks," Jarno Habicht, WHO representative in Ukraine, told a UN briefing in Geneva which he participated virtually from Istanbul.

Habicht said the WHO team is on the ground and monitoring the situation while trying to raise awareness in the community about water-borne diseases.

1715 GMT — Kiev claims counteroffensive 'gains', says 'moving forward'

Ukraine claimed its forces were moving forward, just after Russian President Vladimir Putin said the long-expected counteroffensive was failing.

"Both defensive and offensive fierce fighting is ongoing in the east and south of our nation. We have certain gains, implementing our plans, moving forward," the chief of the Ukrainian armed forces Valery Zaluzhny said on social media.

1707 GMT — Ukraine F-16 training could start in summer: Dutch minister

Western allies could start training Ukrainian pilots to fly US-made F-16 jets as soon as this summer as Kiev battles Russia's offensive, the Dutch defence minister said.

A coalition of Kiev's European backers led by the Netherlands and Denmark has said it will help teach Ukrainian flyers after the United States gave its green light in May. But they have not previously specified when they might begin training the Ukrainians to fly the jets.

Russia has said that the West would be "playing with fire" by supplying Ukraine with the jets.

"We have agreed to take the lead in the project together with Denmark, which means that we prepare together with Denmark," Dutch Defence Minister Kajsa Ollongren told AFP after meeting her British counterpart in Amsterdam.

The coalition of Kiev's western supporters would discuss the issue at a meeting this week, she said.

"Of course, we would like to start as soon as possible but we have to prepare it well so it will take some time... the ambition is as soon as possible, I hope to succeed this summer," she added.

1707 GMT — Large Ukraine atomic power plant held by Russia faces 'dangerous situation': UN

The largest nuclear power plant in Europe faces “a relatively dangerous situation” after a dam burst in Ukraine and as Ukraine's military Kiev launches a counteroffensive to retake ground occupied by Russia, the head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog said.

Rafael Mariano Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, spoke to journalists in Kiev just before leaving on a trip to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.

The plant has been in the crossfire repeatedly since Russia launched its war on Ukraine in February 2022 and seized the facility shortly after.

1617 GMT — US sending $325M package of military aid to Ukraine

The Pentagon will deliver a new package of military aid to Ukraine that totals up to $325 million and will include a wide range of rockets, missiles and other munitions aimed at bolstering the counteroffensive against Russia, the State Department said.

The aid will include missiles for what are considered critical air defence systems — the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAM) and the High-Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), as well as Stingers and Javelin missiles and more than two dozen Bradley and Stryker armoured fighting vehicles.

The aid comes as Ukraine has intensified attacks along the 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) front line, in the beginning stages of a counteroffensive to retake territory seized by the Russians.

1539 GMT — Algeria's president starts state visit to Russia

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune is starting a three-day state visit to Russia meant to strengthen relations of “friendship and cooperation” at the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin, authorities said.

The Algerian presidency said in a statement that Tebboune will attend an economic forum to be held this week in the city of St. Petersburg.

Putin’s invitation had been conveyed by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during his visit to Algiers in May last year with the aim of developing bilateral military, economic and humanitarian ties, and in other areas.

1501 GMT — Ukraine reiterates call for further weapons from Western partners

Ukraine reiterated its call for more military equipment and weapons from its European partners.

“Today, the hangars of many countries are filled with modern military equipment that is covered with dust and is not planned to be used,” Mykhailo Podolyak, Ukraine's presidential adviser, said on Twitter.

“With whom else do you plan to fight on this continent in the 21st century?”

Podolyak further said in an attempt to question why the Western countries are stockpiling military equipment. “Wouldn’t it be better to transfer as many weapons as possible directly to the battlefield and ‘pacify’ the aggressor here and now?” he argued.

1403 GMT — Türkiye sends medical aid to children's hospital in Ukraine

Türkiye's state aid agency said it delivered medical equipment to a children's hospital in war-torn Ukraine.

The Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) provided medical equipment assistance to the Rivne Regional Children's Hospital, which has recently been seeing an increase in the number of patients.

The 291-bed facility in the city of Rivne serves numerous individuals, including orphans, children from low-income families, and child victims of war.

While the hospital's Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Department was provided with five infrared heaters, the main operating room was equipped with four multi-parameter patient monitors.

1228 GMT — Russian strikes kill 11 in Zelensky's hometown

Russian missile strikes on the hometown of Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy killed 11 people, as Moscow said it had captured Western armoured vehicles from Kiev's forces.

The strikes overnight hit multiple sites and smashed into a five-storey apartment building in the central city of Kryvyi Rig, leaving smoke billowing from the housing block strewn with debris.

"During this terrible night, the enemy killed 11 civilians in the city," said Sergiy Lysak, the Dnipropetrovsk regional governor.

Officials earlier put the death toll at 10, but Lysak said that another person had been pulled dead from under the rubble.

"The search and rescue operation has been completed," he added.

1124 GMT — Putin confirms cancellation of agreement with Ukraine on Sea of Azov, Kerch Strait -RIA

Russian President Vladimir Putin has confirmed that Moscow was annulling a cooperation agreement with Ukraine on the use of the Sea of Azov and the Kerch Strait, Russian state-owned news agency RIA reported.

1122 GMT — Russia repels Ukrainian attacks in south Donetsk - Moscow

Russia's defence ministry has announced that its forces had repelled Ukrainian attacks near the villages of Makarivka, Rivnopil and Prechystivka in the southern part of the Donetsk region, state-owned news agency RIA reported.

In its daily briefing, the defence ministry also said Ukraine was continuing to mount attacks in the south Donetsk and Bakhmut areas.

Ukraine has said its forces have recaptured a number of villages from Russian forces in the southeast since starting its long-anticipated counteroffensive last week.

1048 GMT — Russia's Wagner mercenary chief says he is unsure if his men will continue fighting in Ukraine

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of Russia's Wagner mercenary group, said that he was "not sure" if Wagner would stay in Ukraine after having taken the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut after a months-long battle.

Wagner mercenaries have in the past been active in Africa and the Middle East too and still have some contracts there.

1045 GMT — Leader of Belarus says he wouldn't hesitate to use Russian nuclear weapons to repel aggression

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has said that he would not hesitate to order the use of Russian tactical nuclear weapons that are set to be deployed to Belarus if his country faces aggression.

"God forbid I have to make a decision to use those weapons today, but there would be no hesitation if we face an aggression,” Lukashenko, known for his blustery statements, said, according to the state news agency BelTA.

Earlier this year, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the planned deployment of short-range nuclear weapons to Moscow's neighbour and ally Belarus in a move widely seen as a warning to the West as it stepped up military support for Ukraine.

Putin has emphasised that Russia will retain control of them, but Lukashenko's statement contradicted that.

Russian officials had no immediate comment on Lukashenko's remarks.

1002 GMT — Russia says it arrested ex-defence industry workers suspected of spying for Ukraine

Russia's FSB security service has announced that it had arrested a group of former defence industry workers it suspects of supplying Ukraine with sensitive military information and of planning sabotage attacks.

The FSB accused the unnamed ex-workers of spying for Ukrainian military intelligence and of handing over technical documents and models used in the manufacture of weapons systems and equipment for Russia's Air Force.

It said in a statement that the same group was also involved in plans to blow up railway lines in Russia's Kursk and Belgorod regions which are used to supply Russian forces fighting in Ukraine.

The FSB said it had opened criminal cases into the ex-workers on charges of committing state treason and preparing acts of sabotage.

1001 GMT — Ukraine reports gains, says Russians 'doing everything' to hold positions

Ukraine has reported more gains in the early stages of its counteroffensive on Tuesday, but said Russian forces were "doing everything" they can to defend the territory they have occupied.

Deputy Defence Minister said Ukrainian troops had advanced 250 metres (275 yards) near the small eastern city of Bakhmut, 200 metres on the Toretsk front in east Ukraine, and 500 metres to 1 km in the direction of the port city of Berdyansk.

Maliar said Ukrainian forces had gained control of an area of up to 3 square km (1.16 square miles) but di d not say over what period.

She said late on Monday that Ukrainian forces had advanced 6.5 km and taken control of an area of 90 square km. That was still only a fraction of the 40,000 square miles that remains under Russia's occupation.

"The enemy is doing everything to hold on to the positions it has seized," Maliar wrote on the Telegram messaging app on Tuesday morning.

0902 GMT — Germany 'can't replace every tank' provided to Ukraine

Germany will not be able to immediately replace tanks that it is providing to Ukraine, the country's defence minister has said, as Russia claimed to have destroyed or captured some of them.

Defence Minister Boris Pistorius told broadcaster RTL, in an interview aired late Monday, that "we will not be able to replace every tank that is now out of action".

Berlin earlier this year started sending advanced Leopard battle tanks to Ukraine, after months of pleas from Kiev for the heavy weapons to bolster its fightback against Russia.

0854 GMT — Ukraine flood toll in Russian-held areas rises to 17

The death toll from a devastating flood in Russian-controlled territory in southern Ukraine has risen to 17, Moscow-backed officials said.

"As of this morning, 12 dead were confirmed in Gola Prystan and five in Oleshky," Andrei Alekseyenko, head of the Russia-backed government in the southern Ukrainian region of Kherson, said in a statement on social media.

0838 GMT — German Leopard tanks, US Bradleys captured in Ukraine: Russia

Moscow has said that it captured several German Leopard tanks and US Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, releasing footage showing Russian troops surveying the equipment supplied to Ukraine by Western countries.

"Leopard tanks and Bradley infantry fighting vehicles. These are our trophies. Equipment of the Ukrainian armed forces in the Zaporizhzhia region," the Russian defence ministry said in a statement.

"Servicemen of the Vostok group inspect enemy tanks and infantry fighting vehicles captured in battle."

0816 GMT — Ukraine eyes Australian F-18s to help war effort

Ukraine has asked Australia about the condition of dozens of retired F-18 fighter jets, the country's ambassador told AFP news agency, eyeing a potential weapons transfer that could significantly boost Kiev's airpower.

Vasyl Myroshnychenko said an initial request had been made about the state of an estimated 41 planes stored at an air base north of Sydney.

"There has been a request for information," Myroshnychenko said. "Ukraine is looking at fighter jet capabilities, including this one."

0720 GMT — Ukraine dam breach will sow huge problems for food security: UN's Griffiths

The United Nations has said the breach of the huge Soviet-era dam on the Dnipro river in Ukraine will have a huge impact on global food security, lead to a rise in food prices and could cause drinking water problems for hundreds of thousands.

UN aid chief Martin Griffiths told the BBC that the impact on food security could be significant.

"This is a breadbasket - that whole area going down towards the Black Sea and Crimea is a breadbasket not only for Ukraine but also for the world," Griffiths told the BBC.

"We're in difficulties already on food security but food prices, I'm sure, are bound to increase."

0545 GMT — Ukraine shells villages in Russia's Kursk region: governor

Ukraine's early morning shelling damaged several houses and disrupted gas and electricity supply to two villages in Russia's Kursk region near the border with Ukraine, the region's governor said.

Nine houses were damaged and gas and power supplies disrupted in the village of Tyorkino, governor Roman Starovoyt said on the Telegram messaging app. Two houses caught fire.

In the village of Glushkovo several houses were damaged, he added.

There was no immediate information on any casualties. TRT World could not independently verify the report.

0530 GMT - Ukraine says seven villages retaken in 'tough' offensive

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said it had retaken seven villages and made small gains in a "tough" counter-offensive against Russian forces that France said could last months.

"The fighting is tough, but we are moving forward, this is very important," he said in a daily evening address.

"I thank our guys for every Ukrainian flag that is now returning to its rightful place in villages on the newly de-occupied territory," he said.

The Ukrainian defence ministry meanwhile said its forces had advanced "250 to 700 metres" in the direction of the flashpoint eastern city of Bakhmut.

Russia said earlier Monday that it repelled Ukrainian attacks in the same area in the Donetsk region near Velyka Novosilka.

It also said it fought off Ukrainian attacks around the village of Levadne in Zaporizhzhia region.

0500 GMT - Flood death toll rises

In southern Ukraine, two more civilian bodies were found drowned in the heavily flooded city of Kherson, raising the death toll to 10 on the Ukrainian-controlled side of the Dnipro river after the Kakhovka dam was breached.

Officials warned dozens were still missing.

"Currently, we know about 10 dead in Kherson and the region," Ukrainian Interior Minister Igor Klymenko said on Telegram. "We are also reporting 41 people as missing."

The governor of the Kherson region said two bodies — one a woman and the other a man — were found on Monday in the regional capital.

A day earlier, Oleksandr Prokudin said three people were killed as Russia shelled a rescue boat evacuating people after the devastating floods.

For our live updates from Monday (June 12), click here.