- Russia-Ukraine Daily News
- Posts
- Daily Briefing
Dear Reader, if you find this email interesting, helpful or of value, please do consider forwarding it to your friends or colleagues and encouraging them to subscribe. Thank you.
Morning Headlines
AFP: A strike has damaged a bridge linking the annexed Crimean peninsula to a region of southern Ukraine partially occupied by Russia, a Russian official said on Thursday.
Reuters: Russia could shut off one of the last arteries carrying Russian gas to Europe by the end of next year when Ukraine's supply contract with Gazprom expires, the Financial Times said on Thursday, citing an interview with Ukraine energy minister German Galushchenko.
BBC News: One of Europe's largest reservoirs is drying up after the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam in southern Ukraine. Satellite images, analysed by BBC Verify, show four canal networks have become disconnected from the reservoir.
ISW: The overall slower than expected pace of Ukrainian counteroffensive operations is not emblematic of Ukraine’s wider offensive potential, and Ukrainian forces are likely successfully setting conditions for a future main effort despite initial setbacks.
UK Ministry of Defence: On 20 June 2023, Russia’s Duma voted to create a parliamentary committee to investigate alleged crimes committed by the Ukrainian government against juveniles in the Donbas since 2014. The move is highly likely both a form of ‘lawfare’ and contributes to Russian information operations, weaponising legislation by attempting to muddy the narrative around its own egregious actions.
WSJ: India is set to buy state-of-the-art U.S. drones and jointly produce jet-fighter engines in a multibillion-dollar deal designed to wean New Delhi off arms purchases from Russia.
More News
Yahoo News: It's hardly a blitzkrieg, and the bulk of the forces have yet to be committed, but Ukraine is recapturing settlement after settlement in the south.
Reuters: Russia-aligned hackers could seek to disrupt Canada's powerful oil and natural gas sector, especially since Ottawa is a strong backer of Ukraine, a Canadian spy agency said on Wednesday.
AFP: The chief of mercenary group Wagner on Wednesday accused Moscow's top brass of deceiving Russians about the course of Ukraine's offensive and pointed to Kyiv's progress on the battlefield.
Bloomberg: Belgian Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib faced calls to step down Wednesday as she was quizzed by lawmakers on her decision to grant visas to Iranian and Russian officials.
European Commission proposes to set up a dedicated Facility to support Ukraine's recovery, reconstruction and modernisation.
German government: The new assistance package for Ukraine includes 155mm high-precision guided projectiles and a thousand 155mm artillery shells, two MAN HX81 8x8 wheeled trucks with trailers, and six border patrol vehicles. In addition, an unspecified quantity of Patriot surface-to-air missile system rockets has been announced for delivery.
POLITICO: EU ambassadors Wednesday agreed on an 11th sanctions package against Russia, the Swedish Presidency of the Council of the EU said, making it possible for the first time to punish third countries that help Moscow evade trade restrictions.
POLITICO: In Russia's southern Chechyna region, people suspected of being LGBTQ+ face shakedowns, torture, or being ‘volunteered’ to fight in Ukraine, rights groups say. Salman Mukayev, a 40-year-old shopkeeper, was one of them. This is his story.
AFP: Moscow labelled Wednesday the World Wildlife Fund an "undesirable" organisation, a designation that criminalises its work and puts staff at risk of prosecution, saying the conservation group threatens Russia's economic security.
AFP: Western allies on Wednesday promised to make Russia pay for its invasion of Ukraine, as governments and private investors met to fund the country's reconstruction from the ravages of war.
CNN: More than 400 global companies pledged support Wednesday for rebuilding the war-torn economy at the Ukraine Recovery Conference in London, according to a statement from UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s office.
Bloomberg: The UK’s top court ruled that a program that encouraged investments in Russian companies in exchange for UK golden visas did not comply with immigration rules.
Reuters: A United Nations official said on Wednesday that the mines dislodged by the flood waters from Kakhovka dam in Ukraine could float downstream and reach as far as Black Sea beaches.
BBC News: President Volodymyr Zelensky has acknowledged battlefield progress has been "slower than desired", weeks into Ukraine's military offensive to recapture areas occupied by Russia. "Some people believe this is a Hollywood movie and expect results now. It's not," he told the BBC. "What's at stake is people's lives."
Bloomberg: The EU has assessed that it can’t legally confiscate outright frozen Russian assets and instead is focusing on using those assets temporarily, according to a document obtained by Bloomberg.
Bloomberg: Secretary of State Antony Blinken pledged an additional $1.3 billion in assistance to help Ukraine rebuild following the Russian invasion.
AFP: The toll from flooding sparked by a breach of a huge Ukrainian dam has risen to 41 in areas under Russian control, an official said Wednesday.
Reuters: Ukrainian forces are digging in and attacking on the southern front after having "partial success" in the last day, and are weathering a big Russian assault in the east, a senior defence official said on Wednesday.
Reuters: Russian air defences downed three drones in the Moscow region on Wednesday, the Defence Ministry said, in what it called an attempted Ukrainian attack.
worth mentioning
France targets Russian and Wagner disinformation in Africa
German arms dealer blocked from selling Swiss weapons
The Treacherous Path to a Better Russia. Ukraine’s future and Putin’s fate.
Russa-Ukraine Daily Briefing is sent 5 days a week. Do you think your friend or colleague should know about this newsletter? Forward it to them, please. They can also sign up here