“Large quantities of weapons and military equipment from the United States and European countries handed over to the Ukrainian group in Donbas were destroyed,” Russia said in a military statement on Wednesday. He also claimed to have destroyed an air-based radar station in the Lysychansk region of the self-proclaimed “Luhansk People’s Republic”, a pro-Russian separatist region, as well as a Buk-M1 anti-aircraft missile system and ammunition depots. Russia claims to have killed 300 Ukrainian soldiers as a result of airstrikes and the destruction of tanks and other armored vehicles. CNBC was unable to verify the information and each side usually tended to exaggerate its own “victories” in the conflict and downplay (and completely ignore) those of its opponent. Russia has previously said it considers foreign weapons sent to Ukraine by its Western allies as legitimate targets. Ukraine continues to demand more heavy weapons in order to be able to fight Russia. – Holly Eliat
Deadline for surrender expires with fighters showing no signs of capitulation
Ukrainian fighters at the Azot chemical plant in Severodonetsk showed no signs of receiving Russian orders to surrender and lay down their arms Wednesday morning. Russia’s Defense Ministry issued a statement on Tuesday urging Ukrainian forces inside the extensive plant to stop what it described as “horse resistance” and surrender by 8 a.m. Moscow time (5 am London time). Before the war: See what the Azot chemical plant looked like in 2021 in Severodonetsk, Ukraine. Hundreds of civilians are believed to have taken refuge here as the battle for Sheverodonetsk intensifies. Gaelle Girbes | Getty Images News Getty Images The ministry said it would open a humanitarian corridor for civilians who are also sheltered inside the plant (estimated at about 500) to leave on Wednesday, although Russian-backed separatists claimed the corridor had been cut off by Ukraine. . This morning, the mayor of Severodonetsk Oleksandr Stryuk said that the Russians are trying to invade the city from many directions and that while the logistics were “complicated”, there are still ways to access the city. He said the Ukrainian army was still in control of the industrial zone and that “measures are being taken to remove the enemy from the city center”, according to a Facebook post. About 10,000 people remained in the city, he said, and the humanitarian situation was “critical”. – Holly Eliat
Ukraine should have talks with Russia “at some point,” says Frenchman Macron
French President Emmanuel Macron has said that Ukraine should hold talks with Russia in order to end the war. “The Ukrainian president and his officials will have to negotiate with Russia,” Macron told Reuters during a visit to Romania and Moldova on Wednesday, adding that such talks should take place “at some point.” Macron tried to express a tougher line for Russia in view of a possible visit to Ukraine. Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images
“It is becoming increasingly difficult” to defend Severodonetsk, admits official
Serhiy Haidai, the head of the Luhansk regional administration, who has become a vocal figure in the midst of heavy fighting in the Donbas region, said it was “becoming increasingly difficult” to hold Severodonetsk. He added that Ukrainian fighters had done their best in the city, which is now believed to be 80% controlled by Russian forces. Fighting continues in Sheverodonetsk, Toskivka and near Vruvivka, Haidai said in his latest briefing on Wednesday, adding that “there are many wounded”. “It is becoming more and more difficult, but our army is holding the enemy from three sides at the same time,” he said. “They are defending Severodonetsk and are not allowed to proceed to Lysychansk,” he said, a neighboring town across the Siverskiy Donets River from Severodonetsk. “However, the Russians are close, the population is suffering and the houses are being destroyed,” Haidai said. The Ukrainian official said the Russians continued to target the Azot chemical plant, which is believed to house hundreds of soldiers and civilians. —Holly Eliat
Fighters at Azot chemical plant in Severodonetsk an obstacle for Russia
After more than a month of heavy fighting, Russian forces now control the majority of Sheverodonetsk, the UK Department of Defense said in its latest intelligence briefing on Wednesday. The ministry noted that Russia’s civil war tactics, which rely on heavy artillery use, have caused extensive collateral damage throughout the city, reminiscent of Mariupol, the southern port city that was also heavily attacked by Russia earlier in the invasion. Smoke rises after a military strike on a compound of the Sievierodonetsk Azot chemical plant in the midst of a Russian attack on Ukraine in the city of Lysychansk in the Luhansk region of Ukraine on June 10, 2022. Oleksandr Ratushniak | Reuters The ministry noted that elements of the Ukrainian armed forces, along with several hundred civilians, are sheltered in underground warehouses at the Azot Chemical Plant, in the industrial zone of the city. “Russian forces are likely to stabilize in and around the Nitrogen, while Ukrainian fighters can survive underground. This will probably temporarily prevent Russia from reassigning these units for missions elsewhere,” he said. Russia’s Defense Ministry said on Tuesday it would open a “humanitarian corridor” to allow the Azot plant to be evacuated and called on Ukrainian fighters there to lay down their arms. A pro-Russian separatist military official has told fighters remaining in Sheverodonetsk – which has now been cut off after the city’s three bridges were destroyed – that they must “surrender or die”. The United Kingdom added that it was highly unlikely that Russia would expect such a strong opposition or such a slow, destructive conflict in its initial planning for the invasion. – Holly Eliat
Ukraine says “postponement” over arms demand “cannot be justified”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attends a joint statement with European Commission President Ursula as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues, in Kyiv, Ukraine, on June 11, 2022. Valentyn Ogirenko | Reuters Ukraine’s patience for the lack of long-range weapons seems to have been exhausted, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy begging again this week for more such weapons. In his speech Tuesday night, Zelensky said that while Ukraine’s air defenses had managed to “cut off the wings” of some Russian missiles aimed at the country, others had caused more deaths and damage in the western Lviv and Ternopil regions. “And we continue to tell our partners that Ukraine needs modern anti-missile weapons,” Zelensky said. “Our country does not have enough [these] still, but in our country and right now Europe has the greatest need for such weapons. “Procrastination with its provision can not be justified,” said Zelensky, addressing his nation at the end of the 111th day of the war. Ukrainian forces are battling a fierce attack by Russian forces in eastern Ukraine with 80% of the main city of Sheverodonetsk now controlled by the occupiers. Zelensky has repeatedly called on Ukraine to receive more long-range weapons from its Western allies, as well as tanks, drones and armored vehicles. – Holly Eliat
Russia controls about 80% of disputed city of Sheverodonetsk in eastern Ukraine
Smoke rises during bombings in the eastern Ukrainian city of Severodonetsk on May 21, 2022. Russian troops control about 80% of Severodonetsk, the last city now partly in Ukraine in Luhansk, and have destroyed three bridges leading out of it. the Associated Press reported, citing an official. Aris Messini Afp | Getty Images Russian troops control about 80 percent of Sheverodonetsk and have destroyed all three bridges leading out of the last Ukrainian-occupied city of Luhansk, according to the Associated Press, citing the Luhansk governor. “Ukrainian forces have been repulsed on the industrial outskirts of the city because of the” scorched earth method and heavy artillery used by the Russians, “the AP reported, citing Governor Serhiy Haidai. Haidai said a mass evacuation of civilians was now “simply not possible” due to persistent bombing and fighting. However, he added that there was still a chance for civilians to leave the city, as Russian troops had not yet completely cordoned off the city. “There is still an opportunity to evacuate the wounded, contact the Ukrainian army and locals,” he told the AP. Out of a pre-war population of 100,000, only 12,000 remain in Severodonetsk, the news agency reported. More than 500 people are being sheltered at the Azot chemical plant, which is being attacked by Russian troops, Haidai said. The Russian Defense Ministry said it would open a “humanitarian corridor” on Wednesday to allow Ukrainian civilians sheltered at the plant to leave the compound. – Chelsea Ong
Russia’s ability to finance war and defense industry is still strong, says sanctions expert
Locals look at the Russian military tank destroyed during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, in the village of Sloboda, Chernihiv region, Ukraine, May 08, 2022 (Photo by Maxym Marusenko / NurPhoto via Getty Images) Nurphoto | Nurphoto | Getty Images Coordinated global sanctions may not directly affect the Kremlin’s ability to finance its defense industry base or its ongoing war in Ukraine, said Russian economist Richard Connolly. “The Russian state’s capacity to fund the war and its military remains quite strong,” said Connolly, director of the Eastern Advisory Group and a partner at the Center for Russia, Europe and Eurasia.
