► Ten civilians, including two priests, detained in Russia, have returned to Ukraine
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Friday June 28 the release and return to Ukraine of ten civilians, including two priests and a local official, who were detained by Russia.
War in Ukraine, day 855: what to remember from Thursday June 27
“We managed to bring back ten more of our citizens from Russian captivity”he wrote on social media, adding that they had been “released and have now returned to Ukraine”. Russia and Ukraine regularly exchange captured soldiers, but the return of civilians is rare.
► Seven civilians killed in Russian strikes in Ukraine
Four civilians were killed in a Russian bombing of the small town of New York in eastern Ukraine. The town of New York and its neighbor Toretsk, located on the front line, have been subject to intense bombardments since mid-June by the Russians seeking to advance in the Donetsk region (east).
Peace Conference: A Mixed Success for Ukraine
In the Kharkiv region in northeastern Ukraine, where the Russian army launched a major ground assault in May, Russian artillery fire caused the death of a 56-year-old woman in the morning. years in a border village, declared the Ministry of the Interior.
In the Kherson region (south), a man was killed by an airstrike “kamikaze drones” and another died as a result of a “massive bombing” from the village of Novooleksandrivka, according to the regional governor.
► Putin wants to resume production of previously banned missiles
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia should begin producing short- and medium-range missiles, previously banned under a treaty with the United States that is no longer in force.
Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un, “strategic partners” facing the West
“It looks like we have to start producing these strike systems.”the Russian president said during a meeting with senior security officials, referring to missiles with a range of 500 to 5,500 kilometers, which were subject to controls under a Cold War-era agreement.
Washington withdrew from this Treaty on Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) in 2019, citing its non-compliance by Moscow. Russia then assured that it would observe a moratorium on the production of such devices if the Americans did not deploy them at a distance that would allow them to reach its territory.
► Zelensky working on peace plan
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he is working on a new plan to end the war in Ukraine, while continuing to build up his military presence to force Russia to accept a “just peace”.
“It is very important for us to show a plan to end the war that is supported by the majority (of countries) in the world, that’s what we are doing diplomatically”he explained during a press conference in kyiv, alongside his Slovenian counterpart Natasha Pirc Musar. “We do not want to prolong this war and we must achieve a just peace as quickly as possible”he added.
War in Ukraine: Paying to avoid being mobilized, the idea that is shaking the country
But Volodymyr Zelensky also insisted that his country must at the same time strengthen its military industry, because “Russia only understands strength, and respects only the strong” . “These are two things in parallel: being strong on the battlefield, and developing a plan, a clear and detailed plan, which will be ready this year.”he insisted.
► The Kremlin criticizes the appointments of von der Leyen and Kallas
The reappointment of the German Ursula von der Leyen as head of the European Commission and the appointment of the Estonian Kaja Kallas as head of European diplomacy are “bad” for relations with Moscow, the Kremlin said on Friday, June 28.
Ursula von der Leyen “is not in favor of normalizing relations between the European Union and Russia”while Kaja Kallas is ” known “ for his statements “Russophobes”Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. “The prospects for relations between Moscow and Brussels are therefore poor”he added.
► Risk of “direct confrontation” Russia-NATO because of American drones
US military drone flights in the Black Sea increase “the risk of direct confrontation” between Russia and NATO, denounced the Russian Ministry of Defense, promising to prepare a response, in the midst of the Ukrainian conflict.
“These flights increase the likelihood of incidents in the airspace with aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces, which increases the risk of a direct confrontation between the Alliance and the Russian Federation”the ministry said in a statement, saying the U.S. drones were used “reconnaissance and target designation for precision weapons supplied to the Ukrainian armed forces” by Westerners.
► Improved ammunition supply to Ukraine
After months of acute shortage, deliveries of Western ammunition, especially artillery shells, are accelerating to the front in Ukraine where supplies have improved significantly in recent weeks, several sources in the Ukrainian army said .
“It’s been getting better for about a month now and it’s continuing to improve, at least as far as the 155-millimeter artillery shells are concerned.”a Ukrainian sergeant with the nom de guerre Lountik told AFP.
If in the first quarter, ammunition in his unit was strictly rationed to “six shells per gun per 24 hours”today the limit has been raised to “up to 40 per day”the military man explained.
► Russia: Oil depot on fire after drone attack
An oil depot was on fire Friday morning in the Russian region of Tambov, several hundred kilometers from the border with Ukraine, following an attack by a Ukrainian drone, said regional governor Maxim Egorov.
War in Ukraine: how the Russian army resumed the offensive
“At 4:35 in the Michurinsky district of the Tambov region, a drone flight to an oil depot was recorded”he first indicated in a press release published on Telegram.
“A small fire then broke out. The fire is currently localized.”he added, specifying that there was no “no casualties to report” after this attack.
► The war would never have happened if the United States had a “leader”, says Trump
The war in Ukraine would never have happened if the United States had a « leader »Donald Trump told President Joe Biden during their debate in Atlanta.
War in Ukraine: Paying to avoid being mobilized, the idea that is shaking the country
The Republican candidate was highly critical of the billions of dollars spent by the United States to support kyiv in its war against Moscow.
