Another two hundred Russian soldiers have reportedly been killed since yesterday during their invasion of Ukraine. The reported casualties bring the total number of deaths among Vladimir Putin’s troops since the beginning of the invasion to 33,800, according to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. This is 200 more than the 33,600 deaths reported between February 24 and June 19. It comes after it was reported that Russian troops were depleted four months after their military operation as a result of poor institutional culture and skill sets. Putin’s troops are likely to run out of stockpiles of advanced cruise missiles and are forced to fight without much skill, the British Defense Department (MoD) has said. He also claimed that in the conflict to date, the Russian air force had lagged behind and that “its failure to provide a consistent air force is probably one of the most important factors behind the very limited success of the Russian campaign.” The Russian air force, the ministry said, could not gain “complete air superiority and has operated in a counter-threat manner, rarely penetrating deep behind Ukrainian lines.”
Basic points
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Watch: Ukrainian forces destroy Russian tanks and two infantry vehicles with British artillery
Ukrainian forces destroy Russian tanks and two infantry vehicles with British artillery Emily Atkinson20 June 2022 20:10 1655748123
The President of Ukraine says that Africa is “hostage” in the war with Russia
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Monday that Africa was “hostage” to the war with Russia, which helped boost food prices on the continent. African countries are being hit hard by the growing crisis, which has pushed up the prices of cereals, cooking oils, fuels and fertilizers. Russia and Ukraine account for almost a third of the world’s wheat supplies, while Russia is also a major exporter of fertilizers worldwide and Ukraine is a major exporter of corn and sunflower oil. In a speech to African Union leaders, Zelensky said the continent was trapped in a situation that was not its own. Emily Atkinson20 June 2022 19:02 1655746238
Watch: At least 10 houses destroyed by Russian bombing in Sumy
At least 10 houses were destroyed by Russian bombing in Sumi Emily Atkinson20 June 2022 18:30 1655745038
Turkey will continue talks on Scandinavian mandates in NATO
Talks between Turkey, Finland and Sweden on the Nordic countries’ bid to join NATO will continue, but next week’s alliance summit in Madrid is not a deadline, Ankara said. A spokesman for President Ibrahim Kalin told reporters after talks in Brussels that Turkey expects Sweden, in particular, to take immediate action on the actions of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militant group in its country, and that any Progress in the Scandinavian nominations “now depends on the direction and speed with which these countries take action”. Emily Atkinson20 June 2022 18:10 1655743825
Putin “spark of fear of democracy will fly to Russia”
Vladimir Putin “fears that the spark of democracy could fly to Russia,” said the German chancellor. In a Twitter post, Olaf Solz continued: “That is why he has been pursuing a policy aimed at dissolving NATO and the EU for years. He wants to return to a zone of influence. “But he will not be able to do that.” Soltz was asked in an interview with the Muenchner Merkur newspaper, published on the government website on Monday, whether Putin would agree to bring Ukraine closer to the bloc. “The Russian president has to accept that there is a community of law-based democracies in his neighborhood that is getting closer and closer,” he said. “He is clearly afraid of the spark of democracy that is spreading in his country.” Emily Atkinson20 June 2022 17:50 1655742916
Watch: Actor Ben Stiller appeared in Lviv while working with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in support of Ukrainian refugees
Actor Ben Stiller appeared in Lviv while working with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in support of Ukrainian refugees Emily Atkinson20 June 2022 17:35 1655741039
A food warehouse in Odessa was “destroyed”
A food depot in Odessa was destroyed by a rocket fired at the Black Sea port on Monday, according to the Ukrainian army. Moscow forces reportedly fired 14 rockets during a three-hour barrage “in anger at the success of our troops,” the Operations Command South said, but no civilians were killed. The Russian military did not immediately comment on the report. Emily Atkinson20 June 2022 17:03 1655740012
Meta was found guilty of “extremist activity” by a Russian court, he said
An appeal filed by Meta Platforms Inc. after being found guilty of “extremist activity” in Russia was rejected by a Moscow court, according to reports. Meta was found guilty by Russia in March, but said the decision would not affect the WhatsApp messaging service, focusing instead on Facebook and Instagram. Meta did not immediately respond to a request for comment. (Getty Images) Emily Atkinson20 June 2022 16:46 1655739172
A Kiev court has banned the party of Putin’s ally Medvedchuk
A pro-Kremlin party led by a close ally of President Vladimir Putin has been banned by a Kiev court, Ukraine’s Justice Ministry has said. A court in Lviv has ruled that all assets, funds and other assets held by the Opposition Platform – For Life, led by Viktor Medvedchuk – a wealthy businessman accused of treason – must be transferred to the state. “The court banned the activities of the political party Platform of Opposition – For Life. “The corresponding claim of the Ministry of Justice was satisfied by the Eighth Administrative Court of Appeal”, the ministry stated on Facebook. Emily Atkinson20 June 2022 16:32 1655738220
Putin has yet to negotiate nuclear disarmament, says former Russian president
Dmitry Medvedev, who is now Russia’s vice-president of the Security Council, has suggested that US-Russia relations are so frozen that they have sunk to extreme temperatures below zero. Since 1981, under the US presidency of Ronald Reagan, Russia and the United States have negotiated a series of nuclear arms reduction treaties. Emily Atkinson20 June 2022 16:17
