Ukraine war: 80% of the city of Severodonetsk under Russian control. Ukrainian counter-offensive in Kherson

Ukrainian officials say 80 percent of the city of Severodonetsk is under Russian control, and according to the head of the military administration, people are sheltering from bombings in the basements of the chemical plant, where dangerous substances are probably stored.

The head of the military administration also says people in the city are sheltering from Russian bombings in the basements of the chemical plant, where dangerous substances are probably stored.

At the same time, Petr Andryushchenko, an adviser to the mayor of Mariupol, says the Russian military is preparing new bombings on educational institutions in the Donetsk region, targeting schools in Kramatorsk and Slaviansk. “Be vigilant. Take all security measures and do not ignore the alarm messages,” he warned residents.

Between 60 and 100 Ukrainian soldiers are killed every day in Russia’s war, says Volodymyr Zelensky in an interview with an American news site. Another 500 defenders are injured daily, says the Kyiv leader. Regarding the situation on the eastern front, Zelensky says that the Ukrainian army remains in a defensive position.

The British Ministry of Defense also shows in its latest assessment of the situation on the front that the Russians now control most of Severodonetsk. According to British officials, the main road to the center of Severodonetsk probably remains under Ukrainian control, but the Russians continue to make constant local gains by concentrating artillery, but have also suffered significant losses.

Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine – 2 June 2022

Find out more about the UK government's response: https://t.co/Cgie1d3GJa

?? #StandWithUkraine ?? pic.twitter.com/oC4NSGhSQT

— Ministry of Defence ?? (@DefenceHQ) June 2, 2022

Institute for War Study: Russians continue to undermine the economic viability of the areas they are trying to occupy 

In the assessment from Wednesday night to Thursday morning, the Washington War Institute (ISW) reports that the current Ukrainian counteroffensive in the Kherson region has attracted the attention of Russian forces in the area, and the Russians are trying to secure the vital line of communication that Ukrainians have tried to destroy it.

Ukrainian forces have carried out a series of organized counterattacks targeting settlements on the east bank of the Ihulets River, an area very close to a key highway through which the Russians support their forces further north.

The Russians responded by destroying a bridge that the Ukrainians used in one of these counterattacks, as well as other bridges over the river, in an effort to maintain their line against the anticipated operations of the Ukrainian counter-offensive. Ukrainian forces are probably still close enough to that road to disrupt the use of the road as the main supply route.

The Ukrainian counteroffensive in #Kherson Oblast has gotten the attention of Russian forces in the area. The Russians are now scrambling to secure the vital ground line of communication (GLOC) the Ukrainians have threatened.

New w/ @criticalthreats: https://t.co/7CkH3SCBdL pic.twitter.com/zQUG7rh2nm

— ISW (@TheStudyofWar) June 1, 2022

Zelensky, his wife –  messages in interviews for foreign media. Zelensky: 200,000 Ukrainian children deported in Russia

Ukraine’s President, Volodymyr Zelensky  told an interview for US media that 60 to 100 Ukrainian soldiers are dying on the battlefield on a daily basis, while other 500 are injured.

He also said that, in those past 98 days since Russia had invaded Ukraine, 689 children have been injured following attacks, and 243 have died. Other 139 children are reported missing. He even gave the names of ten Ukrainian children killed in the war, saying it is not about numbers, but about distinct worlds that the Russian army ruined.

At the same time, 200,000 were forcibly taken to Russia, orphans, children taken with their parents, but also separated from their families.

Russia “forcibly eliminates both adults and children. This is one of Russia’s most heinous war crimes. In total, more than 200,000 Ukrainian children have been deported so far. They are orphans in orphanages. And children with parents. And children divorced from their families,” Zelenski said.

Regarding the 200,000 children believed to have been deported to Russia, he said: “The purpose of this criminal policy is not just to steal people, but to make those deported forget about Ukraine and stop “Ukraine cannot be conquered, our people will not surrender and our children will not become the property of the occupiers.”

In her turn, his wife, Olena Zelenska told an interview to ABC News that surrendering territory to Russia would not put an end to Putin’s invasion.

“Ukrainians cannot accept all the statements we sometimes hear from the leaders of the countries – in some cases, the leaders of the big and influential countries. You can’t just cede parts of your territory, it’s like recognizing freedom,” said President Zelensky’s wife.

She reiterated her husband’s position that the Donbas region – where Russia is now focusing its offensive – will once again be Ukrainian. “The aggressor would not stop there, he would continue to press, he would continue … to launch more and more attacks against our territory,” Olena Zelenska added.

Russians will supply the International Space Station with a rocket with the words “Donbas”, decorated with the flags of Donetsk and Lugansk
In defiance, Russia is preparing to send a Soyuz rocket decorated with the flags of the two self-proclaimed separatist republics of eastern Ukraine, Donetsk and Lugansk, to the International Space Station on Friday.

The rocket is currently being transported on the railway in a horizontal position, informs TASS. The second stage of the missile is decorated with the flags of the internationally unrecognized people’s republics of Donetsk and Lugansk, which Russia considers independent.

Ukraine buys howitzers from Poland

Ukraine will buy another 60 AHS Krab self-propelled howitzers from Poland, in addition to the 18 that Warsaw announced it had donated to Ukraine, notes The Kyiv Independent.

AHS Krab self-propelled howitzers use 155mm ammunition and have a maximum range of 40 kilometers.

?? Poland to sell Ukraine additional 60 KRAB self-propelled howitzers.

Polish media outlet Dziennik reported that these weapons will be delivered in the next few months. In May, Poland sent 18 KRAB self-propelled howitzers to Ukraine.

— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) June 2, 2022

Hungary blocks the Russian oil embargo by refusing to sanction Patriarch Kirill

Hungary on Wednesday blocked the adoption of the embargo on Russian oil and the new European sanctions decided against Moscow in order to obtain the withdrawal from the EU blacklist of the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, several diplomatic sources have indicated.

The patriarch is considered “a longtime ally of President Vladimir Putin” and has “become one of the main supporters of Russian military aggression against Ukraine”, according to the proposed sanctions submitted to member states.

Leaders of the 27 EU countries meeting at a summit in Brussels on Monday and Tuesday reached an agreement to cut their Russian oil imports by about 90% by the end of the year to stop funding Russia’s offensive against Ukraine.

Russia goes into default after missing the deadline

Russia’s possible default on Wednesday resurfaced on Wednesday after Moscow failed to pay interest on debt, as economic pressure on Russia rose in the fourth month of war in Ukraine.

As the three major international financial rating agencies no longer give ratings to Russia in the application of Western sanctions, they have refrained from declaring the country insolvent or not, as is their usual role.

It is therefore the responsibility of an organization of large international banks (Committees for the Determination of Credit Derivatives) to assess whether or not Russia is paying its creditors. On Wednesday, for the first time, the creditors’ committee said the country had defaulted on $ 1.9 million in interest on its debt, a small amount given the financial strength of a state like Russia.

More precisely, Russia “paid the sums it had to pay on time, but forgot, intentionally or unintentionally, to add interest on arrears,” Eric Dor, director of economics at IESEG School of Management, told AFP.