Key developments on June 20:
- "All of Ukraine is ours" — Putin on Russia's territorial ambitions in Ukraine
- Ukraine, Russia perform 2nd prisoner swap this week beneath Istanbul deal
- "Large" Russian drone assaults on residential buildings in Odesa kill 1, injure 14
- Ukraine imposes new sanctions on Russian, Chinese language, Belarusian corporations concerned in drone manufacturing
Russian President Vladimir Putin mentioned "all of Ukraine" belonged to Russia in a speech on June 20 on the St. Petersburg Worldwide Financial Discussion board, amid more and more aggressive official statements about Moscow's remaining territorial ambitions in Ukraine.
Putin's declare was based mostly on the false narrative usually pushed each by himself as chief and by Russian propaganda that Russians and Ukrainians are "one folks."
The narrative has lengthy figured prominently in Putin's rhetoric, usually introduced up as justification for its aggression in Ukraine.
In July 2021, simply half a yr earlier than the full-scale invasion, the Russian chief stoked fears of a bigger assault when he wrote and revealed an essay on the "historic unity of Russians and Ukrainians."
In response to the speech in St Petersburg, International Minister Andrii Sybiha condemned Putin’s feedback as "cynical," saying it confirmed "full disregard for U.S. peace efforts."
"Whereas the US and the remainder of the world have known as for a direct finish to the killing, Russia's prime warfare prison discusses plans to grab extra Ukrainian territory and kill extra Ukrainians," he wrote in a put up on X.
Putin made a number of different statements on the discussion board, some contradictory, about Moscow's goals within the warfare going ahead.
"Wherever the foot of a Russian soldier steps is Russian land," Putin mentioned, instantly implying Russia's intention to proceed occupying extra than simply the 5 Ukrainian areas that Moscow has illegally laid declare to: Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson oblasts, in addition to the Autonomous Republic of Crimea.
Sybiha mentioned that "Russian soldier's foot" brings solely "demise, destruction, and devastation." He accused Putin of indifference towards his personal troops, calling him “a mass assassin of his personal folks.”
"He already disposed a million Russian troopers in a mindless massacre in Ukraine with out attaining a single strategic purpose. A million troopers. Two million ft," the minister mentioned.
"And, whereas Putin is busy sending Russian ft to invade different international locations, he’s bringing Russians contained in the nation to their knees economically."
As per the "peace memorandum" offered by the Russian delegation on the final spherical of peace talks in Istanbul on June 2, Moscow calls for Kyiv acknowledge the oblasts as Russian and hand over all territory not but managed by Russian forces into occupation, together with the regional capitals of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.
Requested whether or not Russia aimed to grab the regional middle of Sumy in Ukraine's northeast, Putin mentioned that whereas such a mission has not been assigned, he wouldn't rule it out.
Russian floor assaults into Sumy Oblast have intensified alongside the northeastern border prior to now weeks, having first crossed the border after Ukraine's withdrawal from most of its positions in Kursk Oblast in March.
Sybiha urged the West to ramp up navy assist to Ukraine, tighten sanctions towards Russia, designate Moscow a terrorist state, and "isolate it totally."
"His cynical statements serve just one objective: to divert public consideration away from the entire failure of his quarter-century rule," the minister added.
When requested if Moscow requires the entire capitulation of Kyiv and the Ukrainian management, Putin denied this, saying that Russia as a substitute calls for the "recognition of the realities on the bottom."
The Kyiv IndependentKollen Post
Ukraine, Russia perform 2nd prisoner swap this week beneath Istanbul deal
Ukraine has introduced dwelling one other group of prisoners of warfare launched from Russian captivity, President Volodymyr Zelensky mentioned on June 20, following one other prisoner change a day earlier.
"A lot of the warriors returning right now from Russian captivity had been held for over two years. And now, finally, they’re dwelling," Zelensky mentioned on X, with out revealing what number of captives had been exchanged.
Russia's Protection Ministry additionally mentioned {that a} group of Russian troopers had been launched by the Ukrainian facet, with out specifying the variety of personnel concerned.
This week's exchanges observe 4 related swaps carried out final week in accordance with Ukraine-Russia agreements reached at peace talks in Istanbul on June 2.
The most recent swap was one other in a collection specializing in critically sick and wounded prisoners, Ukraine's Coordination Headquarters for the Remedy of the Prisoners of Battle (POW) mentioned.
"These are defenders of Mariupol, Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Kharkiv, and Chernihiv areas. Warriors of the Armed Forces, the Nationwide Guard, and the Border Guard Service," Zelensky mentioned.
The launched POWs included privates and non-commissioned officers, a few of whom had been captured after the siege of Mariupol in 2022, in keeping with the Coordination Headquarters. The oldest one is 60 years outdated, mentioned Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets.
The Kyiv IndependentAnna Fratsyvir
"Large" Russian drone assaults on residential buildings in Odesa kill 1, injure 14
Russian forces struck residential buildings in Odesa in a single day on June 20, killing a civilian and injuring no less than 14 others, together with three emergency staff, the Prosecutor Normal's Workplace reported.
The assault, which the service described as "huge," rang out round 1 a.m. native time. The assault drones struck over 10 targets, together with seven residential buildings, and led to a number of large-scale fires.
On the web site of one of many assaults, a 23-story residential constructing caught fireplace between the 18th and twentieth flooring, and led to the evacuation of over 600 folks.
In a separate assault on a four-story constructing throughout the metropolis, three firefighters had been injured when structural components collapsed on the responders. The constructing is described as being "utterly engulfed in flames," in keeping with the State Emergency Service.
The three injured firefighters are at the moment hospitalized in secure situation. Further info on the assaults, in addition to casualties, is being clarified as search efforts beneath rubble and particles proceed.
Along with the buildings, Odesa's foremost practice station additionally had infrastructure broken because of the drone assault, Ukraine's railway company Ukrzaliznytsia reported.
Odesa, a port metropolis on Ukraine’s Black Beach with a inhabitants of round 1 million, has been a frequent goal of Russian assaults all through the full-scale warfare.
"The overhead contact line and the rail and sleeper grid had been affected," the company wrote in a press release, including that no accidents had been reported.
Ukraine imposes new sanctions on Russian, Chinese language, Belarusian corporations concerned in drone manufacturing
President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree on June 20, imposing sanctions on 56 people and 55 Russian, Chinese language, and Belarusian corporations concerned within the manufacturing of Russian drones and sanctions circumvention.
Ukraine launched new restrictions as Russia has escalated drone assaults towards Ukrainian cities over the previous weeks, launching document 400-500 unmanned aerial automobiles (UAVs) per night time.
People and authorized entities topic to Ukrainian sanctions can not do enterprise and commerce in Ukraine, can not withdraw their capital from the nation. Within the meantime, their belongings are blocked, in addition to their entry to public and protection procurement, and entry into the territory of Ukraine, amongst different restrictions.
The brand new bundle of sanctions targets people and entities concerned within the growth and manufacturing of Russian drones akin to Geran, Orlan-10, SuperCam, and first-person-view (FPV) drones, in keeping with a decree revealed on the Presidential Workplace's web site.
The Belarusian Precision Electromechanics Plant and 6 Chinese language enterprises situated in Hong Kong and within the provinces of Shandong and Shenzhen are among the many sanctioned entities.
The sanctions record contains tools suppliers to Alabuga Equipment, a Russian producer of machine instruments and gears, and people who import parts for the sanctioned Kronshtadt JSC, a drone producer that developed Banderol UAVs with jet engines.
Notice from the writer:
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The Kyiv IndependentKateryna Hodunova