June 22, 2023 - Russia-Ukraine news

Our live coverage of Russia’s war in Ukraine has moved here.

The United Nations added Russia to a global list of offenders for killing 136 children in Ukraine in 2022, according to a report to the UN Security Council seen by Reuters and confirmed to CNN by a UN diplomat on Thursday.

Reuters cited the UN report saying Russian forces and affiliated groups “maimed 518 children and carried out 480 attacks on Ukrainian schools and hospitals.” Russia’s military also used 91 children as human shields, according to the report. 

Russia has previously denied targeting civilians.

The UN also accused the Ukrainian military of killing 80 children, injuring 175, and carrying out 212 attacks on schools and hospitals. 

Ukraine wasn’t added to the global list of offenders. 

The report was written by Virginia Gamba, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres’ special representative for children and armed conflict, according to Reuters. Last month, Gamba reportedly visited Ukraine and Russia, where she met with Maria Lvova-Belova, the Russian official wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for an alleged scheme to deport Ukrainian children to Russia. 

According to the Ukrainian government’s portal Children of War, Russia’s full-scale invasion has killed 490 children and wounded 1,028 as of June 2023. 

A key bridge was damaged by Ukrainian shelling, a Russian-backed official said Thursday.

The Chonhar (“Chongar” in Russian) bridge connects the Russian-held parts of Ukraine’s southern Kherson region with the Crimean peninsula, which Russia illegally annexed from Ukraine in 2014.

Here’s what else you should know:

Ukrainian aid. Ukraine’s Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said Thursday he was “sure” Ukraine will get the money it needs to help the recovery of the country. Ukraine is also carrying out the “largest ever repair campaign” to shore up its power system ahead of winter and potential Russian attacks on infrastructure. And on Thursday, US President Joe Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi released a joint statement where both leaders expressed their concern over the conflict in Ukraine and pledged continued humanitarian assistance.

Strikes. Four missiles were fired at the Chonhar road bridge Thursday morning, with one hitting the structure, a representative of Russia’s Investigative Committee said in comments reported by Russian state news agency RIA. Russia also launched attacks on populated areas of Ukraine on Thursday destroying infrastructure and causing civilians to suffer, according to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Volunteer corps. More than 20 Russian “volunteer corps” fighting in Ukraine have signed contracts with Russia’s Defense Ministry, according to a statement published by the ministry on Thursday. It comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin backed an order, which was signed by Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu on June 10, that said mercenary groups fighting in Ukraine must sign contracts with the ministry by the start of July. 

Military developments. Russia will allocate money to ramp up production of domestic aircraft, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin announced Thursday, citing the need to reduce dependence of the aviation industry on foreign parts in the face of sanctions pressure on Russia. Russia also expects to have enough recruits to form a reserve army to bolster its armed forces by the end of the month, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Thursday.

Counteroffensive updates. Ukraine’s advance on Russia will “take time,” Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said, while expressing optimism for the counteroffensive. Shmyhal called on Ukrainians to be patient while speaking in London at the Ukraine Recovery Conference. Meanwhile, Putin reiterated that Ukraine has not depleted its “offensive potential,” adding that it has a “number of strategic reserves that have not yet been activated,” while addressing members of his Security Council in Moscow Thursday. In exclusive comments to CNN, a senior Ukrainian official said Thursday that the main thrust of the counteroffensive against Russia “has not even begun in earnest,” and that it is too early to assess its success.

Volodymyr Zelensky attends the 11th International Book Arsenal Festival in Kyiv, on Thursday.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed Ihor Kyzym from the post of ambassador to Belarus on Tuesday, according to an order published on Ukraine’s presidential website. 

Last week the Ukrainian Parliament registered a draft resolution on recognition of Belarus as an aggressor country, Yaroslav Yurchyshyn, first deputy chairman of the anti-corruption committee of the Ukrainian Parliament, said in a Telegram post Monday. 

The text of the resolution registered is not yet available, but an explanatory note published on the parliament’s website specifies that the Ukrainian Parliament should designate Belarus as an aggressor state, “taking into account the reluctance of the Republic of Belarus to stop allowing the Russian Federation to use its territory, airspace and infrastructure for invading the sovereign territory of Ukraine contrary to international obligation.” 

In addition, an explanatory note urged the Ukrainian government “to immediately work on the issue of severing diplomatic relations between Ukraine and the Republic of Belarus” and to call on the international community to increase sanctions pressure on Minsk in order to “force the Belarusian leadership to stop allowing the use of its territory for committing war crimes.” 

US President Joe Biden shakes hands with India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi after introducing Modi during an official State Arrival Ceremony held at the start of Modi's visit to the White House in Washington DC, on Thursday.

US President Joe Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi released a joint statement Thursday where both leaders expressed their concern over the conflict in Ukraine and pledged continued humanitarian assistance.

“Our cooperation will serve the global good as we work through a range of multilateral and regional groupings — particularly the Quad — to contribute toward a free, open, inclusive, and resilient Indo-Pacific,” a statement released, following bilateral meetings between Biden and Modi at the White House, said. “No corner of human enterprise is untouched by the partnership between our two great countries, which spans the seas to the stars.” 

The statement conspicuously made no mention of Russia, or its role in the conflict, with the two leaders instead writing that the two countries “affirm that the rules-based international order must be respected,” in a general sense.

More background: India is historically a major purchaser of Russian weaponry and has long-standing ties to Moscow. It has also ramped up purchases of Russian energy – providing a key economic lifeline to leader Vladimir Putin’s government, even as the West slaps extensive controls on this key revenue source.

Though New Delhi has sent humanitarian aid to Ukraine throughout the course of the war, it has abstained from UN resolutions calling for its withdrawal and condemning its invasion.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met Modi on the sidelines of the Group of Seven (G7) summit in Japan last month, the first in-person meeting between the two since Russia’s invasion began.

CNN’s Simone McCarthy contributed reporting to this post.

In exclusive comments to CNN, a senior Ukrainian official said Thursday that the main thrust of the counteroffensive against Russia “has not even begun in earnest,” and that it is too early to assess its success.

The official was responding to CNN’s reporting earlier Wednesday that Western officials believe that the counteroffensive is having less success than expected and “not meeting expectations on any front.” 

The official said that “shaping operations” were still underway, and the counteroffensive would not be able to be judged until fall or winter.

Some more context: In CNN’s reporting, the officials cautioned that the counteroffensive is still in its early stages – and that the US and its allies “remain optimistic” Ukrainian forces will be able to make territorial gains over time. The US and its allies are likely to wait until at least July for a fuller assessment of the progress of the counteroffensive which was gradually launched over the last few weeks.

In addition, these officials note that Ukrainian forces have themselves been adapting to Russian tactics and defenses, including carrying out more dismounted operations. In recent days, Ukrainian forces have also had more success targeting and shooting down Russian aircraft.

Ultimately, the counteroffensive is proving a “tough drive” for Ukraine and Russia, one of the Western official said, with both sides incurring heavy losses.

CNN’s Jim Sciutto contributed reporting to this post.

Russia launched attacks on populated areas of Ukraine on Thursday destroying infrastructure and causing civilians to suffer, according to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

The Armed Forces of Ukraine said Russia launched 44 air strikes and fired about 30 multiple rocket launcher systems over the last day.  

In the south, Russia continues to be on the defensive, focusing its “main efforts” on preventing the advance of Ukrainian troops in Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, the military said.

Ukraine has also claimed “partial success” in the south against Russia where the Ukrainian offensive continues, though the “situation has not changed significantly over the past day,” Hanna Maliar, deputy defense Minister of Ukraine, said in her latest update.

Ukraine’s air force carried out seven strikes on Russian military personnel and four on anti-aircraft missile systems, striking a command post and ammunition depots, the Armed Forces of Ukraine said. 

Heavy fighting continues in the east, especially in the Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka and Mariinka directions — where Russia continues its main assault, the Armed Forces of Ukraine said.

Ukrainian forces conducted both offensive and defensive operations over the day but continue to “effectively restrain the offensive of Russian troops” in those eastern sectors, Maliar said.

Russia conducted “unsuccessful” attacks and an air strike in the Kharkiv region as well as air strikes in the Luhansk and Donetsk region, the Armed Forces of Ukraine said, adding that Russia was also unsuccessful in its offensives in the area of Sieverne and Avdiivka and in the Donetsk region.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal speaks at a conference in London on June 22.

Ukraine’s advance on Russia will “take time,” the Ukrainian prime minister said, while expressing optimism for the counteroffensive.  

Denys Shmyhal called on Ukrainians to be patient while speaking in London at the Ukraine Recovery Conference.

Shmyhal said there will be “results of the counteroffensive” but added that “Ukraine values the lives of its soldiers, so it does not plan to lead them mindlessly under fire,” according to Ukrainian state media Ukrinform. 

More context: CNN reported earlier Thursday that the early phases of Ukraine’s counteroffensive is having less success and Russian forces are showing more competence than Western assessments expected, according to two Western officials and a senior US military official.

The officials cautioned that the counteroffensive is still in its beginning stages – and the US and its allies “remain optimistic” Ukrainian forces will be able to make territorial gains over time. In addition, these officials note that Ukrainian forces have themselves been adapting to Russian tactics and defenses, including carrying out more dismounted operations. In recent days, Ukrainian forces have also had more success targeting and shooting down Russian aircraft.

And while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky admitted Wednesday in a BBC interview that progress had been “slower than desired,” he added that “nevertheless, those who fight shall win and to those that knock, the door shall be opened.”

CNN’s Jim Sciutto contributed reporting to this post.

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a ceremony in Moscow, Russia, on June 22. 

Russian President Vladimir Putin reiterated that Ukraine has not depleted its “offensive potential,” adding that it has a “number of strategic reserves that have not yet been activated,” while addressing members of his Security Council in Moscow Thursday.   

Despite having claimed that Ukrainian forces are losing ground, Putin cautioned that Russian armed forces need to “proceed for the realities” when “building combat work.”

Ukraine’s Western allies have made it clear they have “really decided to fight with Russia to the last Ukrainian,” he added.

On Wednesday, Putin told reporters that there is a “certain lull” in fighting, with no active offensive operations being carried out by Ukraine yet. He claimed Ukraine is suffering heavy losses on the battlefield.

CNN is not able to independently verify Putin’s claims about Ukrainian loses or the course of the operations on the ground. 

“But today we see that this (Ukraine’s) offensive potential has not yet been exhausted, there are also reserves that the enemy is thinking about where and how to introduce,” he said. 

Meanwhile, Ukraine claimed Wednesday that Russian forces are on the defensive in the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson region directions, while the Armed Forces of Ukraine are advancing.

Here’s the latest map of control:

CNN’s Anna Chernova and Radina Gigova contributed reporting to this post.

Ukraine is carrying out the “largest ever repair campaign” to shore up its power system ahead of winter and potential Russian attacks on infrastructure.

“Electricity generation and distribution facilities are being restored, and work is also underway to strengthen the resilience of the power system to military challenges,” Ukraine’s Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko said Thursday.

At a meeting with US officials at the Ukraine Recovery conference in London, Halushchenko emphasized the need to build up equipment reserves and ensure the power system operates with a high level of flexibility, according to a statement from the Ukrainian Energy Ministry.

To that end, Ukraine’s largest private energy company, DTEK, said it has been contracted to rebuild Kyiv’s “war shattered” energy network in areas surrounding Kyiv.

In a press release, DTEK said it plans to build a “smart grid capable of withstanding military assault and able to accelerate Ukraine’s energy transition.” 

Remember: Last year, Russian forces began launching barrages of cruise and ballistic missiles, ground-to-air rockets and loitering munitions, laying waste to energy facilities and other infrastructure on a scale not seen since the start of the war — a significant gear-change in an already grisly fight. The relentless assault on the power grid deprived millions across the country of electricity, heat, water and other essential services as temperatures dropped.

CNN’s Eliza Mackintosh and Yulia Kesaieva contributed reporting to this post.

Satellite images show that the Kakhovka Reservoir and surrounding areas in southern Ukraine are drying up following the collapse of the Nova Kakhovka dam earlier this month. The areas include the city of Enerhodar, where the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is located, and the cities of Nikopol and Zaporizhzhia.

At least 21 people are dead and 28 injured following the dam breach on June 6 in the Kherson region, according to Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Ihor Klymenko. Both Ukraine and Russia have blamed each other for the incident.

Before:  

A satellite image shows the area of the Kakhovka Reservoir and surrounding areas in southern Ukraine. This image was taken June 5.

After:

The same area is seen in this satellite photo taken on June 20.

Ecological disaster: Oil pollutants that weigh at least 150 tons are drifting along the Dnipro River, according to Ukrainian presidential adviser Andriy Yermak. 

Many dead fish, along with dolphin corpses, have been found on Black Sea shores in Bulgaria and Turkey. On Wednesday, a United Nations mine program said that mines displaced by flooding could end up on beaches around the Black Sea as well.

Yermak also said that 50,000 hectares (about 124,000 acres) of Ukrainian forest have been flooded. Ukraine’s health ministry urged residents on Monday against swimming and fishing in the waters of Odesa, Mykolaiv and Kherson regions.

Status of the nuclear plant: The UN’s nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said on Wednesday that the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant will use multiple different water sources for cooling in the wake of the dam collapse, also noting that those sources “have sufficient water for some months.” The plant is relying on water from a discharge channel as well as a series of cooling ponds. 

Nonetheless, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said that the nuclear safety and security situation at the plant “is extremely fragile,” adding that the loss of the reservoir “added to the severe difficulties for this major nuclear power plant.”

CNN’s Olga Voitovych, Catherine Nicholls and Lauren Kent contributed reporting to this post.

Russia expects to have enough recruits to form a reserve army to bolster its armed forces by the end of the month, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Thursday.

“As of this morning, 114,000 people have been recruited under contract, and there are also more than 50,000 volunteers,” Shoigu told Russian President Vladimir Putin and members of the country’s security council.

“We are building up reserves within our army corps. Moreover, we added five regiments to the 1st and 20th tank armies. Everything is proceeding according to plan: by the end of June, we will complete the effort to create a reserve army and the initiative to form an army corps will be completed in the near future too,” Shoigu said according to a Kremlin transcript.

About 1,336 “highly motivated” people, or the equivalent (of) a regiment, enter the service under contract per day, according to Shoigu. In addition, the Russian army receives 112 pieces of equipment every day. “This applies to both modernized equipment and new equipment, so here we have gained serious momentum, and we do not see any risks of disrupting the formation of reserves.”

Earlier Thursday, a statement published by Russia’s Defense Ministry said more than 20 Russian “volunteer corps” fighting in Ukraine have signed contracts with the ministry.

It comes after Putin backed an order, which was signed by Shoigu on June 10, that said mercenary groups fighting in Ukraine must sign contracts with the ministry by the start of July. 

A still from a video shows damage to the Chonhar bridge on June 22.

Almost as if to answer Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s statement that the counteroffensive is “slower” than some might have imagined, a pinpoint strike hit a key pair of bridges for Russia. The Chonhar bridges are both rail and road crossings, and they head from the northeast of Russian-occupied Crimea to Ukraine’s main target in this counteroffensive: occupied Zaporizhzhia region.

Video released from the scene by Russian officials shows a significant hole in the road bridge and apparent damage to the neighboring rail track, caused, Russian investigators later said, by four missiles. In the video, Vladimir Saldo, the Russian-installed governor of the occupied Kherson region, walks around the wreckage and bemoans “another pointless action” assisted, he claims, by UK-supplied Storm Shadow missiles.

“It won’t decide any results of the special operation,” Saldo adds, before admitting it will make some food and other deliveries a little harder. They will have to use another, longer route, he added, to the west through Armyansk and Perekop, closer to Ukrainian positions.

As a singular event, Saldo is correct to say the one attack decides nothing. But it echoes two earlier events: the damage to the Antonovsky Bridge from Kherson city that eventually presaged Russia’s orderly withdrawal from the right side of the banks of the Dnipro River. And also, less directly, it echoes the damage done last year to the Kerch Strait bridge, which also temporarily disrupted traffic on the only southern supply artery to the peninsula from the Russian mainland.

On Sunday, a blast hit what seemed to be a Russian ammunition depot in Rykove, near Chonhar. Blown bridges have a history of impacting both Russian morale and presence.

Keep reading here.

Russia will allocate money to ramp up production of domestic aircraft, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin announced Thursday, citing the need to reduce dependence of the aviation industry on foreign parts in the face of sanctions pressure on Russia.

Russian passenger aircraft Tu-214’s serial production “is very important,” he said. “In agreement with the president, I want to inform you of the decision that was made the day before — this is the allocation of 41.8 billion rubbles from the National Wealth Fund for this project,” Mishustin said at a meeting on the development of civil aircraft manufacturing, which is taking place at the site of the Kazan Aviation Plant.

The latest round of sanctions against Russia came from the European Union on Wednesday, when it announced an 11th package which aims to counter sanctions circumvention.

More than 20 Russian “volunteer corps” fighting in Ukraine have signed contracts with Russia’s Defense Ministry, according to a statement published by the ministry on Thursday.

It comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin backed an order, which was signed by Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu on June 10, that said mercenary groups fighting in Ukraine must sign contracts with the ministry by the start of July. 

The ministry said the move would “give the voluntary formations the necessary legal status” and create “unified approaches” to their work. 

Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov’s volunteer battalion Akhmat was the first to sign the contract, while Wagner private military company chief Yevgeny Prigozhin — who has publicly feuded with defense chiefs — has said he won’t sign.

Four missiles were fired at the Chonhar road bridge Thursday morning, with one hitting the structure, a representative of Russia’s Investigative Committee said in comments reported by Russian state news agency RIA.

The representative said that one of the four missiles hit the road bridge.

Earlier, the Moscow-installed head of the occupied Kherson region, Vladimir Saldo, said the bridge could have been hit by “Storm Shadow” missiles. The Storm Shadow is a long-range cruise missile with stealth capabilities, jointly developed by the UK and France.

Later Thursday, Saldo sought to “reassure” residents after the bridge was reportedly hit, saying in a video posted on Telegram that “I just want to reassure our citizens [that] nothing stops. Someone may try to raise the prices of food products [but] it will all be regulated.”

“There are other crossings. It will be harder, of course, to drive, [taking] a little longer in time,” he added.

A vital link: The Chonhar (“Chongar” in Russian) bridge connects the Russian-held parts of Ukraine’s southern Kherson region with the Crimean peninsula, which Russia illegally annexed from Ukraine in 2014.

There are two land crossings out of Crimea, Andriy Zagorodnyuk, a former Ukrainian defense minister, told CNN on Thursday: Chonhar bridge and the crossing at Perekop.

“Crimea is a key logistics hub for Russian operational support [to troops] in the south [of Ukraine]. If the bridge is lost, damaged or under Ukrainian fire, it becomes a logistics choking point for all Russia’s southern military operations.”

Traffic between Crimea and occupied Kherson has been “temporarily rerouted” to two crossing points west of Chonhar – Armyansk and Perekop – Crimea’s transport minister, Nikolai Lukashenko, said on Telegram.

The “full restoration” of the bridge will take “no more than a few weeks,” Lukashenko said on Crimean-24 television channel Thursday.

What Ukraine is saying: Asked about the strike on the Chonhar bridge, Andrii Yusov, a representative of Ukraine’s defense intelligence, told state television: “The work is ongoing and will continue – the work of the security and defense forces, resistance movement, the local population, who are waiting for the return of the Ukrainian legitimate authorities to these territories.”

International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach said the organization is “still confronted with two irreconcilable positions” concerning Ukraine and Russia’s views on neutral athletes’ participation. 

In March, the IOC announced a widely criticized recommended pathway to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in international competitions despite the ongoing invasion of Ukraine. 

So far, no decision has been taken on Russian and Belarusian athletes’ participation at the 2024 Paris Olympics.  

“We have the Russian side that considers the strict conditions to be unacceptable, humiliating and discriminatory. The Russian government accuses us of acting against our political neutrality, while at the same time this very same government is shamelessly trying to put together fully politicized sport competitions,” he said.  

“We have the Ukrainian side that denounces us for siding with Russia. Their government insists on ‘total isolation’ of all Russians and Belarusians, because they consider everyone with a Russian or Belarusian passport to be a supporter of the war. This even goes as far as banning athletes with intellectual disabilities at the ongoing Special Olympics,” Bach added.

Bach also reiterated the IOC’s “condemnation of the war from the first day” and stressed its “guiding principle is contributing to peace through the unifying mission of sport.”

He criticized the Ukraine government for “sanctioning its own athletes” after the country decided in March to boycott Olympic qualifying events in which Russians are competing.

Ukraine's Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal holds a press conference on the second day of the Ukraine Recovery Conference in London, England, on June 22.

Ukraine’s Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said Thursday that he was “sure” Ukraine will get the money it needs to help the recovery of the country.

The United Kingdom’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced a “landmark package of financial support” for Ukraine at the conference on Wednesday. The package will include $3 billion of World Bank loan guarantees, $305 million of bilateral assistance, and up to $318 in an “expansion of British International Investment in Ukraine.” More than 400 businesses also pledged their financial support for Ukraine, Sunak said.

“We understand how to cooperate with G7 countries and with international financial organizations,” Shmyhal added.

More on Ukraine aid: Citi, Sanofi (SNY) and Philips are among firms that have signed up to the Ukraine Business Compact, signaling their intent to boost investment in the country.

To meet Ukraine’s fundraising need, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has enlisted BlackRock (BLK) and JPMorgan to advise on the Ukraine Development Fund, a vehicle that seeks to mobilize capital from private and public sector investors toward rebuilding the Ukrainian economy.

The fund is still in the planning stages and is not expected to launch until the conflict ends.

CNN’s Hanna Ziady contributed reporting to this post.

Throughout the conflict, infrastructure has been targeted as a way to stymie either Moscow or Kyiv’s progress – from the Kerch bridge explosion to Russia’s targeting of Ukraine’s power grid, and possibly the recent breach of the Nova Kakhovka dam, which Ukraine has blamed Russian troops for.

This strategy appears to have been used again on Thursday. Russian-backed officials reported that Ukraine had fired missiles at the Chonhar road bridge, damaging a vital link between Russian-held parts of Ukraine’s southern Kherson region with the Crimean peninsula, which Moscow illegally annexed from Ukraine in 2014. Kyiv has consistently said that it wants to recapture all of its territory controlled by Russia – including Crimea.

Here are the latest developments:

Ukrainian servicemen fire a BM-21 Grad multiple launch rocket system towards Russian troops near a front line in Donetsk region, Ukraine, on June 21.

In its early phases, Ukraine’s counteroffensive is having less success and Russian forces are showing more competence than western assessments expected, two western officials and a senior US military official tell CNN.

According to Western assessments, Russian lines of defense have been proving well-fortified, making it difficult for Ukrainian forces to breach them. In addition, Russian forces have had success bogging down Ukrainian armor with missile attacks and mines and have been deploying air power more effectively. Several officials also told CNN that adverse weather was proving an issue for Ukrainian forces.

Despite the assessment, officials cautioned that the counteroffensive is still in its early stages – and that the US and its allies “remain optimistic” that Ukrainian forces will be able to make territorial gains over time. The US and its allies are likely to wait until at least July for a fuller assessment of the progress of the counteroffensive which was gradually launched over the last few weeks.

In addition, these officials note that Ukrainian forces have themselves been adapting to Russian tactics and defenses, including carrying out more dismounted operations. In recent days, Ukrainian forces have also had more success targeting and shooting down Russian aircraft.

Ultimately, the counteroffensive is proving a “tough drive” for Ukraine and Russia, one of the Western officials said, with both sides incurring heavy losses.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky admitted Wednesday that progress had been “slower than desired.”

CNN’s Zachary Cohen and Michael Conte contributed reporting.

The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in the Zaporizhzhia region, Russian-controlled Ukraine, on March 29.

The Kremlin has denied a claim made by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that Russia is “considering” a “terrorist attack” at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (ZNPP) in occupied southern Ukraine.

Zelensky made the allegation in a video message published by his office, in which he said that Ukrainian intelligence “has received information that Russia is considering a scenario of a terrorist attack at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.”

Zelensky said they believed the alleged attack would involve “radiation leakage.”

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov refuted Zelensky’s claim in his regular press briefing on Thursday.

Ukraine’s military intelligence chief, Kyrylo Budanov, told state TV on Tuesday that the Russians had mined the Zaporizhzhia plant.

Safety fears: The ZNNP is the largest in Europe. Fighting around the plant as Russia occupied the region last year sparked fear that it could be the site of another nuclear accident in Ukraine.

Those fears have grown since the recent breach of the Nova Kakhovka reservoir – a source of the water used to cool the reactors at the plant.

IAEA director Rafael Grossi said Wednesday that staff at the plant are “exploring alternative ways of getting water” in light of the dam breach.

U.S. Ambassador to Russia Lynne Tracy speaks to the media after a hearing to consider an appeal against the detention of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich in Moscow, Russia, on June 22.

The US is “extremely disappointed” by a Russian court’s decision to reject Evan Gershkovich’s appeal against his pre-trial detention, ambassador Lynne Tracy told reporters outside Moscow City Court on Thursday.

Tracy said she “could not speak with Evan directly at the courthouse today,” and blasted Russia’s denial of US diplomats’ requests for consular access to him.

“Failing to comply with its obligations under the consular convention enforced between our two countries, Russia has denied the US embassy’s requests for formal consular access on three occasions since I last visited Evan in April,” she said. 

Earlier on Thursday, Russian state news agency TASS reported that the Russian foreign ministry was considering a request from the US for consular access to Gershkovich.

Gershkovich, 31, was arrested in March on espionage charges, which he and the Wall Street Journal vehemently deny.

On May 23, his detention was extended until at least August 30 while he awaits trial.

Tracy added: “Despite Russian officials’ public assertions about Evan’s activities, let me reiterate the US government’s firm position. The charges against him are baseless. He is an innocent journalist who was carrying out journalistic activities and has been wrongly detained.”

Whelan, a former US marine, was detained at a Moscow hotel in December 2018 by Russian authorities who alleged he was involved in an intelligence operation. He was sentenced to 16 years in prison on an espionage charge he vehemently denies.

US journalist Evan Gershkovich, left, attends a hearing to consider an appeal on his extended detention at The Moscow City Court in Moscow, Russia, on June 22.

An appeal by Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reporter Evan Gershkovich against his detention has been denied by Moscow City Court.

Gershkovich appeared in court Thursday for a hearing in his appeal against a ruling to extend his detention until August 30.

He was first arrested in March on espionage charges – the first time an American journalist had been arrested on charges of spying in Russia since the Cold War.

The WSJ called Gershkovich’s continued detention “an outrage.” 

“Evan has been wrongfully detained for more than 12 weeks for nothing more than doing his job as a journalist,” the statement continued. “We continue to demand his immediate release.”

WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich stands behind a glass wall of an enclosure at a court hearing in Moscow on Thursday.

The detained Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich appeared at a hearing at Moscow City Court on Thursday.

Gershkovich is attending a hearing in his appeal against a ruling to extend his detention until August 30.

The court’s press service said Thursday’s hearing would be held behind closed doors.

Both Gershkovich’s parents, Ella Milman and Mikhail Gershkovich, are in court, along with US Ambassador to Russia Lynne Tracy.

Gershkovich appeared in the courtroom wearing a dark T-shirt and jeans, standing in a glass cage.

Some background: Gershkovich is an American journalist who had been reporting from Russia for the Wall Street Journal before he was detained by Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) on espionage charges in March.

His arrest marked the first time a US journalist had been arrested on charges of spying in Russia since the Cold War.

Gershkovich has denied all allegations and there has been a global outcry demanding his release.

He appeared in Moscow City Court in April to ask that his pre-trial detention be under house arrest rather than in jail. The court denied requests for his bail.

Evan Gershkovich stands in a glass cage in a courtroom at the Moscow City Court, in Moscow, Russia, on April 18.

The Russian Foreign Ministry has received a request from the United States for consular access to detained Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, Russian state news agency TASS reported Thursday.

The deputy head of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Sergey Ryabkov, said Moscow is taking the matter into consideration, TASS said.

The US State Department said Wednesday it would surely have US embassy representation at Gershkovich’s hearing Thursday in Russia, but did not have specifics about what to expect in court.

Gershkovich was arrested in March on espionage charges, in a sign of the Kremlin’s crackdown on foreign news outlets since it invaded Ukraine last year and as relations plummet between Washington and Moscow. The Wall Street Journal has vehemently denied the spying accusations against him.

Multiple past requests for consular access have been denied by the Russian government.

Vladimir Saldo speaks during an exhibition in Saint Petersburg, Russia, on June 14.

A bridge connecting Ukraine’s southern Kherson region to the Crimean peninsula was the target of Ukrainian shelling overnight, a Russia-backed official said Thursday.

Vladimir Saldo, the Moscow-installed head of the occupied Kherson region, said on Telegram that Kyiv’s forces carried out “barbaric shelling of civilian facilities,” including a bridge near the village of Chonhar [known as Chongar in Russian]. 

The surface of the bridge was damaged, but there were no casualties, Saldo said, adding that traffic between Kherson and Crimea has been temporarily diverted.

The Russia-appointed head of Crimea, Sergei Aksenov, said bomb experts are assessing the type of ammunition used in the alleged attack. Without providing any evidence, Saldo said long-range Storm Shadow cruise missiles given to Ukraine by the UK could have been used.

There are three vehicle crossing points connecting Kherson and Crimea, which was annexed by Russia in 2014 in violation of international law. 

“Failure of one of [the bridges] cannot cardinally disrupt the transport logistics of the land transport corridor,” said Oleg Kryuchkov, an adviser to the head of Crimea, adding people should use the two other crossing points near the town of Armiansk. 

Remember: Ukraine has consistently said that it wants to recapture all of its territory controlled by Russia, including Crimea, which has served as a key logistics hub for Moscow’s forces during the invasion.

This satellite image shows the water level of the Dnipro River near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, in Enerhodar, Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine on June 13.

The 34-foot vessel speeds along Ukraine’s Dnipro River at maximum velocity, before its captain shouts: “Hold!” It does a snap turn and then smoothly moves on, in a seamless motion, barely slowing down.

With little armor, the US-donated Dauntless Sea Ark patrol boat relies on speed to evade attacks, and its impressive maneuverability is a key asset for Ukraine’s recently established river fleet.

With a length of almost 1,400 miles (2,200 km) the Dnipro is the fourth longest river in Europe, rising in Russia, flowing through Belarus and Ukraine, before finally ending in the Black Sea. It cuts through Ukraine, connecting some of its major cities — such as Kyiv, Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson — providing water, electricity and a natural barrier against advancing armies.

Its water supply helps cool the reactors of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. And the destruction caused by the recent blast at the Nova Kakhovka dam also highlighted its importance for Ukrainians and Russians alike.

For that reason Ukraine has been developing its river fleet, seeking to maintain control of the Dnipro and its shores, especially as it pushes through with its long awaited counteroffensive. In addition to some old Soviet equipment and civilian vessels modified for combat purposes, it has recently received support from the United States, NATO and other allies to bolster its fleet.

Read the full story here.

More than 400 global companies pledged support Wednesday for rebuilding Ukraine’s war-torn economy at a conference in London.

The World Bank estimated in March that the cost of rebuilding the country one year on from the start of the war amounted to $411 billion — a huge figure that is set to increase as the conflict drags on.

If you’re just now catching up, here’s what you should know:

Evan Gershkovich stands in a glass cage in a courtroom in Moscow on April 18.

The US State Department said it would surely have US embassy representation at detained journalist Evan Gershkovich’s hearing Thursday in Russia, but did not have specifics about what to expect at the hearing.

Patel did not know when US officials were last granted consular access to the detained American. Multiple past requests for access have been denied by the Russian government.

Ukraine’s long-awaited push to liberate territory held by Russia may have got off to a slow start, but the country is already planning for its future after the war — and turning to private investors for help.

More than 400 global companies pledged support Wednesday for rebuilding the war-torn economy at the Ukraine Recovery Conference in London. Citi, Sanofi and Philips are among firms that have signed up to the Ukraine Business Compact, signaling their intent to boost investment in the country.

The UK government has also set out a package of support for Ukraine, including $3 billion of new guarantees to unlock World Bank loans and £240 million ($305 million) of bilateral assistance.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said at the conference that the United States would send an additional $1.3 billion in financial assistance to Ukraine to “overhaul its energy grid” and modernize other critical infrastructure.

Ukraine faces an enormous fundraising challenge, and it’s one that governments and development finance institutions won’t be able to meet without help from private investors. The World Bank estimated in March that the cost of rebuilding the country one year on from the start of the war amounted to $411 billion — a huge figure that is set to increase as the conflict drags on.

Read more here.

From left, Hakan Fidan meets Dmytro Kuleba in London on June 21.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba met with his Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan, on Wednesday on the sidelines of the Ukraine Recovery Conference in London.

“We discussed a wide range of areas where Ukraine and Türkiye can advance bilateral cooperation. I reaffirmed Ukraine’s interest in maintaining and expanding the Black Sea Grain Initiative, as well as mobilizing global support for the Peace Formula,” Kuleba said in a tweet.

In an update Tuesday, the United Nations said exports under the initiative had “dropped significantly from a peak of 4.2 million metric tonnes in October 2022 to 1.3 million metric tonnes in May, the lowest volume since the Initiative began last year.”

The grain agreement up for renewal on July 17. 

Some more context: The deal, which is key for preventing a global food crisis, was last renewed in May.

Ukraine is a major supplier of grain to the World Food Programme. According to the European Commission, Ukraine accounts for 10% of the world wheat market, 15% of the corn market, and 13% of the barley market. It is also a key global player in the market of sunflower oil.

Last week, President Vladimir Putin said Russia is contemplating withdrawing from the grain deal, noting Moscow took part in the agreement to maintain relationships with “friendly” countries.

A Russian service member stands guard at a checkpoint near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in the Zaporizhzhia region, on June 15.

The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine will use multiple water sources — which have sufficient water for some months — for cooling after the collapse of the Nova Kakhovka dam earlier this month, the UN’s nuclear watchdog said in an update.

The nuclear plant, which is under Russian control, was supplied by water from the dam’s reservoir.

“Together, the large cooling pond, the smaller spray ponds, and the discharge channel have sufficient water for some months,” it added.

Meanwhile, even as the war intensifies in the region, the nuclear plant is taking steps to “preserve and replenish these reserves as much as possible” and also “exploring alternative ways of getting water,” the update said.

With the “extremely fragile” security situation around the plant, the dam’s collapse “added to the severe difficulties,” for the facility, the update said.

Ukrainian servicemen fire a BM-21 Grad multiple launch rocket system towards Russian troops near a front line in Donetsk region, Ukraine on June 21.

Heavy fighting continues in the eastern Donetsk region as Russian forces keep their focus in the areas of Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka and Mariinka, according to the latest update from the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

More than 30 combat engagements took place in those areas in the past day, the General Staff said Wednesday, noting that Russia conducted several “unsuccessful offensives” in those directions.

Both Ukraine’s General Staff and Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, a commander of joint forces in the country’s south, said Russian forces are on the defensive in the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson directions, while the Armed Forces of Ukraine are advancing.

Within the past day in Tavria, a town in southern Ukraine, “enemy losses in killed and wounded amounted to almost three companies. Ukraine destroyed and damaged 68 units of enemy military equipment,” Tarnavskyi claimed.

The General Staff said Russian forces were unsuccessful in offensives in the village of Piatykhatky in the Zaporizhzhia region, while they also conducted airstrikes in the areas of Preobrazhenka and Stopnohirsk in the Donetsk region.

In Bakhmut, Ukraine’s acting Commander of the 3rd Assault Brigade Maksym Zhorin claimed Russian troops were unsuccessfully attempting to regain some of their lost positions on the battlefield.

“The result — dead and wounded Russians,” he said.

What Russia says: The Russian Ministry of Defense claimed on Wednesday that its forces attacked units of the Ukrainian army in the southeast of the country near the border of the Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions, destroying their equipment. 

On Belarus: Ukraine’s military also noted that “no signs of (the) formation of offensive groups were detected in Belarus” near the border with Ukraine. 

“However, combat training and coordination of the Russian Armed Forces units before their deployment to the areas of combat operations in Ukraine are ongoing at the training grounds of the Republic of Belarus,” the General Staff claimed. 

Belarus, one of Russia’s staunchest allies since the invasion of Ukraine, made changes to its constitution renouncing its neutrality on Wednesday.