June 5, 2022 Russia-Ukraine news

Our live coverage of the war in Ukraine has moved here.

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov speaks during a joint news conference with Bahrain's Foreign Minister at the Bahraini Ministry of Foreign Affairs' headquarters in the capital Manama on May 31.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova told an Italian broadcaster Sunday that some of Serbia’s neighboring countries have closed their airspace to the plane scheduled to take Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to Belgrade for a meeting with officials on Monday, according to Russia’s state news agency TASS.

“The countries bordering Serbia have closed the only air route to the aircraft of Sergey Lavrov, who was to depart for Serbia. The Russian delegation was scheduled to hold talks in Belgrade, while the EU and NATO member-countries have closed their airspace,” Zakharova said in an on-air broadcast of Italy’s La7 television.

Russian Ambassador to Bulgaria Eleonora Mitrofanova said that Bulgarian authorities refused to provide an air corridor for the Russian government aircraft, according to TASS.

“I can confirm that the Bulgarian authorities did not allow the flight of the plane with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on board, which should proceed to Serbia, through the airspace of their country,” she said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he visited troops in some of the most heavily bombarded frontline positions Sunday.

In his nightly address, Zelensky said: “We were in Lysychansk and we were in Soledar.”

Both places have been under heavy Russian attack for weeks, suffering missile, rocket and aerial bombardment.

Earlier Sunday, Zelensky was in the southern city of Zaporizhzhia, where he said he’d met the mayors of some occupied towns.

“I met with Mariupol residents who managed to leave the city alive and with children. I met them in Khortytsia. Conditions are temporary but not bad,” he said. “Each family had its own story, most without men. Someone’s husband went to war, someone in captivity, and someone, unfortunately, died.”

Residents look for belongings in the rubble of their home after a strike destroyed three houses in the city of Sloviansk in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donbas on June 1.

The Ukrainian military has reported another day of heavy fighting in the Donetsk region, especially on the northern approaches to the key city of Sloviansk.

The armed forces’ General Staff did not acknowledge losing any territory but said Russian troops had resumed their offensive near Sviatohirsk, some 12 miles (20 km) north of Sloviansk, and had suffered losses. It said there had been further air strikes against Sloviansk. The city is located more than 300 miles east of the capital Kyiv.

Further east, the General Staff said Russian forces had tried to storm two districts (Bilohorivka and Mykolaivka), that, if lost by the Ukrainians, would put the city of Severodonetsk at risk of encirclement.

Local authorities reported the town of Bakhmut – a lynchpin in Ukraine’s defense of Donetsk and Luhansk – had been shelled again. An agricultural machinery plant had been set on fire, they said.

Fighting in the south continues, with territory changing hands since a Ukrainian counter-offensive began a week ago.

The General Staff said the Russians were conducting an offensive in the area of ​​Bila Krynytsia in the north of the Kherson region, a district recently retaken by Ukrainian forces. The head of the regional military administration, Oleksandr Vilkul, said Russian units had “retreated to previously occupied positions.”

A grain storage silo was destroyed in the city of Mykolaiv, according to images from the area geolocated by CNN. The Operational Command South of the Ukrainian forces said “from the direction of the Black Sea and from the territory of Russia, the Black Sea coast of Mykolaiv region, ports and granaries were attacked by air-based cruise missiles.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky paid tribute Sunday to Lithuanian filmmaker Mantas Kvedaravičius, who was killed by Russian forces in Mariupol in April. 

Zelensky made his remarks in a taped address to the guests and participants attending the Lithuanian National Film Awards, “Sidabrinė gervė,” in the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius.

“Ukrainians will remember Mantas Kvedaravičius as a man who was just like that. He really deserves the Golden Swan. He valued life and always spoke out against what was life-threatening in his view – and that was a very attentive view,” Zelensky added.

When he was killed, Kvedaravičius was still in the process of making his film “Mariupolis 2,” a documentary depicting life in the besieged city in the wake of the Russian invasion. The film, finished by his Ukrainian partner Hanna Bilobrova, was screened at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival on May 19 and 20. 

In his Sunday remarks, Zelensky called on guests and participants of the “Sidabrinė gervė” festival “to be just as attentive’” and “support life.” 

“And remember Ukraine, Mariupol and the fact that this war that took Mantas’ life. Russia’s war against Ukraine, must end. End as soon as possible,” he stressed. 

The film awards festival is held annually under the patronage of Prime Minister of the Republic of Lithuania Ingrida Šimonytė and broadcast live on Lithuanian national television.

Russian President Vladimir Putin seen during the Summit of Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) at the Grand Kremlin Palace, on May 16, in Moscow, Russia.

Russian President Vladimir Putin reiterated that Moscow’s actions have nothing to do with the looming energy and food crisis in the world and again blamed economic and financial policies of the West for creating such a scenario.

Current and former energy officials tell CNN they worry that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in the wake of years of underinvestment in the energy sector have sent the world careening into a crisis that will rival, or even exceed, the oil crises of the 1970s and early 1980s.

US President Joe Biden has blamed Russia’s invasion for domestic price hikes and global food supply shortages.

In an interview with state TV channel Rossiya-1, conducted Friday and aired in full Sunday, the Russian leader blamed the United States for “injecting large sums of money” into its economy as a means of combating the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic, which led to inflation and an “unfavorable situation in the food market, because first of all, food prices went up.”

Putin also blamed “the short-sighted policy of European countries, and above all the European Commission, in the energy sector” as another reason for the crisis in food and energy market. 

“Among other things, the Europeans did not listen to our urgent requests to preserve long-term contracts for the supply of the same natural gas to European countries, and they also began to (terminate the contracts) … This had a negative impact on the European energy market: Prices crept up. Russia has absolutely nothing to do with it,” he said. 

As soon as gas prices went up, fertilizer prices “immediately increased, because some of these fertilizers are produced, including at the expense of gas. Everything is interconnected,” Putin added. 

“But we warned about this, and this has nothing to do with any military operation of Russia,” Putin said. 

The Kremlin said last week that Moscow is ready to make a “significant contribution” to avoid the food crisis through the export of grain and fertilizers, if the West lifts “politically motivated restrictions” on Russia.  

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with soldiers on the frontline and internally displaced Ukrainians during a trip to Zaporizhzhia region on Sunday. 

Zelensky “visited the frontline positions of the Ukrainian military,” taking the opportunity to acquaint himself “with the operational situation on the frontline of defense,” a statement from the Ukrainian Presidency said. 

The president spoke with the soldiers, presenting them with state awards and thanking them for their service, according to the statement. 

He also paid a trip to a sanatorium where internally displaced Ukrainians, forced to flee their homes, have been receiving shelter and medical care, according to a separate statement from the Ukrainian Presidency. 

Some more context: Almost 12 million Ukrainians have been internally displaced by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Zelensky told lawmakers in Luxembourg on Thursday. 

“I understand that everyone wants to return home. And this housing, no matter how comfortable it is, cannot be compared with your own home. There is nowhere better than home,” Zelensky told the IDPs on Sunday. 

IDPs who had traveled from the southern city of Mariupol recounted to the president the “tragic events they had to endure due to the Russian invasion, “appealing to him for help with recovering lost documents and issuing death certificates of relatives who died in the temporarily occupied territories, according to the statement. 

Zelensky invited them to put forward suggestions for “legislative changes” that could be made to simplify the procedures for obtaining these documents. 

He assured the IDPs that all those who have lost their homes will be provided with “comfortable housing,” according to the statement. 

Finally, Zelensky gave a gift to 8-year-old boy, Yehor Kravtsov, who kept a diary while living under shelling in Mariupol. Yehor, whose “Mariupol Diary” writings were published on social networks, shared his experiences of the city’s bombing with Zelensky.

A photograph shows an explosion in the city of Severodonetsk during heavy fightings between Ukrainian and Russian troops in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donbas on May 30.

Serhiy Hayday, the head of the Luhansk region military administration, says there is “good news” from the city of Severodonetsk, which has been under Russian bombardment for weeks.

In a post on his Telegram channel, Hayday says: “Our Armed Forces have cleared up half of the city. Half of the city is really controlled by our defenders.” Last week, Hayday said that Russian forces held about 80% of Severodonetsk, but Ukrainian forces have clawed back parts of the city in street fighting since then. 

Hayday says he expects Russian forces to redouble their efforts to take the city in the next few days by using heavy artillery. 

“They have no other tactics,” he said “They cannot fight in another way.”

Hayday said there are approximately 15,000 civilians still in Severodonetsk. “Now evacuation is impossible because of constant fighting,” he said.

Lysychansk is across the Siverskyi Donets river from Severodonetsk and is heavily defended by Ukrainian troops.

Wales' striker Gareth Bale (R) fights for the ball with Ukraine's midfielder Viktor Tsygankov during the FIFA World Cup 2022 play-off final qualifier football match between Wales and Ukraine at the Cardiff City Stadium in Cardiff, south Wales, on June 5.

Wales’ men’s soccer team defeated Ukraine 1-0 on Sunday to secure a berth in the 2022 FIFA World Cup. 

Ukraine thought they had begun the game in perfect fashion as Oleksandr Zinchenko took a free-kick quickly after 3 minutes and found the back of the net — only for Spanish referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz to disallow the goal as the Manchester City player took the set piece before the whistle was blown.

Ukraine continued to dominate the early exchanges but were unable to capitalize, with Welsh goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey making a string of excellent saves. In the 34th minute, Gareth Bale’s free kick deflected off the head of Andriy Yarmolenko and into the goal to give Rob Page’s team the lead, which they took into the half-time break.

Both teams had good chances in the second half - Aaron Ramsey missing for Wales and Roman Yaremchuk for the visitors. In the end, one goal was enough for Wales to seal their spot at the forthcoming tournament.

As had been the case in Ukraine’s semifinal victory against Scotland last Wednesday, the build-up to the match was an emotional affair. Players and fans again sang the national anthem pridefully in unison as yellow and blue flags dominated the Cardiff City Stadium in Wales.

The Welsh FA handed out 100 tickets to Ukrainian refugees living in the area before the match as a gesture of solidarity. Ukraine manager Oleksandr Petrakov revealed on Saturday that the team had received a flag from their home country which they had hung in the dressing room.

The World Cup playoff final was due to be played in March but was postponed due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Wales qualified for the match by defeating Austria 2-1 on March 24. 

Wales will join England, the United States and Iran in Group B. 

It is only the second time the nation from the British Isles has qualified for the World Cup, and the first since 1958.

The 2022 FIFA World Cup takes place in Qatar from November 21 to December 18.

A man waits to get water in Mariupol on May 30, amid the ongoing Russian military action in Ukraine.

The shortage of drinking water in Mariupol is now at a critical level, according to an adviser to the mayor.

Petro Andrushenko said people had to register to receive drinking water and can only get it every two days. 

The damage to Mariupol during more than two months of bombardment was so severe that most basic services, such as electricity, gas and piped water, are yet to be restored by the Russian-backed local authorities.

Andrushenko said: “The amount of water was small before, but now it has decreased altogether. It is necessary to register in the queue … In the future, the temperature will rise, the water level will fall, and the water will be less.”

Andrushenko, who is not in Mariupol, claimed that the water being provided by the occupying authorities is “very conditional drinking water. Without boiling, it cannot be consumed in normal life at all, and there is no place to boil, that is, only on the [outside] fire. In fact, people use it as it is. This is a double threat at once.”

Andrushenko repeated his warnings of epidemics due to the high level of garbage and the number of corpses buried in shallow graves throughout the city.

So far there have been no confirmed reports of dysentery or other epidemic diseases in Mariupol. 

Ukrainian soldiers carry the coffin of Roman Tkachenko, aged 21 who was killed fighting the Russian invasion near Kharkiv on June 4, in Kyiv, Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin warned on Sunday that Moscow would strike new targets if the US supplied long-range missiles to Ukraine, according to Russian state media.   

Delivering new arms to Kyiv only aims to “drag out the armed conflict for as long as possible,” Putin said in an interview to Rossiya-1 TV channel, Russian state media TASS reported.

In the case of deliveries of long-range missiles to Kyiv, Russia will draw “appropriate conclusions” and strike those “facilities” that it has not yet targeted, he said.  

“If they are supplied, we will draw appropriate conclusions from this and use our own weapons, of which we have enough, in order to strike at those facilities we are not targeting yet,” Putin said, commenting on the situation regarding the supply of American multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) to Ukraine.  

Here are more of the latest headlines from the Russia-Ukraine war:

Ukraine’s Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar holds a press briefing in Kyiv, Ukraine on June 2.

Western allies “must understand” that providing heavy weaponry to Ukraine “is not a one-time aid” but has to be continued until “victory,” Ukraine’s Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said on Sunday.

“Weapons have already begun to arrive, but it is not enough to give a very strong rebuff to the Russian army,” Maliar said. “We will always need support, given that we have already entered a protracted war. The West must understand that this is not a one-time aid, but to a victory.”

The scene in Severodonetsk: Maliar said that the situation on the ground is “hot” and changing constantly, so it’s difficult to give updates on how much of the city Ukraine controls.

“No one can say for sure because, during the fighting, some part of the city may now be under the control of Russian troops, but in 30 minutes, the situation could change radically,” Maliar said. “The only thing we can say for sure is that the (Ukrainian) armed forces are strongly resisting. Otherwise, the city would have fallen.”

The threat to Kyiv: “Kyiv is constantly under threat,” Maliar said. “We need to understand that the war is in a hot phase, and Kyiv remains the main goal of the Russian Federation.”

Maliar also spoke about the fighters from around the world who have signed up for the International Legion, which she said is legally part of the Ukrainian armed forces.

“The International Legion proved itself in battle,” Maliar said, including in the liberation of Kyiv, and now the international fighters “are also in the hottest spots.”

She said they have applications “from almost all over the world,” with some people signing up as “professional fighters who can perform very high-level military tasks” and others who join after being motivated by “the injustice” of the conflict.

Russia “launched 5 X-22 cruise missiles from the Caspian Sea in the direction of Kyiv” at 6 a.m. local time on Sunday, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said.

One missile was destroyed by Ukraine’s air defense unit, and the rest hit “infrastructure facilities in the north of the Ukrainian capital,” the military said.

Earlier, Vadym Denysenko, adviser to the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, said one military target and one civilian target were hit.

Several of the missiles hit the Darnytsia Carriage Repair Plant, injuring one railway worker, according to Oleksandr Kamyshin, CEO of the Ukrainian state railway enterprise Ukrzaliznytsia. Passenger trains were not delayed by the attacks, he said.

Kamyshin denied the Russian reports that his company was housing any military equipment, and he invited journalists to visit the plant and verify that.

“I officially declare that there is no military equipment on the plant’s territory. This plant repaired cargo carriages, including those we use for grain export,” Kamyshin said.

“Their real target is the economy of Ukraine and the civilian population,” he said. “They also want to block our opportunity to export Ukrainian products to the West.”

Ukrainian air defenses shot down four Russian missiles aimed at Mykolaiv in southern Ukraine, an update from Operational Command South said on Sunday.

“During a night attack from the sea by missiles across the south of Ukraine, two missiles were shot down by forces of our divisions over the sea, on approach to the Mykolaiv region,” the statement said.

At dawn, the Mykolaiv region was “again subjected to a massive missile strike using aircraft” and two missiles were shot down by air defenses, the statement said.

“Such audacious actions again reveal the real intentions of the terrorist country — pseudo-care of humanitarian corridors and unblocking ports — this is just an excuse to gain access to Ukraine’s maritime infrastructure,” the statement said.

Russia also tried to regain lost positions in two areas of Mykolaiv but “suffered heavy losses and retreated,” a separate update from the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said on Sunday.

In nearby Kherson, the military said there has been no mobile or internet connection for six days, and the Russian troops controlling the city have opened a branch of a party called ‘United Russia’ where they “collect data from the city’s residents.”

Heavy fighting is also taking place in the Beryslav district, and many houses, roads and bridges have been destroyed, the military said.

Pope Francis speaks during Pentecost Mass on June 5 in The Vatican.

Pope Francis renewed his appeal to government leaders on Sunday to seek a diplomatic solution to end the war in Ukraine.  

“While the fury of death and destruction continues and conflicting positions spread, fueling an escalation that is increasingly dangerous for everyone, I renew an appeal to national leaders: Please do not bring humanity to ruin, do not bring humanity to ruin,” the Pope said after his Regina Coeli prayer on Pentecost, appearing at a window of the papal apartments overlooking St. Peter’s Square.  

“Carry out real negotiations, concrete talks for a ceasefire and for a sustainable solution. Listen to the desperate cry of the people who are suffering - we see it every day in the media - respect human life, stop the macabre destruction of cities and villages everywhere,” he added.  

On Saturday, the Pontiff told a child from Ukraine that he wants to visit Ukraine and will be discussing a possible trip with Ukrainian officials.   

The Pope made an appeal on Wednesday to lift the blockade of wheat exports from Ukraine.  

CNN’s Nicola Ruotolo and Radina Gigova contributed to this report.

Russian missiles destroyed T-72 tanks and other armored vehicles near Kyiv that had been supplied by eastern European countries to Ukraine, Russia’s defense ministry said Sunday. 

The ministry added that Russian Aerospace Forces used high-precision long-range air-launched missiles in the strikes on the capital’s outskirts, hitting buildings of a car repair enterprise.

Background: The Russian announcement comes after multiple explosions rocked Kyiv on Sunday morning, in the first strikes on the capital in weeks. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said one person has been hospitalized.

The Ukrainian government confirmed that a military target was hit by a Russian missile in Kyiv on Sunday.

“One military object was hit and one civilian. No casualties, one person was hospitalized,” Vadym Denysenko, adviser to the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine said.

This post has been updated.

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting in Moscow on May 16.

Russian President Vladimir Putin warned on Sunday that Moscow would strike new targets if the US supplied long-range missiles to Ukraine, according to Russian state media.   

Delivering new arms to Kyiv only aims to “drag out the armed conflict for as long as possible,” Putin said in an interview to Rossiya-1 TV channel, Russian state media TASS reported.

In the case of deliveries of long-range missiles to Kyiv, Russia will draw “appropriate conclusions” and strike those “facilities” that it has not yet targeted, he said.  

Supplying American MLRS to Ukraine essentially does not change anything, since Kyiv had similar weapons before, including similar range missiles, so they are simply making up for their losses, Putin said, according to TASS.  

US President Joe Biden said Tuesday the US is providing Ukraine  “more advanced rocket systems and munitions” as its war with Russia grinds on.   

Russian forces are “advancing” in several areas north of the city of Sloviansk in eastern Ukraine after they “completed regrouping of troops,” the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said on Sunday.

On Saturday, the Sloviansk city military administration said hundreds of people were fleeing Sloviansk every day, with evacuation numbers almost doubling this week. A missile strike that killed three people on Tuesday “pushed the citizens to leave,” the official said.

In nearby Lyman, Russia is also “advancing in the direction of Sviatohirsk, trying to push our troops to the right bank of the Siverskyi Donets River,” the military said.

Russian troops continue to pummel areas of eastern Ukraine. In the past 24 hours, eight civilians were killed and 11 were injured in the Donetsk region after Russian forces shelled 15 areas, an update from the regional military-civilian administrations said on Sunday.

Russia also conducted two air strikes in Donetsk, including one overnight in the key city of Kramatorsk, which caused “serious damage to two enterprises in the city,” but did not result in casualties, Oleksandr Honcharenko, Kramatorsk Mayor said.

In areas around Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia, the Russians are “firing on the front line of defense and the rear areas of our troops, in order to restrain our units and prevent their regrouping,” the military said.

And in Luhansk, Russian forces fired on five areas, including Severodonetsk and Lysychansk, with artillery and multiple rocket launchers. Air strikes were also carried out on four areas, regional officials said.

One person was also killed and two others were injured after shelling in Hirske and Lysychansk, which also damaged 18 houses and a police department building. In Severodonetsk, a building on the Azot chemical factory complex was damaged by Russian artillery shelling, regional officials said, with no casualties reported.

Russia’s units are “focusing on offensive operations to surround our troops” in Severodonetsk and Lysychansk, and to “block the main logistics routes,” the military said.

Near Severodonetsk in the city of Lysychansk, a humanitarian aid center was “completely destroyed” by Russian shelling on Sunday, Hayday added.

In the northeast, in the Kharkiv region, the Russians used phosphorus munitions in the Cherkaski Tyshky area northeast of Kharkiv, the military said.

One person was also injured after Russian shelling of Chuguev to the southeast of Kharkiv, and several other areas came under fire overnight, regional officials said.

“The enemy does not stop firing on the positions of our troops near the city of Kharkiv,” the military statement said.

In Sumy in the northeast, Russia fired artillery shells at infrastructure facilities in two areas, the military said, and the Chernihiv region in the north was also shelled.

This post has been updated with additional information about casualties from regional officials.

A Russian missile was downed on Sunday by Ukraine’s air defense system above the Obukhiv area south of Kyiv, the Kyiv region military administration said on Sunday.

“According to the preliminary information, there are no casualties or destruction,” the statement said.

Some background: Multiple explosions also hit the capital on Sunday morning local time. One person was hospitalized.

“In reference to this morning’s explosions in the capital’s Darnytskyi and Dniprovskyi districts, there are currently no casualties from missile strikes on infrastructure. One victim was hospitalized,” Klitschko said on Telegram.

He added that the city’s services are still operating in the affected areas. 

Russia “continues to launch missile and air strikes on military and civilian infrastructure in our country, in particular in Kyiv,” a separate update the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said on Sunday.

CNN’s Taras Zadorozhnyy, Josh Pennington and Sophie Jeong contributed reporting to this post.

Ukrainian counterattacks over the past 24 hours in Severodonetsk are likely “blunting” Russian momentum, the UK Ministry of Defense said in an intelligence update on Sunday.

The ministry said the Russian troops include personnel mobilized from the reserve of the Russian-led separatist forces of the self-declared Luhansk People’s Republic.

“These troops are poorly equipped and trained, and lack heavy equipment in comparison to regular Russian units,” it said.