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Russian forces launched over 50 attacks near 19 settlements along the Pokrovsk front Ukrainian troops successfully repelled 53 assaults in this area and 141 combat clashes were reported on the battlefield Russia conducted 20 attacks against Ukrainian defensive positions Ukrainian forces also withstood airstrikes including 418 attacks and eight strikes from multiple-launch rocket systems The Ukrainian Armed Forces held their ground in multiple regions they thwarted eight Russian attacks near Petropavlivka The Lyman front saw 13 assaults concentrated on settlements such as Kopanky seven Russian attempts to advance near Pryvillia 14 Russian attacks were repelled near Krymske Ukrainian defenders successfully resisted 11 attempts on the Novopavlivka front and four on the Prydniprovske front Russian forces also made an unsuccessful attack on Novodanylivka in the Orikhiv sector while no significant operations were reported on the Kharkiv Russian troops have intensified their offensive advancing in several settlements including Novoandriivka DeepState analysts reported that Russian forces had taken control of Pishchane Local officials warned that Russian troops were now less than three kilometers from the city aiming to encircle it by capturing key nearby villages Ukrainian forces had previously regained positions in Shevchenko but continue to face intense pressure in this area the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) highlighted critical losses among North Korean troops deployed to Kursk Oblast With an estimated 92 casualties daily since December 2024 the contingent of 12,000 soldiers faces the risk of being entirely killed or wounded by mid-April 2025 over 3,800 North Korean soldiers have already been killed or injured Ukrainian forces have launched successful strikes on Russian targets including an oil refinery in Voronezh Oblast and a gunpowder plant in Tambov Oblast Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer signed a historic "Centennial Partnership Agreement," ensuring long-term cooperation and British support for Ukraine We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria According to Bulgaria's Military Intelligence Service report for 2023 Russia remains the dominant destabilizing force in global security The European Commission has strongly condemned the circumstances surrounding the death of Ukrainian journalist Viktoriia Roshchyna European countries are struggling to mobilize even 25,000 troops to Ukraine for a potential peacekeeping mission South Korea's intelligence agency has reported that approximately 600 North Korean soldiers President Donald Trump has made mixed statements regarding Russian President Vladimir Putin’s intentions in the ongoing war in Ukraine The European Union is considering the possibility of separating Ukraine and Moldova in their EU accession processes due to Hungary's opposition to Ukraine's membership talks Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has rejected Russian President Vladimir Putin’s announcement of a short-term "ceasefire" from 8 to 10 May Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced a so-called "humanitarian" truce to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II Google Street View Cars Return to Bulgaria for Major Mapping Update Housing Prices Soar in Bulgaria’s Major Cities as Demand and Supply Strain Increase Russians are attempting to avoid participation in assault operations towards the city of Huliaipole in the Polohy district of the Zaporizhzhia region, fearing significant losses. Instances of sabotage of the offensive, including the damaging of military equipment, have been reported, according to the ATESH partisan movement. According to underground movement representatives their agents from the 64th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of the Russian Armed Forces (35th Russian Army) reported such incidents It is noted that soldiers from this brigade "deliberately damaged military equipment to avoid the assault on Huliaipole." In addition the Russians are pouring water instead of fuel and "deliberately disabling motorcycles in various ways." "The brigade leadership has already started an investigation but the number of dissatisfied personnel is only growing Russian soldiers are well aware that they are marching to slaughter and are doing everything to save their lives," the ATESH publication states Ukrainian partisans urged Russian invaders to break their equipment and refuse to follow orders frequently comes under enemy shelling using various types of weapons Huliaipole and the front line on the DeepState project map about 6 km from the city to the front line (photo: screenshot deepstatemap.live) In the evening report of March 16, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that Russians carried out attacks in the areas of Pryvillya, Vilyke Pole, and in the direction of Novopillia on the Huliaipole axis. The Ukrainian Defense Forces repelled all 6 attacks of the occupiers Military leadership also shared that Russians fired unguided aviation rockets at Novopillia In January, the head of the Zaporizhzhia regional military administration, Ivan Fedorov, mentioned in an interview that Vladimir Putin had planned an offensive on Zaporizhzhia but had to abandon those plans. Fedorov also noted that a multi-layered defense system is being built in the region covering not only the defense lines directly on the front line but also a circular defense around Orikhiv information began to spread about Russia's preparations for a large-scale offensive in the Zaporizhzhia region there were reports of a potential threat to the city of Zaporizhzhia Meanwhile, in November last year, the Ukrainian Defense Forces reported that Russians had intensified activities in the Zaporizhzhia region. However they lack the strength for a major offensive Additionally, Russians' operation in the Zaporizhzhia region was expected to begin around December 5. This live blog is now closed, you can find our latest coverage of the Russia-Ukraine war here An urgent situation is developing in the bunkers beneath the Azot chemical plant in the city, a spokesperson for the UN’s humanitarian affairs office, Saviano Abreu, told the BBC. The lack of water and sanitation is a big worry. It’s a huge concern for us because people cannot survive for long without water. Food and health services are also at risk of running out, he said, adding: Both parts of the conflict have an obligation under international humanitarian law to protect civilians, so it is not an option - they have to assure the people who want to leave the city that they can do it safely. Separately, the head of Sievierodonetsk’s military administration, Roman Vlasenko, told CNN that the more than 500 civilians sheltering underneath the Azot plant have not been supplied in two weeks. There are food stocks, but they have not been resupplied for two weeks. So stocks won’t last long. If there is a humanitarian corridor, I believe people are ready to leave Azot. It is currently 3am in the capital Kyiv. We will be pausing this live blog overnight and returning in the morning. In the meantime, you can read our comprehensive summary of the days’ events in our summary below. 15 Jun 202201.51 CESTRussian people and companies are using entities in Georgia to bypass western sanctions, a group of Ukrainian lawmakers say. Speaking in Washington, David Arakhamia, Ukraine’s chief negotiator with Russia, said the Ukrainian delegation was set to have meetings at the US Congress, State Department and the Treasury to raise awareness of the issue, among other topics. Speaking to reporters at a German Marshall Fund event, he said: They (Russians) use heavily right now ... Georgian banks, Georgian financial system, Georgian companies and so on. If you are a sanctioned Russian person, you go to the Internet, you open up a Georgian company, open up remotely the bank account and start processing.” He did not provide further details or specific examples. 15 Jun 202201.31 CESTHere are some of the latest images of Ukraine’s fighters from the country’s eastern frontline According to the news agency, the US government has pushed new, increased funding into three technology companies since the start of the Ukraine conflict to help Russians sidestep censors and access western media, according to five people familiar with the situation. The financing effort is focused on three firms that build Virtual Private Networks (VPN) - nthLink, Psiphon and Lantern – and is designed to support a recent surge in their Russian users, the sources said. VPNs help users hide their identity and change their online location, often to bypass geographic restrictions on content or to evade government censorship technology. Reuters spoke to executives at all three US government-backed VPNs and two officials at a US government-funded nonprofit organisation that provided them with financing - the Open Technology Fund (OTF) - who said the anti-censorship apps have seen significant growth in Russia since President Vladimir Putin launched his war in Ukraine in February. Between 2015 and 2021, the three VPNs received at least $4.8m in US funding, according to publicly available funding documents reviewed by Reuters. Since February, the total funding allocated to the companies has increased by almost half in order to cope with the rise in demand in Russia, the five people familiar with the matter told Reuters. Laura Cunningham, president of the OTF, said the organisation had increased its support to the three VPNs because “the Russian government is attempting to censor what their citizens can see and say online in order to obscure the truth and silence dissent.” Censorship evasion tools, including the VPNs, backed by OTF averaged more than 4m users last month in Russia, Cunningham added. In a statement, USAGM also said it was supporting the development of a range of censorship circumvention tools, including VPNs. It also did not give precise data on their funding. “With the Kremlin’s escalating crackdown on media freedom, we’ve seen an extraordinary surge in demand for these tools among Russians,” USAGM spokesperson Laurie Moy said. 15 Jun 202200.47 CESTRussia attacking Luhansk in nine directions, Ukraine military saysRussia has concentrated its main strike forces in the north of Luhansk region and were trying to attack simultaneously in nine directions, the head of Ukraine’s military has said. “The fierce struggle for Luhansk region continues,” Valeriy Zaluzhny, commander-in-chief of the armed forces, said. The Russians were using aircraft, rocket-propelled grenades, and artillery, he added. Serhiy Haidai, governor of the Luhansk region, said Ukraine’s army was defending the key city of Sievierodonetsk and trying to stop Russian forces from taking its twin city Lysychansk on the opposite bank of the Siverskyi Donets river. 15 Jun 202200.04 CESTSummaryIt’s 1am in Kyiv. Here’s where things stand: That’s it from me, Maya Yang, today as I hand the blog over to my colleague in Australia, Samantha Lock, who will bring you the latest updates. I’ll be back tomorrow, thank you. Updated at 00.27 CEST15 Jun 202223.46 CESTTwo U.S. veterans from Alabama who were in Ukraine assisting in the war against Russia haven’t been heard from in days and are missing members of the state’s congressional delegation said Wednesday of Tuscaloosa have been in contact with both Senate and House offices seeking information about the men’s whereabouts Rep. Robert Aderholt said Huynh had volunteered to go fight with the Ukrainian army against Russia, but relatives haven’t heard from him since June 8, when he was in the Kharkiv region of northeastern Ukraine, which is near the Russian border. Huynh and Drueke were together, an aide to Aderholt said. “As you can imagine, his loved ones are very concerned about him,” Aderholt said in a statement. “My office has placed inquires with both the United States Department of State and the Federal Bureau of Investigation trying to get any information possible.” Rep. Terri Sewell said Drueke’s mother reached out to her office earlier this week after she lost contact with her son. The U.S. State Department said it was looking into reports that Russian or Russian-backed separatist forces in Ukraine had captured at least two American citizens. If confirmed, they would be the first Americans fighting for Ukraine known to have been captured since the war began Feb. 24. “We are closely monitoring the situation and are in contact with Ukrainian authorities,” the department said in a statement emailed to reporters. It declined further comment, citing privacy considerations. John Kirby, a national security spokesman at the White House, said Wednesday that the administration wasn’t able to confirm the reports about missing Americans. “We’ll do the best we can to monitor this and see what we can learn about it,” he said. However, he reiterated his warnings against Americans going to Ukraine. “Ukraine is not the place for Americans to be traveling,” he said. “If you feel passionate about supporting Ukraine, there’s any number of ways to do that that that are safer and just as effective.” 15 Jun 202223.24 CESTTurkey is ready to host a four-way meeting with the United Nations, Russia and Ukraine to organise the export of grain through the Black Sea Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Wednesday Millions of tons of wheat are currently stuck in Ukrainian ports either blockaded or occupied by Russian forces the UN has submitted a plan to facilitate exports safe corridors could be established without de-mining in the Black Sea for grain exports from Ukraine there will be a four-partite meeting in Istanbul,” Cavusoglu said The UN Secretary-General’s spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Ankara had an important role in resolving the situation which has raised the prospect of worldwide food shortages “We have been in very close contact and we are working in close cooperation with the Turkish authorities on this issue,” he said “I think the role of the Turkish military will be critical in that regard.” Cavusoglu last week hosted his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Ankara to discuss the issue but shipments have been blocked since Russia invaded its neighbour in late February Turkey has offered its services to escort maritime convoys from Ukrainian ports despite the presence of mines - some of which have been detected near the Turkish coast After hosting talks between Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministers in March aimed at ending the war the country has positioned itself as a neutral mediator as it maintains a delicate balancing act between its two Black Sea neighbours “The United States announced new strengthening of our defence a new $1 billion support package,” Zelenskiy said on Wednesday it is especially important for our defence in (the eastern region of) Donbas.” “I am also grateful for the (US) leadership in mobilising the help of all partners,” he said He added that he discussed with Biden “the tactical situation on the battlefield and how to accelerate our victory” “Every day I fight for Ukraine to get the necessary weapons and equipment,” Zelensky said wisdom and tactical skills cannot be imported Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February there have been at least 892 child casualties including 313 children killed and 579 injured 21 more children confirmed dead in Mariupol, taking total to 313 - Prosecutor General OfficeThere have been at least 892 child casualties in Ukraine as a result of the full-scale aggression by the Russian Federation: 313 children killed, 579 woundedhttps://t.co/ycpHElFWHR pic.twitter.com/mtJxmYbsL6 15 Jun 202222.12 CESTUS Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin tweeted on Wednesday the breakdown of the $1 billion security assistance package to Ukraine including Harpoons We just announced our single largest Ukraine 🇺🇦 security assistance package to date: $1 billion worth of Harpoons, 155mm Howitzers, HiMARS ammunition, tactical vehicles, secure radios, and other equipment that will directly help Ukraine on the battlefield. pic.twitter.com/EmvE002qx9 15 Jun 202221.41 CEST“All Russian war crimes will be investigated and punished,” said Ukraine’s Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova on Wednesday Venediktova tweeted a photo of her and Karim A Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court surveying damaged as a result of the Russian invasion in Ukraine “Proscutors are working even under fire gathering evidence for [Ukraine] and Int[ernational] Courts,” she wrote 15 Jun 202221.06 CESTThe US has expressed concern regarding China’s alliance with Russia warning that countries choosing to align with Russia and Russian president Vladimir Putin will be “on the wrong side of history.” but its behavior makes clear that it is still investing in close ties to Russia,” a US State Department spokesperson said on Wednesday The statement came hours after Chinese president Xi Jinping assured Putin of Beijing’s support for Moscow’s “sovereignty and security” during a call between the two leaders on Wednesday Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February China has refused to condemn Russia and has also been accused of providing diplomatic cover for Russia by condemning Western sanctions and arms sales to Kyiv According to the State Department spokesperson Washington was “monitoring China’s activity closely.” China has already made a choice,” the statement continued It is still echoing Russian propaganda around the world It is still shielding Russia in international organizations.. And it is still denying Russia’s atrocities in Ukraine by suggesting instead that they were staged,” it said “Nations that side with Vladimir Putin will inevitably find themselves on the wrong side of history.. This is not a moment for equivocation or hiding or waiting to see what happens next It is already clear what is happening,” the statement concluded The secretary-general said that lack of female representation in conflict negotiations shows “how enduring power inbalances and patriarchy are continuing to fail us.” It results in “men in power and women excluded their rights and freedoms deliberately targeted,” Guterres said in a Security Council meeting But women’s “right to equal participation at all levels is essential for building and maintaining peace,” he added noting that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has forced millions of women and children to the flee the country “putting them at high risk of trafficking and exploitation of all kinds.” “Women who chose not to evacuate are at the forefront of healthcare and social support,” he said Their perspectives are therefore “critical to understanding conflict dynamics,” and make their participation “essential for resolving conflicts.” That’s it from me, Léonie Chao-Fong, today as I hand the blog over to my US colleagues. I’ll be back tomorrow, thank you. 15 Jun 202219.59 CESTCanada will provide 10 replacement barrels for M777 howitzer artillery guns to Ukraine in new military aid valued at C$9 million (£5.7m), the country’s defence minister, Anita Anand, said. We will continue to work around the clock to provide Ukraine with the comprehensive military aid that it needs to defend its sovereignty and security. Canada donated the M777 howitzers to Ukraine earlier and the replacement barrels are needed to maintain their distance range and accuracy, Reuters reports. 15 Jun 202219.44 CESTA quick snap from Reuters: Turkey’s foreign minister, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, said Ankara’s expectations were not met by documents from Sweden. Çavuşoğlu insisted that any negotiations on Finland and Sweden’s bid to join Nato would have to address Turkey’s demands first. 15 Jun 202219.33 CESTHere’s more on the new $1bn US weapons aid package for Ukraine The US defense department said the package includes shipments of additional howitzers The United States has now committed approximately $6.3bn in security assistance to Ukraine since the beginning of the Biden Administration including approximately $5.6bn since the beginning of Russia’s unprovoked invasion on February 24 The latest package includes 18 additional howitzers with tactical vehicles to tow them 36,000 rounds of 155mm ammunition for the howitzers The US will also send two Harpoon coastal defence systems thousands of “secure radios” and thousands of night vision devices Wide spread revulsion has been caused after a Ukrainian prisoner of war (POW) had his head chopped off by Russian troops and placed on sticks with his hands either side which has been likened to something out of Lord of the Rings movie The location of where the severed head was found was at an abandoned sanatorium in Pryvillia or possibly 3 badly decomposed heads on spikes “Also lower part of a body wearing military trousers & boots attached This is Russia’s sadistic genocide in Ukraine.” In early July Russian forces took control of the area around 25 miles north of Popasna which is near to the Siverskyi Donets River Videos and photos have emerged on social media of the heads situated in the captured city of Popasna which shows how barbaric Russians are The Ukrainian governor of Luhansk province “There is nothing human about the Russians who is a former oligarch jailed by Vladimir Putin and now lives in exile in London said the photo is an example of Russky Mir “Will Russia be able to recover from this & come back to the community of civilised nations it brings the darkness of the middle ages to its neighbours & peoples around the globe #russianworld arrived to the occupied Popasna in Donbas.” Vladimir Putin has claimed he will not use nuclear weapons as the Russian Army … Record global temperatures around 1.4 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial averages led to more heatwaves and floods longer wildfire seasons and widespread droughts in 2023 City Hall has triggered a ‘high’ air pollution alert in London on Thursday due to an increase in air pollution on from mainland Europe Imperial College London forecasters … The Unite union who backs Labour has hit out at the government’s net zero plans and has told Ed Milliband “the time to act is now” as they … has accelerated growth by an impressive 60% over the last 12 months alone after firmly establishing its niche in the Hospitality the world’s leading digital frontline workplace has released new survey findings showing that UK retailers fear a looming workforce crisis Over half (53%) have already frozen recruitment … West London was “evacuated” on Thursday just before noon due “to a fire” breaking out Staff and Patients were evacuated as a precaution … Rising in ranks in the workplace to a position of power like a manager is not an easy thing you need to have a comfortable night’s rest on your business trip Frequent flyers between Singapore and London will know these two … Marks & Spencer has said that some of their stores are still being disrupted by the fallout of the cyberattack and there is “pockets of availability.” The retailer …