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June 30, 2023 Russia-Ukraine news
By Kathleen Magramo, Sophie Tanno, Ed Upright, Aditi Sangal, Adrienne Vogt and Tori B. Powell, CNN
Updated 9:41 p.m. ET, June 30, 2023
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It's past midnight in Kyiv and Moscow. Here's what you should know
From CNN staff
The United States doesn't know the whereabouts of Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin, who led a short-lived rebellion last weekend in Russia and hasn't been seen in public in a week.
Prigozhin was last spotted leaving the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don on Saturday, after abruptly calling off his troops’ march on Moscow.
"We don't have perfect visibility here on where Mr. Prigozhin is or where all of his fighters are," said John Kirby, spokesperson for the White House National Security Council.
According to Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, the Wagner chief arrived in Belarus on Tuesday. While there are no videos or photos showing Prigozhin there, satellite imagery of an airbase outside Minsk showed two planes linked to Prigozhin landing there on Tuesday morning.
On Friday, Lukashenko invited Wagner mercenaries to train his military. “Unfortunately, they (Wagner mercenaries) are not here,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Patriot media group, which is associated with Prigozhin, announced it's shutting down. And Russian media regulator Roskomnadzor has restricted access to media sites belonging to the media group.
Here's what else you should know:
- Military assistance: The Biden administration acknowledged Friday that the early stages of Ukraine’s counteroffensive have fallen short of expectations but reiterated the United States will continue to provide support in the ways of training, equipment and advice.
- Rebuilding Ukraine: The World Bank estimates Ukraine will need at least $411 billion to repair the damage caused by the war. And the EU and its allies are determined to make Moscow foot part of the bill. EU leaders have tasked the European Commission to come up with a proposal that would focus on profits from immobilized assets of the Russian Central Bank to assist with the costs of rebuilding Ukraine, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced on Friday.
- On the ground: Russian and Ukrainian troops are exchanging heavy fire around the badly damaged Antonivskyi Bridge in southern Ukraine's Kherson region. Missile strikes against Ukrainian soldiers who had crossed the Dnipro River caused high casualties, according to a Russian-appointed governor of the region. The Ukrainian military says its forces are advancing on both the southern front and in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, but it did not make any specific claims to newly captured territory.
- Grain deal: The United Nations urged the Joint Coordination Centre in Istanbul to expedite the clearance of ships under the Black Sea grain deal that clears vessels to export Ukrainian grain. No ships have been authorized to travel to Black Sea ports since June 26, according to the UN. The deal – brokered by the United Nations and Turkey with Russia and Ukraine – created procedures to ensure the safe export of grain from Ukrainian ports.
Belarusian president invites Wagner mercenaries to train his military
From CNN’s Mariya Knight
Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko on Friday invited Wagner Group mercenaries to Belarus to train his military in a speech dedicated to Belarus’ Independence Day, according to state news agency Belta.
“Unfortunately, they (Wagner mercenaries) are not here,” Lukashenko said. “And if their instructors, as I already told them, come and pass on combat experience to us, we will accept this experience.”
Lukashenko also said he is not afraid of Wagner members, as he “has known them for a long time.”
“These are people who fought all over the world to establish a normal civilization. The West hates them to the core," he said.
Lukashenko said the world was facing an unprecedented crisis, but that the West hasn't felt the need for dialogue to resolve it.
Lukashenko also accused the European Union and the United States of “arming Poland at an accelerated pace.”
"Thus, another hotbed of tension is being created, another stronghold is being created for the aggression of the most aggressive country in the world and, unfortunately, the most powerful — the United States,” he said.
According to Lukashenko, the West is making Poland into “a proxy training ground” to use against Belarus and Russia.
Russian media group associated with Prigozhin shuts down operations
From CNN's Mariya Knight
Patriot media group, which is associated with Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, is shutting down operations, according to the CEO of the Federal News Agency.
"Today, as CEO of the Federal News Agency, one of the media that created the Patriot media group, I announce our decision: we are closing and leaving the country's information agenda. The Patriot media group is shutting down and leaving with us,” CEO Yevgeny Zubarev said in a Telegram post Friday.
According to Zubarev, the total traffic of the Patriot suite of websites has so far amounted to 300 million unique visitors. The group includes the Federal News Agency, People’s News, Economy Today, Nevskiye Novosti and Politics Today.
Russian state media TASS reported Friday that the Russian media regulator Roskomnadzor has restricted access to media sites belonging to Patriot.
Prigozhin, the founder of the private military company Wagner, had recently held the position of deputy head of the Patriot's supervisory board.
Where is he? Prigozhin was last spotted leaving the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don Saturday, after abruptly calling off his troops’ march on Moscow.
He released an audio message Monday, explaining his decision to turn his troops back. The Kremlin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko claimed on Saturday that Prigozhin agreed to leave Russia for Belarus.
Lukashenko said he brokered a deal that would see Prigozhin exiled to Belarus without facing criminal charges. According to Lukashenko, the Wagner chief arrived in Belarus Tuesday. While there are no videos or photos showing Prigozhin in Belarus, satellite imagery of an airbase outside Minsk showed two planes linked to Prigozhin landing there on Tuesday morning.
UN calls for the authorization of new ships under Black Sea deal, as grain backlog rises
From CNN's Mariya Knight and Richard Roth
The United Nations urged the Joint Coordination Centre in Istanbul to expedite the clearance of ships under the Black Sea grain deal that clears vessels to export Ukrainian grain.
No ships have been authorized to travel to Black Sea ports since June 26, according to a UN statement. Under the terms of the deal, Russian and Ukrainian inspectors must clear ships for passage. Ukraine has repeatedly accused Russia of impeding the traffic.
“We note with concern that no new vessels have been allowed to join the Black Sea Initiative since 26 June despite the submission of 29 applications to the Joint Coordination Centre,” said Farhan Haq, deputy spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General.
Only 13 ships remain in the Initiative, Haq said, and they are “either loading in the Ukrainian ports or on the move to or from Istanbul.”
“Every day counts,” he said. “Without new ships entering the Black Sea Initiative, a million or more tonnes of food will remain stuck between now and the run-up to 17 July,” when the current deal expires.
“The parties must ensure that additional vessels are allowed to sail the maritime humanitarian corridor in the Black Sea, which serves as a global lifeline for food security,” Haq went on to say, adding that the beginning of the harvest season “underscores the urgency.”
Haq said that in June, 2 million tonnes of foodstuffs were exported, well below port capacity and industry demands.
Some background: The Black Sea grain deal was first reached in July 2022.
Russia had been blockading vital grain exports from key Ukrainian Black Sea ports, which meant that millions of tons of Ukrainian grain were not being exported to the many countries that rely on it.
The impact of the war on global food markets was immediate and extremely painful, especially because 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.
The Food and Agriculture Organization, a UN body, warned at the time that as many as 47 million people could be pushed into “acute food insecurity” because of the war. Western officials accused Russia of using food as a weapon.
The deal – brokered by the United Nations and Turkey with Russia and Ukraine – created procedures to ensure the safe export of grain from Ukrainian ports.
At least 30 Ukrainian soldiers killed in missile strikes, Russian-appointed Kherson governor says
From CNN's Josh Pennington
Missile strikes against Ukrainian soldiers who had crossed the Dnipro River have caused high casualties, according to the Russian-appointed governor of the occupied Kherson region.
An Iskander missile struck near the Antonivskyi bridge, killing at least 30 fighters and maiming a dozen others, Vladimir Saldo claimed Friday on Telegram.
“The rest of them are hiding in summer houses on both sides of the bridge,” Saldo said, adding that special forces would begin a final sweep of the area.
CNN cannot verify the governor's claims of Ukrainian casualties, but geolocated video of the area south of the bridge shows fresh damage, with an entire stretch of the elevated roadway demolished.
There has been heavy fighting in the area for nearly a week as Ukrainian troops have established a bridgehead on the east bank of the Dnipro.
Zelensky orders Ukrainian military to strengthen northern defenses
From CNN’s Mariya Knight
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has ordered Ukraine’s military to bolster the country’s northern defenses.
After a meeting with military commanders, Zelensky said that “the situation in the north, in particular, on the territory of Belarus, was considered separately. … By the decision of the (General) Staff, Commander-in-Chief (Valerii) Zaluzhny and General (Serhiy) Naiev were instructed to strengthen the northern direction – to guarantee peace.”
There has been an uptick in cross-border shelling and air strikes by Russian forces into the northern Sumy and Chernihiv regions in recent weeks. But Ukrainian officials have played down any threat of a renewed assault from Belarus.
Zelensky said that Ukrainian units “have made progress in all directions” of the front lines on Friday, adding that Ukraine’s “work with partners to receive rounds for Ukrainian soldiers is already at its best capacity.”
Intense fighting centers on a bridge over a key river in southern Ukraine
From CNN's Yulia Kesaieva and Tim Lister
Russian and Ukrainian troops are exchanging heavy fire around the badly damaged Antonivskyi Bridge in southern Ukraine's Kherson region.
Moscow-appointed authorities deny reports that Ukraine has staked out strategically significant territory on the Russian-controlled east bank of the Dnipro River.
But a Russian military blogger — one in a network of pro-war Russian journalists and propagandists — claimed Friday that Moscow's troops tried and failed to clear the east bank of Ukrainian soldiers.
"There are dead and wounded on our side," the Russian blogger wrote. "At present time the enemy continues to hold a small bridgehead on our (east) bank."
Two bloggers said the Ukrainian fighters are hiding under the Antonivskyi Bridge, and the Russian military has been firing at them with missiles and rockets.
Another Russian military blogger said the Ukrainian group is benefiting from strong covering fire, launched from howitzers and mortars on the western bank.
Why it matters: Analysts believe the Ukrainian action in Kherson is designed to keep Russian troops in the area and prevent their re-deployment to the front in Zaporizhzhia, a vitally important southern region.
Reclaiming Zaporizhzhia is the key to Kyiv's military cutting off occupied southern Ukraine from the Russia-annexed Crimean peninsula, which it has controlled since 2014. That would effectively sever the land route between territory newly claimed in Russia's invasion and territory it claimed nearly a decade ago.
Ukraine's military claims progress in the south and east, but gains appear marginal
From CNN's Yulia Kesaieva and Tim Lister
The Ukrainian military says its forces are advancing on both the southern front and in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, but it did not make any specific claims to newly captured territory.
On the southern front: Brig. Gen. Oleksandr Tarnavskyi says Kyiv's army "is systematically driving out the enemy and burning out its positions" in southern Ukraine.
Most accounts from the Ukrainian side over the last week have spoken of very incremental advances in the south, with Ukrainian forces encountering deeply layered Russian defenses supported by artillery and attack helicopters.
Tarnavskyi claimed the fighting has left hundreds of Russian fighters dead or wounded over the last day, but CNN cannot independently verify claims about casualties from either side of the conflict.
The Ukrainian military’s General Staff said late Friday that counteroffensive operations continued in the direction of Melitopol and Berdiansk, two cities about 120 kilometers (75 miles) apart in southeastern Ukraine that have seen heavy fighting.
The General Staff claimed "partial success" in two areas. It said Ukrainian brigades "are consolidating their positions on established front lines," and that the enemy has suffered heavy losses.
Again, CNN cannot independently verify battlefield developments.
On the eastern front: Ukrainian units have also been attacking Russian flanks to the north and south of Bakhmut.
A Ukrainian commander in the region, Maksym Zhorin, claimed without evidence that there is "chaos" in the management of some Russian units near Bakhmut.
“On the flanks of Bakhmut, our troops are putting pressure on the enemy,” the General Staff said.
