June 16, 2023 - Russia-Ukraine news

Our live coverage for the day has ended. Follow the latest Ukraine news here or read through the updates below.

Moscow launched attacks at Kyiv and Kherson on Friday, according to Ukrainian officials, as Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed the first tactical nuclear weapons to be stored in Belarus have arrived there.

Here’s the latest news in the conflict:

Attacks and injuries: At least six people, including a child, were injured in the capital Kyiv region following a missile attack Friday, according to Ukrainian authorities. In the south, there were at least 23 injured in “massive” artillery shelling in the city of Kherson.

Biden on Ukraine’s NATO bid: US President Joe Biden is comfortable with removing one of the hurdles for Ukraine to join NATO, a source familiar with the situation told CNN.

According to the source, Biden would be willing to drop a procedural step called the Membership Action Plan. Its removal would represent a small step in easing Ukraine’s accession into the defensive alliance, though the US still does not view Kyiv’s membership as imminent, due to reforms Ukraine still needs to make and its ongoing conflict.

Putin’s nuclear claims: The first tactical nuclear weapons to be stored in staunch Russian ally Belarus have arrived, Putin said at an economic forum in St. Petersburg.

The use of nuclear weapons by Russia is “theoretically possible if there is a threat to the existence of the Russian Federation,” he said. Putin also claimed that Russia has more of the weapons than NATO countries.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that President Joe Biden’s administration is closely monitoring the situation, but it has “no reason to adjust” its nuclear posture and doesn’t “see any indications” that Russia is preparing to use a nuclear weapon.

Ukraine’s Ambassador to the United Kingdom Vadym Prystaiko said Putin’s remarks should be taken “very, very seriously” by the West.

Nova Kakhovka dam probe: It is “highly likely” the collapse of the Nova Kakhovka dam in southern Ukraine’s Kherson region was caused by Russia, a team of international legal experts assisting Ukraine’s Office of the Prosecutor General said, according to the preliminary findings of their investigation released on Friday. Last week’s collapse of the dam is one of the biggest industrial and ecological disasters in Europe in decades.

African leaders visit Ukraine: South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema called for de-escalation of the conflict on Friday after meetings between African leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Several African countries have outlined a 10-step peace initiative for the war.

However, Zelensky said any peace talks with Russia are possible only after the complete withdrawal of Russian troops from occupied territories.

The African leaders are scheduled to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin tomorrow in St. Petersburg.

On the battlefield: Ukraine’s military says there has been very heavy fighting along the southern front, and both sides allege inflicting significant losses.

Ukrainian units are consolidating advances around the southern cities of Melitopol, Berdiansk and Mariupol, their three main targets in the southern offensive, military spokesperson Valerii Shershen said. But he estimated Ukraine’s gains in the region were limited to small distances of a kilometer or less.

In the east, Ukrainian troops have made some progress around the embattled town of Vuhledar and the long-contested city of Bakhmut, officials said.

CNN cannot independently verify claims about battlefield developments.

Russian air strikes and artillery barrages are currently the main issues faced by Ukrainian forces as they keep pushing forward in southern and eastern Ukraine, a senior military officer told CNN close to the front lines.

Here’s the latest map of control:

United States Ambassador to Russia Lynne Tracy is expected to meet with her Russian counterpart while in Washington, DC, the US Embassy in Moscow tweeted on Friday.

Tracy and Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov discussed a number of bilateral issues, including the functioning of embassies, the Embassy said in the tweet. The ambassadors were both in the US for the annual Chiefs of Mission Conference held at the State Department.

Some background: The Russian government has imposed harsh restrictions on the functioning of the US Embassy in Moscow, including barring locally employed staff. 

The Russian government forced the closure of the US consulate in St. Petersburg in 2018 in a retaliatory move over the US’ closure of three Russian outposts in the US, including its consulate in San Francisco. In December 2020, the US government announced it would shutter its remaining two consulates in Russia.

Russia’s war in Ukraine, and the United State’s support for Kyiv through aid and sanctions on Moscow, have increased tensions between the two countries.

Last month, for example, the US rejected “ludicrous” accusations from Russia that it was behind an alleged drone attack on the Kremlin as Moscow’s deputy foreign minister warned the two powers are on the precipice of an “open-armed conflict.”

In March, a Russian plane downed a US drone over the Black Sea – a confrontation that sparked a diplomatic spat and led to a race to recover some highly classified technology.

U.S. President Joe Biden, center, and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, right, visit Saint Michael’s cathedral in Kyiv, Ukraine, on February 20.

US President Joe Biden is comfortable with removing one of the hurdles for Ukraine to join NATO, a source familiar with the situation told CNN.

According to the source, Biden would be willing to drop the Membership Action Plan (MAP) for Ukraine, which was described in a 2008 agreement as “the next step for Ukraine … on their direct way to membership.” The MAP, characterized as “the program of advice, assistance and practical support tailored to the individual needs of countries wishing to join the Alliance,” is a process that other nations have had to undertake to join NATO.

Why this matters: Its removal would represent a small step in easing Ukraine’s accession into the defensive alliance.

It is part of proposal from NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and was discussed when the two leaders met in Washington earlier this week, the source said. 

The US president is most concerned about finding a concrete proposal that will be supported by the rest of the allies and would signal to Ukraine that they are making progress toward membership, the source said.

However, the United States still does not view Ukraine’s membership into the alliance as imminent due to reforms that Kyiv needs to make, and the source said the Stoltenberg proposal reflects this.

The NATO chief’s proposal does not set a specific timeline for Ukraine’s membership into the alliance, which is something that has been pushed by some members of the alliance. 

CNN reported earlier this week that the US might be willing to drop the language around the MAP, according to a European diplomat.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said he understands that his country cannot become a member of NATO while it is still at war.

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s assertion that the first Russian nuclear weapons to Belarus have been delivered should be taken “very, very seriously” by the West, according to Ukraine’s Ambassador to the United Kingdom Vadym Prystaiko.

Rearming Belarus is a violation of international agreements, the ambassador told CNN’s Bianna Golodryga in an interview on Friday.

“I believe that the West have to take it very, very seriously,” he said.

Prystaiko also said Ukraine is now “much better equipped to withstand this pressure” from Russia, because it has anti-air missiles from its international partners.

The ambassador also addressed the counteroffensive, as Kyiv’s forces make incremental advances along the southern front lines.

“We have not engaged and committed all the forces; we are probing, trying to find the best place for the attack,” he said.

Prystaiko added the collapse of the Nova Kakhovka dam “is changing our cards a bit” and “delaying our counteroffensive.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks during a news conference with African leaders in Kyiv on June 16.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that any peace talks with Russia are possible only after the complete withdrawal of Russian troops from occupied territories.

“Today, I have clearly said repeatedly at our meeting that to allow any negotiations with Russia now that the occupier is on our land means to freeze the war, to freeze pain and suffering,” Zelensky said at a news conference after meeting with several African leaders in Kyiv.

Zelensky appeared to be at odds with the South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who stood alongside him at the news conference and called for a de-escalation of the conflict.

Ramaphosa said “there must be de-escalation on both sides so that peace can find a way to resolve the problem.”

Black Sea grain initiative: Zelensky said he and the African leaders had also discussed the Black Sea grain deal, which is crucial for food security around the globe. Ukraine is one of the world’s leading grain exporters.

In May, the grain deal was extended for two months in an agreement brokered by Turkey and the United Nations.

“The food supply must be reliably guaranteed and everyone’s right to food must be ensured by stopping any attempts by states such as Russia to use the threat of hunger and social instability to blackmail the people,” he said.

US Sec. of State Antony Blinken speaks during a press availability on June 16.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that President Joe Biden’s administration is closely monitoring the situation between Russia and Belarus after President Vladimir Putin claimed Friday that Moscow has deployed tactical nuclear weapons to the neighboring country. 

The US has “no reason to adjust” its nuclear posture and doesn’t “see any indications” that Russia is preparing to use a nuclear weapon, Blinken said at a news conference Friday with Singapore’s Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan at the State Department.

Blinken said the US remains committed to defending “every inch” of NATO territory.

What Russia and Belarus are saying: In remarks during an economic forum in St. Petersburg, Putin alleged earlier that the tactical nuclear weapons to be stored in Belarus have arrived.

His comments came after Russian state media TASS reported that the country’s main investigative authority had opened an office in Belarus in connection to a delivery of tactile nuclear weapons.

The Russian president also slammed NATO and warned that there is “serious danger of further drawing” the alliance into the military conflict by supplying military weaponry to Ukraine.

Belarus is one of Russia’s few allies in its war on Ukraine. It helped Russia launch its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, allowing the Kremlin’s troops to enter the country from its territory.

Earlier this week, Belarusian President Aleksander Lukashenko said the country was set to receive the tactical nuclear weapons from Russia and claimed such weapons are needed to act as a “deterrent” against aggression. 

CNN’s Lindsay Isaac, Zahid Mahmood, Uliana Pavlova and Anna Chernova contributed reporting to this post. 

From left, Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, Senegalese President Macky Sall, President of the Union of Comoros Azali Assoumani, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema walk to a joint news conference in Kyiv on June 16.

African countries are prepared to participate further in a peace pact in Ukraine, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Friday after meeting with African leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv.

Speaking alongside other African leaders and Zelensky, Ramaphosa called for diplomatic negotiations to take place, adding that he was listening to Zelensky today and will be hearing from Russian President Vladimir Putin tomorrow in St. Petersburg.

“There should be peace through negotiations and diplomatic means,” he said. 

“And we should as we advance towards that peace because all wars, in the end, come to an end. I really believe that this war should be brought to an end as quickly as possible,” he said.

A view of a demolished house after shelling due to an artillery attack as Russia-Ukraine war continues in Kherson, Ukraine on June 5.

Russian air strikes and artillery barrages are currently the main issues faced by Ukrainian forces as they keep pushing forward in southern and eastern Ukraine, a senior military officer told CNN close to the front lines.

“In general, aviation support is sorely lacking,” he also said, adding that Russian artillery made their advance even more difficult.  

Despite the challenges, Spas says Ukrainian forces are finding ways to work around these issues.   

“We are advancing, knocking the enemy out of positions, not as quickly as we would like, but we are moving forward. In places, the enemy is already panicking, throwing reserves here,” he added. 

The first tactical nuclear weapons to be stored in Belarus have arrived, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum Friday.

His comments come after Russian state media TASS reported earlier on Friday that the country’s main investigative authority had opened an office in Belarus in connection to a delivery of tactile nuclear weapons.

Belarus, which is west of Russia on Ukraine’s long northern border, is among Moscow’s closest allies. It helped Russia launch its initial invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, allowing the Kremlin’s troops to enter the country from the north.

The use of nuclear weapons by Russia is “theoretically possible if there is a threat to the existence of the Russian Federation,” Putin added.

Putin claimed that Russia has more of the weapons than NATO countries.

The Russian president added there is “serious danger of further drawing NATO into this military conflict” by supplying military weaponry to Ukraine.

Putin also claimed during his remarks that the Russian military could “destroy any building in the center of Kyiv,” but added, “we don’t do it.” Recent attacks in Moscow and the Belgorod region are an “attempt to provoke Moscow into serious powerful actions,” he added.

What US officials have said: In response to the alleged movement of Russian tactical nuclear weapons, the White House said Wednesday that there is no indication that Moscow is preparing to use a nuclear weapon. US officials have also not seen any movement of nuclear weapons within Russia indicating they are heading to Belarus.

“We have not seen any reason to adjust our own nuclear posture, nor any indications that Russia is preparing to use a nuclear weapon,” a spokesperson for the National Security Council said Wednesday.

CNN’s Uliana Pavlova, Alex Marquardt, Zahid Mahmood and Sharon Braithwaite contributed to this report.

A former store seen hit by a Russian artillery strike in Kherson on Friday, June 16.

More than 20 people have been injured in “massive” artillery shelling against the southern city of Kherson, according to Ukrainian officials.

Andriy Yermak, the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, said the strikes hit three different parts of the city, damaging a medical facility and a kindergarten.

The official said three children were among the 23 people injured, and three others were seriously wounded.

Roman Mrochko, head of the Kherson city military administration, recorded a video from one of the places struck by the shelling, describing injuries and destruction in the area.

Ukraine’s military says there has been very heavy fighting along the southern front, with Ukrainian missile and artillery units carrying out nearly 1,500 missions in the last day alone.

The fighting has also included 36 combat engagements and 578 shelling attacks over the past day, according to Brig. Gen. Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, a Ukrainian commander in the south. The commander did not specify where along the front lines the battles took place.

Tarnavskyi claims Russia has suffered hundreds of losses in the recent fighting, though CNN cannot independently verify claims about battlefield developments.

Ukraine has met strong Russian opposition in the opening phases of its counteroffensive.

Ukrainian units are consolidating advances around the southern cities of Melitopol, Berdiansk and Mariupol, their three main targets in the southern offensive, military spokesperson Valerii Shershen said. But he estimated Ukraine’s gains in the region were limited to small distances of a kilometer or less.

In eastern Ukraine: Further north, Shershen said Ukrainian units are defending the frontline town of Avdiivka in the Donetsk region, which Russian forces have been trying to encircle for months.

The Ukrainian Military Media Center says Kyiv’s forces have had some limited success elsewhere in the Donetsk region and are not ceding ground. Ukrainian troops have made some progress around the embattled town of Vuhledar and the long-contested city of Bakhmut, the officials said.

Col. Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi, the commander of Ukraine’s Ground Forces, was upbeat Friday about his troops’ progress outside Bakhmut. He said regular Russian forces, who have now replaced the Wagner private military group in the city, have not put up the same level of fighting.

What Russia is saying: For its part, the Russian Ministry of Defense said Friday that Ukraine “continued to suffer significant losses during unsuccessful attempts” to advance in Donetsk and along the front lines in the south.

It said Moscow’s forces repelled five attacks along the Donetsk-Zaporizhzhia border in southeast Ukraine. The ministry claims Ukraine suffered heavy losses in the fighting, though CNN cannot independently verify assertions about battlefield developments.

Moscow has also claimed that Russian forces inflicted heavy losses elsewhere along the front line, including close to the city of Donetsk. Russian military bloggers reported a “tense” situation around Pervomaiske, a settlement just west of the city, which has been held by Russian-backed separatists since 2014.

Russian President Vladimir Putin echoed the ministry’s claims Friday, saying at a forum in St. Petersburg that Ukraine was bleeding equipment and had “no chance” against Russia. Putin claimed Ukraine will soon be totally reliant on hardware supplied by Western countries, saying his troops have destroyed dozens of Ukraine’s tanks and even more armored vehicles.

CNN’s Lindsay Isaac contributed to this report.

Police officers inspect at the site of a residential area hit by a Russian missile strike in Kyiv region, Ukraine, on June 16.

Six people, including a child, were injured in the Kyiv region following a missile attack Friday, according to Ukrainian authorities.

The Kyiv region military administration said three private houses were destroyed and 13 need major repairs.

Falling debris was recorded after Ukraine’s air defense systems intercepted Russian missiles, according to Ukraine’s State Emergency Service.

The Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine earlier said in a statement that “an 82-year-old woman was injured. The driver of a car moving on the road was also injured.”

Residential buildings and a shop were damaged in one district, it added.

Ukraine said preliminary information shows it downed 12 Russian missiles, including six hypersonic Kinzhals, in a combined air attack.

So far, no injuries have been reported in the city of Kyiv.

This unit takes advantage of Ukraine's better night vision capability to target Russian forces at night.

Night-time missions have so far been a defining feature of the initial stages of Ukraine’s counteroffensive, especially in the southern part of the country. Ukrainian strikes can shake buildings as far as the city of Zaporizhzhia and explosions light up the skies, despite the city being around 30 miles (48 kilomters) from the frontline.

Ukraine has remained coy about the counteroffensive and is even more reserved when it comes to the tactical details of its probing and pushing operations along the frontlines. But on the Russian side, there is a clear belief Ukraine has a distinct advantage in this area.

During the day, CNN followed a drone unit which spent hours scoping out possible night-time launch sites for their mission, as well as figuring out the exact coordinates of their target.

The comprehensive preparation involves flying different surveillance drones toward Russian positions, but also relying on additional intelligence from other Ukrainian units until they have a complete picture of the target.

Before the launch they drive in complete darkness, turning off their headlights and using night-vision goggles to see the road, and reach a designated launch site.

They hide their vehicles and proceed a few hundreds of meters on foot, while Ukrainian and Russian forces trade artillery salvos. Relying only on red light — which they say, is harder for Russian drones to spot from afar, especially when they’re not looking — they illuminate the way.

It’s all carefully choreographed to hide their tracks and guarantee their position remains concealed from Russian surveillance and artillery, while they carry out their strike.

On site they prepare the drone – a large, Ukrainian-made quadcopter — and the explosive they are dropping on the Russian position. The device can carry a payload of up to 45 pounds, but this evening they’re making an improvised explosive – using a shell left behind by Russian forces when they pulled out of Kherson.

Read the full story here.

A satellite image shows the Nova Kakhovka Dam and hydroelectric plant after its collapse, in Nova Kakhovka, Ukraine, on June 7. 

A team of international legal experts assisting Ukraine’s Office of the Prosecutor General said it is “highly likely” the collapse of the Nova Kakhovka dam in southern Ukraine’s Kherson region was caused by Russia, according to the preliminary findings of their investigation released on Friday.

The experts with human rights law firm Global Rights Compliance said there is a “high probability” the collapse of the dam on June 6 “was caused by pre-emplaced explosives positioned at critical points within the dam’s structure.”  

The experts visited affected areas in the Kherson region on Saturday and Sunday along with Ukrainian prosecutors and representatives from the International Criminal Court. 

The experts dismissed the theory that the dam’s collapse could have been caused by mismanagement of the facility, saying it is “highly unlikely that mismanagement alone would explain such catastrophic destruction,” the news release said. 

The team noted that those conducting the attack or overseeing the management of the dam would require access or control of the site, which is occupied by Russia. 

British barrister Catriona Murdoch, who headed the mobile justice team, said in a statement: “Information available to Global Rights Compliance and verified with a leading Open-Source Intelligence provider, indicates that at this stage, it is highly likely Russian forces deliberately destroyed the dam.” 

A flooded area after the Nova Kakhovka dam breached, in Kherson, Ukraine, on June 10.

Under international humanitarian law, dams are presumed to be civilian in nature. “Civilians living near the Kakhovka Dam were not warned of an impending attack and were even shelled as they attempted to evacuate flooded areas,” Murdoch said.

Yousuf Syed Khan, Global Rights Compliance’s senior lawyer supporting the investigation, said, “What we documented in Kherson is a horrific starvation crime. The reverberating effects of this attack are no doubt immense, far-reaching, and multigenerational, as entire industries and livelihoods related to agribusiness have been severely affected.

The collapse of the dam is one of the biggest industrial and ecological disasters in Europe in decades. The catastrophe has destroyed entire villages, flooded farmland, deprived tens of thousands of people of power and clean water, and caused massive environmental damage.

Russia has denied any involvement in the disaster and in turn accused Ukraine of destroying the dam, without providing evidence.

A delegation of African leaders are in Kyiv to discuss a “peace initiative in Ukraine.” But their first morning in Ukraine was met with sounds that have become grimly familiar to locals since the start of Russia’s invasion, as Moscow launched another round of missile strikes on Ukraine’s capital.

Here are the latest developments:

German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius holds a press conference at NATO headquarters on the first day of the NATO Defence Ministers' Meeting on June 15, in Brussels, Belgium.

Germany will “immediately” deliver another 64 Patriot surface-to-air missiles to Kyiv, joining several other NATO allies in bolstering Ukraine’s air defenses in its war with Russia. 

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius announced the missile deliveries on Friday at the second day of a NATO meeting in Brussels.

Last month, Germany announced an aid package worth nearly $3 billion to strengthen the country’s defense, marking Berlin’s largest pledge in military aid since the start of the war. 

Pistorius said the decision is ”a very important sign to support the successful efforts of the Ukrainian armed forces to ensure air defense, especially now in this special phase of the war.”

The announcement comes as Kyiv said it repelled a “massive, combined air attack” by Russia.

African heads of state and government have received a briefing from representatives of Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense in Kyiv, according to the South African presidency. 

The leaders taking part in the “peace mission” for Ukraine were briefed at Saint Michael’s Square in central Kyiv, the presidency said on Twitter.

It follows what the city’s officials called a “massive, combined air attack” on the capital. Ukrainian officials said preliminary information shows six Kinzhal aerial ballistic missiles and six Kalibr cruise missiles were destroyed by air defense systems, along with drones. 

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky later on Friday.

The African delegation is then set to travel to Russia to meet President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg on Saturday to discuss their peace bid for Ukraine, as well as the Black Sea grain deal.

In a video, South Africa’s presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenya noted the impact of the conflict on issues related to food security in Africa. He claimed that the mission “is the first time that Africa is united behind the resolution of a conflict outside of our continent.”

For months, Ukraine has been gearing up to attempt to drive invading Russian forces from territories they have occupied. On Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky gave his strongest indication yet that Kyiv’s counteroffensive is underway.

CNN spoke to locals in Kyiv to learn more about the mood on the ground as Ukraine’s offensive gathers pace.

Artem Sakhno

Artem Sakhon, an IT specialist, told CNN:

Viktor Potapenko

Viktor Potapenko, a lawyer and pensioner, told CNN that he “trusts” the Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine’s forces, but also said he expects success to come gradually:

Kateryna Muller

Kateryna Muller, a kindergarten teacher, told CNN that her friends in Berlin, Germany, also have high hopes for Ukraine’s counteroffensive:

Explosions are seen in the sky over the city during a Russian missile strike as African leaders in visit Kyiv, Ukraine, on June 16.

Andriy Yermak, head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, said Friday that “another terrorist attack on the capital was repelled.”

He also said that the timing of the missile strike – launched while a delegation of African heads of state were in the Kyiv region – showed Russian President Vladimir Putin is continuing to act with “impunity.”

“Russia’s missile attack took place just as African leaders arrived in the capital,” Yermak said.

“We remember that missiles were also flying when US President Joe Biden and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres arrived in Ukraine,” Yermak added, in a Telegram post.

He called on the world to take “the toughest possible position against Russia,” and to show strength to “a state that undermines global security and acts with terrorist methods.”

“Only strong diplomacy and a strong position can put an end to Russian terrorism. Because this concerns everyone, every state that wants to exist and preserve the world order.”

African peace mission: Yermak’s comments come ahead of an expected meeting between South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Zelensky in Kyiv on Friday. A delegation of African leaders is currently visiting Kyiv. They are next set to meet Russia’s President Vladimir Putin in St Petersburg on Saturday to discuss a “peace initiative in Ukraine” and the Black Sea grain deal.

South Africa’s presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said in a video message on Friday: “This peace mission is the first time that Africa is united behind the resolution of a conflict outside of our continent, and where you have a group of African heads of state and government traveling together in an attempt to find a path to peace to this conflict.”