Newsletter 24/06/2024
Daily news digest
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EU passes 14th package of Russia sanctions
EU foreign ministers, who met today in Luxembourg in the format of the EU Council of Ministers, adopted the 14th package of sanctions against Russia in relation to its aggression against Ukraine, which, in particular, puts further pressure on Russia’s energy sector and contains measures to prevent attempts to evade European sanctions.
ISW about strikes on Sevastopol: Russia likely purposefully stations military targets nearby civilian areas in Crimea
According to ISW, Russian authorities have irresponsibly encouraged Russian tourism to occupied Crimea during wartime while the Russian military continues to leverage the occupied peninsula as a rear staging area
“The Russian military likely purposefully stations legitimate military targets nearby civilian areas in Crimea in an effort to deter Ukrainian strikes,” the report says.
Large-scale fire extinguished in Odesa following Russian missile strike
Firefighters in Odesa have extinguished a fire covering an area of approximately 3,000 square meters that broke out at the site of a Russian missile strike.
The State Emergency Service added that more than 90 firefighters and about 20 units of equipment, as well as a fire train from Ukrzaliznytsia, were involved in the extinguishing. Firefighters worked under the threat of repeated shelling.
Psychologists from the State Emergency Service and the National Police provided assistance to 46 people at the scene.
Russian army strikes at Pokrovsk, four killed and 34 injured
"At least four people were killed and 34 injured - these are the preliminary results of the strike on Pokrovsk as of 2:15 pm. Among the injured are two children aged 12 and 13. They are in moderate and serious condition," the head of the region wrote in his Telegram account.
Explosions reported in temporarily occupied Crimea
According to the Telegram channel Crimean Wind, about eight explosions were heard in Zaozerne, Yevpatoria and Donuzlav.
War
CinC Syrskyi names priorities for reducing battlefield losses
"The key is quality training of fighters. There is much work to be done in this area. I am convinced that the training of military personnel must be constantly improved so that their training meets the actual challenges of the combat situation," Syrskyi said.
Air Force spox on Crimea blasts: Ukraine never targets civilian infrastructure
The spokesman for the Naval Forces of Ukraine, Dmytro Pletenchuk, commenting on the recent explosions in Sevastopol, said Ukraine does not inflict fire damage on civilian objects, and that the Russians neglect the safety of the civilian population.
72 private houses, 8 apartment blocks damaged in Russia's June 23 attack on Kyiv region
Seventy-two private houses and eight apartment blocks were damaged by falling fragments of enemy missiles in the Obukhiv district, Kyiv region, during a Russian missile attack in the early hours of Sunday, June 23.
Politics
EU bans all transactions with Ukraine’s cultural heritage goods looted by Russia
The 14th package of EU sanctions against the aggressor state, Russia, which was adopted today by the EU Council of Ministers for Foreign Affairs, contains a direct ban on any trade or other transactions with objects of Ukraine’s cultural or intellectual heritage that were captured amid Russian aggression and removed from Ukraine by Russian invaders.
PACE to draft resolution following Peace Summit
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe intends to adopt a resolution that will confirm the decision of the inaugural Summit on Peace in Ukraine, held in Switzerland on June 15-16.
New sanctions: EU cracks down on Russian "dark fleet", bans private flights from Russia
The EU Council of Ministers adopted the 14th package of sanctions against Russia, which provides for measures against Russia’s "shadow" fleet of tankers and introduces tougher restrictions on Russian flights in the EU airspace.
Society
Ukraine probing some 700 pro-Russia propagandists in occupied areas - NSDC
Nearly 700 propagandists operating from the temporarily occupied territories have been exposed, and the Security Service is currently investigating these cases.
"Recently, I had the honor of presenting research on the media landscape in the temporarily occupied territories. It was there that about 700 propagandists of all stripes surfaced – both outright traitors and Russians who had been deployed to control the process, and I wrapped up my presentation with the words that these case files have already been forwarded to the SBU whose operatives are now working on them. Now this is a covert part of the work that’s invisible to the general public. Because all these things must be substantiated, proven, and decisions have to be made. It’s not only about sanctions. Because sanctions are the lightest that these people might face. We continue this work," Deputy NSDC Secretary Andriy Kononenko said.
Publications
Summit on Peace in Ukraine: Positives and Negatives as Experts See Them
Following the peace summit, changes in the geopolitical world configuration are increasingly becoming visible. Are we approaching Cold War 2.0?
What can be said, as of now, about the Summit on Peace in Ukraine that took place on June 15-16 in Switzerland with a representation of 92 countries and 8 international organizations? The vast majority of them supported the joint communique issued at the end of the summit. The document specifically mentions only three purely humanitarian issues that arose as a result of the defiant aggression against sovereign Ukraine by neo-imperialist Russia. But less than a day passed before some of the countries that initially signed the communique began disappearing from the list of signatories. Iraq, Jordan, Rwanda... Yes, there are not many of them, but the behavior of those countries’ leaders speaks volumes. This is not to mention those who did not show up at all. Enough has already been written about their motives. And there is something else we would like to highlight. The modern world is ultimately divided into those who strive to live by jointly agreed rules and principles of morality, and those for whom all this stuff is secondary. But this is how we are going to live. For a long time. The question is who, what and to whom will dictate the rules of this coexistence, albeit temporary.
Video
Chasiv Yar - how the mortars of the International Legion of the GUR fight
Source: Official Telegram channel of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine
The International Legion mortar launchers of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, who are currently defending Chasiv Yar, told about their way to the unit and the specifics of their work.
They work with an 82 mm mortar to support the infantry. There are three soldiers in the unit.
The foreign volunteers joined the Legion after the start of the full-scale invasion.
"I have been training for a long time to fight Russia. I served in the US Army for some time. [...] We need to realize that Russia is an enemy not only for Ukraine, but for the whole world," said a mortar gunner with the call sign "Cessy," calling on people to join the International Legion.
"Of course, the Russians are not an easy enemy. But there are certainly ways to defeat them. I think it will require fighting even harder and more motivated, taking risks, adapting and thinking faster than they do," said the senior mortar gunner.