Global Courant
Air raid sirens and explosions sound all over Kiev
Air raid sirens were activated throughout Kiev and other parts of Ukraine when explosions were heard in the capital, Ukraine’s state broadcaster Suspilne reported.
“Several Kalibr-type missiles were heading north” from the Black Sea, the Ukrainian air force command said, according to a Reuters translation of Suspilne. Local authorities say air defenses are in operation.
— Natasha Turak
‘Unprecedented’ security measures taken for Putin ahead of speech in St Petersburg
The Kremlin said “unprecedented” security measures have been taken ahead of the annual St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, where Russian President Vladimir Putin will speak on Friday.
Gavril Grigorov | AFP | Getty Images
The Kremlin said “unprecedented” security measures have been taken ahead of the annual St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, where Russian President Vladimir Putin will speak on Friday.
That’s because “the enemy is acting brutally,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, according to Reuters, citing Russian state media Tass. Moscow accuses Kiev of being behind a number of bombings, drone and artillery attacks on Russian territory in recent months.
— Natasha Turak
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa arrives in Kiev for an African peacekeeping mission
Ramaphosa will meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and will later travel to Russia for talks with Vladimir Putin on Saturday.
MICHELE SPATARI | AFP | Getty Images
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa arrived in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv as part of an African peacekeeping mission. He is accompanied by the leaders of Senegal, Zambia and the Comoros, and the Prime Minister of Egypt.
Ramaphosa will meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and will later travel to Russia for talks with Vladimir Putin on Saturday.
The peace delegation plans to propose a series of “confidence-building measures” for the initial stages of mediation, according to a draft document seen by Reutersthe news agency said.
The purpose of the mission is “to promote the importance of peace and encourage the parties to agree on a diplomacy-led negotiation process,” according to Reuters.
Some of the measures include a withdrawal of Russian troops, the removal of tactical nuclear weapons from Belarus, the withdrawal of an International Criminal Court arrest warrant against Putin, and the lifting of sanctions against Russia.
Kiev has said it will not accept any peace plan that does not mandate the complete withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukrainian territory.
— Natasha Turak
Ukraine says 150 children were brought illegally from Luhansk to Russian territory
The National Resistance Center of Ukraine said Thursday that on June 8, 150 children from the Starobilsk district of the Luhansk region were transferred to two centers on Russian territory, where 750 Ukrainian children are expected to arrive this month.
Citing May remarks by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the center said 19,393 Ukrainian children have so far been illegally transferred to Russia from occupied Ukrainian regions.
CNBC could not independently verify the situation on the ground.
In Marchthe International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants against Russia’s Vladimir Putin and Russia’s Commissioner for Children’s Rights, Maria Alekseyevna Lvova-Belova, for the war crime of deporting children from occupied Ukrainian territories to Russia.
Neither Moscow nor Kiev are signatories to the Rome Statute that established the ICC, but Ukraine authorized the tribunal in The Hague to investigate war crimes committed on its territory.
“We appeal to the world for guns,” Zelenskyy says in a late-night speech for additional Western guns
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visits a site of residential buildings recently damaged by a Russian missile strike, amid the Russian attack on Ukraine, in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, on March 27, 2023.
Ukrainian Presidential Press Service | through Reuters
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for additional Western weapons in his fight against a large-scale Russian invasion on his official Telegram channel.
“Ukraine has never been the instigator of aggressive wars,” Zelenskyy said in a late-night Telegram speech, according to an NBC News translation.
“We appeal to the world for arms so that our Ukrainian territory can once again be a place of peace – a land for all our people,” Zelensky said, adding that “only by force of arms can we defend ourselves against Russian aggression and our keep peace.”
Zelenskyy also thanked allies and partners who have provided arms, financial aid and humanitarian assistance since the Russian war began more than a year ago.
— Amanda Macias
IAEA chief visits Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant to inspect damage caused by Kakhovka dam attack
Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), visits the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in southern Ukraine on June 15, 2023.
Olga Maltseva | Afp | Getty Images
The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, or IAEA, visited the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine.
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said last week that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has sought help from the nuclear watchdog after the Kakhovka dam attack.
Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), visits the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in southern Ukraine on June 15, 2023.
Olga Maltseva | Afp | Getty Images
The explosion at the dam not only caused rising floodwaters in southern Ukraine, but also endangered the reservoirs of cooling water used for the nuclear power plant’s reactors.
Grossi said the situation at the plant, Europe’s largest nuclear power station, remained serious, but added that reservoir water levels were stable, This is reported by the RIA news agency.
Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), holds a press conference during his visit to the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in southern Ukraine on June 15, 2023.
Olga Maltseva | AFP | Getty Images
