Ukraine Breaking News Today Live on 06-18-2024

The announcement represents a significant broadening of the outages, which officials have tried to limit to certain hours, mainly in the afternoon.

Ukraine will face rolling electricity blackouts Wednesday to try to ensure supplies after Russian strikes on Ukrainian power plants, the country's national grid operator said.

A string of Russian missile and drone bombardments on Ukraine's thermal and hydro power plants have halved the war-battered country's generation capacity compared to last year, Kyiv has said.

An Italian newspaper that has been averse to helping Ukraine with weapons says Rome will include long-range Storm Shadow missiles to Kyiv, as part of its next military assistance package for Ukraine.

Italy’s Il Fatto Quotidiano newspaper, citing its own sources, reported Tuesday, June 18, that Rome intends to include Storm Shadow long-range air-to-ground cruise missiles along with the SAMP/Ts in what will be its ninth aid package for delivery by the end of the month.

Italy’s foreign minister said in a radio interview on June 3 that Italy was planning to send a second SAMP/T air defense system to Ukraine, in response to Kyiv’s further requests for greater help in the face of ever more Russian missile attacks.

The 2024 edition France’s bi-annual five-day arms fair opened near Paris Monday with more than 2,000 exhibitors showcasing all that’s best (or worst) in 21st century weaponry.

What the organizers bill as Europe’s largest defense show, Eurosatory 2024, kicked off at France’s Paris-Nord Villepinte Exhibition Centre, 20 kilometers northeast of the capital, on Monday, June 17.

Speaking to Defense News in the days before the event, retired French Maj. Gen. Charles Beaudouin, who is running the show, said visitors would notice ground-breaking developments in six main areas of military technology: drones, mobile air defense, long-range artillery, landmine clearance, electronic warfare, and armored vehicles.

The Kyiv City Prosecutor’s Office has launched an investigation into the attack on a Kazakh opposition journalist Aidos Sadikov. He was hospitalized and in serious condition after the attack.

Kazakh opposition journalist, Aidos Sadikov, 56, was shot by an unknown assailant in Kyiv on Tuesday, June 18, RBC-Ukraine media outlet and the Ukrainian agency “Interfax” reported.

The assassination attempt occurred in the Shevchenkivsky district of Kyiv, near the journalist’s residence.

The war-torn country’s plight is never far from the hearts and minds of fans and players alike who see simply qualifying for the tournament as a major achievement in itself.

Maybe playing on the continental stage under the gaze of the international media was too intimidating for them or, taking into consideration everything Ukraine has been through in the last two-plus years, perhaps they were simply running on empty. Yet even before their opening match kicked off, the Ukrainian national football team was already a winner, having qualified for their fourth consecutive European Championship two years after Russia’s unprovoked full-scale invasion of their neighbor.

Their amazing accomplishment should not be left unacknowledged. After completing a qualification campaign carried out entirely on the road in foreign stadiums and with support severely limited by the realities of war, a spirited Romanian side temporarily curtailed Ukraine’s progress on the pitch.

According to Russian investigators, Kyiv shot down an A-50U aircraft in February that was allegedly unarmed. A Moscow court has convicted Ukrainian Col. Mykola Dzyaman in absentia.

The Investigative Committee and the FSB military counterintelligence have accused Col. Mykola Dzyaman, commander of the 138th Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), of downing an A-50U aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces. A court in Moscow has put him on the wanted list and convicted him in absentia, Kommersant reports, citing investigation materials.

Since the plane worth $350 million was attacked in the skies over Russia and was not directly involved in hostilities, a criminal case of terrorism was opened.

Former US Special Representative for Ukraine, Kurt Volker, discussed the latest international developments related to Ukraine.

Launched on June 10, the petition has already collected more than 11,000 signatures, with a goal of 25,000 needed by September for government review.

A petition on the Ukrainian Cabinet of Ministers’ website is calling for TikTok to be banned in Ukraine and restricted on devices used by government officials and military personnel.

Launched on June 10 by Oksana Andrusyak, the petition has already collected more than 11,000 signatures, with a goal of 25,000 needed by September for government review.

Intellias, one of the major players in Ukraine’s IT service sector, said it entered a partnership with a Japanese map data provider to expand its footprint in the Asia-Pacific region.

Intellias, a Ukrainian software development firm that has since grown globally, entered a partnership with Japanese map data provider ZENRIN to jointly develop digital maps for modern car navigation systems.

According to Intellias’ press release, the partnership aims to bring ZENRIN’s “Japanese maps to the specific data formats for global delivery.”

The drills come as tensions between Moscow and Asian countries spike ahead of a visit to Pyongyang by Vladimir Putin, whose military ties with North Korea have sparked anxiety in the West.

Russia will begin a 10-day naval exercise on Tuesday involving dozens of ships sailing in the Pacific Ocean and waters close to South Korea and Japan, Moscow's defence ministry said.

The drills come as tensions between Moscow and the two east Asian countries spike ahead of a visit to Pyongyang by Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose military ties with North Korea have sparked anxiety in the West.

Local residents in the city of Azov, in Russia’s Rostov region, heard explosions all night long, as SBU drones struck the Azovskaya and Azovnefteprodukt oil depots.

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) attacked oil depots in Russia’s Rostov region last night with drones, sources tell Kyiv Post.

“Last night was the most explosive for Rostov’s Azovskaya and Azovnefteprodukt oil depots, which have 22 fuel tanks in total,” the source said.

The move is one of the many steps required toward Ukraine’s integration into the EU’s unified roaming network, and there’s still work to be done.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a law (No. 10265) on Tuesday, June 18, to fulfill one of the conditions required to join the EU’s Roam-Like-at-Home (RLAH) initiative.

“It was adopted to fulfill one of the conditions of the European integration of Ukraine in the field of electronic communications. It ensures that Ukraine joins the common roaming zone between Ukraine and the EU and that Ukrainians receive roaming services in EU countries in the ‘Roaming like at home’ (RLAH) mode,” read the parliament’s press release.

Washington believes NATO is in Ukraine’s future and is committed to supporting Ukraine “every step of the way” to achieve this goal.

Ukraine must first win the war against Russia to join NATO, John Kirby, White House National Security Council spokesperson stated at a press briefing on Monday.

He said that both the Alliance and the United States have discussed this requirement, adding that President Joe Biden believes NATO membership is in Ukraine’s future.

Despite recent promises of additional anti-missile systems from Ukraine’s allies, Kyiv still cries out for additional air defense assets that Rheinmetall may be able to partially solve.

Kyiv’s need for supplemental anti-missile air defense assets beyond those promised by its allies may partially be solved by Rheinmetall’s new hybrid mobile system mounted on a tank chassis.

Turkish milblogger Ömer Çay posted a picture on X a little over a week ago that seemed to show that Rheinmetall had grafted a 35mm Skyranger short range air defense turret onto a Leopard 2A4 tank chassis. This was seen as a “budget” alternative to its full blown Skynex mobile, modular anti-aircraft artillery system, which costs a cool €90 million ($100 million) a pop.

China presents itself as a neutral party in the war and says it is not sending lethal assistance to either side, unlike the United States and other Western nations.

China on Tuesday urged NATO to "stop shifting blame" over the Ukraine war after the Western military alliance's chief accused Beijing of worsening the conflict through support of Russia.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Monday called for China to face consequences for what US officials have called a major export push to rebuild Russia's defence industry.

EU officials have been debating for over a month on a package to ban Russian LNG trans-shipments and hold EU operators accountable for sanctions violations by subsidiaries in third countries.

The European Union failed on Friday (15 June) to agree a 14th package of sanctions against Russia, EU diplomats said, as Germany held out over the extent to which EU companies would be responsible for sanctions violations.

Officials from the 27 EU countries have been debating for more than a month on a package including a ban on Russian LNG trans-shipments and a plan to make EU operators responsible for sanctions violations by subsidiaries and partners in third countries.

The world in focus, as seen by a Canadian leading global affairs analyst, writer and speaker, in his review of international media.

Vladimir Putin is set to travel to North Korea for a two-day visit starting Tuesday, the Kremlin said, in the Russian president’s first trip to the country in more than two decades – and the latest sign of a deepening alignment that’s raised widespread international concern. This is a rare overseas trip for Putin since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in 2022 and a key moment for North Korean President Kim Jong Un, who has not hosted another world leader in Pyongyang – among the globe’s most politically isolated capitals – since the Covid-19 pandemic. The closely watched visit is expected to further cement a burgeoning partnership between the two powers that is founded on their shared animosity toward the West and driven by Putin’s need for support in his ongoing war on Ukraine. Following his visit to North Korea, Putin will travel to Hanoi Wednesday for another two-day trip, in a display of Communist-governed Vietnam’s ties to Russia that is likely to rankle the United States - CNN

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dissolved the influential war Cabinet that has overseen the fighting in Gaza, a government spokesperson said Monday, days after a key member of the body bolted from the government over frustration with the Israeli leader’s handling of the war. The move was widely expected following the departure of Benny Gantz, a centrist former military chief. Gantz’s absence from the government increases Netanyahu’s dependence on his ultra-nationalist allies, who oppose a cease-fire. That could pose an additional challenge to the already fragile negotiations to end the eight-month war in Gaza. Government officials said Netanyahu would hold smaller forums for sensitive war issues, including with his security Cabinet, which includes far-right governing partners who oppose cease-fire deals and have voiced support for reoccupying Gaza. - AP

The much-anticipated start to Ukraine’s campaign ultimately ended in heartbreak as they were defeated in their first game in Group E on Monday, June 17.

Ukraine’s football team, the Zbirna, was dealt a blow in its opening game at the 2024 European Championships after a shocking 3-0 loss against Romania. The Ukrainians will now have it all to do as they prepare for their match against Slovakia this upcoming Friday.

Ahead of the tournament, Ukraine were some pundit’s dark horses in this year’s competition. With the talent and experience in the side, many thought that they would do well. Several of their players currently ply their trade in European football’s top leagues, with progress from the group stages seen as the minimum target for the Ukrainians.

The parties could not agree on the key restructuring parameters and will continue consultations.

Bonds: Reduction in bond rates slows

Last week, the Ministry of Finance continued to cut interest rates on UAH bonds, but at a slower pace than in previous weeks. In the coming weeks, this pattern may continue. At last week's primary bond auction, the Ministry of Finance placed a usual set of instruments that included one-year, two-year, and three-year bonds. The MoF received UAH21bn of demand, including UAH11bn for new two-year military paper. The rest of the demand was almost equally split between one-year and three-year securities. Therefore, the Ministry sold the planned amount of bonds, attracted UAH11.4bn to the budget, and lowered interest rates on all instruments by 9‒19bp. See details in the auction review. In the secondary bond market, trading almost halved to UAH6.5bn. Trading activity shifted to bills with maturities below 12 months, with 24% of the trading volume in bills maturing next February. There were no bond redemptions last week. This week, the MoF will redeem US$303m of USD-denominated bills, and for the following week, redemption of UAH18bn of UAH bonds is scheduled.

The King's Birthday Honors list 2024 included the usual mix of football legends, Netflix stars, politicians and businessmen but this year also included some who have made a contribution to Ukraine.

The King's Birthday Honors List for 2024, which was released on the evening of Friday, June 14, embraced 1,077 men and women who deserved recognition for services to their fellow men.  The list included an impressive range of famous faces as well as a number of unsung heroes who were rightfully acknowledged for their tireless work in service of others.

Among the latter were those who have contributed to the support of Ukraine and Ukrainians who are suffering from the actions of Russia that have resulted from President Vladimir Putin’s 2022 invasion.

Allies are discussing putting their nuclear weapons on alert while China is in the process of significantly modernizing and expanding its nuclear arsenal.

NATO countries are discussing putting their nuclear weapons on alert as part of a nuclear deterrent due to the threat from Russia and China, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said in an interview with The Telegraph.

Stoltenberg said: “I won’t go into operational details about how many nuclear warheads should be operational and which should be stored, but we need to consult on these issues. That’s exactly what we’re doing.”

Historic allies since North Korea's founding after World War II, Moscow and Pyongyang have drawn closer after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday hailed North Korea for "firmly supporting" Moscow's war in Ukraine ahead of a visit to Pyongyang set to boost defence ties between the two nuclear-armed countries.

Historic allies since North Korea's founding after World War II, Moscow and Pyongyang have drawn closer after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, with Putin increasingly isolated internationally and looking for friends.

Two mistakes from goalkeeper Andriy Lunin proved fatal as Romania took the lead in Munich.

Ukraine coach Serhiy Rebrov said his team's opening 3-0 loss to Romania at Euro 2024 on Monday was a result "nobody expected".

Two mistakes from goalkeeper Andriy Lunin proved fatal as Romania took the lead in Munich through captain Nicolae Stanciu, with Razvan Marin and Denis Dragus completing the victory in the second half.

Latest from the Institute for the Study of War.

Key Takeaways from the ISW:

• NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stated that NATO may take steps to enhance NATO's nuclear deterrence, eliciting varying responses from senior Kremlin officials.
• Russian President Vladimir Putin dismissed four deputy defense ministers and replaced them with a “close relative,” the son of a former Russian prime minister, and an economist on June 17 in an ongoing purge of officials in the Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD).
• Tsivileva's, Fradkov's, and Gornin’s appointments support Putin’s recent efforts to introduce his relatives and the children of other senior Russian officials to the Russian public and to install economic advisors to the MoD to improve the wartime economy.
• Russian milbloggers largely focused on celebrating the dismissal of Pankov, Tsalikov, Shevtsova, and Popov and largely overlooked the apparent nepotism that benefited two of the new deputy defense ministers.
• A Russian state media outlet manipulated an interview with International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi to blame Ukraine for strikes against the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) in an attempt to legitimize Russia's illegal occupation of Ukraine.
• Ukraine's Western partners continue efforts to train more Ukrainian pilots on Western-provided F-16 fighter jets.
• The Kremlin confirmed on June 17 that Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit North Korea on an official state visit on June 18 and 19.
• Russian forces recently advanced near Siversk, Chasiv Yar, and Avdiivka.
• Russia is reportedly experiencing issues with producing artillery shells and select artillery systems.

According to a Ukrainian military officer interviewed by Kyiv Post, the video most likely depicted a T-72 tank, worth between $0.5 - 4 million, depending on the age and configuration.

A video circulating on social media reportedly captures a Russian tank being blown up by a mine and then finished off with a well-aimed strike by a Ukrainian drone.

The Telegram channel Butusov Plus reported that the tank was destroyed by a precise drone strike by a company of attack drones from the 110th Mechanized Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces (AFU).

As Russian ships exercise around Cuba, Ukraine’s recent experience in forcing them out of Crimean ports should shed light on the Russian navy’s effectiveness.

As Russia deploys a flotilla to Cuba, seeking to rekindle Cold War tensions and project power, Ukraine’s resilient defense efforts highlight the hollowness of such displays.

The Kremlin’s dispatch of a flotilla consisting of a frigate, a submarine, an oil tanker, and a tugboat to Cuba was promptly sensationalized by Russian media, eager to frame the event as “Russia sends warships to US shores,” evoking Cold War era tensions. Only the second such instance for many years, with the latter also coming after the large-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Russia is evidently attempting to assert its presence and project power in the Western Hemisphere, but is it succeeding?