WAR IN UKRAINE: June 13, 2022
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS: Day 109
In the city of Severodonetsk, all three bridges to the embattled eastern Donbas city have been destroyed, says regional governor Serhiy Haidai. A pro-Russian combatant leader says Ukrainian troops there must "surrender or die" because "there is no other option" - BBC
A Ukrainian photographer has used the widespread destruction in the eastern city of Chernihiv as a stark, sobering background for graduating high school students, amid the ongoing conflict with neighbouring Russia (photo above)
Ukrainian officials said weapons being supplied by the West were not arriving as quickly as they should. A senior presidential adviser to President Zelensky said that to end the war Ukraine's military needed "heavy weapons parity", posting a list of military hardware he said Kyiv required.
Radio Liberty: More than 50 people were detained today in the Moscow metro in connection with a rally against the war in Ukraine, which was allegedly planned in Moscow on June 12. It is noted that the police identified people using a facial recognition system.
The Guardian: Russia is purposefully stealing "Scythian gold" in Ukraine. According to an international group of scientists and digital technology experts tracking the theft, a group of specialists is smuggling valuable historical artifacts from Ukraine to Russia.
Canada’s embattled foreign affairs minister, Melanie Joli, was forced to apologize after one of her senior officials attended a Russian Day party hosted by the Embassy of Russia, which is under sanctions. She said the decision was “unacceptable” but didn’t announce any disciplinary action. The apology was issued hours after The Globe and Mail published a story on the incident. The gaffe adds to Ottawa’s shoddy handling of the Ukraine crisis. It was late to approve the delivery of lethal weapons to Ukraine, late to re-open its embassy in Kyiv and adopted an over-reliance on sanctions to deter Russia.
