WAR IN UKRAINE: June 18, 2023
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS: Day 480
An investigation published by the New York Times on June 17 indicated that an explosive charge in a passageway running through the dam's concrete base detonated and destroyed the structure on June 6. The Kremlin knew the dam's weak point because it was built during Soviet times, the investigation noted. According to the investigation, the evidence "clearly suggests the dam was crippled by an explosion set off by the side that controls it: Russia” - The Kyiv Independent
Confirmed and as I’ve been saying from the start: evidence collected and examined by The New York Times clearly suggests the Kakhovka dam in Ukraine was crippled by an explosion set off by the side that controls it: Russia. Read the full story here
The General Staff of Ukraine's military said heavy fighting has been taking place over the past day in the Bakhmut, Lyman, Avdiyivka, and Maryinka areas in Donetsk. It reported a total of 26 combat clashes over that period of time in the area - RFE/RL
Russian occupation authorities are taking almost 300 children from Berdyansk District of Zaporizhzhya Oblast to the Russian republic of Chuvashia, the mayor of occupied Melitopol Ivan Fedorov has said on Telegram - NV/Ukraine
The war in Ukraine must end, South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa has told Russia's leader Vladimir Putin. Mr Ramaphosa's remarks came as he met Mr Putin in St Petersburg on Saturday as part of a peace mission with six other African countries. At the meeting in St Petersburg, Mr Ramaphosa also called for both parties to return their prisoners of war, and said children removed by Russia should be returned home. As the African delegation called for the return of children to their families, Mr Putin interrupted their speech and claimed Russia was protecting them. "Children are sacred. We moved them out of the conflict zone, saving their lives and health", he said. The UN said they have evidence of the illegal transfer of hundreds of Ukrainian children to Russia.“
Mr Ramaphosa also warned Mr Putin of the impacts of the war on Africa, and said it should be settled by diplomacy. "The war cannot go on forever. All wars have to be settled and come to an end at some stage," he said. "And we are here to communicate a very clear message that we would like this war to be ended." The war has severely restricted the export of grain from Ukraine and fertiliser from Russia, which has affected African countries in particular and intensified global food insecurity - BBC
Required reading…
Opinion: This is bigger than just the US and China
Amsterdam - CNN - Secretary of State Antony Blinken is heading to Beijing this weekend after a canceled visit in February due to the deployment of an alleged Chinese spy balloon over the United States. The world will be carefully watching for any signs of warming in the increasingly frosty bilateral relationship.
U.S. officials appear to be keeping expectations for the Blinken trip to China decidedly low, emphasizing that a key aim is to “reduce the risk of miscalculation so that we do not veer into potential conflict.”
Read my full OpEd here