WAR IN UKRAINE: June 19, 2023
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS: Day 481
In the chaotic aftermath of the collapse of the Kakhovka HPP, with each side blaming the other for the collapse, multiple explanations are theoretically possible. But the evidence clearly suggests the dam was crippled by an explosion set off by the side that controls it: Russia. Read the full New York Times investigation here
Ukrainian forces took control of the village of Piatykhatky in the southeastern Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Russia's local occupation administration claimed on June 18, as Kyiv continues to take the initiative on the battlefield. Meanwhile, Russia appears to be transferring equipment and troops from Kherson Oblast to the southeastern Zaporizhzhia front where a Ukrainian counteroffensive is underway, Ivan Fedorov, an exiled mayor of Melitopol, said on June 18 - Kyiv Independent
Brigadier General Oleksii Hromov, a senior Ukrainian military commander, said Ukrainian forces had regained control of more than 100 square kilometres (38 square miles) of territory in its counteroffensive against Russian forces.
The death toll from the Nova Kakhovka dam collapse last week rose to 28. The number of dead in the Russian-occupied Kherson region was 18, said Vladimir Saldo, the top Russian-installed official in the area. Ukrainian authorities have reported 10 dead - AJE
Defense ministers and other representatives of about 20 European countries will hold a conference in Paris on Monday on how to better defend Europe’s airspace, a long-divisive issue that takes on new urgency because of Russia's war in Ukraine. The talks will include anti-drone combat and ballistic missile defense, French organizers said, noting that Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine has shown the importance and effectiveness of such equipment. Nuclear weapons deterrence will also be on the agenda - The Independent
The European Union is speeding up arms deliveries to Ukraine in support of the country's counteroffensive against Russian forces, EU industry chief Thierry Breton said on June 18 in an interview with the French daily Le Parisien.
Britain said on June 18 it would expand its program to help Ukraine's cyberdefenses as it launches a counteroffensive against Russia - RFE/RL
The jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny is facing a new trial on charges of extremism that could keep him in prison for decades. Mr Navalny is already serving a nine-year sentence for parole violations, fraud and contempt of court. He and his supporters insist his arrest and imprisonment in 2021 was politically motivated. The latest trial will begin on Monday in the penal colony where he is being held, 250km (150 miles) east of Moscow - BBC