WAR IN UKRAINE: June 22, 2022
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS: Day 122
The U.S. State Department says Russian authorities have not provided the United States with any additional details on the whereabouts of two Americans captured in Ukraine. Spokesman Ned Price told reporters that the U.S. was pursuing every channel and every opportunity to learn more and support the families of the two Americans, who were captured earlier this month while fighting with the Ukrainian military - RFE/RL
Humanitarian situation in Ukraine deteriorates as major cities bear the brunt of heavy fighting, says the International Committee of the Red Cross. Homes, schools, hospitals, bridges, and other infrastructure have been damaged or destroyed due to heavy fighting, as have vital services. People’s lives are at risk and many lack access to life-saving services.
Russian and Russian proxy forces in the Donetsk region of Ukraine have suffered heavy casualties, according to UK intelligence officials. They estimate the Donetsk militia alone has lost 55% of its original force - BBC
Russia has warned Lithuania of "serious" consequences after it banned the rail transfer of some goods to the Russian territory of Kaliningrad - BBC
U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland has pledged to help prosecute war crimes committed in Ukraine since the Russian invasion began, saying that those responsible for such crimes will have “no place to hide.”
Google executive says Ukraine ‘a crystal ball’ for information warfare. A Google executive warned the UN Security Council that cyberattacks, disinformation, and other forms of information warfare being waged in Ukraine are a “crystal ball” for future problems elsewhere. “States must find a way to turn the volume down and settle on some kind of deterrence doctrine for the cyber domain,” he said - AP
'Slaughtered': Eyewitnesses Recount Killing Of Three Ukrainian Teenagers - Russian soldiers opened fire on them with a cannon, machine guns, and assault rifles. Twins Yevhen and Bohdan Samodiy and their friend Valentyn Yakymchuk were killed while walking down the street in their home village of Mokhnatyn, in northern Ukraine, on March 14. Full RFE/RL story here
What would EU candidate status mean for Ukraine? Ukraine’s European integration aspirations will be high on the agenda at the forthcoming European Council meeting in Brussels on June 23-24. European leaders are expected to officially grant Ukraine EU candidate nation status at the summit, marking what would be a new stage in the country’s long journey toward closer ties with the 27-country bloc. Read the full Atlantic Council Ukraine Alert post here