WAR IN UKRAINE: June 9, 2022
A Russian projectile lies in a field near Soledar in eastern Ukraine on June 6. On April 29, Ukraine's Agriculture Ministry reported that nearly 30 percent of the country's farmland is now occupied, unsafe, or unable to be farmed. Bread prices have increased in some of the world's poorest and most vulnerable countries as a result of Russia's invasion. Credit: RFE/RL
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS: Day 105
Most of the eastern city of Severodonetsk is now controlled by the Russians, Serhiy Hayday, head of the Luhansk regional military administration, announced on Wednesday. Earlier in the day, Ukrainian forces reported fierce battles taking place at several locations across the eastern city in Ukraine's Luhansk region. "The Russians are destroying everything," Hayday said in a televised announcement, "They are firing tanks and artillery at residential buildings” - CNN
More than 1,000 Ukrainian servicemen who recently surrendered in Mariupol’s Azovstal will be transported to Russia for “investigation,” Russian state-run news agency TASS reported Wednesday.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu says a meeting with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, has made progress toward accepting a plan that would restart Ukrainian grain shipments from its seaports. Meanwhile, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky have agreed "to do everything" to enable grain exports from Ukraine as concerns mount over a global food crisis, reports CNN.
After weeks of searching, Lilia Borysovska discovered her brother was being held at a prison in a Russian-occupied part of Ukraine. But she's relatively lucky. Many Ukrainians are still desperately searching for loved ones who have disappeared without a trace. The police have registered 15,000 missing persons, and a volunteer online platform gets 100-150 new cases every day. Watch the full RFE/RL report here
Worth repeating….
From the editors of Ukrainian Business News: Seaport blockage is not only Ukraine's problem but also a global issue affecting dozens of countries that import Ukrainian grains. Turkey offered to help and proposed a three-way talk to find a solution to this crisis. However, Turkey and Russia held a meeting and did not even invite Ukraine to participate in this discussion. This was indeed a slap in the face. It shows no respect to Ukraine. Moreover, Turkey asked for a 25% discount on grain from Ukraine. According to some estimates, such a discount does not make financial sense. We cannot agree to export grains at such low prices, because it would be cheaper to export grain by truck or railroad to EU seaports without having to deal with Russians.