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5:20 PM

Zelensky on counteroffensive: 'This is not a movie'.

During a press conference on June 2, President Volodymyr Zelensky fielded questions about Ukraine's upcoming counteroffensive, emphasizing that it's "not a movie" and it was difficult to describe in advance to the public how it will proceed.

5:18 PM

Podcasts

This Week in Ukraine Ep. 10 – Why Ukraine fails to clear its judiciary from corruption

4:59 PM

Russian forces attacked 10 regions over past day, killing at least 4, injuring 40.

Russian forces shelled 10 of Ukraine’s oblasts over the past day, officials reported on the morning of June 2.

4:40 PM

Zelensky orders audit of bomb shelters, review of air defense systems.

President Volodymyr Zelensky ordered Strategic Industries Minister Oleksandr Kamyshin and Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko to conduct a full audit of all bomb shelters in Ukraine. The decision, announced on June 2, came after three people died in Kyiv while trying to enter a closed shelter during a Russian attack the day prior.

4:34 PM

ISW: Belgorod attacks spark war anxiety in Russia.

The responses by Russian officials and military bloggers to the recent raid in Belgorod Oblast reveal rising anxiety within the Russian information space about the war, the Institute for the Study of War said in its latest update on June 1.

3:51 PM

Gay couple wins discrimination case against Ukraine at European Human Rights Court.

A Ukrainian gay couple has won a discrimination case against Ukraine at the European Court of Human Rights, the court announced on June 1.

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3:33 PM

Bloggers who shared videos of air defense put under house arrest.

The four bloggers who have allegedly shared videos of air defense have been put under house arrest by a court, the Kyiv City Prosecutor's Office said on June 2.

2:56 PM

Swiss parliament votes against re-export of Swiss arms to Ukraine

The National Council, the lower house of the Swiss parliament, has voted against an amendment that would allow the re-export of Swiss-made weaponry to third countries, such as Ukraine, the news agency Swissinfo reported on June 2.

1:49 PM

UK intelligence: Russia faces dilemma to reinforce positions in Ukraine or within own borders

The recent attacks in Russian border regions create a dilemma for Moscow to either reinforce its own borders or its positions in Ukraine, the U.K. Defense Ministry wrote on June 2.

1:26 PM

Belarus weekly

Belarus Weekly: Poland sanctions 365 Belarusians, suspends freight traffic across border

12:34 PM

Air Force: 15 cruise missiles, 21 drones shot down overnight in Ukraine

Russia launched 15 cruise missiles and 21 Shahed kamikaze drones in a night attack against Ukraine on June 2, and all of them were shot down by air defense, Ukraine's Air Force reported.

11:29 AM

Governor: Russian forces killed 3, injured 12 in Donetsk Oblast on June 1

The Russian shelling of Donetsk Oblast on June 1 killed at least two people and injured 12 more, Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko wrote on Telegram. According to Kyrylenko, the two civilians were killed in attacks on Avdiivka and Chasiv Yar.

10:50 AM

Update: Russian night attack on Kyiv Oblast injures 2, including 1 child.

Russia's overnight missile and drone attack injured at least two people, including a child, in Kyiv Oblast on June 2, Governor Ruslan Kravchenko said.

9:27 AM

EU allocates $54 million to Ukraine for provisional bridges.

The European Investment Bank (EIB) will allocate 50 million euros to Ukraine's State Agency for the Reconstruction and Development of Infrastructure for the purchase of provisional bridges, the agency announced on June 2.

9:14 AM

General Staff: Russia has lost 208,910 troops in Ukraine.

The General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces reported on June 2 that Russia has lost 208,910 troops in Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion, with an estimated 540 casualties on June 1.

7:12 AM

General Staff: Russia attacks Ukraine with 15 cruise missiles, 18 drones in June 2 overnight aerial attack.

Russian attacked Kyiv overnight on June 2 with 15 cruise missiles and 18 Iranian-made Shahed drones in its latest attack on the capital, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported on Facebook.

6:50 AM

PM: Armenia not Russia's ally in war against Ukraine.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on June 1 that contrary to Western perceptions, Armenia is not Russia's ally in its war against Ukraine.

6:28 AM

Drone attacks reported in Russian city of Kursk.

Drones were downed over the western Russian city of Kursk overnight on June 2, Kursk Oblast Governor Roman Starovoyt said in a Telegram post.

5:28 AM

More than 30 aerial targets downed during Russian assault on Kyiv

Ukraine shot down more than 30 aerial targets, including drones and missiles, launched by Russia at Kyiv overnight on June 2 in its sixth consecutive aerial attack on the capital, the Kyiv City Military Administration said on Telegram.

5:02 AM

Western official: Russia suffered 60,000 casualties in Bakhmut.

Russia has suffered over 60,000 casualties as of June 1 in its assault on the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, according to a Western official, British broadcasting organization Sky News reported.

4:01 AM

Scholz, Macron: Ukraine needs clear security guarantees from NATO allies, not membership.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron both emphasized the necessity of security guarantees for Ukraine over NATO membership status while speaking at the second European Political Community Summit (EPC) in Moldova on June 1.

3:38 AM

Explosions reported in Kyiv.

Explosions occurred in Kyiv overnight on June 2, Kyiv Mayor Vitalii Klitschko reported on Telegram at around 3:15 local time, adding that "another wave of drone attacks was incoming."

2:34 AM

Netherlands looking to buy Leopard tanks for Ukraine.

The Dutch government is planning to buy several dozen new Leopard 1 tanks for the Ukrainian military, a source from the Dutch parliament told Dutch broadcasting service NOS.

12:56 AM

Judicial Reform

Judicial reform formally completed as second top judicial body is appointed

12:45 AM

US stops sharing information with Russia on nuclear weapons.

The U.S. announced on June 1 that it has stopped sharing some key information on nuclear weapons with Russia due to Moscow's unilateral suspension of the New START Treaty.

MORE NEWS

Ukraine strikes back around Bakhmut as Wagner reaches last streets in the city

Russia’s Kinzhal missile is not hypersonic. Nor is it invincible

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French minister: No decision yet on sending Leclerc tanks to Ukraine.

by The Kyiv Independent news desk January 26, 2023 10:26 PM 2 min read

This audio is created with AI assistance

France has not yet decided on the transfer of Leclerc main battle tanks to Ukraine, French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna said during her visit to Odesa on Jan. 26, Ukrainian online newspaper Yevropeiska Pravda reported.

France's stance contrasts with those of the U.K., Germany and the U.S., which have already approved sending Challenger, Leopard and Abrams main battle tanks to Ukraine, respectively. Unlike Germany, which has increased its military aid for Ukraine under pressure from allies and media, the French government has not been criticized so much despite sometimes taking a stance similar to Germany.

Colonna also said that additional air defense systems remain a priority for Ukraine. She added that France would "respond to this request" for air defense.

On Jan. 22, French President Emmanuel Macron said he does not rule out supplying French-made Leclerc main battle tanks to Ukraine.

Macron said a decision on transferring Leclerc tanks to Ukraine would be made in the coming days and weeks but should be agreed upon with other allies, including Germany.

On Jan. 25, Germany confirmed that it would send 14 Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine after months of delay and allow other countries to send their Leopards to Kyiv.

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said on Jan. 26 that Leopard 2 tanks promised for Ukraine by Germany will arrive in the country at the end of March or the start of April.

Meanwhile, Poland may deliver its Leopard tanks "within a few weeks," according to Polish Deputy Defense Minister Wojciech Skurkiewicz.

Canada will send four Leopard 2 main battle tanks to Ukraine "in the coming weeks," the country’s Defense Minister Anita Anand announced on Jan. 26.

Compared with Soviet tanks, which Ukraine and Russia currently use on the battlefield, the mobility and firepower of Western equipment could help Ukraine launch more counteroffensive operations.

The Kyiv Independent news desk

We are the news team of the Kyiv Independent. We are here to make sure our readers get quick, essential updates about the events in Ukraine. Feel free to contact us via email with feedback and news alerts.

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