News Feed

5:18 AM

Bloomberg: Pentagon prepares new 2$ billion air defense package for Ukraine.

4:05 AM

Denmark sends humanitarian aid for victims of dam explosion in Kherson Oblast.

The Danish Foreign Ministry announced on June 8 that it would send disaster aid to Ukraine in the wake of the humanitarian crisis caused by Russia's destruction of the Kakhovka dam in Kherson Oblast.

3:49 AM

Biden and Sunak affirm joint support for Ukraine during meeting at White House.

U.S. President Joe Biden and U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak met at the White House on June 8 to discuss a variety of issues, with particular focus on the recent humanitarian disaster in southern Ukraine following Russia's destruction of the Kakhokva dam.

3:10 AM

Zelensky: 'Brutal battles' taking place in Donetsk Oblast.

Intense battles are taking place in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk Oblast, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video address on June 8, amid reports that Ukraine's much-anticipated counteroffensive to regain territory is now underway.

2:46 AM

Report: Cooling pond at Zaporizhzhia plant at risk of rupturing surrounding dike following dam explosion.

A drop in the Dnipro River's water level could cause the internal pressure of the water in the plant's cooling pond to rupture the surrounding dike, according to the Institute for Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety.

1:36 AM

NGO: Chechen security forces blackmailing men who refuse to fight in Ukraine.

Russia is forcibly conscripting men in Chechnya to fight in Ukraine, imprisoning those who refuse and threatening their families, the "Severny Kavkaz SOS” (North Caucasus SOS) crisis group reported.

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12:38 AM

Russian Orthodox Church claims transfer of Ukraine's POWs to Hungary.

The Russian Orthodox Church announced through its press service on June 8 that it handed over a group of Ukrainian prisoners of war to Hungary.

12:20 AM

War update

Ukraine war latest: Zelensky visits Kherson Oblast following Kakhovka dam disaster; Russia shells flooded city

11:57 PM

Zelensky: 'Russia needs to bear full responsibility for ecocide.'

In a June 8 address to the world's environmental protection community, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russia needs to bear full responsibility for the ecocide it caused through the Kakhovka dam destruction.

11:32 PM

Polish general: 'No doubt' that Russia blew up Kakhovka dam.

The ex-commander of the Polish Land Forces Waldemar Skrzypczak told Ukrinform on June 8 that the Western military has "no doubt" that Russia was behind the Kakhovka disaster.

11:05 PM

Stoltenberg urges NATO members to aid with Kakhovka disaster aftermath.

On June 8, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg called on the members of the Alliance to provide humanitarian aid to Ukraine in the wake of the Kakhovka dam disaster.

10:54 PM

Military intelligence: Russia has enough missiles for key targets like Kyiv.

Russia can produce enough missiles to continue strikes against key targets like Kyiv, the military intelligence spokesperson Andrii Yusov told Ukrainska Pravda in an interview published on June 8.

10:40 PM

Update: Russian strike on Cherkasy Oblast injures 8.

Russian missile strike against the Uman district in Cherkasy Oblast injured eight civilians, Governor Ihor Taburets reported on June 8.

10:05 PM

Russian forces bomb Kherson Oblast, kill 1, injure 1.

Russian attacks against Kherson Oblast killed one woman and injured another resident on June 8, the regional prosecutor's office reported.

9:36 PM

Governor: Dnipro River carries mines, ammunition to Odesa seaside.

The flooded Dnipro River carries mines and other types of unexploded ordnance to Odesa's seaside, Governor Oleh Kiper warned the city's residents on June 8.

9:09 PM

State Emergency Service: 2,339 residents evacuated from Kherson Oblast.

According to the State Emergency Service, 2,339 people, including 120 children, were evacuated from the flooded areas of Kherson Oblast by June 8, 8:45 local time.

8:59 PM

Satellite images show massive flooding of Ukraine's south.

Satellite images shared by Planet Labs show the massive extent of the damage caused by the breach of the Kakhovka dam on June 6.

8:35 PM

Explosions reported in Cherkasy Oblast during nationwide air raid alert.

Cherkasy Oblast residents report explosions during nationwide air raid alert, local media outlet Suspilne Cherkasy wrote on June 8.

8:05 PM

CNN: US officials say Ukraine advances near Bakhmut but suffers losses.

Ukrainian forces achieved some success around Bakhmut but suffered "significant" losses in personnel and heavy equipment, CNN wrote on June 8, citing U.S. officials. Although Kyiv's troops managed to overrun Russians in some areas, they encountered heavier resistance than expected, according to the report.

7:51 PM

Media: Russia preparing terror attack to distract from Kakhovka disaster.

Russia is preparing to stage a terror attack on its gas transmission system to blame Ukraine, Ukrainska Pravda media outlet reported on June 8, referring to its sources in Ukraine's military intelligence.

7:26 PM

Official: Ukrainian exports through Dnipro River won't be possible 'for a long time.'

As a result of the Kakhovka dam destruction, the Dnipro River will not be navigable downstream of the city of Zaporizhzhia "for a long time," Shipping Administration Head Yevhenii Ihnatenko said on June 8. This will effectively block Ukrainian exports through the Dnipro River.

7:14 PM

Interview

Browder: ‘West must hand Russian Central Bank’s $350 billion to Ukraine for reconstruction’

6:29 PM

Update: Kherson Oblast shelling amid evacuation injures 9, no dead confirmed.

Russian June 8 attack on Kherson Oblast, where evacuations from the flooded areas are ongoing, injured nine civilians. There are no fatalities, the Interior Ministry reported.

6:19 PM

Opinion

Roland Freudenstein: Macron’s Bratislava speech – a French Zeitenwende or charm offensive?

5:57 PM

UK slaps new sanctions against Belarus.

The U.K. expanded its sanctions against Belarus for its support of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the U.K. Foreign Office announced on June 8.

MORE NEWS

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On Ukraine’s southern front line, tension reigns before decisive counteroffensive

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German minister: Ukrainian soldiers start training on Leopard 1 tanks

by The Kyiv Independent news desk April 28, 2023 4:14 PM 1 min read

This audio is created with AI assistance

Over 100 Ukrainian service personnel have started training on Leopard 1 battle tanks this week, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius told Spanish publication La Vanguardia.

The delivery of 80 Leopard tanks of the older model will begin in the second half of 2023, the minister said in an interview published on April 28.

Germany has already delivered 18 modern Leopard 2 tanks and around 40 Marder infantry fighting vehicles to Ukraine, confirmed Pistorius.

Earlier, Pistorius told Die Welt that NATO countries planned to send two battalions of German Leopard 2 battle tanks and four battalions of Leopard 1 tanks to Ukraine.

The 160 tanks account for roughly half the 300 tanks requested by Ukraine for its expected spring/summer counteroffensive.

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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