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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.

5:35 PM

Defense Ministry: Ukraine repels Russian attacks in Donetsk Oblast.

The Armed Forces of Ukraine are conducting military operations near Bakhmut, Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar reported on June 8. In some areas, Russia is attempting to go on the offensive but without success.

5:12 PM

Politico: West remains divided on security guarantees for Ukraine.

Ukraine's Western allies remain divided on "nearly every element" regarding security guarantees for Ukraine, Politico wrote on June 8, citing unnamed European diplomats.

4:49 PM

Western media: Ukraine launches counteroffensive in Zaporizhzhia Oblast.

Ukraine launched its long-awaited counteroffensive against Russia on June 8, ABC News reported, citing unnamed Ukrainian official sources, one of them supposedly close to President Volodymyr Zelensky.

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4:31 PM

UN agrees to conduct evacuations from flooded Russian-occupied areas.

Ukraine and the United Nations (UN) agreed that the UN would deploy personnel to the flood-affected left bank of the Dnipro River, occupied by Russia. The UN workers will provide aid and conduct evacuations, Ukraine's Foreign Ministry announced on June 8.

3:27 PM

Police: 1 dead due to floods in Mykolaiv Oblast.

A civilian died in the village of Vasylivka in flooding caused by the Kakhovka dam collapse, Mykolaiv Oblast police head Serhii Shaikhet said on June 8. The 53-year-old man refused to evacuate a day before, the official added.

2:36 PM

Russian forces shell Kherson amid evacuation efforts.

Kherson is under Russian shelling on June 8 amid the ongoing evacuation of residents from the flooded areas, according to a Kyiv Independent journalist on the ground.

1:29 PM

Media: Explosions heard in Russian-occupied Luhansk.

An explosion was heard in the Russian-occupied city of Luhansk in Ukraine’s east on the morning of June 8, Ukrainian news outlet Suspilne reported citing residents. Smoke is rising in several areas of the city, in particular, over the Luhansk locomotive plant, as well as a food factory, Suspilne wrote.

12:17 PM

3 killed, including child, 8 injured in Russian attacks over past day.

In Ukraine's eastern Donetsk Oblast, Russia shelled the town of Ukrainsk late on June 7, killing a family — grandfather, his son, and a 4-year-old grandson, the Prosecutor General's Office wrote.

11:43 AM

Zelensky travels to Kherson Oblast amid Kahkovka dam disaster.

President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Kherson Oblast on the morning of June 8 to coordinate efforts to mitigate the consequences of the Kakhovka dam destruction.

10:18 AM

Governor: 600 square kilometers of Kherson Oblast under water.

According to Kherson Oblast Governor Oleksandr Prokudin, 68% of the flooded land is on the Russian-occupied east bank of the Dnipro River, and 32% is on the Ukrainian-controlled west bank.

9:15 AM

General Staff: Russian soldiers didn't prepare for Kakhovka dam destruction, suffered losses on Dnipro River's east bank.

Russian troops occupying the east bank of the Dnipro River in Kherson Oblast were not ready for the effects of the Kakhovka dam destruction, resulting in losses in personnel and military equipment, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces reported on June 8.

8:24 AM

General Staff: Russia has lost 212,760 troops in Ukraine since Feb 24, 2022.

Ukraine's General Staff reported on June 8 that Russia had also lost 3,891 tanks, 7,576 armored fighting vehicles, 6,384 vehicles and fuel tanks, 3,668 artillery systems, 595 multiple launch rocket systems, 355 air defense systems, 314 airplanes, 299 helicopters, 3,234 drones, and 18 boats.

7:27 AM

ISW: Destruction of Kakhovka dam 'significantly changing' Kherson front line.

The flooding caused by the dam's destruction has "heavily disrupted" Russian defensive positions on the east bank of the Dnipro River, especially Russian first-line positions in Hola Prystan and Oleshky, the Institute of the Study of War said in its latest update.

6:51 AM

IAEA says work ongoing to ensure Zaporizhzhia cooling pond has maximum amount of water after dam destruction.

The reservoir's level of water is continuing to drop following Russia's destruction of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant on June 6, the International Atomic Energy Agency said in a statement published on its website.

5:33 AM

White House says it is still assessing origin of Kakhovka dam destruction, but Russia ultimately to blame.

"Russia has no business to be (in Ukraine) in the first place. This dam was under Russia’s control, and they bear responsibility for the destruction caused by this war," White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said during a briefing on June 7.

5:00 AM

Official: It will take at least 5 years, $1 billion to build new power station after destruction of Kakhovka dam.

Building a new dam and hydroelectric station at the site of destroyed Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant will take at least five years and require at least $1 billion, head of Ukraine's state-owned energy company Ukrhydroenergo Ihor Syrota said on June 7.

3:40 AM

Guardian: Some NATO members may consider sending troops to Ukraine, warns former alliance chief.

Some NATO countries may decide to put troops on the ground in Ukraine if its member states fail to provide Kyiv with meaningful security guarantees at the alliance's summit in Vilnius, former NATO security general Anders Rasmussen said on June 7.

2:40 AM

Museum and home of famous Ukrainian painter flooded.

The home of famed Ukrainian painter Polina Raiko is under water as a result of the Kakhovka dam destruction, the project manager of the Polina Raiko Kherson Oblast Charitable Foundation Semen Khramtsov reported on Facebook.

1:30 AM

War crimes

'They are destroying us.' People plea to escape flooded Russian-occupied areas

12:26 AM

Zelensky: International organizations must join rescue efforts in occupied parts of Kherson Oblast.

International organizations, such as the International Committee of the Red Cross, must begin rescue efforts in the occupied parts of flooded Kherson Oblast, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on June 7.

12:10 AM

War update

Ukraine war latest: 30 settlements flooded after Kakhovka dam destruction; 10,000 hectares of farmland expected to submerge

12:05 AM

US State Department: 20,000 people must be resettled due to destruction of Kakhovka dam.

Around 20,000 people will have to be resettled because of the floods caused by the Kakhovka dam destruction, U.S. State Department official Vedant Patel said at a June 7 press briefing.

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Intelligence: Putin orders new commander to seize Donbas by March

by The Kyiv Independent news desk January 16, 2023 10:50 PM 1 min read

This audio is created with AI assistance

Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the new commander of Russia’s war against Ukraine, Valeriy Gerasimov, to seize Donbas, comprised of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, reported the Ukrainian Defense Ministry’s Main Intelligence Directorate spokesperson Andriy Yusov.

Donbas is the priority for Russian forces, Yusov said.

On Jan. 11, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu appointed General Valeriy Gerasimov a commander of the country’s Joint Group of Forces in Ukraine, Russian state-controlled media outlet RBC reported on Jan. 11.

The decision by Russia’s Defense Ministry to replace General Sergei Surovikin with Chief of the General Staff Gerasimov as commander of Russia’s war against Ukraine indicates “systemic challenges” for Moscow, Pentagon Press Secretary Pat Ryder said during a briefing on Jan. 12.

After conducting its full-scale invasion in late February last year, Russian forces seized almost the entire Luhansk Oblast, north and south of Donetsk Oblast, including the port city of Mariupol.

On Oct. 1, Ukraine's military liberated the strategic town of Lyman, north of Donetsk Oblast.

Alongside the lightning liberation of the northeastern Kharkiv Oblast, it has created a platform for Ukraine's advancement into Luhansk Oblast.

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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