Exclusives
 | I am a sexless being. I know not what it is to be a woman at war. Men’s underwear has replaced stilettos for artist-turned-soldier Eva Tur; she smokes cigars and calls comrades “buddy” and “brother,” but knows not how to be female in the hell of war |
 | Ukraine war erodes Russia’s grip on Black Sea, Mediterranean. The ongoing war in Ukraine has damaged one-third of Russia’s Black Sea warships and cut off its ability to rotate naval assets through Turkish straits, weakening the Kremlin’s power projection in the Mediterranean region it once dominated. |
Military
Military: Russians gain ground but fail to breach Chasiv Yar’s principal defense. Ukrainian forces maintain control of the main defensive position in Chasiv Yar despite Russian advances nearby and assaults on the town’s Kanal and, Novyi neighborhoods, the military says.
Ukraine hit three Russian S-300/400 air defense batteries in occupied Crimea, General Staff says. Ukraine’s military says it successfully targeted three batteries of Russian S-400 and S-300 air defense systems in northern and western Crimea. The results of the attacks are yet to be confrimed.
ISW: Ukraine’s ability to hit Russian military targets with US weapons still heavily restricted. Biden’s policy change allows Ukraine to strike some Russian military targets within a small area, reducing Russia’s ground sanctuary by maximum 16%, with another 84% within the ATACMS range preserved, ISW says.
As of 10 Jun 2024, the approximate losses of weapons and military equipment of the Russian Armed Forces from the beginning of the invasion to the present day:
- Personnel: 519750 (+1190)
- Tanks: 7879 (+10)
- APV: 15144 (+13)
- Artillery systems: 13644 (+51)
- MLRS: 1098 (+1)
- Anti-aircraft systems: 837 (+1)
- Aircraft: 358 (+1)
- Helicopters: 326
- UAV: 11010 (+28)
- Cruise missiles : 2278 (+1)
- Warships/boats: 28
- Submarines: 1
- Vehicles and fuel tanks: 18618 (+56)
Intelligence and technology
Ukraine to position some of its future F-16s at foreign air bases. This will protect them from Russian strikes and create an operational reserve of aircraft.
US confirms Ukraine used Patriot to down Russia’s valuable A-50 radar plane in January. A senior US Army officer has confirmed that Ukraine used American-supplied Patriot surface-to-air missile systems to down a Russian Beriev A-50 airborne early warning and control aircraft in January 2024, a historic first.
Ukraine ready for Swedish Gripens: infrastructure in place, says aviation chief. While Ukraine’s current priority is acquiring F-16s, the country has also submitted all the necessary requests to procure Gripens.
France can transfer only six Mirage 2000-5 jets to Ukraine, La Tribune says. La Tribune says France can transfer only six Mirage 2000-5s, contributions from other nations with the jets – Qatar, Greece, UAE – are needed for more.
International
Pro-Ukrainian parties maintain majority in EU elections, far-right parties still make gains. The center-right European People’s Party (EPP), which largely backs Ukraine in its war with Russia, secured 186 out of 720 seats in the European Parliament, while far-right parties, especially in Germany and France, which have been found to have connections to Russia, received more seats in the parliament than before.
Biden, Macron agree on using frozen Russian asset profits to aid Ukraine. Group of Seven nations (G7) and the European Union (EU) are considering using profits from almost $300 billion frozen Russian assets to provide Ukraine with a substantial up-front loan, estimated at $2.6-$3.7 billion annually, and secure its financing through 2025.
Humanitarian and social impact
Over 160 Russian torture sites found in Ukraine, says Ukrainian prosecutor general. The investigation has recognized more than 3,800 civilians and 2,200 POWs as victims of Russian war crimes.
Latvian charity music festival raises funds to support Ukrainian soldiers on frontlines. Osokins Festival of Freedom for Ukraine is a musical festival dedicated to Ukraine for the last three years and raises funds to purchase essential supplies for Ukrainian defenders, collecting more than $171,000 over the past 18 months and sending over 25,000 self-heating lunches to Ukrainian frontlines, as per the event’s organizer Andrejs Osokins.
Activists report mass repressions in Crimea against pro-Ukrainian supporters and Crimean Tatars. Since the beginning of the occupation of Crimea, the Russian Federation has initiated a broad repressive campaign against the peninsula’s residents, leading to over 300 political prisoners and numerous administrative and criminal proceedings targeting Crimean Tatars and pro-Ukrainian activists,
Ukraine ratifies EBRD agreement for Chornobyl restoration after occupation by Russian military in 2022. This agreement opens the door for international aid from 18 countries, including the US, UK, Germany, France, and Canada.
Ukrainians’ support for wartime criticism of authorities risen since 2022. When Russia’s full-scale invasion started in 2022, the majority of Ukrainians believed that it was not necessary to critisize the government to avoid destabilizing the situation, however a survey by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) in May 2024 reveals that 31% of Ukrainians think criticism should be harsh and uncompromising, while 63% believe it should be constructive.
Political and legal developments
Ukraine’s government excludes top restoration official from annual recovery conference, he resigns. Mustafa Nayyem, head of Ukraine’s Agency for Restoration and Infrastructure Development, claims he hasn’t received an invitation from the Ukrainian government to the annual Ukraine Recovery Conference in Berlin, while the government justifies this decision by a scheduled meeting for the Agency on the same date.
New developments
Russian-installed authorities in Crimea ramp up army recruitment advertising. In temporarily occupied Crimea, a surge in recruitment advertising by Russian-installed authorities signals a desperate push to bolster military ranks, as Moscow intensifies efforts to turn the peninsula into a strategic launchpad for its ongoing war against Ukraine. According to Krym.Realii, outdoor and online advertisements for contractual army service have multiplied, amid promises of high pay and land incentives.
Read the daily review for 9 June 2024 here
