Date—June 7, 2022

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War

1. One hundred sixty bodies of the dead military, which Russia transferred to Ukraine on June 2 as part of the exchange, were taken out of the Mariupol plant “Azovstal.” Anna Golovko, a representative of the Azov Regiment, stated this to the agency. At least 52 of the dead, according to preliminary data, served in “Azov.” The remains of some of the dead will be identified through DNA testing. The agency said that how many bodies remain on the plant is unknown. On June 4, it became known that Ukraine and Russia had handed over the remains of dead service members to each other two days earlier. This was the first official announcement of such an exchange. (Source: AP).

2. President Volodymyr Zelenskyi emphasizes that the Armed Forces do not surrender their positions in Severodonetsk. On the 103rd day of the war, Donbas “stands firm”: “Our heroes do not surrender their positions in Severodonetsk. Fierce street battles continue in the city. “Svyatogorsk, Avdiyivka, Kurakhove, and other Russian strikes areas are the hottest confrontation points today. The Russian army is trying to use additional forces in the Donbas direction, but 103 days – and the Ukrainian Donbas is standing firm.” Zelensky also said earlier that since February 24, 17,864 participants in hostilities had been awarded state awards in Ukraine. Earlier on Monday, the President of Ukraine said that if the Armed Forces withdraw from Severodonetsk, then in an attempt to regain it, the losses will be much more significant. (Source: Telegram).

3. Last night, the strike aircraft worked on ground targets, and the air defense destroyed two UAVs, “Orlan-10”. On June 6, a group of Air Force bombers and bombers, under cover of fighter jets, fired on the occupying forces in several directions. Ukrainians destroyed armored combat vehicles, up to twenty enemy staff were destroyed, and logistics centers and warehouses with fuel and lubricants were damaged. (Source: Facebook).

Opinions

1. UK Intelligence: Russia has made progress in the Popasna direction in May, but its progress in the area has stalled. Over the weekend, Ukrainian forces recaptured part of Severodonetsk, although Russian troops are likely to continue to occupy the eastern part of the city. Russia’s broader plan is expected to cut off the Severodonetsk region from the north and south. Russia, meanwhile, made progress in the southern, Popasna direction in May, but its progress in the area stalled last week. Reports of heavy artillery shelling in the Izyum area indicate that Russia is preparing to make new efforts in the northern direction. “Russia almost certainly needs to make a breakthrough in at least one of these areas to turn tactical achievements into success at the operational level and move towards its political goal of controlling the entire Donetsk region,” the review said. (Source: Twitter).

Economy, Social life, and Culture

1. The Prosecutor General’s Office of the “DPR” announced the completion of an investigation into four foreigners who fought on the side of Ukraine in the war with Russia (Aiden Eslin, Sean Pinner, Andrew Hill, Brahim Saadoun). They are charged under articles on the forcible seizure of power and mercenarism, although three of them signed a contract with the Armed Forces of Ukraine even before the start of the war. The maximum penalty in the DPR under the article on the seizure of power is the death penalty. According to various sources, several thousand foreign citizens are fighting on the side of Ukraine. Volodymyr Zelensky, at the beginning of the war, spoke about 16,000 volunteers; in April, the Russian Defense Ministry reported almost 7,000 “mercenaries.” According to the department, their number had decreased to three and a half thousand by June. In May, Prosecutor General of the “DNR” Andrei Spivak said that six foreigners were taken prisoner during the war. In Russia, FSB showed captured foreigners in the propaganda media. (Source: Meduza).

Foreign news

1. The Turkish authorities have offered assistance with clearing the exit from the port of Odesa to resume the export of Ukrainian grain. Turkey has agreed on this proposal with Russia and hopes to get UN support. Ukraine is “skeptical” about the idea, fearing that Russia will use the safe corridor to attack Odesa. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba spoke openly in this vein. On June 6, President Volodymyr Zelensky, according to Ukrainian media, named Turkey among the countries that Ukraine trusts as possible participants in resolving the crisis. At the same time, in his opinion, the best guarantee of security in this situation would be the supply of anti-ship weapons to Ukraine. The issue of unblocking Ukrainian ports on Monday was also discussed by the defense ministers of Ukraine and Turkey. Ukraine is one of the largest grain exporters in the world. Due to the Russian invasion, a significant part of exports has stopped, creating a global food crisis threat. Russia, which has seized part of the essential Ukrainian ports, blames Kyiv for what is happening, arguing that exports are hindered by Ukraine’s mining of approaches to its ports. (Source: Bloomberg).

2. On February 24, US President Joe Biden ordered the declassification of intelligence ahead of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine due to skepticism about US officials’ statements about Russia’s plans. Director of National Intelligence Eurel Gaines said: “When we explained to our politicians, and our politicians turned to their interlocutors, they found that there was a lot of skepticism about it. As a result, the president came back to us and said, ‘You need to go out and tell as much as possible and make sure people see what you see so we can reconnect and possibly have more productive conversations about how to prepare for what is essentially a possible Russian invasion.” (Source: CNN).