2023-06-20 07:37:04
“Massive new air attacks” targeted Kiev and the Ukrainian cities of Lviv and Zaporizhia on the night of Monday to Tuesday June 20, according to the military authorities, who reported no immediate casualties. According to the civil and military administration, explosive drones attacked the city in waves from different directions for three hours. “There is no information regarding casualties or destruction at this time,” she added on Telegram.
In Lviv, a “critical infrastructure” was hit by drones. No injuries were reported. The Ukrainian General Staff later claimed that 28 drones were shot down by Ukrainian air defense out of the 30 launched by Russian forces over Ukraine overnight. The military administration of Zaporizhia for its part indicated that the city and its surroundings had been the target of a “massive attack” aimed at civilian objectives. According to preliminary information from the General Staff, seven S-300 missiles were fired at Zaporizhia and its suburbs.
Norway donates 20 million euros to nuclear safety in Ukraine
Norway announced on Monday June 19 that it would devote 250 million crowns (nearly 21.5 million euros) to nuclear safety in Ukraine against a backdrop of fears around the Zaporijjia power plant after the destruction of a dam. “A nuclear accident in Ukraine would have consequences not only for Ukraine itself but also beyond its borders,” the Norwegian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. The aid will be divided between a contribution of 100 million crowns to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to enable its experts to maintain their presence on several nuclear sites in Ukraine, including Chernobyl and Zaporijjia, and an envelope of 150 million to reinforce the safety of the installations.
The announcement comes amid concerns for the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, occupied since last year by the Russians, after the destruction of the Kakhovka dam on the Dnieper, the great Ukrainian river, whose water was used to cool its six reactors. Moscow and kyiv blame each other for this attack. The IAEA has a permanent team of experts in this plant, which is also targeted by bombings and cut off from the electricity network on several occasions. The situation in Zaporijjia is “serious” but in the process of stabilization, said the head of the IAEA, Rafael Grossi, during a visit there last Thursday.
Ukraine accuses Hungary of blocking access to its prisoners of war
Kiev on Monday accused Budapest of blocking its access to a group of 11 Ukrainian prisoners of war transferred to Hungary from Russia through the intermediary of the Russian Orthodox Church and without the knowledge of the Ukrainian authorities. “All attempts by Ukrainian diplomats in recent days to establish direct contact with these Ukrainian citizens have proved unsuccessful,” Ukrainian diplomacy spokesman Oleg Nikolenko said on Facebook.
“Such acts by Budapest”, which has kept in touch with the Kremlin, “can be qualified as a violation of the European Convention on Human Rights”, denounced the spokesman. According to him, Kyiv has “once again asked” the Hungarian government to “give the Ukrainian consul immediate access” to these prisoners of war “so that he can assess their physical and psychological condition, explain their rights to them and provide assistance. consular emergency”. Their transfer to Hungary had been announced by the Russian Orthodox Church, which acted as an intermediary. Ukraine, for its part, regretted not having been involved in the negotiation process.
Hungary has defended itself from hindering access, claiming to act “in accordance with both the law and the practice in force at the international level”. “They are here of their own free will, they can also leave the country freely at any time. We are not watching them,” Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s chief of staff told a press conference. The Hungarian leader has maintained contact with Moscow despite the war in Ukraine and has forged strong ties with the Russian Orthodox Church in recent years. It is thanks to his support that the Russian patriarch Kirill, a faithful supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin, escaped sanctions from the European Union last year in the name of the defense of “religious freedom”.
A medium-range defense system delivered to Ukraine
A medium-range SAMP/T surface-to-air defense system, of Franco-Italian manufacture, has been delivered to Ukraine where it is now operational, French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Monday, four months after promising it to Kiev. Paris had announced in early February the delivery of this equivalent of the Patriot. The SAMP/T MAMBA is the first European long-range anti-missile system. It is supposed to help Ukraine deal with attacks from Russian drones, missiles and planes.
This system, its radar and its launchers armed with eight Aster missiles with a range of approximately 100 kilometers, makes it possible to counter a wide range of air threats: short-range ballistic missiles, fighter planes, helicopters, drones and even salvos of cruise missiles with multiple shots. kyiv has been calling for months to strengthen its ground-to-air defenses, especially after a wave of Russian strikes on its critical infrastructure using Iranian drones last fall.
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