Putin appeals to Russian public after Wagner riot
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The 10 people killed in a Russian attack on a restaurant in the city of Kramatorsk with a supersonic Iskander missile are among the 10 twin girls and a boy, Ukrainian authorities said.
A man accused by Kiev of collaborating with Moscow has been arrested over the strike in the Donetsk region that killed 14-year-old Yulia and Anna Aksenchenko, along with a boy and a 17-year-old, and injured at least 61 others . with rescuers still searching through the rubble.
The heavy airstrikes came as analysts suggested that Vladimir Putin is afraid of becoming a “martyr” of Yevgeny Prigozhin and has instead decided to try to “break” his popular support by branding him corrupt and liar, as the Kremlin grapples with the short life of Wagner’s mercenary leader. riot
For the first time, the Russian president has now claimed that the Kremlin “fully funds” and “fully supplies” Wagner’s mercenary group, and is likely to try to “destroy Prigozhin’s populist appeal” by accusing him of corruption or collusion with the West . said the Institute for the Study of War.
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Zelensky says leaders of Russian “bandits” should not escape justice
Volodymyr Zelensky has branded Russia’s political and military leaders bandits as he ruled out any peace plan that would turn the war in Ukraine into a “frozen” conflict.
The Ukrainian president made his remarks in a speech to parliament on Ukraine’s Constitution Day and warned that Russian leaders must not escape justice for waging war in their country, which he declared was “on the way of victory”.
“The political and military leadership of the Russian Federation should not escape justice because they supposedly have immunity, like state leaders,” Zelensky said.
“They are not the leaders of the state, they are bandits who took control of the state institutions of Russia … and began to terrorize the whole world.”
Andy GregoryJune 28, 2023 1:34 p.m
Kramatorsk strike now blamed on supersonic missiles
While Urkain officials initially blamed the attack in Kramatorsk on an S-300 missile, a surface-to-air weapon that Russian forces have repurposed for narrowly targeted attacks on cities, the National Police later said that Iskander short-range ballistic missiles were used.
Andy GregoryJune 28, 2023 1:21 p.m
Zelensky rules out any “frozen” conflict peace proposals.
Volodymyr Zelensky has said he will not accept any peace proposal that turns Russia’s war against Ukraine into a frozen conflict.
The president’s remarks, made in a speech to parliament on Ukraine’s Constitution Day, indicated he remains opposed to any peace plan that freezes territorial gains made by Russia.
“Ukraine will not accept any of the variants for a frozen conflict,” he said.
Zelensky has drawn up a 10-point peace “formula” that includes restoring Ukraine’s territorial integrity, withdrawing Russian troops and restoring Ukraine’s state borders.
Andy GregoryJune 28, 2023 1:04 p.m
The 10 twin sisters die in a strike at a restaurant in Kramatorsk
Here are more details about the twin sisters who died in the Kramatorsk restaurant strike.
Iulia and Anna Aksenchenko were due to celebrate their 15th anniversary in September, according to the Kramatorsk City Council.
A 17-year-old and a boy of an unknown age are also among the 10 people officials say were killed in the Russian attacks.
Andy GregoryJune 28, 2023 12:48 p.m
The Kremlin asked if “General Armaggedon” knew about Prigozhin’s mutiny in advance
The Kremlin has dismissed “gossip” and “speculation” surrounding last weekend’s short-lived riot.
Asked Wednesday about a New York Times report suggesting that top Russian general Sergei Surovikin had known in advance of Yevgeny Prigozhin’s armed rebellion, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said there would be “a lot of speculation” after the facts
“Now there will be a lot of speculation, gossip, etc. around these events. I think this is an example,” Peskov said.
Mr. Surovikin, who has not been seen in public since Saturday when he called for the riot to be called off, has often been praised by Mr. Prigozhin, and the New York Times quoted US officials as “trying to find out whether … The former Russian commander in Ukraine helped plan Mr. Prigozhin’s actions last weekend.”
Andy GregoryJune 28, 2023 12:44 p.m
Ukraine arrests man accused of helping Russia with Kramatorsk restaurant strike
Ukrainian authorities have arrested a man they accused of helping Russia direct missile attacks that killed at least 10 people, including four children, at a popular pizzeria in Kramatorsk.
Tuesday evening’s attack in Kramatorsk injured 61 other people, Ukrainian National Police said, with two sisters, both 14, and a 17-year-old boy, officials said, among the dead, while the Rescuers continue to search for debris.
The attack also damaged 18 multi-story buildings, 65 houses, five schools, two kindergartens, a shopping center, an administrative building and a recreation building, according to regional governor Pavlo Kyrylenko.
Kramatorsk is a front-line city that hosts the regional headquarters of the Ukrainian military. The pizzeria was frequented by journalists, aid workers and soldiers, as well as locals.
The Security Service of Ukraine said it had arrested a man it suspects of leading the strike against the restaurant, who is an employee of the local gas transportation company. He filmed the restaurant for the Russians and informed them of its popularity, the service claimed, without providing any proof.
Andy GregoryJune 28, 2023 12:34 p.m
Putin is “trying to break the populist appeal” of the potential “martyr” Prigozhin
Vladimir Putin has probably decided that he can’t remove directly right now [Yevgeny] Prigozhin without making him a martyr and has instead decided to “break” his popular support by calling him “corrupt” and a “liar”, a Western think tank has suggested.
For the first time, the Russian president has now claimed that the Kremlin “fully funds” and “fully supplies” Wagner’s mercenary group, as he tries to ensure that the mercenaries – and Russian society in general – “are disillusioned ” with Mr. Prigozhin. according to the Institute for the Study of War.
In his remarks, Putin deliberately sought to separate Prigozhin from the Wagner Group “so that the Kremlin can accuse Prigozhin of corruption or conspiring with Ukraine or the West and alienate Prigozhin from Wagner’s staff,” analysts said.
“Prigozhin had built his personal brand by criticizing the Russian military command and bureaucrats for corruption and ties to Western countries, and Putin is likely to try to chip away at Prigozhin’s populist appeal by accusing him of the same sins.”
Andy GregoryJune 28, 2023 12:04 p.m
The Kremlin says the papal envoy to Moscow for talks on Ukraine
The Kremlin welcomes the Vatican’s efforts to help resolve the Ukraine crisis, Vladimir Putin’s spokesman said, as he claimed the papal envoy had arrived in Moscow for peace talks.
“We highly value the Vatican’s efforts and initiatives and welcome the Pope’s aspiration to contribute to ending the armed conflict,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told a regular briefing.
He said Putin’s foreign affairs adviser would hold talks with the envoy, Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, at the Russian president’s request.
Andy GregoryJune 28, 2023 11:49 am
Vast majority of Americans support military aid to Ukraine, poll suggests
About two-thirds of Americans support supplying Ukraine with arms to defend itself against Russia, up from 46 percent just a month ago, according to a new Ipsos poll for Reuters.
Eighty-one percent of Democrats, 56 percent of Republicans and 57 percent of independents favor providing U.S. arms to Ukraine, the two-day poll of 1,004 adults suggests, conducted just days after the Yevgeny Prigozhin’s short-lived rebellion.
“This definitely reinforces Biden’s decision to bet on all of this,” William Taylor, a former US ambassador to Ukraine, told Reuters. “The Republican leadership in the House and Senate will take heart from this as well.”
The poll also found that 76% of Americans believe that providing aid to Ukraine demonstrates to China and other rivals that the United States has “the will and ability to protect our interests, our allies and ourselves “.
In other findings, the poll said the vast majority of Americans (67 percent and 73 percent respectively) are more likely to support a candidate in next year’s US presidential election who will continue to help militarily in Ukraine and to support NATO.
Andy GregoryJune 28, 2023 11:34 am
Three civilians in Kharkiv village killed by Russian shelling, governor says
At least three people have been killed in the Kharkiv region by Russian shelling, the regional governor has claimed.
“Unfortunately, as a result of this shelling, three civilians from the village of Vovchanski Khutory were killed near their homes,” Governor Oleh Synehubov wrote on Telegram.
He said the victims were men aged 45, 48 and 57.
Andy GregoryJune 28, 2023 11:27 am
