By Julian Duplain
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David Walker
,
Annabelle Chapman
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Updated June 6, 2022 at 2: 41 a.m. EDT|Published
June 5, 2022 at 2: 42 a.m. EDT
This live coverage has ended. For Monday’s live updates, click here.
Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened to escalate his bombing campaign if Western nations send Ukraine longer-range rockets, and he dismissed the weapons President Biden recently pledged as “nothing new.”
In a television interview with state media that was recorded Friday and aired Sunday, Putin said he considered the medium-range missiles Biden promised last month to be replacements for similar artillery that Ukraine has lost in the fighting. Putin stated that if longer-range missiles arrive, Putin’s military will begin striking targets it had not yet hit. He did not give any details. He also said that the West’s support of the war effort was an attempt to prolong the conflict.
Also on Sunday, Russian rockets struck the Ukrainian capital for the first time in more than a month, shattering the city’s sense of tentative safety. Russia’s Defense Ministry said its missiles destroyed tanks and other armored vehicles sent to Ukraine by Eastern European allies, but Ukrainian authorities denied the claim and again accused Moscow of targeting civilian infrastructure.
Here’s what else to know
- Ukrainian forces have regained ground in the key eastern city of Severodonetsk, where intense street fighting has raged for weeks.
- Police in the hard-hit eastern province of Luhansk accused Russian troops of shelling a humanitarian aid facility where 40 civilians were sheltering. No information was available on injuries or deaths.
- Ukraine’s national soccer team lost an emotional game on Sunday, ending its World Cup dream after a dramatic war-delayed run that saw the country and its diaspora rally in support of the squad.
- The Washington Post has lifted its paywall for readers in Russia and Ukraine. Telegram users can subscribe to our channel.
Putin threatens escalated bombing if West provides longer-range weapons to Ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened to escalate his bombing campaign if Western nations send Ukraine longer-range rockets, and he dismissed the weapons President Biden recently pledged as “nothing new.”
In a television interview with state media that was recorded Friday and aired Sunday, Putin said he considered the medium-range missiles Biden promised last month to be replacements for similar artillery that Ukraine has lost in the fighting.
“There’s nothing new here,” Putin said. “And it doesn’t change anything.”
But should longer-range systems arrive, Putin added, his military would begin hitting targets it has so far avoided; he offered no specifics.
“We will start using our own weapons, which we have plenty of,” Putin said.
The Russian president also characterized the West’s materiel support as an attempt to “prolong” the conflict.
Arkady Dolina contributed to this report.
War in Ukraine cannot be an excuse to keep relying on coal, Kerry warns
Countries must not use the war in Ukraine as an excuse to keep relying on coal, U.S. climate envoy John F. Kerry said.
The invasion has thrown energy markets into disarray, raising the risk that some countries could renege on commitments made at COP26, the 2021 U.N. climate summit, to phase out their use of coal, Kerry told the BBC in an interview published overnight.
If countries extend their reliance on coal because of the war, “we are cooked,” said Kerry, who is in Bonn, Germany, to attend another climate conference.
Last month, environmental officials from the Group of Seven countries agreed to end government financing for international coal-fired power generation and to accelerate the phasing out of unabated coal plants by 2035.
Zelensky meets with troops on eastern front line, office says
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited troops on the front line in the east, his office announced Sunday.
Zelensky’s office described a visit to the Zaporizhzhia region as a working trip during which he met with troops and police forces. Oleksandr Starukh, who leads the military in the area, said nearly 60 percent of the territory is “temporarily occupied by Russian troops, and fighting is underway in some parts,” according to Zelensky’s office.
The fighting cut electricity to 77 settlements in the region, according to Starukh, who noted that 2,700 infrastructure facilities had been destroyed but 700 had been rebuilt.
Zelensky’s office said that it had received reports that Russian forces in parts of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia had begun distributing Russian passports to residents and that a Moscow-backed administration occupying Zaporizhzhia signed a decree to “nationalize” property owned by the Ukrainian government.
The president also visited troops in the area of Bakhmut in the Donetsk region and Lysychansk in the Luhansk region, his office said early Monday.
Trading territory in the east, rockets in the capital: Update from Ukraine’s key battlefields
BELARUS
RUSSIA
Chernihiv
Sumy
POLAND
Kharkiv
Kyiv
Lviv
Izyum
Severodonetsk
UKRAINE
Separatist-
controlled
area
Dnipro
Russian-held
areas
and troop
movement
Mariupol
Mykolaiv
ROMANIA
Kherson
Odessa
Crimea
Annexed
by Russia
in 2014
Control zones as of June 5,
100 MILES
Sources : Institute for the Study of War. AEI’s Critical Threats Project. Post reporting
BELARUS
RUSSIA
Chernihiv
Sumy
Separatist-
controlled
area
POL.
Kharkiv
Kyiv
Lviv
Severodonetsk
Mykolaiv
Mariupol
ROMANIA
Odessa
Kherson
Crimea
Annexed by
Russia in 2014
200 MILES
Control areas effective June 5,
Sources : Institute for the Study of War ,
AEI Critical Threats Project Report
THE WASHINGTON POS
BELARUS
RUSSIA
Chernihiv
Sumy
POLAND
Kharkiv
Kyiv
Zhytomyr
Severodonetsk
Poltava
Lviv
Izyum
Cherkasy
Lyman
UKRAINE
Kramatorsk
Luhansk
Dnipro
Uman
Kropyvnytskyi
Donetsk
Separatist-
controlled
area
Zaporizhzhia
Mariupol
Russian-held
areas, troop movement
Mykolaiv
ROMANIA
Berdyansk
Kherson
Odessa
RUSSIA
Crimea
Annexed by
Russia in 2014
Control zones as of June 5,
100 MILES
Sources : Institute for the Study of War. AEI’s Critical Threats Project. Post reporting
More than 100 days into the war, Ukrainian forces appeared to make progress in a key eastern city, pushing back a Russian offensive that is fixated on the entire Donbas region. Russia attacked Kyiv, signalling that Ukraine may not be safe from Russian aggression.
Here are some updates from across the country:
Severodonetsk: Russian and Ukrainian forces have traded territorial gains in this strategic city in the eastern Luhansk province. On Sunday, the region’s governor, Serhiy Haidai, said Ukraine now controls about half of the city, wresting roughly 20 percent from Russia in recent days. About 15,000 people are trapped in the city, he said, and evacuation has been impossible.
Elsewhere in Luhansk: Regional police say Russia has shelled a humanitarian aid facility in Lysychansk, a city separated from Severodonetsk by a river. Authorities had not yet released any information about potential casualties, but stated that they are investigating the attack as a possible war crime. On the same day, 98 people were evacuated from Lysychansk, offering hope to a region that has faced relentless bombing in recent weeks.
Kyiv: For the first time in over a month, Russian rockets struck the Ukrainian capital, shattering the city’s sense of tentative safety. Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed its missiles destroyed tanks and other armored vehicles sent to Ukraine by Eastern European allies, but Ukrainian authorities have denied this and again accused Moscow of targeting civilian infrastructure.
Mykolaiv oblast: Authorities in this southern region reported a “mass rocket attack” early Sunday, offering few details but saying that Ukrainian defense systems had destroyed two of the incoming missiles and the others had targeted several cities. One local official said residential buildings in the city of Mykolaiv were hit, causing deaths and injuries. The Post was unable to verify Sunday’s report.
5: 29 p.m.
For weeks, some of the war’s most ferocious fighting has unfolded in the eastern city of Severodonetsk, which Russia has bombarded as it attempts to take control of the Donbas region. Both sides have traded territorial gains in recent days, and at one point local officials said Russia controlled 70 percent of the city. However, Ukrainian fighters launched successful counterattacks to take half of Severodonetsk. The prolonged fighting will continue to be especially devastating for civilians stuck in the city. Haidai estimated that about 15,000 remain, and he said evacuation has been impossible recently. In the coming days, he warned in a video posted to Telegram, Russia “will try to level the Luhansk region to the ground.”
Reis Thebault
,
National and breaking news reporter
Ukraine’s World Cup dream ends in 1-0 loss to Wales
Wales captured a World Cup berth in the pouring rain in Cardiff on Sunday, defeating Ukraine 1-0 in a taut, emotional game that was decided by an own goal.
Wales advanced to the World Cup for the first time in 64 years, joining England, the United States and Iran in Group B in November’s tournament in Qatar. On the opening night of November’s World Cup in Qatar, Wales will face the U.S. 21.
Although this game was played in Cardiff, the partisan crowd was respectful of Ukraine, a sentimental favorite whose players have family and friends in a war zone.
Ukraine took the attack to Wales in the first half, but was unable to do what it wanted on offense. After Dan James’ free kick on the goal-area edge, Gareth Bale scored five goals for Wales in the second half. Bale shot a goal that Ukraine’s captain Andriy Yarmolenko missed, and it was deflected in the net.
Ukrainian-born member of Congress makes second visit to Ukraine
Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-Ind.) According to the governor of the area, Spartz returned to Ukraine to visit the city of Chernihiv.
Vyacheslav Chaus posted photos of himself and the congresswoman on Telegram on Sunday with a caption indicating that Spartz, a native of Ukraine, spent at least two days in the area. He said she spent her visit “studying the possibilities of rebuilding our city and region.”
Chernihiv sits about 95 miles north of Kyiv and was among the cities that faced heavily shelling during the early weeks of the war. Russian forces withdrew a month later, but the city remains heavily damaged and is likely to bear lasting imprints from the battle.
The dates of Spartz’s visit and the nature of her discussions with local officials weren’t immediately clear; her office did not respond to a request for comment on Sunday.
It was at least the second time Spartz has visited Ukraine since Russia’s invasion in late February. Spartz visited Ukraine in April with Senator Steve Daines (R.Mont.). ), to observe evidence of alleged war crimes in the Kyiv suburb of Bucha; on that visit, Spartz also met with her grandmother, who still lives in Chernihiv, she told Vanity Fair.
Spartz has at times broken with the bulk of her Republican colleagues in Congress by calling the Russian invasion a “genocide” and urging more action from President Biden on support and aid to Ukraine.
Ukraine says nearly 100 more evacuated from embattled Lysychansk
Ukrainian authorities said Sunday that nearly 100 people have been evacuated from the embattled eastern city of Lysychansk.
“The situation with the shelling is difficult, so the residents of Lysychansk finally realized that it would not be possible to wait,” Serhiy Haidai, governor of the Luhansk region, said in a post on Telegram. “Ninety-eight people chose security.”
Police, state security and military personnel as well as volunteers aided the evacuees, Haidai said.
“Secretly, quietly, they were able to overcome a dangerous path and have already exhaled with relief,” he said. “We will save while there is such an opportunity!”
Photos of the evacuation showed personnel assisting the fleeing residents — many of them elderly — as they toted whatever belongings they could carry and boarded buses.
Earlier, Haidai reported that 66 people, including six children, were “taken out of hell” as authorities made their way through bomb shelters.
Haidai said a team of police and military personnel was “able to do the impossible again.” He urged those still in the city to seek shelter and said humanitarian aid would be provided.
Russian forces have been trying to encircle Lysychansk and the neighboring city of Severodonetsk as they attempt to take full control of the Luhansk region. Although thousands of people have fled the area, many remain in their homes. Recent days have seen a Ukrainian counterattack on Severodonetsk. Haidai stated that they now control half the city.
On Saturday, he said Russian forces were blowing up bridges to prevent Ukraine from bringing in reinforcements or aid. The Lysychansk – Bakhmut highway is a critical supply route. Both sides are fighting for it.
Pope pleads with world leaders: Don’t lead humanity into ruin
Pope Francis has issued another impassioned plea for peace in Ukraine, this time appealing to national leaders after Sunday’s Regina Caeli prayer on Pentecost to not “lead humanity into ruin.”
After delivering his message for Pentecost — a celebration that he noted marks 50 days after Easter, in which apostles who “speak different languages encounter and understand one another” — Francis lamented “the nightmare of war” after 100 days of conflict in Ukraine.
“And while the fury of destruction and death rampages and the conflicts rage on, fueling an escalation that is increasingly dangerous for all, I renew my appeal to the leaders of nations: Do not lead humanity into ruin, please!” Francis said. Francis urged world leaders to hold negotiations and “real talks” for peace. Let us continue, please, to pray and to strive tirelessly for peace.”
Francis said Saturday that he wants to visit Ukraine but is waiting for the “right time to do it.”
The pontiff has repeatedly condemned the war for bringing suffering and rancor to those affected by it, but he has also faced criticism for his refusal to rebuke Russian President Vladimir Putin by name for ordering the invasion.
Ukraine accuses Russia of attacking humanitarian aid facility in Luhansk
By Christine Armario11: 32 a.m.
Police in the hard-hit eastern province of Luhansk are accusing Russian troops of shelling a humanitarian aid facility where 40 civilians had been sheltering.
In a post on Telegram, police shared a video showing a cream-colored, three-story building charred by fire and with windows blown out, columns near the entrance broken and rubble scattered throughout.
The officials wrote that the attack occurred early Sunday and hit numerous buildings, including a facility used to house civilians. Video also includes interiors of several buildings on two stories that were damaged by shelling.
There were no immediate remarks from Russia on the attack.
The incident occurred in Lysychansk, a city with a prewar population of about 100,000 that is located across a river from Severodonetsk — the last major city in the Luhansk region still under Ukrainian control. Russian and Ukrainian forces have been fighting for several weeks around Severodonetsk as Moscow attempts to seize the strategically important city.
Luhansk police said they were still collecting information on any potential casualties in the attack on Sunday and are investigating it as a war crime.
Russia claims missiles destroyed tanks sent to Ukraine
By Julian Duplain10: 52 a.m.
Russia’s Defense Ministry is claiming that missile strikes in Kyiv on Sunday morning destroyed tanks sent to Ukraine by supporting countries.
Moscow contends that high-precision, long-range air-based missiles destroyed T-72 tanks and other armored vehicles supplied by Eastern European countries. According to the ministry, tanks and other equipment had been stored in a facility near Kyiv.
Earlier Sunday, the mayor of the Ukrainian capital said two districts were hit, leaving one person hospitalized. The missiles were fired from Russian Tu-95 bombers over the Caspian Sea, according to preliminary information provided by Ukraine’s air force command.
It was the first time in more than a month that Russian missiles had targeted Kyiv.
Vadym Denysenko, an adviser to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, said on a live television broadcast Sunday that one of the strikes hit a military target while the other damaged civilian infrastructure. He denied Russia’s claim that the strike had resulted in the destruction of tanks at the railway car facility.
Oleksandr Kamyshin, CEO of the state-owned Ukrainian Railways, said four missiles hit a rail car repair yard in the Darnytsia district but said no tanks were there.
“Officially, I declare that there is no military equipment in the repair works,” he said, inviting reporters to visit the facility and verify for themselves. “We will confirm that Russia once again lied and that their real goal is the economy of Ukraine and the civilian population.”
Though Russian troops withdrew from the Kyiv region after facing stiff Ukrainian resistance at the start of the war, Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar said the capital, nonetheless, remains a target.
“The war is in a hot phase,” she said during the live broadcast, according to the Ukrainian news agency Suspilne. “And Kyiv remains Russia’s main goal.”
As war drags on, weary Russians yearn for a return to normal life
RIGA, Latvia — For Russia’s urban middle class, the war on Ukraine has messed up plans, ruined longed-for vacations and stripped away joys such as shopping for a favorite foreign clothing brand, turning the key in a new Japanese car, even biting into a Big Mac.
As the war drags on, many yearn for life to go back to normal, before prices went crazy and foreign companies quit the country over Russia’s invasion. These Russians know that Vladimir Putin will fight until the end, as he has always done.
After convincing the majority of the population that the war was necessary to “liberate” Ukrainians from “Nazis,” state television propagandists are now doggedly preparing Russians for a long war, ominously warning that it might end in nuclear war.
In Ukraine, that means more civilian casualties, bombed houses and dozens of Ukrainian soldiers killed daily defending the country’s east.
Russia predicts jump in profits from energy exports despite sanctions
Western sanctions will have no effect on Russia’s oil exports, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said, predicting a jump in profits.
“Considering the price level that has been established as a result of the West’s policies, we have suffered no budgetary losses,” Russia’s Foreign Ministry quoted him as saying to a Bosnian Serb television station on Saturday.
“On the contrary, this year we will significantly increase the profits from the export of our energy resources,” he added. Oil, in general, does not fall under the purview of politics. It is in high demand. … We have alternative sales markets, where we are already increasing sales.”
After February’s invasion of Ukraine, Western powers slapped Russia with multiple rounds of sanctions targeting the Kremlin’s central bank reserves, financial elites tied to Russian President Vladimir Putin and key sectors of the country’s economy.
European Union leaders have struggled to achieve an embargo on Russian oil but last week agreed in principle to cut 90 percent of imports by the end of this year.
European Council President Charles Michel said at the time that the move would cut “a huge source of financing” for Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry said the E.U.’s action was likely to provoke further price increases, destabilize energy markets and disrupt supply chains.
Court hearing for British detainee ‘to take place soon’
Pro-Russian prosecutors say they have concluded their investigation of a British national who was captured while fighting alongside Ukrainian forces and that the first court hearing will take place soon.
In a statement, the prosecutor general’s office of the self-declared Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) said that Aiden Aslin, whom the office described as a mercenary, could face the death penalty.
“Taking into account wartime, based on the provisions of the current criminal law, as a result of the trial, the mercenary may be given an exceptional measure of punishment — the death penalty,” a statement on Telegram reported by Russian news agency RIA Novosti said.
According to the report, prosecutors said they established that Aslin took part in “the armed aggression of Ukraine to forcibly seize power for a reward.”
The DPR prosecutor general’s office said Saturday that it had submitted criminal cases against two other British fighters — Sean Pinner and Andrew Hill — as well as Moroccan Saadun Brahim. They could face the death penalty, it said.
Aslin had been helping to defend the city of Mariupol when he was detained in mid-April. His family said he joined the Ukrainian marines in 2018 — long before the Russian invasion — and was not a mercenary.
Shortly after his capture, Aslin and Pinner appeared in a video on Russian state television asking to be released as part of a prisoner exchange.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson later addressed the matter in Parliament, urging the Russian government to treat Aslin “humanely and compassionately.”
