CNN : Russia's War in Ukraine - June 2, 2023 Akhmat" Chechen special forces launch offensive in eastern Ukraine, Russian defense ministry says and more

 

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Russia's war in Ukraine

By Jessie Yeung, Christian Edwards, Ivana Kottasová and Aditi Sangal, CNN

Updated 9:28 a.m. ET, June 2, 2023

What we're covering

• Ukraine's military said its air defenses shot down 36 drones and missiles over Kyiv early Friday as air raid sirens sounded across Ukraine. Two people were injured by falling debris.
• Meanwhile, a number of Russian officials reported attacks on their regions Friday, as the war spills over from Ukraine's borders into Russian territory.
• The governors of the Kursk and Smolensk regions reported attacks by Ukrainian drones, while officials in Bryansk and Belgorod said the two regions experienced shelling. Ukraine has not commented on the claims.
• Ukraine's military claims more than 200,000 Russian soldiers have been killed in the war — more troops than were estimated to have taken part in Russia's initial invasion. CNN cannot independently verify the figures.

29 min ago

"Akhmat" Chechen special forces launch offensive in eastern Ukraine, Russian defense ministry says

From CNN’s Uliana Pavlova

The “Akhmat” group of Chechen special forces had launched an offensive in the Marinka direction in eastern Ukraine, The Russian Defense Ministry said on Friday.

On Wednesday, Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov had said that the Chechen special forces were preparing for the offensive amid intensifying attacks on the Russian border region of Belgorod. 

“Friends, the Chechen units have received a new order to redeploy their forces. The territories of the Donetsk People's Republic become the zone of responsibility,” Kadyrov said in a Telegram statement. 

“According to the order, the fighters of the Chechen units must begin active combat operations and liberate a number of settlements,” he said.

Some background: The city of Marinka, which is now in ruins, has been on the front lines since the beginning of the invasion, with fighting at close-quarters among the rubble continuing almost daily. The Ukrainian military has said there are Chechen units at various points along the front lines in Donetsk region. 

Kadyrov leads sizeable paramilitary forces that, while formally a part of Russian security structures, have personal loyalty to him. During a visit to the Kremlin in March, the Chechen leader told Putin his forces in Ukraine will help Russia "fight to the victorious end."

46 min ago

9 injured in shelling of Russian-occupied city of Berdiansk, local official says

From Olga Voitovych

Nine people were injured in shelling in the Russian-occupied port city of Berdiansk on Friday, according to a Russian-appointed local official. 

“Information about the dead is being clarified,” Vladimir Rogov said.

The strike on "peaceful Berdiansk was carried out by the [Armed Forces of Ukraine] militants," Rogov had said earlier.

Some background: Berdiansk is a port city on Sea of Azov on Ukraine's southern coast. It has been occupied by Russian forces since the early days of the conflict. Its port has previously been targeted by Ukrainian forces. The city lies along the coast from Mariupol, an area that is believed to be among the sites Ukraine will attempt to reclaim in its counteroffensive.

Berdiansk is deep in Russian-controlled territory, around 100 kilometers (about 62 miles) from the front line. That means that if Ukraine was behind the alleged strike, the use of Storm Shadow missiles would be a likely option.

51 min ago

Lavrov tells US envoy to “mind his own business” over South Africa’s alleged arms supply to Russia

From CNN's Nimi Princewell

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov attends a news conference in Bujumbura, Burundi, on May 30. Russian Foreign Ministry/Reuters

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has berated the US for “interfering” in South Africa’s affairs and has asked America’s envoy to the country to “mind his own business,” following allegations that South Africa supplied arms and ammunition to Russia last year.

In an explosive revelation last month, US ambassador to South Africa Reuben Brigety told South African media he was confident that its government “uploaded weapons and ammunition” onto a Russian cargo vessel “between the 6th to the 8th of December 2022.”

“I would bet my life on the accuracy of that assertion,” Brigety added, triggering an independent inquiry by local authorities on the allegations.

Lavrov, who is on an African tour to strengthen his country’s bilateral relations with the continent, addressed Brigety’s accusations at a news conference in Mozambique Wednesday, claiming that Russia’s relations with South Africa comply with international law.

“If the American or any other overseas ambassador thought he or she saw something, they should mind their own business and not get involved in other people’s affairs,” Russia’s foreign affairs ministry quoted Lavrov to have said while responding to questions at the Wednesday press conference in the Mozambican capital Maputo.

Some background: The South African government has come under intense criticism for its stance on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and has routinely abstained from votes condemning Russia at the United Nations General Assembly.

While South African leadership has repeatedly stated that they are neutral in the conflict and have frequently called for a negotiated settlement, their actions have come under increasing scrutiny from Western powers.

In February of this year, South Africa convened naval war games off its coast including both the Russian and Chinese military.

Later this year, South Africa will host the BRICS summit, a grouping of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. Russian President Vladimir Putin was invited to that summit.

CNN's David McKenzie contributed to this post.

1 hr 4 min ago

Russia has deployed special forces unit to its Belgorod region, Ukraine claims

From Olga Voitovych in Kyiv and Sarah Dean in London

A Russian special forces unit has been deployed to Russia’s Belgorod border region because of “partisan” activity, Ukraine’s National Resistance Center – an official body — said Friday.

“Because of the need to fight the partisan movement, the detachment of the 322nd center of the Russian SOF ‘Senezh’ arrived on the territory of the Belgorod region,” the centre said.
“The Russians are so afraid of partisans that they urgently stopped all operations of this elite unit and instead placed it in the border settlements of the Belgorod region. The task of the unit is to conduct anti-sabotage activities on the Russian border,” they added.
CNN cannot independently verify this claim.

It comes after the Russian Ministry of Defense released a video showing Russian forces purportedly hitting targets in Belgorod. Russian combat aircraft "delivered nine strikes against retreating Ukrainian formations and enemy reserves," the ministry added. Earlier, this week the Kremlin said it is concerned about the situation in Belgorod.

Recent developments: Shelling in the Belgorod region, killed two women, the region's governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said in a Telegram post Friday.

He blamed Ukrainian forces for the shelling, saying they had fired at a road in the village of Maslova Pristan, in the Shebekino district. Ukraine has not commented on the claim.

21 min ago

It’s mid-afternoon in Kyiv. Here’s what you need to know

From CNN staff

Russia’s drone and missile strikes on Kyiv continued into Friday as air raid sirens sounded across Ukraine. Meanwhile, Russian officials reported attacks on several regions including Kursk and Belgorod.

Here are the latest developments:

• Airstrikes on Kyiv: Ukrainian air defenses shot down 36 drones and missiles over Kyiv overnight into Friday, according to the head of Kyiv’s military administration Serhiy Popko. Two people were injured by falling debris. The latest strikes come a day after three people were killed in a drone attack after being unable to enter a closed bomb shelter.
• Shelling of Belgorod: Fighting has continued in the Russian region of Belgorod, more than a week after a group of anti-Putin Russian nationals aligned with Ukraine launched a cross-border assault on their motherland. Ukrainian shelling of the region killed two women, according to governor Vyacheslav Gladkov in a Telegram post Friday. Ukraine has not commented on the claim.
• Explosions in Berdiansk: Multiple explosions shook the Russian-occupied port city of Berdiansk in Ukraine’s southern Zaporizhzhia on Friday, according to both Russian-appointed and Ukrainian local authorities. Ukrainian officials from the city administration said they are “grateful to the Ukrainian Armed Forces for bringing the liberation of the city closer.”
• China plays peacemaker: China’s special representative on Eurasian affairs Li Hui said Friday that neither Russia nor Ukraine has “shut the door” to peace talks, claiming that “the parties are not completely without consensus.” However, Ukraine has repeatedly stated it would not involve a settlement that would involve the loss of any of its territories – conditions that Russia has shown no sign of consenting to.
• Sweden’s NATO scramble: NATO officials are in a race against time to avoid the embarrassment of seeing the alliance miss its own stated aim of admitting Sweden into its ranks by July 11. Turkey, which has criticized some recent actions of the Swedish government, may block Sweden from joining – in what would be a boost to Putin, with whom Turkish President Recep Tayyip Ergodan told CNN he shared a “special relationship.”
• Russian death toll: About 208,000 Russian soldiers have been killed since the beginning of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, a spokesperson for the Eastern Grouping of the Ukrainian Armed Forces has claimed. CNN has not been able to independently confirm this figure. The Biden administration said in May that Russia had suffered more than 100,000 casualties – meaning both those killed and wounded – since December.

1 hr 46 min ago

Zelensky orders audit of all bomb shelters in Ukraine 

From Olga Voitovych and Sarah Dean

A man sits next to the body of his granddaughter who was killed during a Russian missile strike in Kyiv, Ukraine, on June 1. Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters

President Volodymyr Zelensky has ordered an audit of all bomb shelters in Ukraine after three people were killed Thursday when they were unable to access a closed shelter in Kyiv.

Participants of a high-level government security meeting "reacted harshly to the people's deaths near a closed bomb shelter," he said in a statement Friday, adding that he has instructed a Ukrainian minister, Alexander Kamyshin, to "conduct a full audit of all Kyiv's defense structures" and deliver a report in 10 days.

Another minister, Ihor Klymenko, is tasked with doing the same for the whole of Ukraine, Zelensky added.

2 hr 3 min ago

Russia’s war in Ukraine has been a "strategic failure," top US diplomat says

From CNN’s Catherine Nicholls in London

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken gives a speech at the Helsinki City Hall, in Helsinki, Finland, on June 2. Lehtikuva/Reuters

Russia’s war in Ukraine has been a "strategic failure" that has diminished the country's influence and interests "for years to come," US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in Helsinki, Finland, on Friday.

“There is no question,” he added, “Russia is significantly worse off today than it was before its full-scale invasion of Ukraine – militarily, economically, geopolitically.”

Reiterating US support for Ukraine and its commitment to "just and lasting peace," he said that Russian President Vladimir Putin has only strengthened large-scale international resolve.

“Where Putin aimed to project strength, he’s revealed weakness,” Blinken said, “Where he sought to divide, he’s united. What he tried to prevent, he’s precipitated.”

1 hr 57 min ago

Biden administration hopes to bring Russia to the table for nuclear arms control talks

From CNN’s Kiley Atwood

The Biden administration is seeking to draw Russia to the negotiating table to discuss nuclear arms control, after President Vladimir Putin suspended Russia’s participation in the agreement earlier this year. 

The US is hoping to reimplement the deal and negotiate a follow-on agreement after it expires in 2026. So far these efforts have been rebuffed.

However, the US will on Friday couple a major speech by national security adviser Jake Sullivan with a move to withhold information from Russia that would have been shared as part of the key nuclear arms control agreement between the two countries.

“We're hoping in the aggregate, this sort of communication we're doing through this speech, the countermeasures, and any sort of potential follow up bilaterally is going to lead to the discussion,” a senior administration official told reporters.
“Of course, that takes two to tango.”

The official said the Biden administration was willing to engage in talks with Russia without preconditions. 

The countermeasures that the US is putting into place on Friday include: US withholding notifications under the treaty such as the location of missiles and launchers included in the treaty and some day-to-day notifications movements of US nuclear forces. 

The State Department on Thursday expressed the US’ willingness to reverse the actions taken if Russia came back into compliance with the treaty.

The Biden administration’s efforts to focus on nuclear nonproliferation come as some Republican lawmakers have urged the administration to evaluate the current and planned US nuclear force. For now, the US has not made any announcements about changing the size of its nuclear force. 

Some context: Putin announced in February that he would suspend his country’s participation in the New START nuclear arms reduction treaty with the United States, which imperiled the last remaining pact that regulates the world’s two largest nuclear arsenals.

The treaty puts limits on the number of deployed intercontinental-range nuclear weapons that both the US and Russia can have. It was last extended in early 2021 for five years, meaning the two sides would soon need to begin negotiating on another arms control agreement.

Under the key nuclear arms control treaty, both the United States and Russia are permitted to conduct inspections of each other’s weapons sites, though inspections had been halted since 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

But only hours after Putin announced his decision in a speech, Russia’s foreign ministry said the decision to suspend participation in the treaty was reversible.

Recent developments: Since then, however, Putin said he plans to station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, the neighboring ally from which he staged part of his February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Moscow will complete the construction of a special storage facility for tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus by the end of July, Putin told state broadcaster Russia 1 last week.

2 hr 39 min ago

Who is the Russian private military boss taking center stage in the war in Ukraine?

From CNN's Melissa Bell

Head of PMC "Wagner" Yevgeny Prigozhin during a meeting with journalist in Yekaterinburg, Russia, on May 30. Marina Moldavskaja/Kommersant/Sipa USA/AP

Yevgeny Prigozhin has been leading the charge in Ukraine – and stealing Russian President Vladimir Putin’s limelight for months.

Initially a shadowy figure operating under a lower profile in the early months of the war, Prigozhin's growing power on the ground has translated into a far more open political confrontation with Moscow.

He previously accused Russia’s military leadership of sitting “like fat cats” while his troops died in Bakhmut. This week, he berated them after drone attacks on Moscow brought the war far too close to home.

“You are the ministry of defense. You didn’t do a damn thing to stamp this out. Why are you allowing these drones to fly to Moscow?”

Rarely can Russians issue such direct criticism of their government and emerge unscathed.

After securing Russia’s only meaningful gains in Ukraine in months, has Prigozhin’s authority become unassailable?

Watch the full report here.

2 hr 21 min ago

Meet the French street artist whose heart “belongs to the Ukrainian people”

From CNN's Mariya Knight

The artist's depiction of Ukrainian soldier Oleksandr Matsiyevsky. The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine

On the side of a building in Kyiv, the haggard face of a soldier stares into the distance. The mural, around five stories tall, is of captured Ukrainian soldier Oleksandr Matsiyevsky, executed by Russian forces last year after he shouted the words “Glory to Ukraine.”

The mural is the work of French street artist Christian Guemy, known as C215, and is one of many works he has created to mark Ukraine’s resistance to the Russian invasion.

Before he completed the mural, he met with Matsiyevsky’s widow and mother.

“As with everything I do for Ukraine I did it for free and with enthusiasm,” Guemy told CNN.

“I am proud and humbled by this mural. Facing a real giant, who refused proudly to betray Ukraine by saying ‘Glory to Ukraine’ …can just make you feel small.”

“I am just an artist, kind of a painting tool, and my commitment is to support Ukraine with my skills,” he added.

Based in Paris, Guemy has collaborated with British artist Banksy — who has also created works in Ukraine — in the past. But he says their styles are different. “Being French gives a proper sense of tragedy, not irony.”

Guemy now frequently visits Ukraine, but he has also brought the country’s struggle to the streets of the French capital.

See more of his work here.

2 hr 18 min ago

Explosions heard in Russian-occupied city of Berdiansk

From CNN’s Olga Voitovych in Kyiv

A view of an explosion in Berdiansk in Russian-controlled Ukraine released on June 2. Reuters

Multiple explosions rocked the Russian-occupied port city of Berdiansk in Ukraine’s southern Zaporizhzhia region on Friday, according to both Russian-appointed and Ukrainian local officials.

Ukrainian officials from the city military administration said on Telegram there have been “hits on the positions of the occupiers” in Berdiansk, adding:

We are grateful to the Ukrainian Armed Forces for bringing the liberation of the city closer.”

They said they were awaiting details and confirmation from the Ukrainian military’s General Staff. “According to preliminary reports, ships that recently entered the port of Berdiansk to steal Ukrainian grain and scrap metal are escaping,” they added.

Meanwhile, Russian-appointed official Vladimir Rogov, who is a member of the council of the civil-military administration of Zaporizhzhia region, said the seaport was hit at around midday local time. He said the strike on "peaceful Berdiansk was carried out by the [Armed Forces of Ukraine] militants."

“According to preliminary information, there were no casualties or damage,” he wrote on Telegram.

Some background: Berdiansk is a port city on Sea of Azov on Ukraine's southern coast. It has been occupied by Russian forces since the early days of the conflict. Its port has previously been targeted by Ukrainian forces. The city lies along the coast from Mariupol, an area that is believed to be among the sites Ukraine will attempt to reclaim in its counteroffensive.

Last week, Russian officials claimed that Ukrainian forces launched a “massive strike” on the city. Rogov speculated that the strike may have been with “British Storm Shadow missiles” -- a long-range cruise missile with stealth capabilities that the United Kingdom recently provided to Ukraine.

Berdiansk is deep in Russian-controlled territory, around 100 kilometers (about 62 miles) from the front line. That means that if Ukraine was behind the alleged strike, the use of Storm Shadow missiles would be a likely option.

More explosions were heard in and around Berdiansk and Mariupol last weekend, according to Ukrainian officials. Russian authorities again claimed that two Storm Shadow missiles had been fired on the region.

2 hr 2 min ago

Two dead in shelling of Russia’s Belgorod border region, governor says

From CNN’s Anna Chernova, Olga Voitovych in Kyiv and Sarah Dean in London

Shelling in Russia’s Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine, has killed two women, the region's governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said in a Telegram post Friday.

He blamed Ukrainian forces for the shelling, saying they had fired at a road in the village of Maslova Pristan, in the Shebekino district. Ukraine has not commented on the claim.

“Shell fragments hit cars passing by. Two women were traveling in one of them. They died on the spot from their injuries,” Gladkov said.

He said two men travelling in a separate car were injured by shrapnel and were taken to hospital.

Meanwhile, anti-Putin Russian fighters from the Freedom for Russia Legion, who claim to be fighting in Belgorod, said Russian troops “destroyed a Renault car with civilians, mistaking it for one with our sabotage group” near the village of Novaya Tavolzhanka, which is approximately a 20-minute drive from Maslova Pristan.

“At least two civilians were killed and this is a direct consequence of the unprofessionalism of Putin's army,” the group said.

CNN cannot independently verify the claims.

The Freedom for Russia Legion also claimed Friday there is “active fighting on the outskirts of the village of Novaya Tavolzhanka."

"Unfortunately, there are wounded legionaries, but freedom is gained through blood. All the wounded have already been taken to hospital,” it said.

Although the Freedom for Russia Legion is aligned with the Ukrainian defense forces, Kyiv has previously stated they act as “independent entities” when operating in Russia.

Ukraine’s Deputy Foreign Minister Andriy Melnyk told CNN’s Eleni Giokos on Thursday that Ukraine “does not have any responsibility” over the Russian dissident groups who have claimed to be fighting inside Russian territory.

Amid the intensified violence in the region, Gladkov said Thursday that evacuations were underway, and that 2,500 people have been moved to temporary accommodation.

3 hr 54 min ago

Chinese envoy says Ukraine-Russia peace talks may be “difficult” but neither has “shut the door”

From CNN's Beijing bureau

Chinese Special Envoy for Eurasian Affairs Li Hui gives a press briefing, in Beijing, China, on June 2. Thomas Peter/Reuters

Li Hui, China's special representative on Eurasian affairs, said Friday that while he believes there are "a lot of difficulties" for Ukraine and Russia to sit down and negotiate, neither side has shut the door to talks. 

The crisis in Ukraine "may now face a lot of difficulties for the parties to sit down and negotiate, but we should also see that on the other hand, the parties are not completely without consensus," Li said in a rare press conference in Beijing following his visit to Europe, which included stops in Kyiv and Moscow.  

"The Russian side, for example, has said that Russia has never opposed peace talks and has always supported a political solution… The Ukrainian side also said that it cherishes and desires peace, and I feel that the two sides have not shut the door to peace talks," he added.

The Chinese envoy, who previously served as China's ambassador to Russia, also said that the "risk of escalation" remains high and that while he was in Kyiv, he heard air raid sirens every day and the Ukrainian capital experienced two massive airstrikes.

"The conflict is in a stalemate and the battlefield is fraught with uncertainty. This situation is worrying," Li said, stressing the importance of finding a peaceful resolution to the crisis. 

"If the war continues to go on there will only be more disasters and suffering as long as there is a glimmer of hope for peace we should work actively toward it, instead of allowing the conflict to continue and spread," he said.

Li also reiterated China's rejection of the Wall Street Journal report that said China called on European nations to accept a ceasefire that would leave Russia in possession of parts of Ukraine. 

"The report is not in line with the facts," Li told reporters, adding "this practice of spreading false information by advocating confrontation for political self-interest is immoral and very dangerous."

Li also stressed the importance of the Black Sea grain deal, calling it an initiative of "great significance" to ensuring global food security, and emphasized China's position towards promoting peace talks and its 12-point proposal for a political settlement on the conflict.

Some context: China has repeatedly attempted to portray itself as a peacemaker in the grinding conflict, despite its close ties with Russia.

Li met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv in May. He was the highest ranking Chinese official to travel to Ukraine since the start of the war. He said at the time that “there is no panacea in resolving the crisis.”

“All parties need to start from themselves, accumulate mutual trust, and create conditions for ending the war and engaging in peace talks,” Li said.

However, some western analysts have questioned whether China’s efforts to promote peace are genuine – and whether its vision of how the conflict might end aligns with Kyiv’s.

During Li’s visit, Ukraine’s foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba stressed that peace negotiations must be “based on respect for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

“Ukraine does not accept any proposals that would involve the loss of its territories or the freezing of the conflict,” Kuleba said.

4 hr 45 min ago

Analysis: NATO is scrambling to avoid a huge embarrassment

From CNN's Luke McGee

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, right, and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson look at each other as they address a joint press conference in Stockholm, Sweden, on March 7. Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP/Getty Images

NATO officials are in a race against time to avoid the embarrassment of seeing the alliance miss its own stated aim of admitting Sweden into its ranks by July 11.

Both Sweden and its neighbor Finland stated their intent to join NATO through its open-door policy in May last year, just weeks after Russia launched its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. Finland was finally accepted in April of this year, doubling the alliance’s border with Russia, but Sweden’s accession is currently blocked.

It is generally accepted that Sweden’s armed forces are compatible with NATO. Sweden has a permanent delegation at NATO and is considered a close partner to the alliance, meaning joining should be relatively straightforward. 

So why can’t Sweden join? 

The problem is Turkey – a strategically important NATO member due to its geographical location in both the Middle East and Europe, and the alliance’s second-largest military power – which is blocking Sweden’s accession for a number of reasons.

First, Turkey claims that Sweden allows members of recognized Kurdish terror groups to operate in Sweden. Sweden changed its terrorism laws earlier this year, making it a crime to be part of these groups, though it’s still unclear if this is enough for Ankara.

Second, Turkey holds the Swedish government complicit in far-right protests where demonstrators burned copies of the Quran outside the Turkish embassy in Stockholm.

Finally, there are concerns at how willing Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is to describe himself as a friend of Putin’s. Shortly before his re-election last week, he told CNN that he and Putin share a “special relationship.”

NATO officials are becoming concerned that missing the July 11 deadline would send a dangerous message to the alliance’s adversaries.

Read the full analysis here.

4 hr 53 min ago

Drone attack damaged buildings but caused no casualties, Russian official says

From CNN's Olga Voitovych

Damage to a building in Kursk, Russia, on June 2. Governor of Kursk region

An overnight Ukrainian drone attack on the western Russian region of Kursk has damaged several buildings, Gov. Roman Starovoyt said Friday.

“The entrance of a high-rise building and several other private houses were damaged. We are completing calculations of the cost of damage — we will provide everyone with the fastest possible help. The main thing — there were no casualties,” he said. 

Earlier on Friday, Starovoyt had urged residents to stay calm, saying Russia's air defense system had shot down several of Ukrainian drones.

The governor is one of a number of Russian officials to report attacks on their regions Friday as the war spills over from Ukraine's borders into Russian territory.

5 hr 22 min ago

Ukraine war hasn't changed China's thinking around possible attack on Taiwan, report says

From CNN's Simone McCarthy in Hong Kong

China remains the “leading long-term challenge” to the existing international order and there is no evidence that Russia’s faltering invasion of Ukraine has changed Beijing’s thinking around “the timescale or methodology” for any potential attack on Taiwan, a top strategic think tank said ahead of a regional security summit in Singapore.

The grinding conflict in Europe may also accelerate trends in the Asia-Pacific region toward increased military spending and efforts to develop military capabilities, said a report released Friday by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), which hosts its annual Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore this weekend.

The war and its reverberations in the Asia-Pacific region — as well as the growing contest between the United States and China — will be overarching themes at the security summit, the sidelines of which have long provided a platform for top security officials to meet face-to-face.

Attendees are expected to include US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Ukraine’s Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov.

Read the full story here.

6 hr 49 min ago

2 injured in Kyiv attacks early Friday, Ukrainian officials say

From CNN's Olga Voitovych, Sarah Dean and Josh Pennington

Two people were injured by falling debris after Ukraine's air defenses repelled a Russian aerial attack on Kyiv early Friday, according to officials.

Ukraine's Prosecutor General’s Office said an 11-year-old child was wounded and a 68-year-old man was hospitalized.

Ukraine’s Air Force said a total of 36 weapons — 15 cruise missiles and 21 Shahed drones — were destroyed over Kyiv.

Officials earlier said 30 missiles and drones were shot down.

Falling debris damaged five houses, according to the head of the Kyiv region’s military administration, Ruslan Kravchenko.

6 hr 59 min ago

Russian officials report drone attacks and shelling in multiple regions near the Ukraine border

From CNN's Olga Voitovych in Kyiv

Vyacheslav Gladkov speaks at Novo-Ogaryovo state residence, outside Moscow, Russia, on January 24. Mikhail Klimentyev/Sputnik/AP

A number of Russian governors reported attacks on their regions on Friday, as the war spills over from Ukraine's borders into Russian territory.

Two drones attacked fuel and energy facilities in Smolensk, western Russia early Friday, the region's acting governor said.

Gov. Vasily Anokhin wrote on Telegram that no casualties or "critical damage" were reported.

The two long-range drones struck around 3 a.m. in the villages of Peresna and Divasy, according to Anokhin.

Local officials in several Russian regions bordering Ukraine reported shelling, including in Bryansk, where Gov. Aleksandr Bogomaz directly blamed the Ukrainian Armed Forces (AFU).

“The AFU shelled the village of Novaya Pogoshch, Suzemsky district. There were no casualties. A two-family house caught fire because of the shelling. Operational services are working on site," he said.

A house also caught fire from shelling in the town of Lomakovka, he added.

Belgorod evacuations: The nearby border region of Belgorod has seen continued shelling, allegedly from Ukrainian forces, according to its governor.

Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov said 2,500 people have been moved to temporary accommodation to shelter from the incoming fire.

“Of course, conditions are not easy. Not easy in that they are huge sports facilities where there are hundreds of beds where adults and little ones, the elderly and the young sleep,” Gladkov wrote on Telegram.

On Thursday, Gladkov said on Telegram that the region had seen dozens of strikes over the past day, with damage to roads, property and vehicles. Most of the attacks were from artillery and mortar, with reports of people wounded but nobody killed, he said at the time.

Belgorod has seen rising violence in recent days, following a raid by Russian dissident fighters last week. Ukrainian officials have denied direct involvement, saying the fighters were acting independently.

On Thursday, anti-Putin Russian nationals claimed they were again fighting inside Russian territory, which Moscow's military denied.

8 hr 59 min ago

Ukrainian air defenses shoot down 30 missiles and drones over Kyiv, official says

From CNN's Josh Pennington

Ukrainian air defenses shot down 30 missiles and drones around Kyiv overnight into Friday, a senior military official said

Serhiy Popko, the head of Kyiv's military administration, said in a Telegram post Friday that this was the sixth wave of attacks on the Ukrainian capital in the past six days.

The latest attack used both ballistic missiles and drones, Popko said. He praised Ukraine's air defense system for repelling what he believed were air-to-surface missiles and Iran-made Shahed attack drones. 

No information is yet available on damage or casualties, Popko said. 

Earlier Friday, the city's mayor reported explosions taking place in the city, with air raid alerts issued across the country.

8 hr 32 min ago

Ukraine activates nationwide air raid alerts with Kyiv under attack. Here's the latest

From CNN staff

This screen grab shows people taking shelter in a subway station in Kyiv, Ukraine, on June 2. @taniakovba/Twitter/Reuters

Air raid sirens rang out across Ukraine early Friday as Kyiv's mayor reported explosions in the capital.

Meanwhile, several Russian regions, including Kursk and Belgorod, are facing their own attacks, which Russian officials have blamed on Ukraine — though Kyiv denies direct involvement.

Here's what to know:

• Attack on Kyiv: The city's mayor said early Friday that "another wave of UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) is heading for Kyiv," adding: "The air defense is working." This follows a missile strike on the capital the day before, which killed three people including a 9-year-old girl, who had reportedly tried to enter a bomb shelter that was closed.
• Strikes inside Russia: Dozens of strikes have occurred on Russia's border region of Belgorod over the past day, allegedly carried out by Ukrainian forces, according to the region's governor. Meanwhile, the western Russian region of Kursk shot down several Ukrainian drones, the region's governor said early Friday, urging residents to remain calm.
• Russian dissident fighters: A group of anti-Putin Russian nationals claimed Thursday it is fighting inside Russian territory, which the Russian military has denied. A second similar group said it was "near the border" with Russia. Both groups are aligned with the Ukrainian defense forces — but Ukraine's deputy foreign minister told CNN Thursday the country "does not have any responsibility" over the groups who are "acting on their own."
• Russian casualties: A spokesperson for the Eastern Grouping of the Ukrainian Armed Forces claimed that about 208,000 Russian soldiers have been killed since the beginning of the war. CNN has not been able to independently confirm these numbers, and Russia's Ministry of Defense has not released updates on its casualties since last September when it said fewer than 6,000 Russian soldiers had been killed.
• NATO bids: Sweden and Ukraine's potential membership of the military alliance were a main focus at an informal meeting of NATO foreign ministers on Thursday. NATO officials hope to admit Sweden by July 11, but Turkey and Hungary have so far blocked the move. The NATO chief told CNN they cannot make Ukraine a full member in the middle of war — but will continue to provide Kyiv with support, and build a road map for Ukraine to possibly join NATO after the war.

11 hr 20 min ago

Kyiv mayor reports explosions and incoming drones as air raid alerts sound across Ukraine

From CNN's Josh Pennington

The mayor of Kyiv reported explosions in the capital as air raid alerts were issued across Ukraine early Friday morning.

"There were explosions in the city. The air defense is working. Another wave of UAVs is heading for Kyiv," Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram.

A live map on the website of the Ministry of Digital Transformation shows all areas of Ukraine currently under an air raid alert.

10 hr 49 min ago

Ukraine's military claims Russia has lost more than 200,000 troops since start of invasion

From CNN's Julia Kesaieva and Mitchell McCluskey

About 208,000 Russian soldiers have been killed since the beginning of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, a spokesperson for the Eastern Grouping of the Ukrainian Armed Forces has claimed.

Spokesperson Serhii Cherevatyi noted this was more than the approximately 170,000 Russian forces he says were involved in the initial invasion in 2022.

CNN has not been able to independently confirm these numbers.

Estimates of Russian losses have varied across different sources, with the Biden administration saying in May that Russia had suffered more than 100,000 casualties — meaning both those killed and wounded — since December.

The Kremlin rejected that figure at the time, with a spokesperson saying the US "has absolutely no way to give any correct numbers."

The Russian Ministry of Defense has not released updates on its casualties since last September, when Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said fewer than 6,000 Russian soldiers had been killed. 

In eastern Ukraine: Russia shelled Ukraine's position in Bakhmut at least 476 times on Thursday, according to Cherevatyi.

"We are doing everything to exhaust their logistics — we are hitting the accumulation of equipment and personnel, headquarters," Cherevatyi said.

He added that Ukrainian forces destroyed several tanks and other military equipment in Bilohorivka and Stelmakhivka in Luhansk region.

12 hr 51 min ago

Ukrainian drones shot down over Russia's Kursk region, governor says

From CNN's Josh Pennington, Yulia Kesaieva and Tim Lister

Russia’s air defense system shot down several Ukrainian drones over the western Russian region of Kursk, according to Gov. Roman Starovoyt early Friday morning.

“We ask Kursk residents to remain calm, the city is under the reliable protection of our military,” Starovoyt said.

Kursk is located north of Belgorod, where dozens of strikes have occurred against border districts inside Russia over the past day, according to the governor.

Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov said the attacks on Belgorod comprised largely of artillery and mortar, and they damaged roads, property and vehicles.

Groups of Russian volunteers who oppose the Kremlin leadership have again claimed to have entered Russian territory in Belgorod. Moscow said they were repelled and did not violate the border.

Ukraine said it “does not have any responsibility” over the Russian dissident groups that have claimed to be fighting inside Russian territory and that they are "acting on their own."

6 hr 47 min ago

Zelensky calls for more Patriot systems until fighter jets are delivered

From CNN's Yulia Kesaieva

Volodymyr Zelensky speaks during a news conference at the European Political Community (EPC) Summit in Bulboaca, Moldova on June 1. Carl Court/Getty Images

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is asking world leaders to provide more Patriot systems until fighter jets are delivered to Ukraine.

“If there were any other systems which were able to protect from any type of modern Russian evil — we would be talking about them," Zelensky said.

The Ukrainian president, who is at the European Political Community Summit in Moldova, previously said he has heard "powerful support" from allies on providing fighter jets to Ukraine, as well as training Ukrainian pilots. But in the meantime, Zelensky called for a "patriot coalition" and more of the defense systems.

“We have a variety of different systems and I’m grateful to all the partners, but Patriots are Patriots," he said.

In May, one of the two Patriot systems in Ukraine sustained minor damage during a Russian missile attack on Kyiv., according to United States officials.