Daily Flyer - June 2, 2023

A voice of Ukraine to the West

Daily Flyer - June 2, 2023

Russian night attack on Kyiv Oblast

Russia's overnight missile and drone attack injured at least two people, including a child, in Kyiv Oblast on June 2, Governor Ruslan Kravchenko said.

"The adult was hospitalized and underwent surgery, there are no threats to his life," the governor said.

According to the Prosecutor General's Office, the victims are a 68-year-old man and an 11-year-old child.

Fallen debris caused damage to five private houses. Fires started in two of them but were later extinguished. Several cars, a farm building, and an office building were also damaged.

Russia faces dilemma to reinforce positions in Ukraine or within own borders

The recent attacks in Russian border regions create a dilemma for Moscow to either reinforce its own borders or its positions in Ukraine, the U.K. Defense Ministry wrote on June 2.

The intelligence assessment comes after the reported June 1 incursion by Russian militias that claim to fight on Ukraine's side into Belgorod Oblast.

The U.K. report adds that the Russian forces were more successful in containing the raid compared to the one conducted in May.

For that purpose, Russia deployed heavy firepower in its own territory, including attack helicopters and the TOS-1A heavy thermobaric rocket launcher, according to Russia's Defense Ministry.

The Russian anti-government militias announced the incursion into Belgorod Oblast on June 1.

Local officials reported heavy shelling in several districts, and the Russian Ministry of Defense later stated it had repelled "Ukrainian" attacks near the city of Shebekino, allegedly killing up to 50 invaders.

EU allocates 50 million euros to Ukraine for provisional bridges

The European Investment Bank (EIB) will allocate 50 million euros to Ukraine's State Agency for the Reconstruction and Development of Infrastructure for the purchase of provisional bridges, the agency announced on June 2.

The purpose of the grant, signed by the EIB, the European Central Bank, and the Reconstruction Agency, is to improve the mobility of the Ukrainian population, which has been negatively affected by Russian attacks on infrastructure.

In particular, the provisional bridges should help Ukrainians reach basic services and necessary assistance.

"Destroyed roads and bridges can cost lives in wartime: ambulance, rescue or repair crew will not have time to arrive. We appreciate that EIB and EU partners are willing to support us in rebuilding bridges," said Mustafa Naiem, the head of the reconstruction agency.

According to the agency's statement from May 30, Russia has destroyed 346 bridges since the start of the full-scale invasion.

Ukraine has rebuilt 12 of them and deployed 85 temporary crossings.

The EIB's grant was provided under the EU's Neighborhood Investment Platform.

The Reconstruction Agency said that this grant complements the total extent of the EIB's financial assistance of 2.3 billion euros, of which 1.7 billion euros was allocated in 2022.