Daily Flyer - June 3-4, 2023
A voice of Ukraine to the West
Russian forces in occupied Zaporizhzhia Oblast withhold insulin to residents who refuse Russian passports
Russian forces are denying Ukrainian residents under occupation in Zaporizhzhia Oblast access to insulin if they do not obtain Russian passports, the Ukrainian military's National Resistance Center reported on June 3.
Withholding medical services is being used as a coercion tactic to force residents in Russian-occupied parts of Zaporizhzhia Oblast to become Russian passport holders, according to the center.
Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin on May 30 said that 1.5 million Ukrainians in the occupied territory had been issued Russian passports over the past nine months. Ukrainians who refuse to obtain Russian passports are often threatened with deportation or with being forcibly mobilized into the Russian military.
Dmytro Lubinets, Ukraine's Ombudsman, stated on May 20 that Ukrainian residents forced to obtain Russian citizenship to survive occupation would not be punished by Ukrainian authorities after the war.
Russian forces attacked residential area near Dnipro, injuring 13, including 3 children
A Russian attack on a residential area in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast's Dniprovskyi District injured 13 civilians, including three children, Governor Serhii Lysak reported on June 3.
Three boys were injured in the attacks, including a six-year-old, 11-year-old, and 15-year-old, according to Lysak.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said the Russian attack hit two residential buildings in the district. There are still people trapped beneath the rubble, he said.
"Once again, Russia proves itself to be a sponsor of terrorism. Russians will be held accountable for all their actions against our state and our people," Zelensky said via Telegram.
Almost all injured have been hospitalized in "moderate condition," including head injuries, shrapnel wounds, and contusions.
Lysak said two fires broke out, and that a two-story residential building has been damaged. He said there are first responders on the scene.
Earlier on June 3, Suspilne news outlet reported an explosion in Dnipro, without providing further details. The eastern city of Dnipro is the main hub for treating injured Ukrainian troops brought from the eastern front.
Washington is more focused on military aid than NATO accession for Ukraine
hite House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre avoided a question on June 3 on U.S. support for Ukraine's NATO accession, saying that Washington believes in an open-door policy for the alliance but is currently focused more on providing tangible aid to Ukraine.
In recent days, the U.S. announced another aid package for Ukraine for a sum of $300 million. "Any Alliance decision is between the 31 Allies and the aspirant country," Jean-Pierre said.
NATO members remain divided on the subject of Ukraine's membership, as President Volodymyr Zelensky renewed his call for Ukraine to join the alliance at the European Political Community meeting in Moldova, as alliance members met in Norway.
The U.S. and Germany want to avoid increasing the likelihood of direct war with Russia, even as Eastern European allies champion Ukraine's cause.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said on the same day that there was "no point" in him attending the upcoming NATO Summit in Vilnius, unless the alliance offers a membership invitation or "some kind of signal."
NATO agreed that Ukraine would eventually join the alliance in 2008, but Kyiv has yet to receive a membership action plan.
Kyiv air defenses intercept all incoming missiles, and drones Russia launched overnight
Ukrainian air defenses destroyed all of the missiles and drones that Russia launched at Kyiv overnight on June 4, Serhii Popko, the head of the Kyiv City Military Administration reported on Telegram.
According to Popko, all of the missiles and drones heading for Kyiv were intercepted on the "far outskirts" of the city. "For the second night in a row, Kyiv residents have not heard the sound of explosions overhead," he said.
Air raid alerts were activated in the city of Kyiv and many Ukrainian oblasts, with the exception of the country's western-most oblasts, just before 2 a.m. local time on June 4.
Shortly after the air raid sirens were activated, the Kyiv City Military Administration wrote on Telegram around 3 a.m. local time that the city's air defenses were "already operating" due to an "increased threat" of a Russian aerial attack.
Explosions were then heard in the city of Kropyvnytskyi, the Suspilne news outlet reported at around 3:30 a.m. local time. No information on damages or casualties has been made available at the time of publication.
Russia has consistently launched aerial assaults on Kyiv, with over 20 nightly attacks over the month of May alone. The strikes are an apparent effort by Moscow to exhaust Ukraine's air defenses following the arrival of U.S.-made Patriot air defense systems.
Russian cruise missiles hit operational airfield near Kropyvnytskyi
Two Russian missiles struck an active Ukrainian airfield near Kropyvnytskyi in Kirovohrad Oblast on June 4, according to Air Force spokesperson Yurii Ihnat.
He did not reveal the extent of the damage, calling instead for additional air defenses for the country.
He added that Russian overnight attacks also damaged infrastructure assets in Sumy Oblast.
On June 4, Russia attacked Ukraine with six cruise missiles and five drones. Four missiles and three drones were shot down by Ukraine's air defenses, the Air Force reported. Aside from Kirovohrad and Sumy oblasts, explosions were reported in Kyiv Oblast during the attack.
All missiles and drones launched by Russia at Kyiv were intercepted, according to Serhii Popko, the head of the Kyiv City Military Administration.
Russian forces strike with tanks, helicopters in Kharkiv Oblast
Russian forces attacked multiple settlements in Kharkiv Oblast on June 4, Governor Oleh Syniehubov reported.
The town of Vovchansk was shelled heavily, with the strikes damaging an administrative building and partially collapsing two homes and outbuildings.
Russian tanks fired on Huriev village, significantly damaging a cultural building, according to the governor. No casualties were reported.
Russian helicopters attacked Ivashki village in the region, causing no severe destruction or casualties.
Ukraine's eastern Kharkiv Oblast, which borders Russia, has been under constant attacks since the beginning of the full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022.
Ukraine downs 4 cruise missiles, 3 drones launched by Russia
Ukrainian air defenses shot down four of six cruise missiles and three of five drones that Russia used to attack military facilities and critical infrastructure on the night of June 4, the Air Force of Ukraine's Armed Forces reported.
The missiles were type Kh-101s and Kh-555s, fired by missile carrier aircraft Tu-95MS from near the Caspian Sea. The drones were Iranian Shahed 136/131s, launched from Bryansk Oblast, a region bordering Ukraine.
All the weapons trying to attack the capital were destroyed, the Kyiv City Military Administration reported, without specifying how many there were or what they were targeting.
Overnight, explosions were reported in Kyiv, Kirovohrad, and Sumy oblasts.
In recent weeks, Russian missile and drone attacks have intensified, with regular strikes occurring multiple times per week.
However, the attacks are much smaller in scope than the mass strikes Ukraine endured during the winter.