Daily Flyer - June 5, 2023
A voice of Ukraine to the West
Russian forces launch guided bombs at Toretsk city center, injuring 6 people
Six people were injured on June 5 after Russia launched guided bombs at the city center of Toretsk, the Donetsk Oblast Prosecutor's Office reported.
According to officials, a 71-year-old woman, a 64-year-old woman, and a 45-year-old man have all been hospitalized due to shrapnel injuries.
Three law enforcement officers passing through the area also suffered concussions as a result of the attack.
Russian forces launched two FAB-250 bombs at the city center, damaging an educational institution, a residential high-rise building, an administrative building, a bank, and other civilian infrastructure.
The threat posed by Russia's guided bombs is more challenging to counter as they can be launched from distances beyond the effective range of Ukraine's air defense systems.
Russian attacks on Kherson Oblast kill 1, injure 3
Russian troops hit an enterprise in Ukraine's southern city of Kherson on June 5, killing a 55-year-old security guard, reported Governor Oleksandr Prokudin.
According to the Kherson Oblast Military Administration, Russia struck Kherson using multiple launch rocket systems and incendiary ammunition overnight and in the morning.
The UN Protocol on Incendiary Weapons prohibits using them against civilians.
A 47-year-old woman was injured as a result of the overnight attacks and received medical help on the spot, the administration said.
Another Russian attack on Kherson hit a medical facility with almost 200 people inside at that time, but "miraculously" nobody was hurt, reads the report.
Over 20 residential buildings, garages, cars, and two educational institutions were reportedly damaged in the city.
On the morning of June 5, Russian forces launched guided aerial bombs at Kherson Oblast's town of Beryslav, wounding two civilians aged 73 and 48, the regional authorities reported. The air strike reportedly damaged a private enterprise and around 20 residential buildings.
Russia also shelled the village of Mykilske near Kherson, damaging homes and a critical infrastructure facility, the administration added.
The city of Kherson and other settlements in the oblast on the Dnipro River's west bank have been continuously subjected to Russian shelling since they were liberated by Ukrainian forces in November 2022.
Russian forces were pushed to the river's east bank, from where they have since been firing at the liberated territories, regularly resulting in civilian deaths and injuries.
Belgian PM Confirms Investigation Whether Its Weapons Were Used in Russia
Belgium will ask Ukraine for clarification on reports that rifles made in Belgium had been used by pro-Ukrainian forces to fight Russian troops inside Russia's western border.
Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said this on Monday, according to Reuters.
On Saturday, The Washington Post, citing intelligence, reported that anti-Kremlin fighters who launched a cross-border attack from Ukraine into the Russian Belgorod region last month used tactical vehicles originally given to Ukraine by the United States and Poland and carried rifles made in Belgium and Czechia
"Our defense ministry and its intelligence agencies have started an investigation and are asking for information to determine what has happened exactly," De Croo said on Belgium's Radio 1.
"European weapons are delivered to Ukraine under the condition that they are used on Ukrainian territory with the purpose of defending that territory. And we have strict controls in place to see that this is the case," he said.
De Croo declined to comment on possible consequences if the reports were confirmed.
"We must not get ahead of ourselves here," the prime minister said. "But we are analyzing the situation and we would take this very seriously."
On Sunday, it was reported that the Ministers of Defence and Foreign Affairs of Belgium Ludivine Dedonder and Hadja Lahbib will contact the Ukrainian authorities as soon as possible for an explanation.