At least twenty-six people were killed and dozens of others injured on Friday June 7 by several Ukrainian strikes on areas controlled by Russia in eastern and southern Ukraine, authorities assured. occupation, according to the Russian agency TASS – no independent source has yet been able to verify the information. Moscow immediately denounced a “despicable” act. Vladimir Putin’s troops have been nibbling ground for months in the Donbass in the face of a Ukrainian army lacking men and ammunition, and have seized several localities in the Kharkiv region (north-east), after an offensive launched last May 10.
Information to remember
⇒ Ukraine: the number of civilians killed has increased since the start of the Russian offensive in Kharkiv, according to the UN
⇒ Thales will supply a second air defense system to Ukraine
⇒ Macron wants to “finalize” a coalition to send instructors to Ukraine
Ukraine: 26 dead in strikes carried out by kyiv, according to the Russians
At least 26 people were reportedly killed and dozens of others injured on Friday, June 7, in several Ukrainian strikes on areas controlled by Russia in eastern and southern Ukraine, occupation authorities said. according to the Russian agency TASS – no independent source has yet been able to verify the information. A double strike would have notably targeted the village of Sadové, in the southern region of Kherson, partially occupied by Russia.
According to Vladimir Saldo, head of the Russian occupation of the region, an aerial bomb destroyed a store “with a significant number of visitors and employees” in this village, before a HIMARS missile struck the area, killing 22 people and injuring 15 others. “After the first shot, residents of neighboring houses ran out to help the victims, but shortly after, a HIMARS missile arrived,” Vladimir Saldo told Russian media. He denounced a “vile murder of civilians” made possible by Western arms deliveries to kyiv, and a double strike intended to “cause the most victims”.
Fatal month of May for civilians in Ukraine, according to the UN
At least 174 civilians were killed and 690 injured in Ukraine in May, the highest monthly number of civilian casualties ever the United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU) recorded since June 2023. The number of civilians killed represents an increase of 31% compared to April 2024. The increase in the number of civilian victims is mainly due to attacks in the Kharkiv region since May 10, linked to a ground offensive launched by the Russian armed forces. Attacks in this region caused 53% of total civilian casualties in May.
Thales to supply second air defense system to Ukraine
The Thales technology group announced on Friday June 7 the purchase by the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense of a second complete air defense system to “contribute to the protection of its territory” against the Russian army. “After the supply of a first air defense system to Ukraine in 2023, whose performance on the battlefield is recognized, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense is acquiring a second system” within the framework of a signed contract “ under the aegis of the French Ministry of the Armed Forces,” Thales said in a press release.
Macron wants to “finalize” a coalition to send instructors to Ukraine
The French president Emmanuel Macron assured, Friday June 7, alongside his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky, that he wanted to “finalize a coalition” of countries ready to send military instructors to Ukraine and confirmed the imminent start of the training of Ukrainian pilots on Mirage 2000-5 fighters French.
“Several of our partners have already given their agreement” and “we will use the coming days to finalize a coalition,” declared the head of state during a press conference at the Elysée, deeming it “legitimate” this request from Ukraine. The Ukrainians have “explicitly expressed the needs for a simple reason”, they are in the process of “mobilizing very strongly” and will have to “train tens of thousands of soldiers”, which is “more practical on Ukrainian soil “, underlined the French president.
Russia detains Frenchman suspected of collecting military information
A Moscow court on Friday placed in pre-trial detention a Frenchman, Laurent Vinatier, collaborator of a Swiss conflict resolution NGO, arrested the day before and accused of collecting information on the Russian army. This affair comes at a time when tensions between Moscow and Paris are escalating: Russia is suspected of a series of acts of destabilization and disinformation in France, while France is criticized for its growing support for Ukraine.
President Emmanuel Macron called on Russia on Friday to release Laurent Vinatier without delay, saying that “the propaganda elements which have been given about him (by Moscow) do not correspond to reality”. The Zamoskvoretsky court in Moscow ordered, at the request of investigators, the detention of Laurent Vinatier, 47, at least until August 5, with a view to a possible trial, AFP journalists noted.
G7 working on deal on Russian assets to help Ukraine
G7 leaders hope to reach an agreement on using frozen Russian assets to help Ukraine at next week’s summit in Italy, but there is no consensus yet, officials said. diplomatic sources on Friday. US President Joe Biden and the leaders of the other wealthy Group of Seven democracies (Germany, Canada, France, Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom) are meeting June 13-15 in Puglia, southern Italy.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will attend to call for more aid from Western allies, before heading to a peace summit in Switzerland. G7 leaders hope to reach an agreement on using interest from Russian assets frozen by Western countries to provide Ukraine with budgetary support and help it rebuild the country.