“The fighting is very fierce in the Donetsk region,” said the Ukrainian president during his daily address on Thursday evening. While hailing ‘results’ in east, Ukraine and allies condemn ‘attacks’ on relief operations in Kherson, calling on Russia to allow ‘unhindered’ access help after the destruction of the Kakhovka dam.
Zelensky hails the “results” obtained in the east of the country
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday (June 8) hailed what he described as “results” achieved in the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine.
“The fighting is very fierce in the Donetsk region,” he said in his daily address. “However, we are getting results and I am grateful to those who achieve them. Well done in Bakhmout. Step by step,” said the Ukrainian president.
At the UN, Ukraine and its allies condemn the “attacks” on the evacuations
Ukraine and its allies, including the United States, France and Japan, on Thursday condemned ‘attacks’ on relief operations in Kherson, calling on Russia to allow ‘unhindered’ access for aid after the destruction of the Kakhovka dam.
“We strongly condemn the shelling of evacuation areas and call on the Russian authorities to stop such attacks and to allow the evacuation teams to help the affected populations without hindrance,” the Ukrainian ambassador to Ukraine told reporters. UN Sergiy Kyslytsya, surrounded by his counterparts from several members of the Security Council (United States, France, United Kingdom, Japan, Malta, Albania) and member states of the European Union.
“We also call on the Russian Federation to allow full, safe and unimpeded access to the affected areas on the left bank of the Dnieper River which is under the control of its army, so that humanitarian actors, in particular the United Nations and the ICRC (International Committee of the Red Cross, editor’s note), can help the inhabitants,” he added.
Dam water continues to cool Zaporizhia nuclear power plant (IAEA)
The Zaporizhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine is continuing to pump water from the Kakhovka dam to cool the fuel and avoid an accident, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said on Thursday. The destruction of the dam on the Dnieper River prompted the evacuation of thousands of civilians from the flooded areas and raised concern for the site of Zaporijjia occupied by the Russians, which is 150 km upstream.
After examination, it turned out that the pumping operations should “be able to continue even if the level fell below the current threshold of 12.7 meters”, previously considered critical, explained the UN body in a press release, which now sets the limit at “11 meters or even lower”. “In these difficult circumstances, this gives us a little more time before possibly moving on to other sources of supply”, underlined the head of the IAEA Rafael Grossi, expected on the spot next week.
The Netherlands sends relief materials to Ukraine
The Netherlands is sending to Ukraine about 30 rescue boats, water pumps and waterproof equipment for relief after the destruction of the Kakhovka dam, authorities announced on Thursday. “We are doing everything we can to help Ukraine in this matter. It is terrible what has happened,” Dutch Development Minister Liesje Schreinemacher said in a statement.
The equipment that will be provided “as soon as possible” includes 32 lifeboats, 15 water pumps and 180 life jackets, according to the Ministry of Development and Foreign Trade. The destruction of the dam, under Russian control in the south of occupied Ukraine, caused massive flooding, and caused deaths and injuries. Thousands of people were evacuated. Many others fled on their own.
Biden says he will have ‘the necessary funds’ to support Ukraine ‘for as long as it takes’
Joe Biden estimated on Thursday that he would have the “necessary funds” to support Ukraine in its war against the Russian invader “for as long as it takes (it)”, during a joint press conference with the British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak “I am sure that we will have the necessary funds to support Ukraine for as long as it takes,” the president replied to a journalist who asked him if he would receive the support of the Republican leader of the House of Representatives to vote on the allocation of such funds.
F1: British justice refuses to suspend sanctions against Russian Mazepin
British justice refused Thursday to temporarily lift the sanctions linked to the war in Ukraine targeting the Russian driver Nikita Mazepin, who will therefore not be able to travel to the United Kingdom to discuss with F1 teams. Nikita Mazepin, 24, was ousted from the Haas Formula 1 team after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In March 2022, he joined the list of Russian personalities sanctioned by London, along with his father Dmitry Mazepin, owner and CEO of the chemical manufacturer Uralchem.
Nikita Mazepin had also been sanctioned by the European Union but the President of the General Court of the EU had issued an order in March suspending part of the sanctions aimed at the pilot to allow him to compete in F1. While looking for a new stable, Nikita Mazepin has started legal proceedings against London so that the British sanctions (freeze of assets, ban on traveling to the country) are lifted.
Kakhovka dam: NATO chief calls for “rapid” support from Ukraine
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg urged NATO nations to “promptly” support flood victims in Ukraine during a meeting with Ukraine’s Foreign Minister. Dmytro Kouleba spoke by videoconference to the ambassadors of the 31 NATO countries during a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Commission convened at his request.
He provided the allies with information on the destruction of the Kakhovka dam in the south of the country, and detailed the needs to help the victims, said a report of the meeting chaired by Jens Stoltenberg. The destruction of this hydroelectric dam, for which Moscow and Kiev reject responsibility, flooded towns and villages located on both banks of the river, including districts of the regional capital, Kherson, hit Thursday by a Russian strike. The Allies expressed their “strong solidarity” with Ukraine. Many of them are already providing first aid supplies, including water filters, pumps, generators and shelter equipment, NATO said.