Russia says it shot down Su-25, Kiev states Moscow's motive for destroying Kakhovka dam

Russia and Ukraine exchanged nearly 200 people, Italian officials commented on the possibility of Kiev joining NATO, these are some of the latest developments in the situation in Ukraine.

Russia says it shot down a Ukrainian SU-25 near Kherson. (Source: Chris Lofting/Key.Aero)

On June 11, the Russian Defense Ministry said its air defense systems shot down a Ukrainian Su-25 fighter jet in Kherson, where the Kakhovka Dam collapsed earlier this week. The ministry also said it repelled three Ukrainian attacks in the Zaporizhzhia region.

The Russian military also said that Ukraine failed to attack a Black Sea Fleet ship protecting the Turkstream and Blue Stream gas pipelines in the Black Sea.

On the same day, speaking on Rossiya television (Russia), Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov emphasized: "The fact is that there are no preconditions for an agreement (with Ukraine) at this time. Moreover, there is no basis, even a fragile one, for any such dialogue."

* Also on June 11, writing on Telegram , the Russian Defense Ministry said that 94 of its citizens had been released after negotiations and they would be taken to a medical facility for health checks.

The exchange was also confirmed by Andriy Yermak, the head of the Ukrainian presidential administration. He said that 95 Ukrainian citizens, including members of the national guard and border guards, had been released, some of whom were still injured.

According to the Ukrainian official, those released were mainly operating near the city of Mariupol, which was besieged by Russian forces for weeks last year.

* Regarding the situation in Ukraine, a new report by the US Institute for the Study of War (ISW) on the current offensive activities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (VSU) stated that the Ukrainian army is successfully counterattacking in four directions. According to ISW, the VSU attacked in the Belogorovka area of ​​Lugansk Oblast, the Bakhmut area from both flanks, as well as the Velyka Novosilka area.

According to the report, based on satellite imagery and Ukrainian sources, the VSU has achieved some local successes in the western part of Zaporizhzhia Oblast, specifically in the southwest and southeast of Orekhov. However, ISW also noted that according to Russian information, the Ukrainian attacks were repelled. Russia continues to maintain its defensive line, while the VSU has suffered significant losses in personnel and equipment.

British officials also made similar assessments of the VSU's successful counterattack.

* For her part, writing on Telegram , Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar commented: “The explosion at the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant was clearly intended to prevent Ukrainian defense forces from launching a counterattack in Kherson.” According to her, the consequences of the above action, including a massive flood that submerged towns and villages and trapped residents, were also intended to support Russia in deploying reserve forces to the Zaporizhzhia and Bakhmut regions.

* On the same day, at the proposal of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky issued a decree imposing sanctions on 178 individuals, mainly Russian citizens.

Specifically, Decree No. 321/2023 “On the decision of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine dated June 11, 2023 ‘On the introduction and amendment of special economic measures against individuals and other restrictive measures (sanctions)’” imposed sanctions on 178 people, including the Chief Justice of the Russian Constitutional Court Valery Zorkin. The measures will have a term of five years and provide for asset freezing, restrictions on commercial activities, suspension of economic and financial obligations, prohibitions on the transfer of technology and intellectual property rights, and other restrictions.

Previously, at the end of May, President Zelensky signed a decree imposing sanctions on 51 citizens and 220 organizations of Russia and several European countries.

* In a related news, in an interview with the Italian newspaper L a Repubblica , Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani stated that Kiev's accession to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) must wait until the conflict in Ukraine ends. However, he also stated: "But in the meantime, at the NATO summit in Vilnius, we will determine Ukraine's path to accession... Meanwhile, we are moving towards the NATO-Ukraine Permanent Council. This is an important step, because Kiev will participate in international decisions."

Commenting on Italy’s support for Ukraine, he said: “We are doing what is necessary. We are not sending F-16s because we do not have them and therefore we cannot train on them. Our aid package includes military material, uniforms, bulletproof vests, ammunition.”

Regarding his planned visit to the US shortly afterwards, the Italian Foreign Minister also emphasized: “My visit will be an opportunity to reaffirm the transatlantic solidarity with the US and the common vision on the Ukrainian crisis. We hope that Ukraine’s counter-offensive will be a step towards a just peace. Without the safety of Kiev, there is no peace...”.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/tinh-hinh-ukraine-nga-noi-ban-roi-su-25-kiev-neu-dong-co-pha-dap-kakhovka-cua-moscow-230644.html