Ukraine says 'partial success'; Russia rewards soldiers

A Ukrainian artillery unit fires a PzH 2000 self-propelled gun at the front line near Bakhmut.

The Guardian reported on June 16 that the Russian Defense Ministry said its soldiers participating in the campaign in Ukraine will be rewarded if they can destroy German-made Leopard tanks or armor provided to Kyiv by the US.

This is part of a wider reward programme in which more than 10,000 Russian soldiers have received bonuses since hostilities began nearly 16 months ago.

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Based on reports from Russian field commanders, "payments are now being made to servicemen of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation who destroyed Leopard tanks, as well as armored fighting vehicles produced by the United States and other NATO countries," according to the Russian Defense Ministry.

The agency said that as of May 31, a total of 10,257 Russian soldiers had been rewarded for destroying 16,001 pieces of Ukrainian military equipment.

Russia also said the reward for destroying each armored vehicle is 50,000 rubles (14 million VND) and each tank is 100,000 rubles. Ukraine has not commented on the above information.

Ukraine "partially successful"

CNN reported on June 16 that the Ukrainian military said its forces had achieved "partial success" in some directions in the ongoing counterattack.

Ukrainian Armed Forces General Staff spokesman Andriy Kovalov said the forces continue to conduct defensive and offensive actions in parallel.

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"Our soldiers have had partial success. Not a single position has been lost where Ukrainian soldiers were defending," he said in a statement.

According to the statement, Ukraine succeeded in the Novodanylivka, Robotyne and southern Orikhiv areas in Zaporizhzhia region, as well as in Levadne-Staromaiorske in Zaporizhzhia near Donetsk region.

Near the Vuhledar area in Donetsk, Ukrainian troops have also made some gains. The town has been on the front line since the start of the operation. The statement also said that Ukraine was advancing in the area east of the village of Stupochky in Donetsk. Russia has not commented on the information.

African delegation to Kyiv

Reuters reported that at least two explosions occurred in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on June 16 and sirens sounded as leaders of many African countries arrived there in the hope of mediating between Ukraine and Russia.

The delegation, including the leaders of South Africa, Senegal, Zambia, Comoros and Egypt, is expected to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg (Russia) on June 17.

Before arriving in Kyiv, the delegation visited the town of Bucha, one of the places that was heavily affected by the war.

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According to a draft document, the delegation could propose a series of "confidence-building measures" in the initial reconciliation effort.

The mission's aim, the document says, is to "promote the importance of peace and encourage the parties to agree to a negotiation process led by diplomacy".

Such measures could include Russia withdrawing troops, removing tactical nuclear weapons from Belarus, suspending the execution of an International Criminal Court arrest warrant against President Putin and easing sanctions.

The document makes clear that a deal to end hostilities could be the next step and would require talks between Russia and the West.

Russia plans to export grain

Interfax news agency on June 16 quoted Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yury Ushakov as saying that Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed that the Russian leader would soon visit Türkiye.

This will be Mr Putin’s first visit to a NATO country since the start of the military campaign. Mr Ushakov said that this was at the invitation of Türkiye, but the two sides have not agreed on a specific date.

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In another development, TASS news agency on June 16 quoted Russian Deputy Prime Minister Viktoria Abramchenko as saying that the country's grain exports next year could reach around 60 million tons. The "agricultural year" in Russia lasts from July 1 to June 30 next year.

According to Ms. Abramchenko, Russia is expected to export “about 55 million tons for sure, but it could be up to 60 million tons.” Russia’s agricultural exports have increased from $16.3 billion in 2013 to $41.5 billion in 2022.

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