Ukraine said on June 13 that its forces had been pushed back from the centre of key industrial city Severodonetsk, where President Volodymyr Zelensky described a fight for “literally every metre”. The cities of Severodonetsk and Lysychansk, which are separated by a river, have been targeted for weeks as the last areas still under Ukrainian control in the eastern Lugansk region.
Russian forces cut off the last routes for evacuating citizens from the eastern Ukrainian city of Severodonetsk, a Ukrainian official said, as the Kremlin pushed for victory in the Donbas region. The last bridge to the city was destroyed, trapping any remaining civilians and making it impossible to deliver humanitarian supplies, said regional governor Sergei Gaidai, adding that some 70% of the city was under Russian control.
On June 12, Russian forces fired cruise missiles to destroy a large depot containing U.S. and European weapons in western Ukraine’s Ternopil region, Interfax reported, as street fighting raged in the eastern city of Severodonetsk. The governor of the Ternopil region said a rocket attack on the city of Chortkiv fired from the Black Sea had partly destroyed a military facility, injuring 22 people.
Ukraine
Ukraine has lost ‘25% of its arable land’ to war: agriculture ministry
Ukraine has lost a quarter of its arable land in certain regions since Russia’s invasion, notably in the south and east, the deputy agriculture minister said June 13 but insisted its food security was not threatened.
“Despite the loss of 25% of arable land, the structure of crop planting this year is more than sufficient” to ensure food for the population, Taras Vysotskiy told a news conference, saying it “does not pose a threat to Ukraine’s food security”. – AFP
Severodonetsk
Human cost of Severodonetsk fight ‘terrifying’: Zelensky
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on June 13 said the battle for Severodonetsk was taking a “terrifying” toll as Russian forces threaten to take the strategic eastern city.
“The human cost of this battle is very high for us. It is simply terrifying,” Mr. Zelensky said on Telegram in his daily address to the Ukrainian people. “The battle for the Donbas will, without doubt, be remembered in military history as one of the most violent battles in Europe,” he added. – AFP
Indian students
Indian students can continue studies in Russia: Embassy official
Universities in Russia are ready to accept Indian students whose education in Ukrainian universities was disrupted by the ongoing military operation in Ukraine, a top Russian Embassy official said on June 12.
Interacting with media persons, Roman Babushkin, Deputy Chief of Mission at the Russian Embassy in New Delhi, said students could approach the Russian Houses in India for assistance in this regard.
Russia
Russia overtakes Saudi Arabia to become India’s second biggest oil supplier
Russia has overtaken Saudi Arabia to become India’s second-biggest supplier of oil behind Iraq as refiners snap up Russian crude available at a deep discount following the war in Ukraine, industry data showed.
Indian refiners bought about 25 million barrels of Russian oil in May, or more than 16% of all their oil imports. Russian-origin crude hit 5% of India’s total seaborne imports in April for the first time, rising from under 1% throughout 2021 and Q1 2022, the data showed.
Ukraine
100 Days of Ukraine-Russia war in data
It has been just over 100 days since Russia first launched artillery strikes on Ukraine, under the guise of “demilitarising” and “de-Nazifying” the former Soviet state. In just three months, Russia has managed to leave the country cratered, dilapidated and desolate. Experts and political heads say that what Russian President Vladimir Putin called a “special military operation” is set to become a long-drawn-out war. Russian forces were quick to encircle Kyiv, but failed to capture the capital. By the end of March, Putin was forced to change his strategy and move troops away from Kyiv and Kharkiv, the second largest city, and focus instead on the Donbas region.
Severodonetsk
Ukraine forces pushed back from Severodonetsk centre
Ukraine said on June 13 that its forces had been pushed back from the centre of key industrial city Severodonetsk, where President Volodymyr Zelensky described a fight for “literally every metre”.
The cities of Severodonetsk and Lysychansk, which are separated by a river, have been targeted for weeks as the last areas still under Ukrainian control in the eastern Lugansk region.
