- Russian President Vladimir Putin has informed an occasion in St Petersburg that the nation has weathered financial sanctions imposed on account of the invasion of Ukraine.
- The European Union’s government arm has backed Ukraine’s bid for EU candidacy standing.
- UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson made a shock go to to Kyiv and provided to supply coaching to Ukrainian troops.
Listed here are the most recent updates:
Ukrainian defence stays ‘robust’ round Severodonestsk, Lysychansk: ISW
Russia is deploying extra forces to help its offensive within the Severodonetsk and Lysychansk space, however Ukraine’s defences stay “robust”, based on the most recent replace from the Institute for the Research of Conflict (ISW).
“The Russian army has concentrated the overwhelming majority of its out there fight energy to seize Severodonetsk and Lysychansk on the expense of different axes of advance and is struggling heavy casualties to take action,” the US-based assume tank mentioned.
#Russian forces are persevering with to deploy extra forces to help offensive operations within the #Severodonetsk–#Lysychansk space; #Ukrainian defenses stay robust.
Learn the most recent from @TheStudyofWar and @criticalthreats: https://t.co/B9mRPNlJsN pic.twitter.com/VFHJjYDtAP
— ISW (@TheStudyofWar) June 18, 2022
‘Milestone achievement’: Save the Youngsters welcomes declaration on city assaults
Save the Youngsters has welcomed a political declaration designed to guard civilians in cities and cities with a dedication to keep away from explosive assaults on city areas.
After three years of negotiations, Eire introduced the ultimate draft of the declaration in Geneva on Friday.
“It is a milestone achievement in recognising a development in trendy battle that’s having a devastating influence on the lives of kids,” James Denselow, head of the battle group at Save the Youngsters UK, mentioned in a press release. “It recognises the distinctive vulnerabilities kids need to the weapons of recent conflict and their proximity to too many entrance traces. It may very well be a major step ahead within the push to cease the conflict on kids”.
The gavel falls on the ultimate negotiations!
This Political Declaration is a significant milestone in strengthening the safety of civilians from the devastating results of Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas #EWIPA
🇮🇪 thanks all delegates for his or her robust engagement within the course of pic.twitter.com/N5KTbROYma
— Eire UN Geneva (@IrelandUNGeneva) June 17, 2022
Russia frees medic who filmed horror of Mariupol siege
Russia has freed a Ukrainian medic whose footage was smuggled out of the besieged metropolis of Mariupol by an Related Press group, Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskyy has introduced.
Yuliia Paievska, recognized in Ukraine as Taira, used a physique digital camera to movie her group’s efforts over two weeks to save lots of the wounded, together with each Russian and Ukrainian troopers.
She transferred the clips to the AP journalists, certainly one of whom fled with it embedded in a tampon on March 15. Taira and a colleague had been taken prisoner by Russian forces the subsequent day.

US high-tech drone sale to Ukraine hits snag: Reuters
The Reuters information company is reporting that the USA’ plans to promote 4 MQ-1C Grey Eagle drones to Ukraine have been placed on maintain due to considerations the delicate surveillance tools may fall into enemy fingers.
The technical objection to the sale of the armable drones was raised throughout a deeper overview by the Pentagon’s Protection Expertise Safety Administration, which is charged with preserving high-value know-how secure from enemy fingers, Reuters mentioned, citing two individuals accustomed to the plan.
TikTok pressed on whether or not it permits ‘pro-war’ propaganda
Republican senators in the USA have written to TikTok Chief Government Shou Zi Chew about reviews the social media web site had allowed Russian state-approved media content material however barred different movies.
“Current reviews point out TikTok… has allowed Russian state media to flood the platform with harmful pro-war propaganda. No firm ought to discover itself within the place of amplifying the Kremlin’s lies, which gas public help for Russia’s conflict of alternative in Ukraine,” the letter mentioned.
The senators wrote they had been “deeply involved” that TikTok “is enabling the unfold of pro-war propaganda to the Russian public, which dangers including to an already devastating human toll for each Ukrainians and Russians.”
UN says civilian casualties exceed 10,000
The United Nations says greater than 10,000 civilians, together with a whole lot of kids, have now been killed or injured within the conflict in Ukraine.
Some 4,509 individuals had been killed and 5,585 injured as of midnight in Kyiv (21:00 GMT) on June 16, the United Nations Workplace of the Excessive Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) mentioned in its each day replace. The useless embody 294 kids, the OHCHR mentioned.
“A lot of the civilian casualties recorded had been precipitated by way of explosive weapons with a large influence space, together with shelling from heavy artillery and a number of launch rocket programs, and missile and air strikes,” the assertion mentioned, including that the precise figures had been most likely a lot greater.
Learn all of the updates from June 17, right here.