UKRAINE WRAP | Russian missiles rain down on military sites across Ukraine - local officials

June 25 2022 — 17:00

Russian forces occupy all of Ukraine's Sievierodonetsk - mayor

The mayor of Sievierodonetsk said Russian forces had fully occupied the strategic frontline city in eastern Ukraine after weeks of fighting and bombardment.

"The city is now under the full occupation of Russia. They are trying to establish their own order, as far as I know they have appointed some kind of commandant," Mayor Oleksandr Stryuk said on national television.

-Reuters

June 25 2022 — 16:00

Thousands unite in Polish, Ukrainian LGBT+ parades in Warsaw

Thousands of Poles and Ukrainians are walking for peace and demanding an end to discrimination against the LGBT+ community on Saturday, in a joint Pride march in Warsaw that organisers say aims to defend freedom and equality as war casts a shadow over eastern Europe.

The annual Pride march in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv was cancelled due to Russia's invasion, leading the LGBT+ community in Warsaw to team up with their counterparts in Ukraine to organise the event in the Polish capital.

"Russia denied us the right that we were fighting for for years, Russia denied us the Pride, our march of equality that we are holding every year since 2012 in Kyiv. ... That is why we are marching in Warsaw," said Lenny Emson, executive director of KyivPride, who came to Poland for the march.

Conservative attitudes towards sexual orientation are widespread in both countries. 

-Reuters

June 25 2022 — 14:30

Mayor says Ukrainian troops have 'almost left' Sievierodonetsk

The mayor of Ukraine's Sievierodonetsk said Ukrainian troops had "almost left" the strategic frontline city after holding out for weeks against advancing Russian forces.

Mayor Oleksandr Stryuk did not confirm whether a full withdrawal was underway. On Friday, regional authorities said Ukraine was set to pull back its troops there.

"Unfortunately, they have almost left the city," Stryuk said on national television.

-Reuters

June 25 2022 — 13:30

WATCH | UK's Johnson fears 'bad peace' for Ukraine

June 25 2022 — 12:50

Ukraine stands with Moldova against threats from Russia - foreign minister

Ukraine stands with Moldova in response to renewed threats from Russia, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Saturday, after Moscow warned of negative consequences over the two countries becoming candidates for EU membership.

"We stand with the people and the government of friendly Moldova amid renewed threats coming from Moscow. All Russia has left is spitting out threats at other states after decades of failed policies based on aggression, coercion, and disrespect," Kuleba said on Twitter.

-Reuters

June 25 2022 — 12:00

Ukraine-Russia: A prolonged propaganda war

June 25 2022 — 11:00

Russian missiles rain down on military sites across Ukraine - local officials

Dozens of Russian missiles rained down on military facilities in western and northern Ukraine on Saturday, local officials said, as Europe's biggest land conflict since World War Two entered its fifth month.

The governor of the Lviv region in western Ukraine, Maxim Kozytskyi, said in a video posted online that six missiles were fired from the Black Sea at the Yavoriv base, with four hitting the base and two being intercepted and destroyed before hitting their target.

Vitaliy Bunechko, governor of the Zhytomyr region in the north of the country, said strikes on a military target killed at least one soldier.

"Nearly 30 missiles were launched at one military infrastructure facility very near to the city of Zhytomyr," said Bunechko, adding that nearly 10 missiles had been intercepted and destroyed.

-Reuters

June 25 2022 — 10:00

Britain: Russia has removed several key generals from Ukraine

The British defence ministry said on Saturday that Russia had likely withdrawn several generals from key command roles in the Ukraine conflict this month.

"Since the start of June, the Russian high command has highly likely removed several Generals from key operational command roles in the war in Ukraine," the ministry said in its daily Twitter update.

Ukrainian forces have been ordered to withdraw from the battleground city of Sievierodonetsk after weeks of fierce street fighting, in order to limit more casualties and regroup.

-Reuters

June 25 2022 — 09:00

Russian missiles hit Ukraine's Yavoriv military base - regional governor

 A Russian strike on the Yavoriv military facility in western Ukraine wounded four people, Lviv governor Maxim Kozitsky said in a video post on Saturday.

Kozitsky said six missiles were fired from the Black Sea, with four hitting the base and two being intercepted and destroyed before hitting the target.

A strike on the military training facility near Yavoriv in March killed 35 people and wounded at least 130, according to Ukrainian officials.

-Reuters

June 25 2022 — 08:30

Ukraine forces ordered to withdraw from key battleground city

Ukrainian forces have been ordered to withdraw from the key battleground city of Sievierodonetsk after weeks of fierce street fighting, in order to limit more casualties and regroup, but the move will be seen by Russia as a significant victory.

Ukraine officials said there was very little left to defend in the bombed-out eastern city, where hundreds of civilians remain trapped in a chemical plant.

The order to withdraw on Friday came four months to the day since Russian President Vladimir Putin sent tens of thousands of troops over the border, unleashing a conflict that has killed thousands, uprooted millions and reduced whole cities to rubble.

Luhansk regional governor Serhiy Gaidai said troops in Sievierodonetsk had already received the order to move to new positions.

“Remaining in positions smashed to pieces over many months just for the sake of staying there does not make sense,” Gaidai said on Ukrainian television.

June 25 2022 — 08:00

What you need to know right now

• Ukrainian forces have been ordered to withdraw from the key battleground city of Sievierodonetsk after weeks of fierce street fighting, to limit more casualties and regroup, but the move will be seen by Russia as a significant victory.

• Ukraine officials said troops in Sievierodonetsk ordered to withdraw, very little left to defend in the bombed-out eastern city, where hundreds of civilians remain trapped in a chemical plant.

• Sievierodonetsk's twin Lysychansk to become the next main focus of fighting. Pro-Russian leader says it would take another week and a half to secure full control of Lysychansk.

• South of Sievierodonetsk, Ukrainian soldiers retreat from the towns of Hirske and Zolote in the face of overwhelming Russian forces, said Oleksiy Arestovych, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

• Ukraine's foreign minister says retreating does not mean losing war, notes Russia had wanted to occupy eastern Donbas region by May 9.

• Ukraine's general staff said its troops had some success in the southern Kherson region, forcing the Russians back from defensive positions near the village of Olhine, the latest of several Ukrainian counter-assaults. Reuters was unable to independently verify the situation on the ground.

• European Union leaders formally accepted Ukraine as a candidate to join the EU, a bold geopolitical move triggered by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

• Russia says EU candidacy decision amounted to EU “enslaving” neighbouring countries.

• The G7 rich democracies will seek to show long-term support for Ukraine at a summit starting on Sunday, even as the war's growing affect on the world economy tests their resolve.

• Ukraine held a preliminary hearing in its first trial of a Russian soldier charged with raping a Ukrainian woman during Russia's invasion, the first of what prosecutors say could be dozens of such cases.

-Reuters