Ukraine updates: Russia strikes Zelenskyy's hometown

An overnight missile attack by Russian forces has killed at least eleven people and wounded at least 28 others in the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih, the city mayor, Oleksandr Vilkul, said on Tuesday.

A five-story residential building in the hometown of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was hit early on Tuesday morning. Three cruise missiles were shot down, but others got through, say officials, with at least one person still caught under rubble.

"More terrorist missiles," Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram. "Russian killers continue their war against residential buildings, ordinary cities and people."

Mykhailo Podolyak, adviser to the head of the office of the president of Ukraine, said on Twitter that "this kind of thing happens every night … because the Russian Federation is blatantly destroying Ukraine," and urged the international community to make "key decisions."

"I understand that sitting thousands of kilometers away from Ukraine you can talk about 'geopolitics,' 'settlement' and the undesirability of escalation for months," he wrote. "But the key decisions will still have to be made — Russia is bound to lose and sit in the dock …"

The United Nations' humanitarian coordinator in Ukraine, Denise Brown, also condemned the strike, reiterating: "International humanitarian law is clear: civilians and civilian infrastructure are not a target!"

Air attacks were also reported in the capital, Kyiv.

"According to initial reports, the enemy used Kh-101/555 cruise missiles," the military administration of Kyiv city said, adding that all "enemy targets" had been destroyed, and that no casualties had been reported so far.

The northeastern city of Kharkiv also came under attack, with civilian infrastructure being struck by drones, according to the city's mayor.

"According to initial reports, a utility company in the Kyivskyi district, as well as a warehouse in Saltivskyi district got damaged. A fire broke out as a result of the explosion on the latter," Ihor Terekhov said.

There was no immediate comment from Russia about the reported strikes. Russia insists it never targets civilian infrastructure during what it terms its "special military operation" in Ukraine.

Here are some of the other developments concerning Russia's war in Ukraine on Tuesday, June 13:

US to send $325 million in new military aid to Ukraine

The United States announced a new $325 million (€301 million) military aid package for Ukraine that will include munitions for air defense systems, ammunition and vehicles, the Pentagon said.

As a part of the aid package, Ukraine will receive additional ammunition for its National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS), munitions for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) 155-mm Howitzer ammunition, Stinger anti-aircraft systems and anti-tank weapons.

The package also includes 15 Bradley fighting vehicles, 10 Stryker armored personnel carriers, secure communications equipment and over 22 million rounds of ammunition for small arms.

This is the 40th aid package being rushed to Ukraine using Presidential Drawdown Authority, which allows the president to transfer articles and services from US stocks without congressional approval during an emergency.

EU agrees to €100 million in loans for Ukrainian reconstruction

Ukraine is to receive additional loans amounting to €100 million ($108 million) from the European Union to repair war damage, the European Commission said. 

"We are determined to bring back life to all the communities in Ukraine that suffer from Russia's aggression," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.

The European Investment Bank (EIB) will lend the money, which is to be used, for example, to restore municipal infrastructure or repair transmission lines for electricity. 

The EU has already provided some €70 billion in support for Ukraine and its people since the start of Russia's war of aggression, according to the commission. This includes €2.4 billion in financing from the EIB.

Putin says 'thinking about' exiting Ukraine grain deal

Russian President Vladimir Putin said that he was "thinking about" exiting the landmark Ukraine grain deal that allows grain from conflict-torn Ukraine to reach the global market. 

He accused Kyiv of using sea corridors that are meant to provide safe passage for ships carrying grain "to launch maritime drones."

Moscow has repeatedly threatened to pull out of the crucial accord that grants safe passage for Ukrainian grain to be exported via the Black Sea, demanding guarantees for its fertilizer exports. The UN-brokered deal is set for another renewal on July 17. 

Putin also claimed that Ukraine was suffering massive losses in its long-awaited counter-offensive against Russian forces in Ukraine, saying Kyiv's casualties were ten times higher than Moscow's.

"Their losses are approaching a level that could be described as catastrophic," Putin said during a meeting in the Kremlin with Russian journalists and bloggers covering the conflict.

Lukashenko: Russian tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus 'in a few days'

Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko has said that Russian tactical nuclear weapons could physically arrive in Belarus "in a few days" and that he wouldn't hesitate to use them if threatened.

"Everything is ready, I think we will have what we asked for in a few days, and even a little bit more," Lukashenko was quoted as saying by Belarusian state news agency BelTA.

Vladimir Putin announced the planned deployment of short-range nuclear weapons to Russia's ally and neighbor Belarus earlier this year. The Russian president emphasized that he would retain of them, but Lukashenko's comments appeared to contradict that.

"God forbid I have to make a decision to use those weapons today, but there would be no hesitation if we face an aggression," he said.

Tactical nuclear weapons are designed to destroy enemy troops and weapons on the battlefield. They have a relatively short range and a much lower yield than nuclear warheads fitted to intercontinental ballistic missiles that are capable of obliterating whole cities.

The United States has criticized the deployment but has said it has no intention of altering its own stance on strategic nuclear weapons, nor has it picked up on any signs that Russia is preparing to use a nuclear weapon.

Lukashenko allowed Russian troops to use Belarusian territory as a staging post for the initial full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Russian general killed, report Russian bloggers

An experienced Russian general has reportedly been killed by a Ukrainian missile strike in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, according to pro-war Russian bloggers.

"As a result of an enemy missile attack, the Chief of Staff of the 35th Combined Arms Army, Maj Gen Sergei Goryachev, was killed," the prominent blogger "Voenkor" said in a Telegram post on Monday, citing Russian army sources.

Sergei Goryachev, a decorated senior soldier, previously commanded Russian troops in the breakaway Moldovan region of Transnistria, and was described by Voenkor as one of Russia's "brightest and most effective military leaders."

The Russian defense ministry is yet to comment, but several other Russian war bloggers suggested that Goryachev was likely killed by a UK-supplied Storm Shadow cruise missile.

It is believed that around a dozen Russian generals have been killed since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Death toll in Kakhovka dam disaster rises

The number of fatalities caused by the breach of the Kakhovka dam has risen to 10, while 41 people are still missing in the floods, according to Ukrainian officials.

The Russian-controlled dam along the Dnieper River on the frontline in Ukraine's southern Kherson region was destroyed on June 6, forcing thousands to flee and sparking fears of humanitarian as well as environmental catastrophe.

"Currently, we know [of] 10 dead in Kherson and the region," Ukraine’s interior minister Igor Klymenko said on Telegram. "We are also reporting 41 people as missing."

On Monday, the governor of the Kherson region, Oleksandr Prokudin, said the bodies of two people — "an unidentified woman and a 50-year-old man" — were found drowned in the city of Kherson.

Meanwhile, on the Russian-held south bank of the Dnieper, Russian-installed authorities say that 17 people have lost their lives due to flooding — 12 in the town of Hola Prystan and five in nearby Oleshky.

Occupying officials say the Russian-installed government will begin paying compensation to flood victims of up to 10,000 roubles ($120), with more than 500 applications reportedly received.

Ukraine recaptures '90 square kilometers' in 'tough' counteroffensive

Ukraine has reported minor early successes in its counteroffensive, saying that its army has recaptured seven villages in the eastern region on Donetsk, spanning a total area of 90 square kilometers (35 square miles).

"Seven settlements were liberated" in the last week of fighting in the region, said the country's defense ministry, including Blahodatne, Neskuchne, Makarivka and Storozheve.

It added that Ukrainian forces had advanced "250 to 700 meters" in the direction of the flashpoint eastern city of Bakhmut.

Russian officials did not confirm those Ukrainian gains, saying earlier on Monday that Russian forces had repelled attacks in the same area in the Donetsk region near Velyka Novosilka and around the village of Levadne in Zaporizhzhia region.

Speaking his nightly address on Monday evening, Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, described fighting in the long-awaited counteroffensive as "tough" but added "we are moving forward, this is very important."

"I thank our guys for every Ukrainian flag that is now returning to its rightful place in villages on the newly de-occupied territory," he said.

The claims by Moscow and Kyiv could not by verified independently, but the US-based Institute for the Study of War said in an analytical note Monday: "Ukrainian forces made visually verified advances in western Donetsk Oblast and western Zaporizhzhia Oblast, which Russian sources confirmed but sought to downplay."

'Not every western tank can be replaced' cautions Germany

German defence minister Boris Pistorius has cautioned that Ukraine’s western allies "will not be able to replace every tank which is destroyed" as Kyiv's forces attempt to push back against the Russian invasion.

He announced, however, that Germany would deliver more than 100 refurbished Leopard-1-A5 tanks to Ukraine between July and the end of the year.

Speaking on German broadcaster RTL, Pistorius would not confirm the authenticity of footage purporting to show German Leopard-2 tanks destroyed by Russian forces. 

Also Tuesday, the Russian Defense Ministry published an unverified video showing what it said was a German-made Leopard 2 tank and a US-made Bradley fighting vehicle captured from Ukrainian forces in the southern Zaporizhzhia region.

"Unfortunately, it's the nature of war that weapons and tanks are destroyed, and people are killed," said Pistorius. "This is why our support for Ukraine is so important."

Pistorius' comments came after calls this week from both Ukraine and Germany to quickly replace destroyed weaponry in Ukraine.

"The Ukrainian Army drastically needs many more western tanks and armored vehicles," said Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrij Melnyk on Monday in Germany's Tagesspiegel newspaper.

IAEA chief Grossi due to visit Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant

The chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, is to visit the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Europe's largest, to assess risks to the facility's safety amid Russia's invasion.

Grossi is scheduled to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv before heading to the plant on Tuesday for his third visit there.

His visit comes as the IAEA warns that safety at the plant has been even further compromised by the recent breach of the Russian-held Kakhovka dam in an incident Ukraine blames on Moscow.

The reservoir formed by the dam provided cooling water for the nuclear facility, which is in the hands of Russian forces.

"I will present a program of assistance in the aftermath of the catastrophic Nova Kakhovka dam flooding," Grossi said in a tweet on Monday.

 "I will assess the situation at Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant," and "conduct a rotation of ISAMZ," he added referring to the IAEA's Support and Assistance Mission to Zaporizhzhia (ISAMZ), "with a strengthened team."

mf, tj/lo (AP, AFP, dpa, Reuters)