Moscow Province Attacked; Russia Challenges NATO?

The Russian Defense Ministry announced today, June 21, that its military had prevented a Ukrainian drone attack on Moscow province, according to RT.

In a statement, the Russian Defense Ministry said that Kyiv attempted a "terrorist attack" on facilities in the Moscow region, using three UAVs. "All UAVs were destroyed by means of electronic warfare; as a result, they lost control and crashed," the Russian Defense Ministry said. There was no immediate response from Kyiv.

Earlier, Moscow Governor Andrey Vorobyov said that early in the morning, two unidentified UAVs crashed near the Kalinetz settlement, about 30 kilometers southwest of the capital Moscow. Vorobyov also said that the two UAVs were approaching a warehouse of one of the military units in the area when they were shot down by the military.

See more : US has new response to UAV attack on Moscow, sends more weapons to Ukraine

Ukraine says "partial success"

In a statement on the Telegram messaging app, Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said today that fierce fighting is taking place in the east, especially near the city of Lyman in Donetsk province, which Kyiv recaptured from Russian forces in October 2022, according to Reuters.

On the other hand, Ms. Maliar claimed that Ukrainian forces had had "partial success" in the previous day and had consolidated positions they had won in the ongoing counterattack, according to Reuters.

Ms Maliar also said Kyiv forces were continuing their offensive on the Russian-controlled city of Melitopol in Zaporizhzhia province and towards the city of Berdiansk on the Sea of Azov.

Ukrainian servicemen fire a BM-21 'Grad' rocket launcher towards Russian positions on the front line near the city of Bakhmut in Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine on June 20.

Meanwhile, spokesman Oleg Chekhov of Russia's Eastern Task Force announced today that the group had repelled three Ukrainian attacks in Zaporizhzhia province, according to TASS News Agency.

Previously, Ukraine announced that it had recaptured eight villages in the south in the past two weeks, which was considered the biggest advance by the Ukrainian army since November 2022, according to Reuters.

However, military analysts say it is too early to draw conclusions about the success or failure of the two-week counteroffensive. They say Kyiv has yet to deploy the bulk of its forces, some of which have been trained and equipped by the West, while Ukrainian forces remain far from Russia’s main defence line.

See also : What will happen after Ukraine's next counterattack?

Ukraine claims to have shot down 32 Russian UAVs

Ukrainian air defense forces shot down 32 out of 35 Shahed unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) launched by Russia early on June 20.

AP quoted Ukrainian officials as saying that Russian forces mainly targeted the area around the capital Kyiv in a nighttime drone attack that lasted about three hours, but Ukrainian air defense forces in the area shot down about 24 of them.

The attack in Kyiv is part of a wider bombardment of areas of Ukraine that extends as far as Lviv province in western Ukraine, near Poland.

See also : Russia conducts large-scale airstrikes in Ukraine

Russian Foreign Minister challenges NATO?

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on June 20 that Russia is ready to face NATO continuing to fight in Ukraine, according to RT.

Mr Lavrov made the statement days after NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg ruled out any moves to "freeze" the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

In an interview with the German newspaper Welt am Sonntag published on June 18, Mr. Stoltenberg stated that " peace does not mean freezing the conflict and accepting a deal offered by Russia." Mr. Stoltenberg stressed that "only Ukraine can determine the acceptable conditions."

"If NATO, through (Mr.) Stoltenberg, once again declares that they are against freezing the conflict in Ukraine, then let them fight. Let them fight, we are ready for this, we have long understood NATO's goals in the situation around Ukraine, which have been forming for many years," Lavrov said at a press conference.

Officials in Moscow have long accused the US and its NATO allies of arming Ukraine and using it to provoke conflict with Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin has described the conflict as a showdown between Russian forces and “the entire Western military apparatus,” according to RT.

See more : NATO has a headache with Russian submarines?

The West pledges to help Ukraine rebuild

Britain, the United States and the European Union (EU) today pledged billions of dollars in additional aid to rebuild Ukraine, according to Reuters.

After nearly 16 months of conflict between Russia and Ukraine that have devastated homes, hospitals and other vital infrastructure across Ukraine, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has called on businesses and governments at a conference in London to do more to help Kyiv rebuild. The conference, which runs from June 21-22, will be attended by 1,000 officials from 61 countries, according to AFP.

"Together with our allies, we will maintain our support for Ukraine's defence and counter-offensive, and we will stand by Ukraine as long as they continue to win this fight," Prime Minister Sunak told the conference.

Mr Sunak also unveiled measures including $3bn in World Bank loan guarantees for Ukraine over three years to help the country boost economic stability.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak speaks at the opening session of the Ukraine Recovery Conference in London on June 21.

In addition, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the European Union (EU) will provide Ukraine with 50 billion euros for the period 2024-2027, while US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced that Washington will provide an additional 1.3 billion USD in aid to Ukraine, according to Reuters.

Speaking at a conference via video link, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stressed that his country needed more targeted help in "real projects" that would boost economic growth. "We have to move from agreements to real projects. There is a Ukrainian delegation that will present concrete things," President Zelensky said.

Ahead of the conference, a senior Ukrainian official said the country was seeking $40 billion to finance the first part of a “Green Marshall Plan” to rebuild its economy.

See also : World Bank: 600 billion euros needed to rebuild Ukraine

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