Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on June 10 that his country's counterattack against Russian forces was underway, but declined to provide details.
"Counter-offensive and defensive actions are underway in Ukraine: I will not go into details at what stage," President Zelensky said at a joint press conference with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in the capital Kyiv, according to AFP.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks during a joint press conference with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Kyiv on June 10.
A journalist asked President Zelensky to comment after Russian President Vladimir Putin said on June 9 that Ukraine had certainly begun its long-awaited counteroffensive, but all attempts to advance had failed and Kyiv's forces had suffered heavy casualties.
"It's interesting that [Mr.] Putin talks about our counterattack. It's important that Russia always feels this: that they don't have much time left, in my opinion," President Zelensky said.
President Zelensky also said that he was in daily contact with Ukrainian military commanders, including the head of the armed forces Valery Zaluzhny, and that “everyone is active now – tell that to Putin”. As of the evening of June 10, there was no information about Russia's reaction.
Ukraine has said for months that it plans to launch a major offensive to retake Russian-controlled territories in the south and east, but it has maintained a strict silence and repeatedly denied that it has begun a major operation at this time, according to Reuters.
See also : Fierce fighting after news of Ukraine counterattack
Russia repels Ukraine's attack?
Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov announced on the evening of June 10 that Russian air defense forces shot down a Ukrainian MiG-29 fighter jet in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) in the east, intercepting two Storm Shadow missiles and 10 rockets from the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), according to TASS news agency.
According to Mr. Konashenkov, Ukrainian armed forces had repeatedly tried to enter the southern Zaporizhzhia province in the previous 24 hours, but all their attacks were repelled by the Russian army.
Russia currently controls some areas in the two provinces of Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia and the current Ukrainian counter-offensive is said to be focused on these two provinces.
Mr. Konashenkov also said that Russian forces attacked the headquarters of two Ukrainian brigades in the DPR and Kharkiv regions, in eastern Ukraine. He also said that Russian aircraft, missile forces and artillery attacked 93 Ukrainian artillery units at their firing positions and military equipment in 122 areas.
Mr Konashenkov also claimed that Russian forces had destroyed an ammunition depot and eliminated 40 Ukrainian soldiers in Kherson province, in southern Ukraine.
Ukrainian servicemen drive a BMP-1 infantry fighting vehicle near the frontline city of Bakhmut in Donetsk region on June 9.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian Air Force announced on the morning of June 10 that it had shot down two of eight cruise and ballistic missiles launched by Russian forces overnight, according to The Kyiv Independent . The Ukrainian Air Force also announced that its air defense forces had shot down 20 of 35 Shahed-136 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) produced by Iran and used by Russia to attack important military infrastructure in the provinces of Poltava, Kharkiv and Odessa.
According to the Ukrainian Air Force, Russian forces conducted numerous airstrikes from the south and north, including from the Azov coast.
In the southern Odessa region, where Ukraine claims to have shot down all of its Shahed-136 UAVs, debris hit a multi-storey building and a fire spread 50 square metres , according to Ukraine’s Southern Operations Command. The command also said three people were killed and more than 10 injured.
See more : War Day 417: Russia launches massive attack, Italy sends dozens of M109s to Ukraine?
Situation after dam break
Ukraine’s Interior Ministry said that as of 1 p.m. on June 10, 27 people were still believed to be missing due to flooding following the Kakhovka Dam collapse in Kherson Oblast. Earlier, the Ukrainian Interior Ministry said that at least five people had died in both Kherson and Mykolaiv Oblasts due to flooding, according to The Kyiv Independent .
Also according to the Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs, 2,620 people were evacuated from the affected areas of Kherson province, and 936 people were evacuated from Mykolaiv province.
Meanwhile, Vladimir Saldo, the Russian-appointed governor of Kherson province, said on June 10 that more than 6,000 people had been evacuated from flooded areas in Nova Kakhovka, Oeshky and Hola Prystan.
Mr. Saldo said that the water level in Nova Kakhovka, the town adjacent to the Kakhovka dam, had dropped 3 meters from its peak on June 6. He also said that workers were pumping water and cleaning the streets.
See more : Serious consequences of dam break in Ukraine
NATO seeks to reassure Ukraine
In an interview published by Politico magazine on June 9, US Ambassador to NATO Julianne Smith said that Western allies are unlikely to invite Ukraine to join the alliance amid the war, but are still negotiating to demonstrate a long-term commitment to Kyiv.
See also : NATO seeks to reassure Ukraine while the country cannot join the alliance
US accuses Iran of transferring weapons to Russia
Linda Thomas-Greenfield, US Ambassador to the United Nations (UN), on June 9 called for an investigation into information that Iran transferred attack drones to Russia, which Washington said violated Security Council Resolution 2231, CNN reported.
Ms Thomas-Greenfield said she was “deeply concerned” about the growing military cooperation between Russia and Iran, which she said was further facilitating Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine.
To reinforce the accusation, Ms. Thomas-Greenfield cited a report released by the US on the same day, which documented how Iran had provided Russia with hundreds of attack UAVs, as well as equipment to produce UAVs.
See also : Iran admits for the first time sending UAVs to Russia
US speaks out after Putin's new nuclear weapons statement
US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said on June 9 that Washington did not see any signs that Russia was preparing to use nuclear weapons, but would monitor preparations in Belarus to receive nuclear weapons from Russia, according to RT.
Mr Kirby had a similar reaction in late March, when Russia first announced it would place some of its nuclear weapons in Belarus, in response to the UK sending depleted uranium munitions to Ukraine, according to RT.
See also : US reacts to President Putin's new nuclear weapons statement
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