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Russia-Ukraine war: what we know on day 115 of
the invasion
Putin says he has ‘nothing against’ Ukraine membership
of EU; German chancellor calls for direct talks with Russian leader to end war
Maya Yang,
Léonie Chao-Fong, Martin Belam and Samantha Lock
Sat 18 Jun
2022 02.08 BST
A Ukrainian paramedic has been released from
Russian captivity, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy announced on
Saturday. He said Ukraine had been able to secure the release of Yulia
Payevska, a civilian parademic who was captured by Russian forces in Mariupol
on 16 March.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy tweeted
that the bravery of Ukrainians had created the opportunity for Europe to
“create a new history of freedom, and finally remove the grey zone in Eastern
Europe between the EU and Russia”. In his nightly video addrees, Zelenskiy
hailed Brussels’ support for Ukraine’s European Union bid as a “historic
achievement”. “Ukrainian institutions maintain resilience even in conditions of
war. Ukrainian democratic habits have not lost their power even now.”
Russian president Vladimir Putin said Moscow has
“nothing against” Ukraine’s possible membership of the European Union. He made
the comments on Friday after the European Commission recommended granting Kyiv
candidate status of the 27-member bloc. “We have nothing against it,” Putin
told Russia’s annual economic forum in St Petersburg. “It’s their sovereign
decision to join economic unions or not … It’s their business, the business of
the Ukrainian people.”
The German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, said it was
“absolutely necessary” for leaders to speak directly with Putin in attempts to
end the war. Speaking to German news agency DPA on Friday, Scholz said: “It is
absolutely necessary to speak to Putin, and I will continue to do so, as the
French president will also.”
Four civilians died and six were wounded on
Friday in Russian bombing in the Donetsk region of the Donbas, governor Pavlo
Kyrylenko said on Telegram.
Dozens of Ukrainian civilians performed military
exercises on Friday in fortified positions left by Russian troops in Bucha, a
town synonymous with war crimes blamed on Moscow’s forces. A sergeant known as
Ticha said: “Most of those who are here aren’t soldiers, they’re just civilians
who want to defend their country – 50% of them have never held a weapon until
today.”
Lithuania has told the Russian region of
Kaliningrad it will block the import and export of a large number of goods by
rail because of western sanctions, the regional governor said on Friday. The
region is home to the Russian Baltic fleet and a deployment location for
nuclear-capable Iskander missiles. Governor Anton Alikhanov said the clampdown
was “a most serious violation” to free transit and would affect 40-50% of the
products imported to and exported from Russia through Lithuania.
Ukraine received a $733m loan from Canada. In a
statement released on Friday, Ukraine’s finance ministry said the funds, which
were “raised in accordance with the loan agreement between Ukraine and Canada”,
would be “directed to the state budget to finance priority expenditures – in
particular, to ensure priority social and humanitarian expenditures”.
The Biden administration’s plan to sell four
large, armable drones to Ukraine has been paused over the fear its
sophisticated surveillance equipment might fall into enemy hands, Reuters
reported, citing two people familiar with the matter. The objection to the
export of the drones arose due to concerns the radar and surveillance equipment
on the drones could create a security risk for the US if it fell into Russian
hands.
Russian media has supposedly shown images of two
US citizens captured in Ukraine. On Friday, the Izvestia newspaper showed
footage of what it said was an interview with Andy Huynh, 27. The Russian
channel RT also posted a photo of a man it identified as Alexander Drueke, 39.
Drueke’s mother, Lois Drueke, told the Guardian she believed the clip was
authentic and it gave her “great hope”.
US Republican senators on Friday asked TikTok
chief executive Shou Zi Chew about reports the social media site had allowed
Russian state-approved media content but barred other videos. The senators said
they were “deeply concerned” that TikTok “is enabling the spread of pro-war
propaganda to the Russian public”. TikTok said in a statement the company was
looking forward to continuing to engage with members on these issues and answer
their questions.
A group of international investigators and
experts have visited war-torn areas near Kyiv, including a burnt-out school, as
part of Ukraine’s ongoing investigation into alleged war crimes. One expert
told Reuters: “The scale of these crimes, the systematic nature of them, it
very clearly appears to be crimes against humanity … It runs the whole gamut of
violations of international humanitarian law.”
Viktoria Apanasenko, a civic volunteer from
Chernihiv, Ukraine, has been chosen to represent the country at the 2022 Miss
Universe pageant. “Victoria helps the capital Naíve [a Kyiv-based restaurant]
cook food for battalions of the armed forces and the elderly,” said a statement
by Ukraine’s Miss Universe organisation. “She and her friend are engaged in
addressing food, medicine and hygiene products for children, the elderly and
internally displaced people.”
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