Ukraine War on 99: The US ‘secured’ many yachts related to Putin

In addition to the moves related to the US and EU’s efforts to punish Russia, the Ukrainian leader’s statement is also notable information on the 99th day of hostilities.

Ukraine lost control of 20% of its territory

In his video address to the Luxembourg parliament on June 2, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the area of ​​​​the country’s territory controlled by Russia is equivalent to the area of ​​a country like the Netherlands, according to The New York Times.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky afp

However, he did not specify how many regions fell into Russian hands after February 24, when Moscow launched the operation military in Ukraine. In 2014, Moscow annexed the southern region of Crimea, while Russian-backed separatists took over parts of the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine.

“If you look at the entire front line, and of course it’s not straight, the road is more than 1,000 kilometers long,” Zelensky said. “Just imagine! Fighting continuously, stretching along the front line for more than 1,000 km”.

Zelensky also said that the Russian army captured a total of 3,620 residential areas, including cities, towns and villages, but Ukraine “liberated” 1,017 such areas. About 14,000 Ukrainian civilians and military personnel were killed in the conflict, according to the leader.

The United Nations last week estimated that around 4,000 civilians have been killed in Ukraine.

Russia has not released casualty figures since late March, when it said the number of soldiers killed on their side was 1,351. But Zelensky said Ukrainian officials believe at least 30,000 Russian soldiers were killed.

The US announced new sanctions, related to Putin

The White House on June 2 announced a new set of sanctions against Russia over the conflict in Ukraine, with the goal of including a number of yachts linked to Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putina steel magnate, and a cellist who the US says mediates for the Russian leader.

Putin stands on a yacht in Finland in 2019 afp

According to Reuters, the US Treasury Department has identified two yachts, one named “Graceful” with the Russian flag and the other “Olympia” with the flag of the Cayman Islands, as properties with which Mr. The Russian president has been on these yachts several times, including one in the Black Sea with Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko last year. The US also blacklisted two other yachts, Shellest and Nega, saying Mr Putin had used them and that they were owned by a sanctioned Russian company.

The United States also sanctioned cellist Sergei Roldugin, who has been sanctioned by the European Union for his links to Putin, accusing him of being “part of an offshore wealth management system.” of the Russian leader. In 2016, Putin defended Roldugin after the artist was named in the “Panama Papers”.

The US State Department also imposed sanctions on five Russian oligarchs and members of the country’s elite, including Alexey Mordashov, one of Russia’s richest men. Mr. Mordashov owns companies such as Severstal, a major Russian steel producer, and Nord Gold, a gold mining company.

EU finalizes sixth sanctions against Russia

Also on June 2, EU diplomats finalized a technical agreement on a sweeping embargo on Russian oil and other measures in the region. friday punishment package of the bloc aimed at Moscow. Leaders of countries in the coalition agreed in principle to this package of sanctions earlier this week.

Patriarch Kirill afp

But before Hungary’s last-minute determination, Patriarch Kirill – the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, was removed from the sanctions list. A spokesman for Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán earlier said Hungary’s opposition to possible EU sanctions against Patriarch Kirill “has been known for a long time”.

On the same day, the Moldovan parliament passed a ban on the programs news of Russia to prevent Moscow’s propaganda activities in this pro-Western country. Moldova, which is trying to join the EU, is worried about the risk of fighting in Ukraine spilling over into the Moscow-backed breakaway region of Transnistria.