Russia attacked hard, Severodonetsk was split in two

“The situation is very difficult, the Russians have control of 70 percent of the city, but in the last two days they have been pushed back. Severodonetsk is now divided in two,” Gaidai told Reuters news agency.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine today (June 5) also said that Russian forces are focus attack to encircle the Ukrainian army in Severodonetsk and the neighboring city of Lysychanksk and block the main supply routes.

According to Gaidai, the Russians are trying to launch an attack in the Nyrkove-Mykolaivka direction from a location about 40km southwest of Severodonetks.

In addition, Russian forces shelled the Azot chemical plant complex, damaging one of the buildings. Last week, Russian troops hit a nitric acid tank at the factory, shelling an administrative building and a warehouse there.

Russian President warns of stronger attack

Russian President Vladimir Putin warned the West that Russia would strike new targets if the United States provided Ukraine with longer-range missiles.

“If such missiles are provided, Russia will hit targets that have never been hit before,” Putin said in an interview on state television channel Rossiya-1. Putin did not specify the targets Russia intends to strike when the West begins to supply Ukraine with longer-range missiles.

US President Joe Biden this week announced plans to supply Ukraine with the HIMARS missile system after receiving assurances from Ukraine that it would not use it to attack targets inside Russia.

Russian cruise missiles threaten Ukraine’s nuclear plant

The operator of Ukraine’s Energoatom nuclear power plant said today that Russia launched an ultra-low-flying cruise missile above the plant.

The operator alleges that Russia continues to threaten the nuclear safety of Ukraine’s nuclear power plants and threatens the world with a new nuclear disaster. Energoatom said in a statement: “At 5:30 am on June 5, a Russian cruise missile, similar to the Caliber missile, flew very low, above the nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine. Perhaps this missile was launched. towards Kiev, where there were several explosions this morning.”

Energoatom believes the Russians still don’t understand that even the smallest fragment of a missile, if hit by a working generating unit of the plant, can cause a nuclear disaster and cause a radioactive leak.

Also today, the military government of the Kiev region said that Ukrainian air defense systems shot down a Russian missile above the Obukhiv area, south of the capital Kiev. “According to preliminary information, the incident did not cause damage or casualties.”

Spain supplies missiles to Ukraine

The Spanish newspaper El Pais quoted Spanish government sources as saying that the country would provide Ukraine with anti-aircraft missiles and Leopard battle tanks. Spain will also train Ukrainian soldiers on how to use tanks in Latvia, where the Spanish army is deploying 500 troops as part of NATO’s Raise Presence operation. The second phase of the training will take place in Spain.

According to El Pais, the Spanish Ministry of Defense is completing the delivery to Kiev of low-altitude Shorad Aspide anti-aircraft missiles. So far, Spain has provided ammunition, personal protective equipment and light weapons to Ukraine.

Sources told El Pais that the offer of increased assistance was raised when Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez visited Ukraine and met with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on April 21, but was delayed due to a number of complications.

Le Phan