Fighting until noon 8.6: Non-stop fighting in Severodonetsk, Melitopol is about to hold a referendum

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced on June 6 that the country’s military and Russian Railways had restored 1,200 km of railways and opened roads connecting Russia, the Donbass region of eastern Ukraine and the Crimean peninsula. according to CNN.

This land corridor will help civilians and goods move between regions. The Ukrainian side has not commented on this information.

Ukrainian forces fire rockets towards Russia in the Donbass region on June 6 AFP

In the east, Ukrainian forces are having a hard time maintaining their position amid street-by-street fighting in Severodonetsk. Luhansk Governor Serhiy Haidai said Russian forces had bombarded Ukrainian positions with artillery, air strikes and infantry on the streets.

After Ukraine’s counter-offensive over the weekend, Russian troops are trying to regain their footing to push Ukrainian forces out of their last stronghold in Luhansk.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on June 6 that he had control of 97% of Luhansk and was advancing from Popasna, 30 kilometers south of Severodonetsk.

See more: Russia says it controls 97% of Luhansk province, via land corridor to Crimea

Preparing for the referendum in Melitopol

Deputy Chief of Staff of the Russian President Sergey Kiriyenko on June 6 arrived in the city of Melitopol in the Zaporizhzhia province of Ukraine. The city is one of the Russian-controlled regions of Zaporizhzhia. Pro-Russian figure Galina Danilchenko declared herself mayor of Melitopol, according to CNN.

Ms. Danilchenko announced Mr. Kiriyenko’s visit and said the city was preparing for a referendum on its future. “The city is very grateful for the help and support of the Russian Federation that we are receiving to build a life. We know that our future rests on unification with Russia. The Russian Federation will be here forever,” Danilchenko said.

Russia returns body of Ukrainian soldier

The General Intelligence Service of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine announced that it had received back 210 bodies of servicemen killed in Mariupol, most of them at the Azovstal steel plant. According to TASS, the first body exchange was carried out between the separatists in Donetsk and the Kyiv government on May 7.

Smoke rises from the Azovstal factory in Mariupol on May 11, Reuters

Ukraine is trying to bring back all the soldiers’ bodies, in addition to 2,500 prisoners believed to be held by Russia or the separatists, but Russian parliamentarians have demanded that some soldiers be tried.

Meanwhile, more than 1,000 Ukrainian soldiers who surrendered in Mariupol have been brought back to Russia for investigation, TASS cited law enforcement sources as saying.

Ukraine has more financial resources

World Bank (WB) announced that it has approved an additional $ 1.49 billion to help Ukraine pay the salaries of government and social workers, according to AFP. This support round is part of a financial support package worth more than $4 billion that the WB is mobilizing. Many countries have come forward to guarantee support such as the UK, the Netherlands, Lithuania, Latvia…

Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the government of Ukraine needs up to 7 billion USD in aid per month to continue operating.

Russian aircraft carrier rescheduled operation

Russia’s only aircraft carrier, the Admiral Kuznetsov, experienced further problems during repairs, and the return date has been pushed back to 2024.

TASS on June 8 quoted a source as saying that damage had been detected during the repair of the Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov and the ship would stay in dock longer than originally planned.

See more: Russia will not have an operational aircraft carrier until 2024