WAR IN UKRAINE: June 26, 2022
The missile strike on a residential building in Kyiv has killed one person and injured five more, according to the head of Ukraine’s national police. A seven-year-old child was among those taken to hospital.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS: Day 126
Russian missiles hit Kyiv. Civilian infrastructure hit. At least one dead, 5 wounded. The attack happened just as the G7 summit of wealthy nations gets underway in Germany. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko reports that there are people trapped under rubble of a nine-story Kyiv building that was hit. It goes to show that not one inch of Ukraine can be considered safe until the country has the ability to protect its own skies. On Saturday, for the first time, Russian bombers launched strikes from Belarus.
Describing Russian troops as "barbarians", Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko says the "enemy wants to intimidate us..Stay alert, follow the basic rules which may help save lives," he urges city residents - BBC
G7 aims to hurt Russia with price cap on oil exports. Leaders meeting in Bavaria seek to curb profits from sales not already prohibited by sanctions - Financial Times
Zelensky says current sanctions against Russia are not enough, after 45 rockets hit Ukraine. Military help for Ukraine and sanctions against Russia are evidently not enough to stop Russia’s aggression, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an address on June 25. Ukraine needs more modern air defense systems, he added - Kyiv Independent. Zelensky said the war had entered a "morally and emotionally difficult stage"
An international flotilla effort to escort Ukrainian grain out of Odesa and onto international markets should be considered, says the Council on Foreign Relations’ Richard Haas. Speaking on CNN’s GPS, he said a previous precedent was the flotillas of Kuwaiti ships in the context of the Iran-Iraq war. The effort could be led by the US and NATO, however others relevant states such as Turkey and Egypt would need to be involved so as to avoid the appearance of a U.S./NATO effort
On Saturday Russia took full control of Severodonetsk - the key eastern city that's been the scene of weeks of heavy fighting
Israel suspends visa free travel for Ukrainians. In response to Israel's decision, the Ambassador of Ukraine to Israel Ukraine may also suspend visa-free travel for citizens of this country. This is Israeli know-how: not a single country in the world thought of introducing visas for Ukrainians after February 24," Korneichuk said, adding that Israel maintains visa-free for Russians. Now the abolition of the visa-free regime will be imperceptible, but by Rosh Hashanah the Israeli government will feel it, the Ukrainian ambassador reportedly said.
China’s growing appetite for discounted Russian oil has made it the leading financier of the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine by giving Moscow a reliable revenue source that blunts the impact of tough Western sanctions against its economy. Four months after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, China has overtaken Germany as the biggest single buyer of Russian energy - RFE/RL