NPR’s State of Ukraine – the day after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Ukraine’s sniper attack and alleged missile deportation
You can check the recaps here. For context and more in-depth stories, you can find more of NPR’s coverage here. Listen to NPR’s State of Ukraine for up to date information throughout the day.
Ukraine liberated about 10 square miles in the south and 3.5 square miles in the east from Russian forces over the past week, the Ukrainian deputy defense minister said. A military spokesman said Ukrainian snipers entered the town of Bakhmut.
A Russian missile hit a pizza restaurant in eastern Ukraine, killing at least 11 people, including three children, and injuring more than 50 people, Ukrainian officials said.
Ukrainian prosecutors charged three people for allegedly deporting orphans from Kherson. The war crime charges, against a Russian politician and two suspected Ukrainian collaborators, follow the launch of a broader International Criminal Court case into Russia’s removal of Ukrainian children.
The arrest of a top commander in Russia’s war on Ukraine set off widespread speculation about disloyalty within Moscow’s leadership.
One of several media assets belonging to Prigozhin that closed due to his attempt at a revolt, was the notorious online troll factory. The Internet Research Agency was accused of helping to interfere in US elections, as well as other information warfare around the world.
President Biden said that the U.S. and NATO were not involved in Russia’s attempted mutiny. CIA Director William Burns also spoke with his Russian counterpart to assure him the U.S. had no part in the events, The Wall Street Journal reported.
President Putin tried to restore calm and control after the rebellion by Wagner mercenary fighters he has relied on for conflicts in Ukraine and other countries. He thanked the security services and the military for stopping a civil war. Putin said some Russian pilots were killed. He didn’t mention the name of Yevgeny Prigozhin, who launched the armed march.
Source: https://www.npr.org/2023/07/03/1184501576/russia-ukraine-war-news
How Prigozhin’s Revolt and the Wagner Regime will be Wounded: Evan Gershkovich tells The Russian Ambassador to Russia
Family and friends of American reporter Evan Gershkovich are anxious for news of how he’s holding up in Russian jail after the U.S. ambassador to Russia was granted access to him on Monday following weeks of requests.
In a speech to the nation early last week, Mr. Putin said that Wagner fighters who did not participate in the coup attempt were free to sign a contract with the Russian military under the command of the Ministry of Defense. (Those who did participate could join Mr. Prigozhin in Belarusian exile.) The policy Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu attempted to put in place in early June that required mercenaries to sign a contract with the Russian military wasn’t the reason for Prigozhin’s attempt to organize a revolt.
If theWagner fighters decide to join the Russian military, it will not be easy for Moscow to integrate them. Wagner forces already have a well-deserved reputation for brutality, are alleged to have committed war crimes and crimes against humanity in several theaters and have been credibly accused of torture, kidnapping and executing civilians.