Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 117

As the Russia-Ukraine war enters its 117th day, we take a look at the main developments.

A soldier walks past a building destroyed by attacks in Chernihiv, Ukraine, Sunday, June 19, 2022. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
A soldier walks past a building destroyed by attacks in Chernihiv, Ukraine [File: Natacha Pisarenko/AP]

Here are the key events so far on Monday, June 20.

Get the latest updates here.

Fighting

  • Russia advances as its forces seize a village near Ukraine’s industrial city of Severodonetsk, a prime target in Moscow’s campaign to control Ukraine’s east, Russian state news agency TASS said. Luhansk’s Governor Serhiy Haidai told Ukrainian television Russian claims are a lie and “they control the main part of the town, not the whole town”.
  • Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he expects Russia to intensify attacks on Ukraine as Kyiv waits for the European Union’s decision to grant it candidacy status.
  • Russia’s air forces are underperforming in Ukraine, forcing Moscow to rely more than planned on exhausted ground troops and advanced cruise missiles that are running out, the UK’s defence ministry said.
  • Ukraine’s deputy prosecutor general says Kyiv launched 19 criminal proceedings against Russian soldiers for sexual violence against at least 14 women in the temporarily occupied territories.
    INTERACTIVE - WHO CONTROLS WHAT IN UKRAINE - DAY 117 - JUNE 20
    (Al Jazeera)

Diplomacy

  • European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen expressed confidence that Ukraine will be granted official candidate status ahead of a key EU summit in Brussels later this month.
  • Ukraine is not a suitable candidate for EU membership, the speaker of Russia’s parliament Viacheslav Volodin said, citing “total corruption, rampant crime, oligarchic power and a ruined economy”.
  • The UK must have a military capable of fighting in Europe and defeating Russia, the new head of the British army said.
  • NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the war in Ukraine “could take years” and the West must continue its support, Germany’s Bild am Sonntag newspaper reported.

Economy

  • Russia’s blockade of the export of millions of tonnes of Ukrainian grain is a war crime, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Monday in Luxembourg.
  • EU foreign ministers will discuss ways to free the grain stuck in Ukraine at a meeting in Luxembourg.
  • Russia promised to continue gas shipments to Hungary, Budapest’s foreign minister said.
  • Germany’s economy minister said the country will limit the use of natural gas for electricity production amid concerns about possible shortages caused by a cut in supplies from Russia.
Source: Al Jazeera and news agencies