Ukraine updates: Russia blocking Kherson flood aid, UN says

The United Nations has accused Russia of blocking humanitarian aid to Moscow-controlled areas of eastern Ukraine that have been devastated by the flood caused by the Kakhovka dam blast.

Thousands of people were forced to flee settlements downstream in the Kherson region, and the flood has also decimated farms and entire ecosystems.

"The government of the Russian Federation has so far declined our request to access the areas under its temporary military control," the UN humanitarian coordinator for Ukraine, Denise Brown, said in a statement.

"The UN will continue to do all it can to reach all people — including those suffering as a result of the recent dam destruction — who urgently need life-saving assistance, no matter where they are," Brown added.

"We urge the Russian authorities to act in accordance with their obligations under international humanitarian law."

The humanitarian impact has been severe on both sides of the Dnieper River.

The Kremlin said on Monday that Russia's decision to decline UN help in flooded areas of Russian-held Ukraine was motivated by security concerns and "other nuances."

Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said 17 people had died from the dam blast in territory held by the Ukrainian government, with another 31 people still missing.

He said nearly 900 homes remained under water and more than 3,600 people had been evacuated.

Meanwhile, the head of the Russian-installed administration that controls part of Kherson, Andrei Alekseyenko, said the death toll had risen to 29 people.

Ukraine and Russia have blamed each other for the blast. A team of international experts said on Friday it was "highly likely" the destruction of the dam was caused by explosives planted by Russians.

Here are some of the other developments concerning Russia's war in Ukraine on Monday, June 19:

Ukraine says Hungary barring access to returned POWs

Ukraine accused Hungary of barring access to 11 Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) that Russia handed over to the EU country. 

"All attempts by Ukrainian diplomats over the past few days to establish direct contact with Ukrainian citizens have not been successful," Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko said in a statement on Facebook.  "Essentially they are being kept in isolation," he said.

They communicate with relatives in the presence of third parties and are denied contact with the Ukrainian embassy, Nikolenko added. He accused Hungary of "ignoring" Kyiv's attempts to establish dialogue.

The Russian Orthodox Church said earlier this month a group of Ukrainian prisoners of war who are of Hungarian origin had been transferred from Russia to Budapest. The prisoners are from Zakarpattia — a region in western Ukraine bordering Hungary, where around 100,000 ethnic Hungarians live.

UK to keep Russia assets frozen until Ukraine is compensated

Britain introduced legislation that will allow it to keep sanctions against Russia in place until Moscow pays compensation to Ukraine, and announced a new route for frozen assets to be donated to Ukraine's reconstruction.

The new legislation would allow the British government to maintain current sanctions by amending the purposes of its Russia sanctions. The legislation will state that sanctions can be used for promoting the payment of compensation by Russia.

"As Ukraine continues to defend itself against Russia’s invasion, the terrible impacts of Putin’s war are clear. Ukraine’s reconstruction needs are — and will be — immense," British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said.

"Through our new measures today, we’re strengthening the UK’s sanctions approach, affirming that the UK is prepared to use sanctions to ensure Russia pays to repair the country it has so recklessly attacked," he added.

The British government also said that sanctioned Russians who say they support Ukraine, will now have a new way to donate their frozen funds for Ukrainian reconstruction.

"This will be a voluntary process whereby sanctioned individuals may apply for funds to be released for the express purpose of supporting Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction," the government said in a statement.

Since the war in Ukraine started last year, Britain has frozen more than 18 billion pounds (€21 billion; $23 billion) in assets and sanctioned over 1,550 Russian individuals including Roman Abramovich, former owner of Chelsea Football Club.

Blinken says China promised not to send lethal arms to Russia

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in Beijing that China renewed promises not to send arms to Russia to fight in Ukraine, although he voiced concern at the actions of private Chinese firms.

"We — and other countries — have received assurances from China that it is not and will not provide lethal assistance to Russia for use in Ukraine," Blinken told reporters after two days of talks.

Blinken also said he asked the Chinese government to be very vigilant on the possibility that Chinese firms may be providing Russia with technology that it can use in its war in Ukraine.

According to Blinken, China had offered the assurances on Russia in "recent weeks" and not exclusively during his visit.

No formal invitation for Ukraine in Vilnius — Stoltenberg

At the press conference in Berlin, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg confirmed that the NATO summit would not result in a formal invitation for Ukraine to join the transatlantic military alliance. 

"At the Vilnius summit and in the preparations for the summit, we are not discussing to issue a formal invitation," he told reporters after meeting German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. He added, however, that leaders would talk about how to move Ukraine closer to NATO.

At the same time, Stoltenberg warned against accepting a frozen conflict in Ukraine in return for an end to the war. "We all want this war to end, but a just peace cannot mean freezing the conflict and accepting a deal dictated by Russia," he said.

Meanwhile, Scholz said that Germany is prepared for the possibility that the war in Ukraine could still last for some time. "We are preparing for that and adjusting our policies based on that," he said, adding that Germany would continue to support Ukraine for as long as necessary.

Russia likely relocating Dnipro troops, says UK

The UK's Ministry of Defence said Monday that over the last 10 days, Russia has "highly likely" started relocating some of its Dnipro Group of Forces (DGF) from the eastern bank of the Dnieper River to reinforce the Zaporizhzhia and Bakhmut sectors.

"The DGF redeployment likely reflects Russia's perception that a major Ukrainian attack across the river is now less likely following the collapse of Kakhovka Dam and the resulting flooding," the ministry said in an update on Twitter.

 

Ukraine says Piatykhatky among 8 settlements liberated in past 2 weeks

Ukrainian forces have "liberated" eight settlements in the past two weeks, including the village of Piatykhatky in southern Ukraine, Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said on Monday.

A Russian-installed official said Ukraine had recaptured Piatykhatky and that troops were entrenching themselves while coming under fire from Moscow artillery.

Ukrainian soldiers held up yellow-and-blue national flags in a video circulated on social media, in which they said they were inside Piatykhatky. 

The claims could not be independently verified.

Several injured from strikes on Russia border regions, say local governors

Strikes from Ukraine hit residential buildings in two Russian border regions early on Monday, hospitalizing seven people, regional governors said.

"The Valuisk municipal district is under attack from from Ukrainian forces. According to preliminary information, seven people were wounded, among them a child," Belgorod Region Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov wrote on Telegram.

Meanwhile, strikes on the Kursk border region hit two villages, damaging several vehicles and causing power outages, but no casualties were reported, Governor Roman Starovoit said.

"Ukrainian forces hit the Tyotkino and Popovo-Lezhachi villages this morning," Starovoit posted on Telegram.

Attacks on Russian regions bordering Ukraine have increased over the past several weeks, as Kyiv's forces wage a counteroffensive to recapture land seized by Russian troops.

Ukraine claims progress in Avdiivka

Ukrainian troops have gained ground near the front-line city of Avdiivka, according to Kyiv.

"The Avdiivka sector is very effective in repelling assaults," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his nightly address.

The head of the military administration in Avdiivka also told national television that Ukrainian forces had advanced about one kilometer (two-thirds of a mile) around the town over the past two weeks.

Zelenskyy: Russia should prepare citizens for defeat

Russia should prepare its citizens for the prospect of losing more occupied Ukrainian territory, Zelenskyy said in his nightly address on Sunday.

He said that "there is no alternative and there will be none" to Russian troops withdrawing from Ukraine's borders.

Zelenskyy said Ukrainian troops were gradually liberating settlements and that Ukraine is expecting its Western allies to pledge more military assistance in the coming week.

More DW coverage on Russia's war in Ukraine

An unprecedented African peace mission to Ukraine and Russia leaves observers in the region wondering about the timing. DW looks at the prospects for achieving peace and for securing world grain supplies.

dh, jsi, zc/rs, nm, wd (AP, AFP, Reuters, dpa)