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Deadly Attacks Intensify Between Russia and Ukraine, Russia Blames U.S. for Crimea Missile Strike

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In a tragic escalation of the ongoing conflict, Russian authorities reported six deaths and over 100 injuries from Ukrainian drone and missile attacks on Sunday. Simultaneously, Russia’s aerial bombardment of Kharkiv in northeastern Ukraine resulted in at least one death and multiple injuries.

Among the casualties in Russia were five individuals, including two children, who were struck by debris from Ukrainian missiles shot down over Sevastopol, a port city in Russia-annexed Crimea. Mikhail Razvozhayev, Sevastopol’s Moscow-installed governor, confirmed these fatalities. Additionally, one person was killed in Grayvoron city in Russia’s Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine, according to regional Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov.

The Health Ministry, via Russian state news agency RIA Novosti, reported that 124 people were wounded in Sevastopol. The falling rocket fragments triggered a forest fire covering over 150 square meters and ignited a residential building. A fifth missile also exploded over the city, causing further panic and damage.

In response, Russia’s Defense Ministry placed blame on both Ukraine and the United States for the missile strikes, asserting that U.S.-supplied ATACMS missiles were utilized in the Ukrainian assault. As a result of the devastation, Razvozhayev declared Monday a day of mourning in Sevastopol, leading to the cancellation of public events.

The Russian Ministry of Defense also reported that air defenses had intercepted 33 Ukrainian drones over Russia’s western Bryansk, Smolensk, Lipetsk, and Tula regions overnight. Fortunately, these incidents did not result in casualties or damage.

Meanwhile, Kharkiv faced renewed attacks from Russia, resulting in the death of at least one person and injuries to 11 others on Sunday. Mayor Ihor Terekhov indicated that the city was targeted by a guided bomb, leaving about half of Kharkiv without electricity due to the strike. This assault followed a Saturday attack where Russia dropped four aerial bombs on Kharkiv, hitting a five-story residential building and killing three people. Regional Governor Oleh Syniehubov noted that 41 people were still receiving treatment for their injuries as of Sunday.

Putin ‘Stashing Years of Food in Secret Nuclear Bunker’

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Food to feed up to 300 people ‘for several years’ has allegedly been sent to the bunker in the remote Altai Mountains.

The chilling claim comes amid deep tension between Russia and the West over Ukraine, as Putin on Friday warned that NATO leaders are pushing him ‘to the point of no return’ over a nuclear Third World War.

A source – who claims to be involved in loading the food – told Pozdnyakov Telegram channel that ‘boxes with dry rations, cereals, and canned food’ are being shifted on a gargantuan scale to the remote Siberian location.

Nearby is a Putin escape named Altai Yard where earlier reports indicate the Kremlin dictator constructed a giant underground nuclear bunker.

Of the food, the source was quoted as saying: ‘I have never seen anything like it – imported, expensive, not ours [Russian]. The products are brought to a warehouse in the mountainous region, and then a presumed Putin security team takes charge. (Read more from “Putin ‘Stashing Years of Food in Secret Nuclear Bunker’” HERE)

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Zelensky, Western Leaders Reject Putin Ceasefire Proposals at Swiss Summit

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Western leaders rejected Vladimir Putin’s framework for a ceasefire while backing Ukraine’s demands that Russia return all occupied territories as the basis for any potential peace agreement.

The “first annual Global Peace Summit” held in the luxury Swiss resort of Burgenstock, which did not include any representatives from Moscow, concluded with the status quo essentially remaining the same, with Ukraine continuing to demand that Russia cede territory in the East and Crimea as a prerequisite for actual peace talks to begin, a likely non-starter for Vladimir Putin.

Following the conclusion of the meeting, which saw around 100 delegates from 92 countries and eight international organisations attend, President Zelensky claimed that all participants agreed that Ukraine’s “territorial integrity” must be kept intact, Ukrinform reports.

Despite Ukraine failing to recapture the occupied regions in the Donbas during last year’s counteroffensive, Zelenksy’s chief-of-staff Andriy Yermak said that there would be “no compromise on independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity” in any peace negotiations with Russia.

Before the summit, Vladimir Putin said that Russia would be willing to agree to a ceasefire and potential peace with Ukraine if Kyiv withdraws its troops from the mostly ethnically Russian territories, which Moscow now claims sovereignty over, citing the internationally contested referenda held in the regions to join Russia. (Read more from “Zelensky, Western Leaders Reject Putin Ceasefire Proposals at Swiss Summit” HERE)

Biden and Zelensky Seal 10-Year Bilateral Security Pact

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U.S. President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a 10-year bilateral security agreement on Thursday, marking a significant step in the U.S.-Ukraine alliance. The agreement, celebrated by Kyiv as “historic,” envisions extensive U.S. military and training aid to Ukraine but stops short of obligating the U.S. to deploy troops in combat alongside Ukrainian forces.

According to the White House, the pact will enhance Ukraine’s defense and deterrence capabilities, bolster its defense industrial base, and support its economic recovery and energy security. In the event of a future Russian armed attack, the deal mandates high-level consultations to determine necessary measures to support Ukraine and impose costs on Russia.

The G7, alongside the European Union, has frozen approximately $325 billion worth of Russian assets since the 2022 invasion. These assets generate about $3 billion annually in interest, which will be used to pay off the interest on a $50 billion loan for Ukraine. This funding, expected to arrive by the end of the year, aims to support Ukraine’s war effort and economic stability.

Speaking at a joint press conference in Puglia, southern Italy, Biden emphasized the unwavering U.S. commitment to Ukraine, stating, “Putin cannot wait us out, he cannot divide us, and we’ll be with Ukraine until they prevail in this war.”

President Zelensky expressed gratitude for the continued support from the U.S. and European allies. He highlighted the significance of the new security agreement, calling it “the strongest agreement within Ukraine and the U.S. since our independence [in 1991].”

The security pact underscores the enduring partnership between the U.S. and Ukraine, aiming to fortify Ukraine’s defense infrastructure and ensure sustained support in the face of ongoing Russian aggression.

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Slovak Defense Minister Says Sending Fighter Jets to Ukraine Was ‘Treason,’ Files Criminal Complaint

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Slovakia’s defense minister has accused his predecessor of “treason” for sending fighter jets to Ukraine, and announced on June 12 he had filed a criminal complaint regarding the matter.

“Weakening the armed forces in this way, contrary to the constitution, cannot be described in our political dictionary as anything other than treason,” Robert Kalinak said in comments reported by the Czech news outlet iROZHLAS.

“I don’t know if it legally constitutes a crime, but he is a person who betrayed national values.”

Kalinak was taking aim at his predecessor, Jaroslav Nagy, who while serving as defense minister from March 2020 and May 2023, sent Ukraine several MiG-29 fighter jets to help the country fend off Russia’s full-scale invasion.

At the time, Nagy said the Soviet-era fighter jets were “unusable” for his country and therefore it was “the right thing” to provide them to Ukraine. (Read more from “Slovak Defense Minister Says Sending Fighter Jets to Ukraine Was ‘Treason,’ Files Criminal Complaint” HERE)

Mike Johnson Backs Allowing Ukraine to Strike Russia With U.S.-Provided Weapons

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Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) on Wednesday appeared to back allowing Ukraine to use American-provided weapons to strike Russia or Russian-controlled territory.

One reporter asked Johnson about a House Intelligence Committee letter calling on the Biden administration to allow Ukraine to strike Russia with American-supplied weapons.

The letter stipulates that this would allow Ukraine to strike “Russian-controlled territory” as well as Russian territory and represents a significant escalation in America’s seemingly endless proxy war against Russia.

When asked about the letter and if Ukraine should be allowed to strike Russia with American-provided weapons, he said, “I think we need to allow Ukraine to prosecute the war the way they see fit. They need to be able to fight back. And I think us trying to micromanage the effort there – it’s not a good policy for us.” . . .

Johnson has pushed, and passed, the Rebuilding Economic Prosperity and Opportunity for Ukrainians Act (REPO Act), which Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) has said would hamstring a future Donald Trump presidency and potentially drive allies toward competing financial systems that Russia and China control. (Read more from “Mike Johnson Backs Allowing Ukraine to Strike Russia With U.S.-Provided Weapons” HERE)

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Germany Deports 7 Ukrainian Soldiers for Wearing Nazi Symbols

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Germany deported seven Ukrainian soldiers who were training in the country on Thursday over their use of Nazi symbols, Kommersant reported. According to the report, the training of the Ukrainian soldiers was immediately halted after some were found to be wearing Nazi symbols.

German authorities announced that all Ukrainian military personnel arriving for training in Germany will now be explicitly instructed that it is prohibited to display Nazi symbols.

The use of Nazi symbols is banned in both Germany and Russia. Russia has condemned Western support for Ukraine, including the training of its soldiers. (Read more from “Germany Deports 7 Ukrainian Soldiers for Wearing Nazi Symbols” HERE)

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Report: Biden Withholding Weapons From Israel; Dems Impeached Trump Over Ukraine Aid

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A new report appears to confirm earlier claims that the Biden administration has been withholding arms from Israel in an attempt to send a message of disapproval about Israel’s policy of entering Rafah to finish off Hamas terrorists.

Breitbart News reported earlier in the week about claims in other publications that the U.S. had been withholding aid. Israel denied any delay, but the White House gave a noncommittal reply to reporters’ questions in a briefing Monday.

Politico reported Tuesday that the claims appear to have been correct, and referred to specific “smart” bombs:

The Biden administration is holding up shipments of two types of Boeing-made precision bombs to send a political message to Israel, according to a U.S. official and six other people with knowledge of the deliberations.

The U.S. has yet to sign off on a pending sale of Boeing’s Joint Direct Attack Munitions — both the munitions and kits that convert them to smart weapons — and Small Diameter Bombs, according to six industry and congressional sources with knowledge of the discussions.

…

The munitions were ready to be shipped to Israel when word of the hold came down, said one senior congressional aide and two other people familiar with the incident. A third person, an industry official, said the administration told Boeing to halt the shipment since the approval was held up for “political reasons,” and not because of supply chain strain.

(Read more from “Report: Biden Withholding Weapons From Israel; Dems Impeached Trump Over Ukraine Aid” HERE)

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The US Spent So Much Time Fighting Insurgents That It Forgot ‘What It Means to Actually Fight a War,’ a US Vet in Ukraine Says

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An American veteran who fought in Ukraine said the US military spent so long focused on fighting insurgents that it forgot “what it means to actually fight a war.”

“We have neglected a lot of the training” on “how to fight and survive in a peer-on-peer adversary war,” the veteran, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told Business Insider.

He said that “in the US military, we mostly have been focusing on a guerilla war” and battling insurgents, with places with Iraq and Afghanistan in mind. The US military invested decades, billions of dollars, and thousands of lives into fights in these places.

The former soldier spoke about how his training with the US military a number of years ago compared to what he saw in Ukraine, where he started fighting when Russia’s full-scale invasion began in February 2022 and left last December. . .

In the US military, he explained, “I believe that a lot of the training that we have is tailored more to fighting in a guerilla warfare nowadays than it is to actually fighting a near-peer adversary like it would be with Russia or China.” He said that it is an issue that many NATO members face. (Read more from “The US Spent So Much Time Fighting Insurgents That It Forgot ‘What It Means to Actually Fight a War,’ a US Vet in Ukraine Says” HERE)

Impeachment ‘Whistleblower’ Knew of Biden-Ukraine Corruption Trump Wanted Probed

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The “whistleblower” who sparked Donald Trump’s first impeachment was deeply involved in the political maneuverings behind Biden-family business schemes in Ukraine that Trump wanted probed, newly obtained emails from former Vice President Joe Biden’s office reveal.

In 2019, then-National Intelligence Council analyst Eric Ciaramella touched off a political firestorm when he anonymously accused Trump of linking military aid for Ukraine to a demand for an investigation into alleged Biden corruption in that country.

But four years earlier, while working as a national security analyst attached to then-Vice President Joe Biden’s office, Ciaramella was a close adviser when Biden threatened to cut off U.S. aid to Ukraine unless it fired its top prosecutor, Viktor Shokin, who was investigating Ukraine-based Burisma Holdings. At the time, the corruption-riddled energy giant was paying Biden’s son Hunter millions of dollars.

Those payments — along with other evidence tying Joe Biden to his family’s business dealings — received little attention in 2019 as Ciaramella accused Trump of a corrupt quid pro quo. Neither did subsequent evidence indicating that Hunter Biden’s associates had identified Shokin as a “key target.” These matters are now part of the House impeachment inquiry into President Biden.

“It now seems there was material evidence that would have been used at the impeachment trial [to exonerate Trump],” said George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley, who has testified as an expert witness in the ongoing Biden impeachment inquiry. “Trump was alleging there was a conflict of interest with the Bidens, and the evidence could have challenged Biden’s account and established his son’s interest in the Shokin firing.” (Read more from “Impeachment ‘Whistleblower’ Knew of Biden-Ukraine Corruption Trump Wanted Probed” HERE)

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr