Wagner says it will suspend recruitment for a month in wake of armed rebellion
From CNN’s Mariya Knight
Yevgeny Prigozhin’s private military company the Wagner Group is suspending its recruitment efforts for one month as it moves operations to Belarus, a Telegram channel affiliated with Prigozhin said Sunday.
“Due to the temporary non-participation of Wagner PMC in a special military operation and moving to the Republic of Belarus, we are temporarily suspending the work of regional recruitment centers for PMC Wagner for a period of 1 month,” stated the Telegram channel, which is run by one of Wagner’s employees.
Remember: It was Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko who reportedly brokered a deal for Prigozhin and his forces' to exit Russia after Wagner's stunning, short-lived rebellion against the Kremlin last week.
Up to that point, Wagner had played a key role in Russia's war in Ukraine, especially in the embattled eastern town of Bakhmut. With the insurrection and Prigozhin's apparent severing of a long-held alliance with Russian President Vladimir Putin, questions swirl about the future for the mercenary chief and other Russian officials with ties to his group.
On Friday, Lukashenko invited Wagner mercenaries to train his military during a speech dedicated to Belarus Independence Day.
In previous speeches, Lukashenko said Wagner had been offered some abandoned land inside Belarus as needed.
3 hr 26 min ago
Russia has made some advances on the eastern front while heavy fighting rages in the south, Ukraine says
From CNN's Mariya Knight and Kostan Nechyporenko
Russian forces have gained some ground near the eastern Ukrainian town of Svatove, Ukraine's deputy defense minister said Sunday.
“Fierce fighting is taking place there. The enemy is attacking Bilohorivka and Serebrianka,” the defense official, Hanna Maliar, said in a Telegram post, referring to two smaller villages south of Svatove.
Why it matters: The eastern town, which is located in the Luhansk region, has long been regarded as a key target for Ukrainian forces. It is situated along key Russian supply routes, so any eventual recapture of the town would have important strategic implications for Ukraine.
Elsewhere in the east: Maliar said “heavy fighting” continues along the entire eastern front line, with Russia attacking in several directions. The cities of Avdiivka, Marinka and Lyman are among them, Maliar said, echoing a report from the Ukrainian military Saturday.
While Ukrainian fighters are moving forward along the southern flank in the Bakhmut area, having “partial success,” Maliar said Russia has moved two air assault regiments to the northern flank and the fighting continues.
On the southern front lines: Maliar reported gradual advances of Ukrainian troops in the south, in particular in areas surrounding the cities of Berdiansk and Melitopol in southeastern Ukraine.
Troops are engaged in ongoing, heavy fighting, she said. Ukrainian troops are facing intense enemy resistance in these areas, as Russia mines the routes remotely and redeploys forces, Maliar added.
The Ukrainian military's General Staff said troops engaged in direct combat with Russian forces more than 28 times over the last 24 hours. It also said Russia has launched 11 missile attacks and eight strikes with drones during that period.
CNN cannot independently verify battlefield reports from either side in the conflict.
1 hr 11 min ago
Zelensky says he's afraid to lose bipartisan support in the US
From CNN’s Mariya Knight and Maria Kostenko
Volodymyr Zelensky during a press conference on June 28, in Kyiv. Valentyna Polishchuk/Global Images Ukraine/Getty Images
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he's afraid to lose bipartisan support from the United States, following what he called "dangerous messages coming from some Republicans."
“Mike Pence has visited us, and he supports Ukraine. First of all, as an American, and then as a Republican,” Zelensky said in a news conference with Spanish media in Kyiv on Saturday. “We have bipartisan support. However, there are different messages in their circles regarding support for Ukraine. There are messages coming from some Republicans, sometimes dangerous messages, that there may be less support.”
Zelensky said that regardless of who wins the next US Presidential election, maintaining bipartisan support is "the most important thing for Ukraine."
During the same news conference, Zelensky was asked if he fears for his own life, to which he replied that he thinks "it is more dangerous for Putin" due to the Russian president's growing number of international adversaries.
Some background: The topic of whether the US should continue aiding Ukraine against Russia's invasion has created a rift among the Republican party.
GOP presidential candidates are split into two camps: Isolationists, particularly former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who believe the US is too involved in supporting Ukraine’s efforts to fend off the Russian invasion; and hawks, including several former Trump administration officials, who argue for an even more aggressive posture toward Russia. Both sides are warning that if their positions aren’t heeded, a world war could follow.
CNN's Eric Bradner contributed reporting.
3 hr 33 min ago
This is where Ukraine's military says some of the fiercest fighting is taking place
From CNN's Maria Kostenko and Radina Gigova
The most intense battles on the front line continue to be in areas within the cities of Bakhmut and Marinka in eastern Ukraine, the Ukrainian military said Saturday.
In Bakhmut, forces "continue to push the enemy on the northern and southern flanks," said Serhii Cherevatyi, spokesperson for the Eastern Grouping of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
The Russian military has conducted 415 recent artillery attacks and three air raids, he said. Troops engaged in active combat seven times during that period.
In the Marinka area — south of Bakhmut, near the city of Donetsk — Russian forces continue relentless attacks, according to Valerii Shershen, a military press center spokesperson.
"This is the hottest spot," he said. "There were 15 combat engagements in the last day, most of them took place in Mariinka."
The city, which is now in ruins, has been on the front lines since the beginning of the invasion, with fighting at close quarters among the rubble continuing almost daily.
Elsewhere on the eastern front: North of Bakhmut near the cities of Lyman and Kupyansk, Russia shelled Ukrainian positions 377 times, launched three assaults and conducted 12 air raids, Cherevatyi said.
"Russians are constantly shuffling personnel," he said. "Recently they have moved an airborne regiment from the Lyman sector to the north of Bakhmut, replacing it with territorial defense troops," he said. "The enemy is concentrating their best forces in the areas of our attack. Number one is Bakhmut right now."
The Ukrainian spokesperson claimed Kyiv's forces are taking dozens of Russian prisoners every week. CNN cannot independently verify claims on battlefield developments.
To the south of Bakhmut near the town of Vuhledar, Russian shelling has increased around frontline areas.
"They do not launch any offensive actions but increase shelling. The number of enemy infantry has increased as well," said Nazarii Kishak, commander of the machine gun unit with the 72nd Separate Mechanized Brigade.
And near Berdiansk, on the far southern end of the eastern front, "our troops continue to consolidate their positions at secured positions and carry out mine clearance. They are on high alert to continue the offensive," Shershen said.
The entire front line in the south of Zaporizhzhia region is mined, he said. Russian forces have been "mining both manually and remotely, as well as with MLRS (multiple launch rocket systems)," he said.
Russia has made some gains around a strategic town on the eastern front, while heavy fighting rages in the south, a Ukrainian official said.
Russian forces used Iran-made drones in strikes early Sunday on Ukraine's capital, officials said. Kyiv's air defenses destroyed all the drones, according to city leaders, but multiple homes were damaged.
Disaffection with the war in Ukraine has provided the CIA with a "once-in-a-generation opportunity" to recruit Russians, the agency's director said.
Yevgeny Prigozhin’s private military company the Wagner Group is suspending its recruitment efforts for one month as it moves operations to Belarus, a Telegram channel affiliated with Prigozhin said Sunday.
“Due to the temporary non-participation of Wagner PMC in a special military operation and moving to the Republic of Belarus, we are temporarily suspending the work of regional recruitment centers for PMC Wagner for a period of 1 month,” stated the Telegram channel, which is run by one of Wagner’s employees.
Remember: It was Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko who reportedly brokered a deal for Prigozhin and his forces' to exit Russia after Wagner's stunning, short-lived rebellion against the Kremlin last week.
Up to that point, Wagner had played a key role in Russia's war in Ukraine, especially in the embattled eastern town of Bakhmut. With the insurrection and Prigozhin's apparent severing of a long-held alliance with Russian President Vladimir Putin, questions swirl about the future for the mercenary chief and other Russian officials with ties to his group.
On Friday, Lukashenko invited Wagner mercenaries to train his military during a speech dedicated to Belarus Independence Day.
In previous speeches, Lukashenko said Wagner had been offered some abandoned land inside Belarus as needed.
Russian forces have gained some ground near the eastern Ukrainian town of Svatove, Ukraine's deputy defense minister said Sunday.
“Fierce fighting is taking place there. The enemy is attacking Bilohorivka and Serebrianka,” the defense official, Hanna Maliar, said in a Telegram post, referring to two smaller villages south of Svatove.
Why it matters: The eastern town, which is located in the Luhansk region, has long been regarded as a key target for Ukrainian forces. It is situated along key Russian supply routes, so any eventual recapture of the town would have important strategic implications for Ukraine.
Elsewhere in the east: Maliar said “heavy fighting” continues along the entire eastern front line, with Russia attacking in several directions. The cities of Avdiivka, Marinka and Lyman are among them, Maliar said, echoing a report from the Ukrainian military Saturday.
While Ukrainian fighters are moving forward along the southern flank in the Bakhmut area, having “partial success,” Maliar said Russia has moved two air assault regiments to the northern flank and the fighting continues.
On the southern front lines: Maliar reported gradual advances of Ukrainian troops in the south, in particular in areas surrounding the cities of Berdiansk and Melitopol in southeastern Ukraine.
Troops are engaged in ongoing, heavy fighting, she said. Ukrainian troops are facing intense enemy resistance in these areas, as Russia mines the routes remotely and redeploys forces, Maliar added.
The Ukrainian military's General Staff said troops engaged in direct combat with Russian forces more than 28 times over the last 24 hours. It also said Russia has launched 11 missile attacks and eight strikes with drones during that period.
CNN cannot independently verify battlefield reports from either side in the conflict.
Volodymyr Zelensky during a press conference on June 28, in Kyiv. Valentyna Polishchuk/Global Images Ukraine/Getty Images
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he's afraid to lose bipartisan support from the United States, following what he called "dangerous messages coming from some Republicans."
“Mike Pence has visited us, and he supports Ukraine. First of all, as an American, and then as a Republican,” Zelensky said in a news conference with Spanish media in Kyiv on Saturday. “We have bipartisan support. However, there are different messages in their circles regarding support for Ukraine. There are messages coming from some Republicans, sometimes dangerous messages, that there may be less support.”
Zelensky said that regardless of who wins the next US Presidential election, maintaining bipartisan support is "the most important thing for Ukraine."
During the same news conference, Zelensky was asked if he fears for his own life, to which he replied that he thinks "it is more dangerous for Putin" due to the Russian president's growing number of international adversaries.
Some background: The topic of whether the US should continue aiding Ukraine against Russia's invasion has created a rift among the Republican party.
GOP presidential candidates are split into two camps: Isolationists, particularly former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who believe the US is too involved in supporting Ukraine’s efforts to fend off the Russian invasion; and hawks, including several former Trump administration officials, who argue for an even more aggressive posture toward Russia. Both sides are warning that if their positions aren’t heeded, a world war could follow.
CNN's Eric Bradner contributed reporting.
The most intense battles on the front line continue to be in areas within the cities of Bakhmut and Marinka in eastern Ukraine, the Ukrainian military said Saturday.
In Bakhmut, forces "continue to push the enemy on the northern and southern flanks," said Serhii Cherevatyi, spokesperson for the Eastern Grouping of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
The Russian military has conducted 415 recent artillery attacks and three air raids, he said. Troops engaged in active combat seven times during that period.
In the Marinka area — south of Bakhmut, near the city of Donetsk — Russian forces continue relentless attacks, according to Valerii Shershen, a military press center spokesperson.
"This is the hottest spot," he said. "There were 15 combat engagements in the last day, most of them took place in Mariinka."
The city, which is now in ruins, has been on the front lines since the beginning of the invasion, with fighting at close quarters among the rubble continuing almost daily.
Elsewhere on the eastern front: North of Bakhmut near the cities of Lyman and Kupyansk, Russia shelled Ukrainian positions 377 times, launched three assaults and conducted 12 air raids, Cherevatyi said.
"Russians are constantly shuffling personnel," he said. "Recently they have moved an airborne regiment from the Lyman sector to the north of Bakhmut, replacing it with territorial defense troops," he said. "The enemy is concentrating their best forces in the areas of our attack. Number one is Bakhmut right now."
The Ukrainian spokesperson claimed Kyiv's forces are taking dozens of Russian prisoners every week. CNN cannot independently verify claims on battlefield developments.
To the south of Bakhmut near the town of Vuhledar, Russian shelling has increased around frontline areas.
"They do not launch any offensive actions but increase shelling. The number of enemy infantry has increased as well," said Nazarii Kishak, commander of the machine gun unit with the 72nd Separate Mechanized Brigade.
And near Berdiansk, on the far southern end of the eastern front, "our troops continue to consolidate their positions at secured positions and carry out mine clearance. They are on high alert to continue the offensive," Shershen said.
The entire front line in the south of Zaporizhzhia region is mined, he said. Russian forces have been "mining both manually and remotely, as well as with MLRS (multiple launch rocket systems)," he said.
