Latest developments:
- Russia accused mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin of mutiny after the Wagner chief vowed to punish military brass whom he accused of killing 2,000 of his fighters. During the standoff between Prigozhin and the military top brass, Russia's FSB security service opened a criminal case against him, calling on his fighters to ignore his orders and arrest him, the Tass news agency reported.
- European Union officials are backing the idea that proceeds from more than $230 billion in frozen Russian assets should finance Ukraine's war effort and reconstruction. But the European Central Bank cautioned the European Commission against against the move because it could harm the euro and hurt financial stability, the Financial Times reported.
- A joint statement issued by U.S. President Joe Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said both leaders “have expressed their deep concern over the conflict in Ukraine and mourned its terrible and tragic humanitarian consequences.” The statement also said they were calling for “respect for international law, principles of the U.N. charter, and territorial integrity and sovereignty.”
Officials in Ukraine say Russia launched missile attacks on several Ukrainian cities Saturday, causing damage to buildings and casualties.
Serhiy Popko, head of the Ukrainian capital's military administration, said falling debris from a Russian missile attack in Kyiv resulted in fire on several floors of a 24-story building. He added that air defenses had shot down more than 20 Russian missiles in the airspace around Kyiv.
The cities of Kharkiv and Dnipro also came under missile attacks.
Three Ukrainian senior officials signaled Friday that the main part of the counteroffensive against the Russian invasion had not yet begun.
"Offensive operations of the armed forces of Ukraine continue in a number of areas. Formation operations are underway to set up the battlefield," presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said on Twitter. "The counteroffensive is not a new season of a Netflix show. There is no need to expect action and buy popcorn."
Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar told Ukrainian television that the "main events" of the counteroffensive were "ahead of us." "And the main blow is still to come. Indeed, some of the reserves — these are staged things — will be activated later."
General Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, commander of Ukraine's Tavria front, said Russian forces had lost hundreds of men and 51 military vehicles in the past 24 hours, including three tanks and 14 armored personnel carriers.
A top Ukrainian general reported "tangible successes" in advances in the south — one of two main theaters of operations, along with eastern Ukraine. While Ukraine officials boast retaking eight villages so far, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said this week that gains had been "slower than desired."
Moscow contends the Ukrainian counteroffensive is a failure, saying Kyiv's forces have suffered heavy losses. Ukraine says Russia has lost many soldiers in heavy fighting since the counterattack began.
Reuters said it had not been able to independently verify the situation on the battlefield but had reached two of the villages recaptured by Kyiv.
Ukraine financial support
In his nightly video address on Friday, Zelenskyy hailed the London Ukraine Recovery Conference for its support of Ukraine. He thanked the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union for long-term support programs. He said that about 500 international companies were interested in investing in the country.
Zelenskyy also noted that Ukraine had received “clear support for Ukraine's EU membership: We are already perceived as an EU member politically. Separately, we are working on the mechanism for the confiscation of the assets of the terrorist state and its associated persons.”
European Union foreign ministers will approve a boost of $3.81 billion to a military aid fund used to bankroll weapons and ammunition for Ukraine, officials said Friday.
Ukraine’s financial results have improved this year, with budget revenues increasing by 45% in May compared with the same period a year ago, Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko said Friday.
"In 2023, we have much better financial results than a year ago. Thanks to strong financial support and comprehensive measures implemented by the government, we ensure a balanced budget and financing of critical expenditures, primarily in the social sphere," Marchenko said in a statement.
Government shake-up
Earlier, Zelenskyy said officials responsible for unfit bomb shelters in Ukraine would be punished. In a Telegram video post Friday, Zelenskyy said there would be personnel changes after an inquest revealed that a quarter of the bomb shelters in the country, a third of them in Kyiv, were unfit for use.
Three people were locked out on a street in Kyiv and killed during an air raid, which prompted a public outcry.
Prosecutors put the head of Kyiv's Municipal Department for Security under house arrest following an audit of air raid shelters. After the bomb shelter incident, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko admitted some responsibility but said others were also to blame, especially appointees of the president.
Additionally, Zelenskyy ordered the creation of a special commission Friday headed by General Oleksandr Pavlyuk to audit the heads of military draft offices across the country. He said Ukraine’s top security chiefs and top government officials discussed how to implement judicial and anti-corruption reforms that are a prerequisite to Ukraine’s accession into the European Union.
Zelenskyy said he had ordered the urgent dismissal of the head of a draft office whose family was reported by the Ukrainska Pravda online newspaper to own property and cars worth millions in Spain.
He also said on Telegram that he'd ordered creation of a commission that with law enforcement units and the National Agency for Corruption Prevention would "check all the heads of military draft offices in all regions of Ukraine so that they do not disgrace our state and the memory of heroes who die at the front."
Zaporizhzhia nuclear risk
Zelenskyy said Thursday that he believed Russia might be preparing for an attack on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, involving a release of radiation.
On Friday, Russia urged the International Atomic Energy Agency to ensure Ukraine does not shell the nuclear power plant, saying it was otherwise operating safely.
Alexei Likhachev, chief executive of the Russian state nuclear energy firm Rosatom, made the comments at a meeting in Kaliningrad with IAEA chief Rafael Grossi, who visited the plant last week.
Moscow and Kyiv have regularly accused each other of shelling Europe's largest nuclear power station, while international efforts to establish a demilitarized zone around it have so far failed.
Some information for this report came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
