June 9, 2023 Russia-Ukraine news

Since the start of the week, even as attention has focused on the aftermath of the collapse of the Nova Kakhovka dam, it is clear that Ukrainian forces have stepped up activities along the frontline to the south east of the city of Zaporizhzhia. But it is still too early to get a true picture of what is unfolding and the extent to which Ukraine really has its foot to the floor and is attempting a major push forward. 

On Thursday, the Russian defense ministry's Telegram channel quoted Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu as saying Ukraine’s 47th Mechanized Brigade had made four attempts to break through Russian lines with up to 1,500 people and 150 armored vehicles.

The attacks had been repelled, Shoigu said, adding that Ukrainian forces had suffered significant losses of both soldiers and arms. The ministry released a drone video purportedly showing a series of strikes on Ukrainian tanks during the same clash. 

By contrast, on Friday morning, Semyon Pegov – among the most widely read of a number of Russian journalists and propagandists covering the war, often grouped together as Russia’s ‘military bloggers’ – reported that Ukraine’s armed forces had made gains south of Orikhiv towards the town of Tokmak in Russian-held territory. The situation facing Russian forces was very serious, he said. 

Attention has focused on this part of the front line for months, so stepped up Ukrainian activity there is no surprise. Breaking Russia’s land-bridge to Crimea, by rolling back Russian forces to the Sea of Azov, is clearly a central military objective for Ukraine. Tokmak lies on the road to Melitopol, one of three large cities under Russian control -- the others being Berdiansk and Mariupol -- that lie on the coast.

Ukrainian officials have said very little about how things are going. In his address Thursday evening, President Volodymyr Zelensky described “very tough battles.” He added: “There is a result, and I am grateful to everyone who ensure the result!” though it is quite possible he was referring to fighting around Bakhmut, which lies along a very different part of the front line, and where Ukrainian forces have made limited gains recently.

Another Russian military blogger writing on Telegram, Alexander Kots, has sought to frame Ukraine’s moves in the Zaporizhzhia region since the start of the week as a ‘Blitzkrieg’ attempt that has failed.

Vladimir Rogov, a local Russian-installed leader, while also reporting Ukraine suffering “heavy losses” in “fierce fighting,” urged caution too.

CNN cannot independently verify claims made by Russian officials or those of well-sourced Russian military bloggers. But a local Ukrainian commander leading troops along the same front line rejected the suggestion Ukraine had begun its big attempt to recapture territory.

Instead, the commander characterized the pushes as “reconnaissance in force” – operations designed to probe the enemy’s defenses for weak spots and to test its combat readiness.

CNN's Sam Kiley and Olha Konovalova contributed to this post.  

There is “fierce fighting” on Ukraine’s southern front as Kyiv’s troops continue to probe Russian defenses, a Kremlin-backed official in the Zaporizhzhia region has told Russian state media. 

“The Ukrainian Armed Forces are making new attempts to attack in different parts of the front. Our troops are doing everything possible to prevent a breakthrough deep into the defense line,” Vladimir Rogov told RIA Novosti. 

Rogov – who described what was happening as a “counteroffensive by the Ukrainian Armed Forces” – warned in separate comments on Telegram: “Everything is just beginning."

The Ukrainians have “not yet engaged its main reserves” in the fight there, he said. 

Kyiv has repeatedly said that the start of any large-scale counteroffensive will not be announced and has not commented on any moves on the southern front overnight. 

In another Telegram post on Friday morning, Rogov claimed that Russian units had thwarted a Ukrainian attempt to push back Russian troops near Orikhiv, about 40 miles southeast of Zaporizhzhia. 

CNN is unable to verify the battlefield account and there is little, if any, independent reporting from the front lines. 

Russia’s ministry of defense reported heavy fighting in southern and eastern Ukraine in its update on Friday morning.

Water levels in the flooded area of the Kherson region have dropped overnight, according to a local Ukrainian commander. 

"On average, the water level on the west bank [of the Dnipro River] is 5.38 meters (17.7 feet), and in Kherson city it is 5.35 meters. We can already see that the water has dropped by 20 centimeters (7.8 inches) overnight," said Oleksandr Prokudin, head of the Kherson region military administration, on Telegram Friday.

Prokudin reiterated calls for affected residents to flee for safety. 

He added his team had received more than 400 unanswered calls in nine hours, but vowed to call everyone back. 

Update on extent of flooding and rescue, according to Prokudin:

When Viktor Shevchenko was called forward to receive his medal from President Volodymyr Zelensky at a special ceremony in Kyiv earlier this year, his appearance seemed to come as a surprise to the Ukrainian leader. 

It was not the neck gaiter Shevchenko was wearing, pulled up to cover his nose and mouth, though that certainly made him stand out from the rest of the two dozen men present. Instead, it was his darker skin tone, dark brown eyes and jet-black hair.

“Are you really Viktor Shevchenko, or are you collecting a medal on behalf of someone else?” Zelensky asked.

Shevchenko laughed as he recalled the episode in Kyiv, and said the president was apologetic as soon as the penny dropped.

The history of the Crimean Tatars has taught them to tread carefully. Periods of persecution and exodus, mainly at Russian hands, have characterized the Muslim ethnic minority’s story from at least as far back as 1783, when Russian Empress Catherine the Great annexed Crimea after wresting it from the Ottoman empire.

Read the full story.

Russia continues shelling flooded areas in Kherson, including evacuation points, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday.

He said Russian forces "have completely abandoned people on the left bank of Kherson region to their fate," days after the collapse of Nova Kakhovka dam.

Rescuers are also facing resource challenges while carrying out evacuations in Ukrainian-controlled Kherson due to the scale of the flooding, an emergency services officer told CNN.

Here are other key developments in Russia's war in Ukraine:

Russian forces are maintaining attacks on flooded areas of Kherson, including evacuation points, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said during his nightly address on Thursday.

Ukrainian officials said earlier at least nine people were wounded by shelling in the southern region as thousands flee from floodwaters brought by the collapse of a major dam.

At least 2,339 people have been evacuated, according to Ukraine's Ministry of Internal Affairs. Zelensky said earlier that all levels of government and local authorities have been working nonstop to save as many people as they can. But the evacuations have been hindered by continued Russian shelling as well has a shortage of resources, officials said.

In his address Thursday, Zelensky said Russian forces "have completely abandoned people on the left bank of Kherson region to their fate."

"The catastrophe has been expanding there for two days now. And this is also an absolutely conscious choice of the Russian leadership," Zelensky said, claiming Moscow is trying "to further aggravate the situation they have caused with their ecocide."

"This is absolutely deliberate," he said.

Remember: It's not yet clear whether the dam collapsed because it was deliberately targeted or if the breach could have been caused by structural failure. Both Russia and Ukraine have blamed each other for the collapse.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said all levels of government and local authorities have been working nonstop to save as many people as they can from flooded areas following Ukraine's catastrophic dam collapse.

He also thanked international organizations "who are present on our free territory and provide specific assistance," though he expressed concern that none of those groups have accessed Russian-occupied areas of the disaster zone. 

The effort so far: At least 2,339 people, including 120 children, have been evacuated from flooded areas following the collapse of the Nova Kakhovka dam, Ukraine's Ministry of Internal Affairs said in a Telegram post Thursday.

The ministry said at least 563 people — including 28 children — were rescued from the flooding and that nine evacuation centers have been set up.

On the western bank of the Dnipro River, at least 3,426 houses are completely flooded, according to Oleksandr Prokudin, the head of the Kherson region military administration.

Ukraine and its allies will be at the whim of American voters once again next year if the winner of the US election is not as enthusiastic about defending democracy on the European continent as President Joe Biden has been over the last 15 months.

Former President Donald Trump, the GOP frontrunner, has refused to say whether he believes Ukraine should win the war against Russia, and his main challenger, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, has hedged on the conflict, describing Russia’s unprovoked invasion as a “territorial” dispute.

Asked by CNN’s Kaitlan Collins on Thursday about Trump’s comments, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak highlighted “strong support” in the US for funding Ukraine, adding that his meetings with congressional leaders in both parties this week indicated a willingness to support the country’s ongoing efforts to defend itself amid Russian aggression.

Read more here.

Russian defense systems have shot down targets over the Belgorod region bordering Ukraine, the governor there said.

Some background: Russia has seen the effects of its war on Ukraine increasingly reverberate back onto its own territory in recent months.

Belgorod has seen a series of drone attacks. Last week, a “massive” shelling attack injured four people in the region. Eight apartment buildings, four homes, a school and two administrative buildings were damaged during the shelling in Shebekino, a village in Belgorod.

More recently, Ukrainian forces carried out heavy shelling of the region overnight Wednesday, Gladkov said earlier.