For the first time since the founding Russian invasion of Ukraine, Moscow formally accused USA that they are directly involved in the war, which she herself Washington denies. “THEN Biden administration is directly responsible for all Kyiv missile strikes on populated areas and civilian infrastructure in densely populated areas Donbass and other areas, which led to heavy casualties among the civilian population,” the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.

Russia’s objections are based on a recent interview with the British Telegraph newspaper by Vadym Skibitsky, deputy commander of Ukraine’s intelligence service. Skibitsky said that before US-supplied long-range HIMARS missiles would launch strikes on Kyiv, officials from the two countries were consulted and that the Americans could veto the choice of targets.

Nikolaev and Kherson

At the same time, the Russian Defense Ministry reported that Russian forces had carried out deadly strikes against Ukrainian forces in the southern city of Nikolaev and the Kharkiv region in the northeast of the country. For their part, the Ukrainians are stepping up efforts to retake territory on the southern front towards Kherson and claim that the Russians are forced to move forces into the area to bolster their defensive positions.

It has exceeded 10 million refugees – terrorists, prisoners of the “Azov” battalion for Moscow.

In Moscow, the Supreme Court recognized as a terrorist organization the Azov Battalion, whose fighters were captured by the Russian army after the fall of Mariupol in mid-May. The Azov Battalion was formed in 2014 as a militia of volunteers who fought against pro-Russian separatists in Donbass. Its far-right roots and use of Nazi symbols supported Russian propaganda about the need for “denazization”, although the Order later joined the National Guard of Ukraine and turned into a purely patriotic organization. Yesterday’s ruling by Russia’s Supreme Court means that Azov Battalion prisoners, already accused of killing civilians, could face even more serious charges. Along with the bloodshed and economic catastrophes, the drama of people driven from their homes by the war continues to unfold. Yesterday, the United Nations announced that the number of people crossing the Ukrainian border in search of safety exceeded ten million for the first time since the start of the Russian invasion. At the same time, Ukrainian authorities began evacuating civilians from areas of Donetsk they still control in anticipation of an expected Russian offensive.

Grain cargo

The only ray of optimism against this gloomy backdrop was the news that the cargo ship Razoni, the first ship to sail from Odessa carrying Ukrainian grain, was off the coast of Bulgaria yesterday and was scheduled to arrive in Istanbul today before heading to its final destination. in Lebanon. Another 16 ships are awaiting permission to leave Odessa as part of a deal between Russia, the UN and Ukraine recently brokered by Turkey.