Russia hands over Ukrainian prisoners of war to Hungary, United States announced new aid package: highlights of the day

Kakhovka HPP blown up by Russian saboteurs

The Security Service of Ukraine released an intercepted phone call. In it, the occupiers admit that the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant was blown up by a Russian sabotage group.

At the same time, Norwegian seismologists reported that they had recorded signals indicating an explosion at the hydroelectric power plant.

Russia handed over Ukrainian prisoners of war to Hungary

Russia has handed over 11 Ukrainian prisoners of war of Hungarian origin to Hungary without Ukraine's approval. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine stated that it learned about this from public statements by Hungarian Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjén in the media.

Now Ukraine is asking Hungary to provide detailed information about the transferred citizens and to allow a consul to visit them.

Evacuation from flooded south

Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said that at least five people were killed in the floods caused by the Russian occupiers' blowing up the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant dam, and 13 others are missing. There is no accurate information on the number of deaths and injuries in the occupied part of Kherson Oblast.

In Kherson Oblast, 48 settlements were flooded, including 34 (3,625 houses) on the territory controlled by Ukraine and 14 on the temporarily occupied territory.

In Mykolaiv Oblast, 23 settlements are flooded.

As of the morning of June 9, 3,237 people were evacuated from Kherson and Mykolaiv oblasts.

Meanwhile, in the flooded territory of the temporarily occupied Kherson Oblast, Russian occupiers are demanding money from volunteers who want to evacuate people.

New military assistance

The U.S. Department of Defense announced a new $2.1 billion aid package for Ukraine. It will include additional ammunition for the Patriot anti-aircraft missile system, HAWK air defense systems and missiles, 105 mm and 203 mm artillery shells, Puma unmanned aerial systems, and more.

At the same time, the Belgian Ministry of Defense will purchase 105 mm ammunition as part of the 14th military assistance package to Ukraine.

Scythian gold will be returned to Ukraine

After almost 10 years of litigation, the Supreme Court of the Netherlands completely dismissed the cassation appeal of the Crimean museums and upheld the appeal decision, which satisfied Ukraine's claims.

The court, in particular, ordered the Allard Pearson Museum to transfer the collection of "Scythian gold" from Crimean museums to the National Museum of History of Ukraine. The exhibits were brought to Amsterdam before the occupation of the peninsula by Russia.

Russian strikes

During the day, the Russians launched eight missile attacks on civilian buildings in Zvyahel, Zhytomyr Oblast, and on the outskirts of Kharkiv.

In addition, the occupiers carried out 58 air strikes and 31 attacks from multiple launch rocket systems on Ukrainian troop positions and settlements. There were killed and wounded among the civilian population, private houses, a hospital, and other civilian infrastructure were destroyed and damaged.

Situation at the front

According to the General Staff, the Russian forces continue to focus their main efforts on attempts to fully occupy Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts. There were 27 combat engagements over the last day.

Colonel Serhiy Cherevatyi, spokesman for the Eastern Group of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, said that in some areas of the Bakhmut axis Ukrainian troops advanced by 1,200 meters over the last day.

Other news

• IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi announced the launch of a program to help Ukraine in the wake of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant dam explosion.
• For the first time in the history of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, a memorial service will be held for its patron, Hetman Ivan Mazepa. For his reluctance to obey Muscovy, he was subjected to anathema in the Russian church during his lifetime.
• President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismisses the head of the Hostomel military administration in Kyiv Oblast. Before that, journalists exposed fraud with the reconstruction of the town.
• Kyiv's Pechersk District Court imposed a pre-trial restraint on the former head and first deputy head of Berdiansk Correctional Colony #77. They are suspected of creating a criminal organization, torturing prisoners, and extortion.
• The last power unit of Zaporizhzhia NPP was put on "cold shutdown".
• The Prymorskyi District Court of Odesa found the attacker of activist Serhiy Sternenko guilty and sentenced him to 10 years behind bars.