US sanctions 71 companies from Russia and Belarus, Russia steals 100,000 tons of Ukrainian grain:last night's highlights

The US added 71 companies from Russia and Belarus to economic black list, Russia exported about 100,000 tons of Ukrainian grain to Syria. Russia draws up additional forces to Kherson. Here is what you may have missed from the night of June 3.

New US sanctions

The US Bureau of Industry and Security added 71 companies from Russia and Belarus to the list of companies US companies are prohibited from doing business without a government license. Reuters reports it includes several Russian and Belarusian aircraft factories, shipbuilding, and research institutes.

Now, the US Department of Commerce blacklist, which has been expanding since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, lists 322 companies.

Russia steals grain from Ukraine

The Ukrainian embassy in Beirut told Reuters that Russia had already exported to Syria about 100,000 tons of wheat stolen from Ukraine after a full-scale invasion. At world wheat prices above $400 per ton, this amount costs more than $ 40 million.

Turkey prepares road map to unblock Ukrainian export

Turkey has prepared a roadmap for resolving the global food crisis caused by Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Its details are to be discussed in the coming days at a meeting with representatives of Ukraine, Russia, Turkey, and the United Nations reports Anadolu citing sources familiar with the matter.

Ukraine is allowed to regulate the range of the US HIMARS

The US Ambassador to Ukraine, Bridget Brink, said that the Ukrainian Armed Forces would be able to regulate the range of the US HIMARS missile artillery system, which the US is handing over to Ukrainians as part of a new aid package.

Earlier, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said that Ukraine has assured that the new MLRS will not be used to strike deep inside Russian territory.

The situation at the front

Currently, the most difficult situation is in Severodonetsk and nearby cities Lysychansk, Bakhmut, in Luhansk Oblast. President Volodymyr Zelenskyi says that the Ukrainian Armed Forces of Ukraine had some success in the battles in Severodonetsk, but it is too early to speak of significant success.

Serhiy Haidai, Head of Luhansk Regional Military Administration, says Severodonetsk is still holding on and has a chance to be released from Russian forces. Russia managed to advance deep into the city and take control of most of its territory. About 20% of the territory of Severodonetsk is a "gray zone," and Ukrainian forces hold positions in one part of the city.

​​At the same time, on June 1, Ukrainian forces conducted counterattacks pushing Russian forces back from several streets of the city and taking 6 Russian service members captive.

The situation on the southern front is dynamic and tense. Operational Command South reports Russian troops drew up additional forces in this axis, and the column of 27 BMP-1 was noticed on the railway, 40 kilometers from Kherson. In the Black Sea, two missile and five large landing ships are now performing tasks to block the water area, shipping, and port work. The threat of both missile strikes and landing remains.