UKRAINE UPDATE: Medical collapse and Belarus

WEDNESDAY 8 JUNE 2022

UKRAINE UPDATE:

THE GUARDIAN, 6/4/22, Russian man accused of assassinating Alexander Litvinenko dies in Moscow.

• In 2006, former spy Alexander Litvinenko was poisoned with a radioactive isotope polonium 210 at a London Hotel.
• The polonium used to assassinate Litvinenko was found in all the hotel rooms where the assassins had stayed in London.
• A British inquiry found that Litvinenko was murdered in an operation of the FSB and probably approved by Putin.
• Litvinenko was dismissed from the FSB after publicly criticizing the security services’ connection to organized crime.
• He also claimed that the FSB was responsible for the bombing of apartment blocks in Moscow in 1999, a campaign that helped consolidate power for Putin.
• Dmitry Kovtun was one of two men accused of assassinating Litvinenko.  He is now dead.
• Russia refused to extradite him to Britain for trial.
• Books: A Very Expensive Poison by Luke Harding; Blowing Up Russia by Felshtinsky and Alexander Litvinienko; Death of a Dissident: The Poisoning of alexander Litvinenko and the Return of theKGB by Boutsikaris and Goldfarb, et. al; The Litvinenko File: The Life and Death of a Russian Spy by Martin Sixsmith.
• Video: Poisoned by Polonium

CNN

• Over 1,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been transported to Russia for investigation.
• This is a potential bargaining position by the Russians hoping to exchange these soldiers for those held by the Ukrainians.

THE GUARDIAN 6/8/22

• Pro-Russian sentiments are “mainstream in large parts of Africa.”
• For many years Moscow has been cultivating ties with African leaders.
• Some of the support comes from anti-western sentiments.  Russia has een accused of amplifying those grievances.
• Resentments are also stoked by the narrative that the west cares more about Ukraine than other tragedies unfolding in Africa.
• Putin is it argued by pan-Africanists “doesn’t have the blood of slavery on his hands.”
• Russia has supplied weapons to “authoritarian leaders.”
• The Wagner group has propped up authoritarian leaders in Mali, Central African Republic and DRC.

THE KYIV INDEPENDENT

• Ukrainian MP accused of treason to be expelled from parliament.  Oleksiy Kovalyov, a lawmaker with Zelensky’s party, went to Kherson and publicly supported the Russian occupation.
• New Russian offensive prepared on Sloviansk on the Donbas.
• Lack of medicine is hampering Ukrainian efforts in Kherson.
• Odesa resident sentenced to 8 years for providing Russian forces with information.
• Mariupol is facing a “medical collapse.”
• 100,000 Ukrainians are trapped in occupied Mariupol without utilities, food or water.
• New activity from military in Belarus.
• A train carrying stolen Ukrainian grains from Melitopol heads to Crimea.
• Russia is trying to convince families of sunken cruiser Moskva from disclosing any information regarding the deaths of their relatives.
• Rising social tension in Russia reported.
• Zelensky announces a “Book of Executioners” to detail war crimes.

UKRAINE WORLD

• In Melitipol, there is talk of fake referendums.
• 400 million people around the world are dependent on Ukrainian food.
• Ukraine’s armed forces may leave Sievierodonestsk.