June 19, 2023 - Russia-Ukraine news

China has assured that it has not and will not provide lethal aid to Russia, but the United States remains concerned that Chinese companies may do so, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Monday.

Blinked said the assurance is appreciated and there is no evidence to contradict them.

Some context: China's assurance was not newly made to him during his visit, Blinken said in response to a question from CNN's Kylie Atwood. "This is something that China has said in recent weeks, and has repeatedly said not only to us, but to many other countries that have raised this concern."

Fierce fighting has taken place in Ukraine’s south as Kyiv’s forces attempt to regain territory taken by Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has praised Kyiv's forces for holding off Russian assaults in the east, saying Ukrainian troops are “advancing, position by position, step by step” and “are moving forward.” 

Here’s what you need to know:

Russian-backed authorities in the Donetsk region say that a 6-year-old child has been killed and about 20 people injured by Ukrainian shelling of the town of Volnovakha.

Denis Pushilin, acting head of the self-declared Donetsk People's Republic, said the incoming rockets "were recorded in an absolutely peaceful, busy neighborhood - near a bus stop, a school and a humanitarian warehouse."

In addition to the rocket attacks, Pushilin said that a "6-year-old girl was killed in the Volnovakha district. The tragedy occurred due to the remote mining of the area, which AFU (Armed Forces of Ukraine) has been carrying out for several days, and one of the mines hit the yard of the house where the girl lived."

Remote-mining involves firing batches of mines over distance.

Earlier, Moscow-backed authorities said about 20 people had been injured, according to the official Russian news agency TASS. 

Volnovakha is on a crucial land route between the frontlines and Russian-occupied Mariupol. The town's administration said that three civilians had been seriously wounded.

Kyiv has not commented on the Russian claims, which CNN cannot independently verify.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says he has spoken with UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak about Ukraine's need for longer-range weapons.

Zelensky said that during a phone call "we discussed the course of hostilities, Ukraine's defense needs and further cooperation to expand Ukraine's capabilities on the battlefield, in particular, through long-range weapons."

The UK has supplied Kyiv with Storm Shadow missiles, which have a longer range than other Western-supplied rockets and missiles. 

He thanked Sunak for organizing the Ukraine Recovery Conference in London this week "and for the UK's leadership in consolidating international support for Ukraine."

Britain has taken a leading role in providing military aid for Ukraine, but Zelensky has repeatedly pressed for weapons systems with more capabilities as he prepared to launch a counteroffensive toward Russian positions.

On the upcoming NATO summit in Latvia, Zelensky said: "It is important to provide Ukraine with concrete membership prospects. We also discussed steps to implement the Peace Formula and prepare security guarantees for Ukraine.

Zelensky said that Russia was ramping up production of missiles made with Western components and he emphasized the need to increase sanctions pressure during the call with Sunak.

Russia’s Ministry of Defense has claimed that a Ukrainian stronghold was destroyed by a remotely-controlled tank packed with a huge amount of explosives, in what appears to be a new battlefield tactic.

In a post on its Telegram channel at the weekend, the ministry said that “about 3.5 tons of TNT and 5 FAB-100 bombs" were packed into the tank. FAB-100 bombs normally carry a 100-kilogram (220-pound) payload.

In a video shared by the ministry on Saturday, a Russian tank commander, callsign "Bernaul," said he was assigned with the task of setting up the tank and executing the attack.

"About 300 meters (984 feet) away from the enemy, the tank operator put the vehicle on manual gas, directing it [to the enemy's] direction. He jumped out and went to the rear. I stayed behind to observe, and after the vehicle approached the enemy's positions, I detonated it by radio control,” the commander said. 

Drone video shows the tank static after apparently hitting a mine close to Ukrainian lines. There is then a huge explosion, but it's unclear why. A moment before the tank explodes, there appears to be a flash coming from Ukrainian positions, which may have been an attempt to destroy the tank.

It's not possible to geolocate the incident but the Mariinka area of Donetsk has seen heavy fighting since the Russian invasion began.

CNN has reached out to Ukrainian authorities about the incident.

Ukraine's military has recaptured eight settlements from invading Russian forces in the south of the country over the past two weeks, Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said Monday.

In a Telegram post, Maliar said offensive operations in the Berdiansk and Melitopol directions in the Zaporizhzhia region had liberated the communities of Novodarivka, Levadne, Storozheve, Makarivka, Blahodatne, Lobkove, Neskuchne and Piatykhatky,

The status of Piatykhatky had been in dispute Sunday after the Russian government denied a report from its own installed leader in occupied southern Ukraine, refuting his claim that Kyiv's forces had retaken the village.

On Monday, Maliar said Ukrainian forces had advanced 7 kilometers (4 miles) into Russian-occupied territory in the southern Tavria sector, reclaiming an area spanning 113 square kilometers (44 square miles).

She praised “the professionalism and courage” of Ukrainian soldiers for the advances in the frontline.

In eastern Ukraine, Maliar said Russian forces launched more than 5,800 attacks and used more than 277,000 munitions over the past week. Russian troops had been more active against a Ukrainian advance near Bakhmut and Lyman-Kupyansk, Avdiivka and Mariinka, she said.

This post has been updated with additional context.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday the toughest fighting is on the southern front and praised Kyiv's forces for repelling Russian assaults in the east.

Ukrainian troops are “advancing, position by position, step by step” and “are moving forward,” he said. 

The opening stages of Kyiv's counteroffensive have been marked by probing attacks — seemingly testing the Russian lines of defense — and modest gains, but no apparent major breakthroughs.

Here's what Ukraine and Russia say in their latest battlefield reports:

Here's the latest map of control:

What else you should know:

The United Nations condemned Russia on Sunday for denying humanitarian aid access to Russian-occupied areas affected by the Nova Kakhovka dam that collapsed earlier this month.

The UN urged the Russian authorities “to act in accordance with their obligations under international humanitarian law” and that the UN will continue to seek the necessary access to the Russian-occupied affected areas.

The death toll in the major dam collapse has risen to at least 45 people, officials said Sunday. The flood also carried filthy water downstream and off the southern coast, posing serious health risks.

Last week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for international support to help rescue victims of the dam collapse in Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine and accused Russia of not providing “any real help to the people in the flooded areas.”

Russian-backed officials in occupied parts of Ukraine have said the government will provide “maximum” support to the areas affected, and that humanitarian aid was being distributed. On Thursday, Andrey Alekseenko, the Russian-backed head of the Kherson regional government, said humanitarian aid and monetary compensation were being given out in affected areas.

The Russian government contradicted a report from its own installed leader in occupied southern Ukraine Sunday, refuting his claim that Kyiv's forces took back a village near the Zaporizhzhia front.

Earlier Sunday, a local Russia-installed leader said Ukrainian forces had claimed Piatykhatky, which is located south of Zaporizhzhia city.

The official, Vladimir Rogov, made the report in a Telegram post, where he implied Ukraine had suffered losses to take control of the village.

A Russian pro-Kremlin military blogger also reported on the situation there, saying Russian artillery units were firing on Ukrainian infantry entrenched in the village.

More on recent fighting: The Russian defense ministry said in its daily report Sunday that “the Armed Forces of Ukraine are most actively advancing in the Zaporizhzhia direction, with forces of up to three battalion groups, reinforced with tanks and armored combat vehicles.” 

Russian forces also repelled eight Ukrainian army attacks in various settlements east and northeast of Donetsk city, the ministry claimed in its report.

CNN cannot independently verify claims on battlefield developments.

The opening stages of Kyiv's counteroffensive have been marked by probing attacks — seemingly testing the Russian lines of defense — and modest gains, but no apparent major breakthroughs.