Our live coverage of Russia's war in Ukraine has moved here.
July 6, 2023 - Russia-Ukraine news
By Tara Subramaniam, Rob Picheta, Ivana Kottasová, Aditi Sangal, Adrienne Vogt, Matt Meyer, Elise Hammond, Tori B. Powell and Amir Vera, CNN
Updated 12:03 a.m. ET, July 7, 2023
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All bomb shelters in Lviv will be open "all the time," mayor says
From CNN's Radina Gigova
All bomb shelters in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv will be open "all the time" following Russia's deadly missile attack on Thursday, city Mayor Andriy Sadovyi told CNN.
When asked why 10 of the shelters in the city were closed during the attack, Sadovyi told CNN's Isa Soares "we much completely change the situation about shelters."
"We have in my city 6,000 shelters. It is private shelters, local government shelters, different owners. After the missiles attacked, we made a new decision — all shelters must be open all the time," he said.
He added that Lviv used to be a safe city but now "it's a very tough situation."
The time for Russian missiles to reach Lviv if they are launched from Crimea is about 30 minutes, Sadovyi said. If they are launched from Belarus, the time to reach Lviv is 17 minutes.
"But if Russia uses Kinzhal [missiles], the time is only 3 minutes," he said.
Russia claimed to have targeted only military targets, but Sadovyi said the Russian missiles hit civilian infrastructure, including buildings, schools and office spaces.
Ukraine hopes for a "positive outcome" in Zaporizhzhia situation, Zelensky says
From CNN's Svitlana Vlasova and Radina Gigova
Ukraine hopes for a "positive outcome" in the "very dangerous" situation involving the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday.
"We know that the (International Atomic Energy Agency) IAEA has contacts with the Russian Federation. Well, they have to work," he said during a news conference in Prague with the Czech Republic President Petr Pavel. "We would be grateful if there is a positive outcome in this dangerous, very dangerous story."
On Tuesday, Zelensky warned that Russia may be using the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant as a weapon. He accused Russian troops of placing “objects resembling explosives” on roofs at the plant.
It's just past midnight in Kyiv. Here's what you might've missed on Thursday
From CNN staff
Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin's whereabouts remain hazy — he is not in Belarus as previously thought, but in St. Petersburg, according to Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko.
And in western Ukraine, six people have now died as a result of a Russian attack early Thursday, according to officials. Catch up on the latest developments here:
Where is Prigozhin? Lukashenko was noncommittal in an answer to CNN during a press conference in Minsk, saying Prigozhin "is in St Petersburg. Or maybe this morning he would travel to Moscow or elsewhere."
"But he is not on the territory of Belarus now,” Lukashenko said.
When asked by CNN if the Kremlin is aware of Prigozhin's whereabouts, spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said he was "not commenting on that right now.”
Prigozhin has not been seen in public since June 24.
Lviv attack: The death toll from a Russian missile attack in the western city rose to six on Thursday, according to a Ukrainian official.
More than 30 houses, over 250 apartments, at least 10 dormitories, two university buildings, an orphanage, a school and a power substation were damaged.
The attack violated the World Heritage Convention by hitting a historic building in a protected area, according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Looking ahead to NATO in Vilnius: Ukraine hopes for "a clear signal" in regard to an invitation to join the NATO alliance during the summit in the Lithuanian capital next week, Zelensky said Thursday. The Ukrainian president met with leaders of NATO members Czech Republic and Bulgaria on Thursday.
Meanwhile, the alliance's chief says admission is "within reach" for Sweden, which was driven to join NATO by Russia's war in Ukraine, but has been stalled in the process by objections from Turkey.
Cluster munitions: The United States is expected to announce a new military aid package for Ukraine on Friday that will include cluster munitions for the first time, defense officials told CNN. Changing battlefield conditions inside Ukraine over the last two weeks prompted US officials to give the cluster munitions renewed and serious consideration, officials told CNN.
On the front lines: Ukraine's offensive "is not fast" but is "moving forward," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday during a press conference in Prague.
The commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Gen. Valerii Zaluzhnyi, told US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley that his country’s counteroffensive is going "according to the plan."
And Ukrainian forces on the southeastern front continue to advance and take back territory, according to the commander of the Tavria Joint Forces Operation.
200,000 children missing: About 200,000 Ukrainian children are missing due to Russia's full-scale invasion, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky. “Some of them are deported, some are in the occupied territories, and we don't know who is alive,” he said.
Moscow has been accused of forcibly and unlawfully transferring Ukrainian children from occupied territories to Russia. In March, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants against Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Commissioner for Children’s Rights Maria Lvova Belova for their responsibility in the alleged forced deportations.
Zelensky says Ukraine's offensive is not moving fast — but it is moving forward
From CNN's Svitlana Vlasova and Josh Pennington
Ukraine's offensive is not moving quickly, but "we are moving forward," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday.
Zelensky, speaking at a news conference in Prague with the President of the Czech Republic Petr Pavel, said things are going in the right direction.
"We are advancing, we have the initiative now. The offensive is not fast, that's a fact, but nevertheless, we are moving forward and not moving backward, and that's why I see it as a positive thing," he said.
Allies must do "everything we can" to help Ukraine succeed in its counteroffensive, Pavel said.
Pavel said it is not realistic to expect that Ukraine would be able to launch another counteroffensive in several weeks or months, "so we must do everything we can for Ukraine to be successful in this counteroffensive," Pavel said.
Ukraine hopes for "clear signal" in the direction of NATO invitation, Zelensky says
From CNN's Svitlana Vlasova, Josh Pennington and Radina Gigova
Ukraine hopes for "a clear signal" in regard to an invitation to join the NATO alliance during the upcoming summit in Lithuania, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday.
"What would be ideal for us, to be invited, what kind of wording is needed for an invitation, we just need an invitation, we understand that there may be difficulties with this or that, but we need to get the united support of all the partners of the alliance," Zelensky said during a press conference in Prague with the President of the Czech Republic Petr Pavel.
"Somebody is looking back at Moscow, somebody is afraid of Russia, although I think this is a great moment, a chance to show the courage of the Alliance and the strength of the Alliance, but nevertheless we are talking about a clear signal, some concrete things in the direction of an invitation, we need this motivation, we need it in our relations," he added.
Zelensky expressed gratitude to the Czech Republic for its military assistance and its support for Ukraine's membership in the European Union.
Some context: Zelensky also met with Bulgarian Prime Minister Nikolai Denkov on Thursday, which comes about a week before the 2023 NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania. Ukraine has long pushed to join the military alliance, of which Bulgaria is a member, and that effort has taken on new urgency in the wake of Russia's invasion.
While Ukraine is expected to be at the top of the agenda for world leaders in Vilnius, the process for accession to NATO is long, and Zelensky has acknowledged that membership would have to wait until after the war with Russia has concluded.
Death toll rises to 6 in attack on Ukrainian city of Lviv
From CNN's Svitlana Vlasova in Kyiv
The death toll has risen to six in the Russian attack on a neighborhood in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv, a local official said.
Rescuers found an additional body as they searched the rubble of a residential building hit during Thursday's bombardment, the head of the region's military administration, Maksym Kozytskyi, said in an update on Telegram.
"While clearing the rubble in Lviv, rescuers found another body. It is a woman. Our condolences to the family and friends of the victim," he said. "70% of the destruction has already been cleared. The services will work throughout the night."
About the attack: Officials said the missile attack destroyed more than 30 houses, more than 250 apartments, at least 10 dormitories, two university buildings, an orphanage and a school. It also damaged a power substation.
In addition to those killed in the attack, it left dozens of people wounded, according to Ukrainian authorities.
CNN's Radina Gigova contributed reporting to this post.
US expected to announce new military aid package for Ukraine that will include cluster munitions
From CNN's Natasha Bertrand and Haley Britzky
The United States is expected to announce a new military aid package for Ukraine on Friday that will include cluster munitions for the first time, defense officials told CNN.
CNN first reported last week that US President Joe Biden's administration was strongly considering approving the transfer of the controversial weapons to Ukraine, as the Ukrainians have struggled to make major gains in its weeks-old counteroffensive. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has expressed also concerns about ammunition shortages.
Changing battlefield conditions inside Ukraine over the last two weeks prompted US officials to give the cluster munitions renewed and serious consideration, officials told CNN.
More about the weapons: Cluster munitions are banned by more than 100 countries because they scatter “bomblets” across large areas that can fail to explode on impact and can pose a long-term risk to anyone who encounters them, similar to landmines. The US and Ukraine are not signatories to that ban, however.
The US has a stockpile of cluster munitions known as DPICMs, or dual-purpose improved conventional munitions, that it no longer uses after phasing them out in 2016.
Both the Ukrainians and the Russians have used cluster bombs since Russia invaded Ukraine in February, and more recently, Ukrainian forces have begun using Turkish-provided cluster munitions on the battlefield.
Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, a Pentagon spokesperson, declined to comment Thursday on reports that the US Defense Department was preparing to provide cluster munitions to Ukraine, but said considerations from the department do not include older variants.
Russia's Lviv attack violated the World Heritage Convention by hitting protected building, UNESCO says
From CNN's Radina Gigova
Russia's attack in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv violated the World Heritage Convention by hitting a historic building in a protected area, according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
The bombing hit a historic building located in the buffer zone of Lviv's "Ensemble of the Historic Centre," which is a World Heritage Site, UNESCO said. Buffer zones are areas that add an additional layer of protection to World Heritage sites.
The attack was the first to take place in an area protected by the convention since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion, the agency said.
"UNESCO recalls the obligations of States Parties under these widely ratified normative instruments," it said, adding that States Parties should not take "any deliberate measures which might damage the cultural and natural heritage situated on the territory of other States Parties."
In March 2022, UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay sent a letter to Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov "to remind him of these obligations and to specify the coordinates of the World Heritage sites in Ukraine," the agency said.
The death toll in Thursday's Russian attack has risen to at least five people, with at least 36 people injured, according to the State Emergency Service of Ukraine.
Officials said the missile attack destroyed more than 30 houses, more than 250 apartments, at least 10 dormitories, two university buildings, an orphanage and a school. It also damaged one substation in Lviv.
UNESCO offered condolences to the families of the victims, as well as support for those injured and the Lviv community.
The city of Lviv is a "UNESCO creative city for literature" and will host a UNESCO cultural center that would become a national hub for Ukrainian artists, the agency said.