Russia-Ukraine Crisis: Two British citizens and a Moroccan were sentenced to death on June 9th by pro-Moscow rebels in eastern Ukraine for fighting on Ukraine’s side. A court found the three men guilty of working toward a violent overthrow of power, an offense punishable by death in the unrecognized republic. They were also convicted of mercenary activities and terrorism.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the fate of the whole Donbas region hinges on the “very fierce” battle with Russian troops for the flashpoint eastern city of Severodonetsk. Moscow’s forces are concentrating their firepower on the strategically important industrial hub as part of efforts to capture a swathe of eastern Ukraine.
Ukraine has depleted its Soviet and Russian-designed weaponry and is now completely dependent on allies for arms to defend against Russia‘s invasion. The Ukrainian army says Kyiv’s forces continue to frustrate Russian attempts to take the fiercely contested eastern city of Sievierodonetsk.
Canadian police said on Thursday they had cracked down on more than C$400 million ($314.81 million) in Russian assets and transactions involving people sanctioned as a result of Moscow’s war on Ukraine.