L to R: The flags of Moldova, the European Union, and Ukraine

Tuesday’s Coverage: Zelenskiy Replaces Senior Commander Accused of Heavy Losses

Map: Institute for the Study of War

UPDATE 0958 GMT:

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has visited the Donetsk region in the east of the country, near the frontline of Ukrainian resistance of a Russian offensive.

Zelenskiy was accompanied by the newly-appointed Commander of Ukraine’s Joint Forces, Brig. Gen. Andrii Hnatov.

Zelenskiy said he and the Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine’s Armed Forces, Col. Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi “officially introduced Andrii Hnatov to all those responsible for defense in the Donetsk region”, with visits to the 110th and 47th brigades.

In a video address at the entrance to the city of Pokrovsk, Zelenskiy thanked defenders and medics in the area and said he had held a “detailed meeting on security and support for the people”.

UPDATE 0857 GMT:

Four US officials say the Biden Administration is moving towards removal of a de facto ban on American military contractors deploying to Ukraine.

The contractors would help the Ukrainian military maintain and repair US-provided weapons systems.

The officials said the revised policy is still being developed by administration officials and has not received approval from President Joe Biden.

Another official pushed back, “We have not made any decisions and any discussion of this is premature. The President is absolutely firm that he will not be sending US troops to Ukraine.”

Currently, US-supplied military equipment that has sustained significant damage in combat has to be transported to Poland, Romania, or other NATO countries for repairs.

UPDATE 0643 GMT:

The trial of Wall Street Journal reporter and US citizen Evan Gershkovich, seized by Russian security forces in March 2023, has begun in Yekaterinburg.

The Sverdlovsk Regional Court opened the proceedings on Wednesday, with Gershkovich accused of espionage and facing up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

Gershkovich, the WSJ’s Moscow correspondent, was working on stories about local reactions to the invasion of Ukraine and to the Wagner Group mercenaries when he was detained.

Russia was reportedly holding Gershkovich as leverage for the return of Vadim Krasikov, a colonel in the State security service FSB.

Krasikov is serving a sentence in Berlin for the murder of the Georgian citizen Zelimkhan Khangoshvili, a former field commander in the Chechnya War. The swap was not completed because of the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny in a Siberian penal colony in February.

UPDATE 0617 GMT:

Ukraine and Russia have exchanged 90 prisoners of war on each side.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in his nightly address to the nation:

We are working to bring all of our people back home, to Ukraine, from Russian captivity. Every single one of them. We do not forget anyone. Today, 90 more Ukrainian families are happy. 90 warriors have been brought back from captivity.

ORIGINAL ENTRY: The European Union formally launched membership talks with Ukraine and its neighbor Moldova on Tuesday.

Delegations met in Luxembourg after the European Council’s clearance of the candidacies last week.

Ukraine Deputy Prime Minister Olha Stefanishyna posted:

Both countries lodged applications soon after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Last week the European Commission confirmed Kyiv and Chinisa had taken all the necessary steps to meet preconditions, including reform of judicial systems and governance, anti-corruption measures, and legislation for protections of minority rights.

In his nightly video address to the nation, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said:

This is a historic result. We have been working on it for a long time – and now we have held the first intergovernmental conference, and we will definitely implement everything necessary to advance through each chapter of our relations with the EU and to create a treaty – a treaty of Ukraine’s accession.

Moldova President Maia Sandu added, “Our future is within the European family….Together, we stand united for a peaceful and prosperous future.”