Weekly megathread for news/updates/discussion of Russian invasion of Ukraine - June 9

Ukraine asks the west for huge rise in heavy artillery supply

Ukraine has called on the west to supply 300 rocket launchers, 500 tanks and 1,000 howitzers before a key meeting on Wednesday amid concern in some quarters it is pushing its demands for Nato-standard weapons to the limit.

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Some experts said that Podolyak’s tweet was best interpreted as a negotiating gambit. But there are also questions whether such overt lobbying could be counterproductive [...]

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Three hundred MLRS would roughly amount to half the US existing stock. According to the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) the US army has 363 Himars truck rocket artillery and 225 M270 tracked launchers, and the US Marines have a further 47. The UK has 35 of its version of the M270s.

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A gift of 1,000 howitzers would roughly match the US arsenal. IISS figures, compiled before the donation of 109, show that the US army has 518 M777 towed howitzers of the type already supplied and the US Marines a further 481.

Ukraine is running out of ammunition as prospects dim on the battlefield (Washington Post)

The Ukrainians are still fighting back, but they are running out of ammunition and suffering casualties at a far higher rate than in the initial stages of the war. Around 200 Ukrainian soldiers are now being killed every day, up from 100 late last month, an aide to President Volodymyr Zelensky told the BBC on Friday — meaning that as many as 1,000 Ukrainians are being taken out of the fight every day, including those who are injured.

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But the odds against the Ukrainians are starting to look overwhelming, said Danylyuk, the government adviser.

“The Russians are using long-range artillery against us, often without any response, because we don’t have the means,” he said. “They can attack from dozens of kilometers away and we can’t fire back. We know all the coordinates for all their important targets, but we don’t have the means to attack.”

Ukraine has now almost completely run out of ammunition for the Soviet-era weapons systems that were the mainstay of its arsenal, and the Eastern European countries that maintained the same systems have run out of surplus supplies to donate, Danylyuk said. Ukraine urgently needs to shift to longer-range and more sophisticated Western systems, but those have only recently been committed, and in insufficient quantities to match Russia’s immense firepower, he said.

Perun's coverage has been interesting to follow. His latest video on Poland's role was an eye opener. It's a long watch, but well worth it.

Britons sentenced to death after ‘show trial’ in Russian-occupied Ukraine (The Guardian)

Two British men and a Moroccan national captured while fighting in the Ukrainian army in Mariupol have been sentenced to death by pro-Russia officials after a days-long process described as a “disgusting Soviet-era show trial”.

A court in Russian-controlled east Ukraine convicted 28-year-old Aiden Aslin, from Newark, 48-year-old Shaun Pinner, from Watford, and Saaudun Brahim on charges of “terrorism”. Observers said the process was intended to imitate the war crimes trials of Russian soldiers taking place in Kyiv.

Both Britons have said they were serving in the Ukrainian marines, making them active-duty soldiers who should be protected by the Geneva conventions on prisoners of war. However, Russian state media has portrayed them as mercenaries, and the court has convicted them on the charge of “being a mercenary”.

The ruling was swiftly condemned by top British officials.

On Wednesday, the state-run news agency RIA Novosti shared footage of the men pleading “guilty” to the charges against them, which also included terrorism, committing a crime as part of a criminal group, and forcible seizure of power or forcible retention of power.

The pro-Russian officials claimed the men’s actions had “led to the deaths and injury of civilians, as well as damage to civilian and social infrastructure”.

A pro-Russia official in Donetsk said that while the men had pleaded guilty, they were given the death penalty because of “the main, unshakable principle – justice”. The process was closed and only small fragments of the proceedings were made public through pro-Kremlin media.

Robert Jenrick, Tory MP for Newark, said: “This disgusting Soviet-era show trial is the latest reminder of the depravity of Putin’s regime.

“Contrary to the Kremlin’s propaganda, Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner are not mercenaries. They have been living in Ukraine and serving in its armed forces long before Russia’s illegal invasion, and as prisoners of war they and are entitled to protection under the Geneva convention[s].

“The Russian ambassador should be summoned to the Foreign Office to account for this egregious breach of the Geneva convention[s]. No one should think they can treat British citizens like this and get away with it.”

Russia today at ground level: further observations

Here's a blog post by a "Russianist" European observer in St. Petersburg. It's mostly about what rich people have access to.

Last bridge to Severodonetsk destroyed (Washington Post)

All bridges leading to the besieged eastern Ukrainian city of Severodonetsk have been destroyed, making evacuation of residents impossible, the regional governor said Monday.

Speaking in a Telegram address, the regional governor of Luhansk, Serhiy Haidai, said Russia has not completely captured the city and that part of it remained under Ukrainian control. But humanitarian cargo can no longer be delivered, he said. For residents who remain, he said, conditions have become extremely difficult.