June 29, 2022 Russia-Ukraine news

By Helen Regan, Jack Guy, Hafsa Khalil, Aditi Sangal, Laura Smith-Spark and Adrienne Vogt, CNN

Updated 2:04 a.m. ET, June 30, 2022
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3:03 p.m. ET, June 29, 2022

Ukraine recovers 95 Mariupol steel plant soldiers captured by Russia in prisoner swap, defense ministry says

From CNN's Roman Tymotsko

The Ukrainian government has been able to secure the return of 144 soldiers, including 95 who were part of the defense of the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, the Ukraine Defense Ministry’s Defense Intelligence said in a statement on Wednesday. 

“Another exchange of prisoners took place, thanks to which 144 Ukrainian defenders returned home. This is the largest exchange since the beginning of a full-scale Russian invasion. Of the 144 released, 95 are Azovstal defenders. Among them are 43 servicemen of the Azov Regiment,” the statement read. 

“Most of the released Ukrainians have serious injuries: gunshot and shrapnel wounds, explosive injuries, burns, fractures, amputations of limbs. They all receive appropriate emergency medical and psychological care,” the statement added.

The Ukrainian government released an equal number of soldiers of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic and the Russian Federation in the latest prisoner swap, DPR head Denis Pushilin said on Wednesday. 

“Today, we are returning home 144 soldiers of the Donetsk People's Republic and the Russian Federation who were captured by the enemy,” Pushilin said. “We handed over to Kyiv the same number of prisoners from the armed formations of Ukraine.”

CNN's Julia Presnikova contributed reporting to this post.

1:07 p.m. ET, June 29, 2022

NATO members have been "naive in our relations with Russia,” Spanish prime minister says

From CNN's Alex Hardie 

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez speaks at the NATO Summit in Madrid, Spain on Tuesday, June 28.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez speaks at the NATO Summit in Madrid, Spain on Tuesday, June 28. (NATO Pool/Getty Images)

NATO has been “naive” in its relations with Russia over the years, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez told CNN on Wednesday.

Speaking from the NATO summit in Madrid, Sánchez said that NATO is “sending a clear message to Putin, which is that we are going to support Ukraine, and we are ready to support Ukraine until the Russian troops leave the country and they respect the territorial integrity and the national sovereignty of Ukraine.” 

“I think it is important to send this message of unity and determination of the international community, especially NATO allies, and of course the G7, in order to make possible to return to a scenario where different countries – especially Russia in this case – respect a rules-based international order, which is undermined because of this terrible war in Ukraine,” Sánchez continued.

Reacting to Turkey’s agreement to support Finland and Sweden’s NATO membership bid, Sánchez said that “the entrance of Finland and Sweden in NATO is not because they want to expand their territories but to defend their values, their democracies, and of course, an international order based on rules, clear rules, that provide certainty and security to our societies.”

Asked whether it was a mistake to consider Russia a “strategic partner” even in 2010, Sánchez said that at that time, NATO had “tried to give Russia and Putin an opportunity,” but that “perhaps, over the years, we’ve been a bit naive in our relations with Russia." 

“Nowadays, we’re seeing expansionist and imperialism behavior by Putin and his regime, and this is something unacceptable,” he added. 

“I think it is important what we are now approving in this Madrid summit, which is to define Russia as a strategic threat for the allies, and define what are the means, the instruments that we are going to put in place in order to respond to this global threat,” Sánchez said.

Spain has sent 400 tons of “military capacities” as well as humanitarian aid to Ukraine, he added.

12:37 p.m. ET, June 29, 2022

Biden thanks Erdogan for supporting Finnish and Swedish NATO membership bids

From CNN's Kevin Liptak and Arnaud Siad

President Joe Biden, right, meets with Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during the NATO summit in Madrid, Spain, on Wednesday, June 29.
President Joe Biden, right, meets with Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during the NATO summit in Madrid, Spain, on Wednesday, June 29. (Susan Walsh/AP)

US President Joe Biden thanked his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at the start of a meeting Wednesday for agreeing to allow Finland and Sweden to join NATO.

"I want to particularly thank you for what you did, putting together the situation with regard to Finland and Sweden, and all the incredible work you're going to try to get the grain out of ... Ukraine," Biden told Erdoğan during the NATO summit in Madrid.

"You're doing a great job," Biden added.

Turkey has been in discussions with Russia about exporting grain from Ukraine. Erdoğan said he hopes diplomacy will help to get grain out of Ukraine.

“I pray that we’ll be able to re-establish the balance through diplomacy in order to cultivate positive results, especially with regards to the grain,” Erdoğan told Biden.

“The conflict between Russia and Ukraine and the negative developments with regards to taking grain out of Ukrainian ports, as well as the developments involving oil and natural gas, require all of us to work together in order to settle the disputes once and for all,” he added.

“There are countries that are deprived of the grain and we will open corridors and we will allow them access to the grain that they so need,” he said.

Erdoğan said it gave him “great pleasure” to meet with Biden “after a long interval.”

Erdogan said that the two leader's joint efforts mean that "we will be able to go back to our countries with our hands full." 

1:08 p.m. ET, June 29, 2022

Zelensky accepts personal invitation to attend G20 summit in Indonesia

From Anastasia Graham-Yooll in London and Victoria Butenko in Kyiv

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky, right, greets Indonesian President Joko Widodo at Mariinsky Palace in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Wednesday, June 29.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky, right, greets Indonesian President Joko Widodo at Mariinsky Palace in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Wednesday, June 29. (Indonesia Presidential Secretariat/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed his Indonesian counterpart Joko Widodo in Kyiv Wednesday and accepted his personal invitation to attend the G20 summit in Bali in November. 

“Ukraine’s participation will depend on the security situation in Ukraine and who else might be attending,” Zelensky said at the joint press briefing to mark Widodo’s first visit to Ukraine. 

Zelensky went on to say Widodo’s visit was important to help stop the war.  

“I consider our talks today to be an important step for strengthening global anti-war coalition of all the countries that can bring back and guarantee stability to the world,” he said. “You achieved victory in your struggle for freedom, we believe that we can defend our freedom and independence from the colonizing war of the Russian Federation.”

Widodo also said he will convey a message of peace from Zelensky to Russian President Vladimir Putin when he meets with him on Thursday. Widodo also invited Putin to the G20.

The Indonesian president also discussed the importance of Ukraine to the world food supply chain, saying, “all efforts must be made so that Ukraine can return to exporting food again.”

Remember: In April, Putin accepted an invitation to attend the G20 summit, Widodo had announced. However, there has been vehement opposition to the prospect of his attendance. The White House has conveyed privately to Indonesia that Russia should not be allowed to participate in this year’s G20 summit. Finance ministers from multiple nations walked out of a closed-door G20 session in Washington in April when the Russian delegate began his prepared remarks.

CNN's Masrur "Jamal" Jamaluddin contributed reporting to this post.

11:13 a.m. ET, June 29, 2022

A pro-Russian group appears to be behind cyberattacks on several Norwegian companies, Norway says

From CNN’s James Frater and Arnaud Siad

A "criminal pro-Russian group" appears to be responsible for cyberattacks against several large Norwegian companies, Norway's National Security Authority said on Wednesday.

In a statement, the authority said the cyberattacks had led to “important websites and online services being made inaccessible.”

"The attacks are aimed at a number of large Norwegian companies that offer important services to the population," Director Sofie Nystrøm said. “We have seen similar attacks in other countries recently, but none of these have had lasting consequences. Still, the attacks will create uncertainty in the population, and give the impression that we are a pawn in the current political situation in Europe."

10:25 a.m. ET, June 29, 2022

Syria formally recognizes independence of 2 pro-Russian separatist-held regions in Ukraine's Donbas

From CNN's Eyad Kourdi in Gaziantep

Syria has decided to formally recognize the "independence and sovereignty of the Luhansk and Donetsk People's Republics," according to Syrian state news agency SANA on Wednesday.

"In an expression of the common will and the desire to establish relations in all sectors, the Syrian Arab Republic has decided to recognize the independence and sovereignty of both the Luhansk People's Republic [LPR] and the Donetsk People's Republic [DPR]," SANA reported, citing an official source in Syria's foreign ministry.

"Communication with both countries will be established to agree on a framework for strengthening the relationships between our countries including initiating diplomatic relationships based on the established (diplomatic) rules," the foreign ministry source added, according to SANA.

This makes Syria the only other country aside from Russia, to formally recognize the independence of the breakaway regions.

Read more about the two regions here.

10:18 a.m. ET, June 29, 2022

UN report documents 10,000 civilian casualties in Ukraine, with toll likely "considerably higher"

From CNN's Anastasia Graham-Yooll in London 

A hospital nurse pushes a wheelchair carrying a woman wounded by the Russian rocket attack at a shopping centre in Kremenchuk, Ukraine, on June 28.
A hospital nurse pushes a wheelchair carrying a woman wounded by the Russian rocket attack at a shopping centre in Kremenchuk, Ukraine, on June 28. (Efrem Lukatsky/AP)

The United Nations' Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has published an alarming report Wednesday about the human rights situation in Ukraine in the context of the ongoing Russian invasion.

The UN documented 10,000 civilian casualties since the conflict began on Feb. 24, “among them, 4,731 people were killed,” Matilda Bogner, head of Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, told journalists in Kyiv as she presented the report’s findings.

She warned the casualty numbers are “considerably higher” as the report only highlights the figures the mission was able to independently verify. 

“The armed attack by the Russian Federation against Ukraine has had a devastating impact on the human rights across the country. We documented violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law, including war crimes. These violations highlight the heavy toll the conflict is having day in and day out,” Bogner said.

The report is based on information gathered during 11 field visits, three visits to places of detention and 517 interviews with victims and witnesses between Feb. 24 and May 15, 2022. The evidence also draws from court documents, official records and open sources.

The report documents violations of international human rights and humanitarian law “to varying degrees, by both parties,” according to Bogner.  

“The high number of civilian casualties and the extent of destruction and damaged caused to civilian infrastructure raised significant concerns that attacks conducted by Russian Armed Forces did not comply with international humanitarian law. While on a much lower scale, it also appears that Ukrainian armed forces did not comply with international humanitarian law in Eastern parts of the country," Bogner added.

The report also raised “serious concerns” about the allegations of torture of prisoners of war by both sides on the conflict, including testimonies of 44 prisoners of war interviewed by the UN mission.

Bogner stressed the mission encountered evidence of widespread use of extrajudicial punishment against those alleged to be looters, thieves and curfew violators in Ukraine. 

“OHCHR has documented and verified allegations of unlawful killings, including summary executions of civilians in more than 30 settlements in Kyiv, Chernihiv, Kharkiv and Sumy regions, committed while these territories were under the control of Russian armed forces. In Bucha alone (Kyiv region), OHCHR documented the unlawful killings, including summary executions, of at least 50 civilians,” the report outlined, adding the full scale of the problem "is yet to be fully assessed.”

The UN document also outlined “concern about the arbitrary detention and enforced disappearance” of representatives of local authorities, journalists, civil society activists and other civilians by Russian troops and affiliated armed groups.

OHCHR documented 248 cases of arbitrary detention, with six of those resulting in deaths. 

The OHCHR report includes “reasonable grounds to believe” that both Russian and Ukrainian armed forces have been using weapons equipped with cluster munitions, including Tochka-U missiles that resulted in civilian casualties. The use of such weapons in populated areas contradicts international law. 

Concluding the report, OHCHR recommended all parties of the conflict “respect and ensure respect at all times and in all circumstances” for international human right and humanitarian laws. The report also urged Russia “to immediately cease the armed attack” and comply with its obligations under international law. 

The Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine maintains its presence in Donetsk, Dnipro, Odesa and Uzhhorod. 

9:56 a.m. ET, June 29, 2022

NATO's Stoltenberg says alliance inviting Finland and Sweden to become members is "historic"

From CNN's Niamh Kennedy in London 

From left to right background: Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Finland's President Sauli Niinisto, Sweden's Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson, and Sweden's Foreign Minister Ann Linde pose for a picture after signing a memorandum in which Turkey agrees to Finland and Sweden's membership of the defense alliance in Madrid, Spain, on June 28
From left to right background: Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Finland's President Sauli Niinisto, Sweden's Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson, and Sweden's Foreign Minister Ann Linde pose for a picture after signing a memorandum in which Turkey agrees to Finland and Sweden's membership of the defense alliance in Madrid, Spain, on June 28 (Bernat Armangue/AP)

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg called the formal invitation from the alliance to Sweden and Finland to join the defense bloc "a historic decision."  

"Today, NATO leaders took a historic decision to invite Finland and Sweden to become members of NATO. The agreement concluded last night by Turkey, Finland and Sweden paved the way for this decision," Secretary General Stoltenberg said during a press conference held as part of the NATO summit in Madrid on Wednesday.  

He pinned the success of this agreement on "hard work" carried out "at many different levels" over "many weeks."  

He recounted how two rounds of talks were held by senior officials in Brussels under his auspices in the advance of Monday's consequential meeting between Finnish President Sauli Niinistö, Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Turkey agreed on Tuesday to drop its objections to the Nordic nations' membership bids, removing a major hurdle to them joining NATO. 

"This is a good agreement for Turkey, it is a good agreement for Finland and Sweden, and it is a good agreement for NATO," Stoltenberg said.  

"I would like to thank Turkey, Finland and Sweden, for accepting my invitation to engage in negotiations to find a united way forward," he said. 

Watch the moment here:

9:06 a.m. ET, June 29, 2022

Turkey will renew extradition requests to Finland and Sweden after signing memorandum at NATO summit

From CNN’s Isil Sariyuce in Istanbul

Turkey will follow up on its extradition requests for its 33 terror suspects in Sweden and Finland after it signed a trilateral memorandum with the two countries in Madrid on Tuesday, Turkish Justice Minister Bekir Bozdağ said.

“We will ask them to fulfill the requirements of our applications after this memorandum of understanding. We have already applied for extradition. The files of six PKK and six FETO terrorists in Finland and 10 FETO and 11 PKK terrorists in Sweden,” Bozdag said when replying to reporter’s questions in Ankara on Wednesday. “Our ministry will write about their return and remind them again ... Once again, we ask them to fulfill their promises."

Bozdağ said Turkey believes it is important to establish a monitoring board with security, justice and intelligence units to monitor the implementation of the memorandum. 

“We do not find it sufficient to write; we will also supervise its implementation one by one in practice,” he said. 

The foreign affairs ministers of Turkey, Finland and Sweden signed a memorandum on Tuesday in Madrid that addressed Turkey's concerns, including around arms exports and the fight against terrorism, for Turkey to drop its objections for the two longtime neutral Nordic countries to seek to join NATO.