Ukraine, Briefly

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• Russian President Vladimir Putin said Sunday that if Ukraine receives powerful missile systems from Western countries, Moscow will strike targets “we have (not) yet struck,” according to the Washington Post. Ukraine has lobbied hard for such weapons. President Biden acknowledged last week that the US will send systems capable of pinpointing an enemy target of roughly 50 miles away.

• A number of explosions shook Kyiv early Sunday, the first attack on the Ukrainian capital in weeks, as life in the city and its outskirts have gradually returned to normal over the past month, Reuters noted. According to Mayor Vitali Klitschko, at least one person was hospitalized but no deaths were reported as of early Sunday.

• A senior Ukrainian official stated Sunday that his country’s forces now control half of Sievierodonetsk, following heavy confrontations with Russian soldiers in the strategically important city, Agence France-Presse wrote. The victories, claimed by regional governor Serhiy Gaidai, would mark a huge advance for Ukrainian soldiers, who had previously looked to be on the point of being driven out of the large eastern metropolis.

• At least 20 of Russia’s most influential businessmen are suing the European Union to get their assets unfrozen and their visas unblocked at the bloc’s second-highest court as a result of sanctions, Politico reported. One likely plaintiff, Roman Abramovich, the former owner of Chelsea football club, was sanctioned in March for allegedly profiting from his close relations with President Vladimir Putin.

• Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba blasted French President Emmanuel Macron for urging international powers not to “humiliate Russia,” the Hill wrote. Since the beginning of the crisis, France has tried to mediate between Ukraine and Russia while maintaining civil ties with both sides.