Russian-backed forces attack Donbas towns along separation line

Russian-backed forces began firing heavy artillery on the morning of June 3 directed at two towns located about 35 kilometers west of Donetsk, close to the separation line, reported pravda.com.ua. citing a coordinator of the Kyiv-1 battalion. Several are injured and the towns of Krasnohorivka and Maryinka are burning, reported the source. “Fierce battles are being waged along the entire line. The fighters are attempting a breakthrough,” the source reported.

The Russian delegate to the Trilateral Contact Group meeting in Minsk abandoned the June 2 meeting, undermining the talks, reported the same day the Interfax-Ukraine news agency, citing an anonymous source close to the Ukrainian side. The Ukrainian side is demanding the full removal of heavy artillery with OSCE verification, re-establishing state control along the Russian-Ukrainian border and removing foreign armies from Ukrainian territory, the source said.

Zenon Zawada: The ongoing warfare is intended to pressure the U.S. in its current negotiations with the Russian government to ease its sanctions in exchange for halting the aggression against Ukraine. Meanwhile, the Russians don’t take seriously any negotiations that don’t involve top U.S. officials directly. So we don’t expect the Trilateral Contact Group to accomplish anything.