RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Ukrainian security service claims it foiled ‘coup attempt’

The Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) claims to have detained a group of suspects who were allegedly planning to instigate unrest and carry out a coup in Kiev.

An unspecified number of “provocateurs”plotted to organize riots in the Ukrainian capital after Constitution Day on June 28, the agency, which is Kiev’s successor to the Soviet-era KGB, claimed in a Telegram statement on Monday.

According to the SBU, the coup attempt was scheduled for Sunday under the guise of a so-called ‘veche,’ a popular assembly, in central Kiev.

The organizers allegedly planned to announce the removal from power of the current military and political leadership of Ukraine, and then to try to seize the country’s parliament building and block the operations of the Verkhovna Rada, it added.

Ukrainian and foreign news outlets, which the SBU didn’t name, were set to distribute information about the unrest in Kiev, the statement read.

Through these actions, the suspects “hoped to undermine the social and political situation within our state, which would play in Russia’s favor,” the SBU claimed.

The group was allegedly led by “the co-founder of an NGO, which has been known for its anti-Ukrainian actions since 2015.” The unnamed person had accomplices from Kiev, Dnepropetrovsk (known as Dnepr in Ukraine) and other parts of Ukraine, according to the agency.

Weapons, ammunition, computers and communication devices were seized during searches at the properties linked to the suspects, it said.

Those detained have been charged with performing actions and calls aimed at the violent overthrow of the constitutional order or the seizure of power, the SBU stated. The offense carries a penalty of up to ten years in prison with the confiscation of property, it added.

Vladimir Zelensky’s term as president of Ukraine officially ended on May 20 after he opted to scrap the election, citing martial law imposed due to the conflict with Moscow.

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Russian military says it captured two east Ukrainian villages, Ukraine contests account

Russia's Defence Ministry said on Monday that its forces had taken control of two villages in eastern Ukraine.

It was the second day in succession that Moscow has announced the capture of new localities. Ukrainian military statements have, at least in part, denied the Russian assertion.

The Russian ministry said in a statement that its forces were in control of the settlement of Stepova Novoselivka in Kharkiv region, and of Novopokrovske in Donetsk region.

The General Staff of the Ukraine's Armed Forces, in an evening report, said its troops had repelled 17 attacks in the Kupiansk sector near Kharkiv, including by Stepova Novoselivka. It said fighting was raging near Synkivka, further west.

Russia has announced a string of incremental gains since capturing the city of Avdiivka in Donetsk region in February.

Donetsk and Kharkiv regions remain focal points along the 1,000-km (600-mile) front line in Ukraine's east and south.

The Ukrainian military earlier said it had repelled Russian attacks near two towns in Donetsk region -- Novooleksandrivka and Spirne, a day after Russian forces claimed control of them. The evening report said fighting continued near both localities.

The evening report identified the Pokrovsk front as the theatre of the fiercest fighting. Forty-four Russian assaults had been repelled in the last 24 hours, with 14 clashes still going on.

The military said Russia maintained a military presence across the border from Ukraine's northern Chernihiv and Sumy regions, adding that Moscow's forces were increasing the density of minefields and conducting sabotage activities.

That area is under scrutiny for any sign that Russia plans to open a new front to pressure Ukraine's outnumbered defenders.

Russia launched an assault into the border areas of the northeastern region of Kharkiv in May, opening a new front in 28-month full-scale invasion.

The latest Ukrainian report said Kyiv's troops controlled the area and turned back 11 Russian assaults near three towns, including Vovchansk, 5 km (3 miles) from the border.

RT/Reuters