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What the 16 June 2023 missile attack showed
Summary
A Russian strike on Ukraine interrupted an African peace mission's visit, in a week of attacks and Western aid pledges.
What did the missile attack that interrupted a visit by African officials to Ukraine on 16 June 2023 reveal about the war's diplomatic and military tracks? The Ukrainian Air Force said it had shot down six Kinzhal ballistic missiles, six Kalibr missiles and two reconnaissance drones while the peace mission was in the country.
The attack was not isolated. On 10 June 2023, Russian forces struck Odesa with drones and missiles, killing three civilians and injuring 27 others. The pattern was of continuing strikes on Ukrainian territory even as outside parties tried to open channels towards peace.
Aid continued alongside the strikes
On the same day as the Odesa attack, 10 June 2023, Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a $500 million military aid package for Ukraine, including 288 AIM-7 missiles. He also announced $10 million in humanitarian aid for victims of the Kakhovka dam collapse.
That collapse had occurred in the early hours of 6 June 2023, flooding the lower Dnipro in Kherson Oblast. The dam had been under Russian military control since the early days of the invasion. Many experts concluded that Russian forces likely blew up a segment of it to hinder Ukraine's planned counter-offensive, and Ukraine specifically blamed Russia's 205th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade. Russian authorities denied the accusations.
Reading the day
Taken together, the reports show three strands running at once: Russian long-range strikes on Ukrainian targets, Western military and humanitarian support, and an effort by African officials to broker peace. The strike during the visit meant the diplomatic effort took place under fire, with Ukraine's air defences intercepting a mix of ballistic and cruise missiles.
The figures from the Air Force describe interceptions only. The reports of 16 June 2023 give no account of casualties or damage from that attack, so its full human toll cannot be set beside that of Odesa days earlier.
