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What the Kramatorsk strike showed by 1 July 2023
Summary
A look back at the missile attack on a Donetsk Oblast restaurant and the Australian aid pledge announced in the days before 1 July 2023.
What did the final days of June 2023 reveal about the security picture in Ukraine? By 1 July 2023, two developments stood out: a deadly strike on civilians in Kramatorsk and a fresh pledge of foreign military support.
On 27 June, a Russian missile struck a restaurant in Kramatorsk, Donetsk Oblast. Thirteen civilians were killed and 61 were injured, as reported at the time. Later accounts put the time of the strike at 19:29 and identified the venue as the RIA café in the city centre. Those accounts said four of the dead were children, and that a second missile hit a private residential area in the Bilenke district, wounding five local residents.
Support from abroad
On 26 June, the day before the attack, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced a AU$110 million military aid package for Ukraine.
What the two events together show
The two events sat side by side in the same week. One showed the exposure of a city in Donetsk Oblast to missile fire, with an evening strike in a central location that killed and injured dozens of people. The other showed that partner governments were still committing military assistance to Ukraine's defence.
The Kramatorsk strike was an attack on civilians, and it is categorised among such attacks in the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The Australian package was one example of the military aid announced for Ukraine during the war. Taken together, they marked the closing days of June 2023: continued strikes on populated areas, and continued pledges of support from abroad.
