Three Civilians Killed in Donetsk as Putin Proposes Conditional Cease-Fire
On June 15, 2024, three civilians in the Donetsk region of Ukraine were killed, and five others injured in an attack by Russian forces, according to Vadym Filashkin, head of the Donetsk Regional Military Administration. The strike targeted the settlement of Ulakly.
This incident coincides with ongoing diplomatic efforts at a major summit in Switzerland, where nearly 100 countries, led by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, are discussing peace solutions for Ukraine. Analysts from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) have criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin’s cease-fire proposals as disingenuous, arguing that his demands — including Ukraine's withdrawal from annexed territories and abandoning NATO ambitions — serve to undermine the peace talks.
The summit's draft communique emphasizes Ukraine's territorial integrity and calls for nuclear safety, food security, and the release of prisoners of war. Western leaders like Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni have dismissed Putin’s proposals as propaganda, with Zelensky condemning the ongoing Russian invasion and asserting Ukraine’s right to peace.
In a separate incident, Russian security forces neutralized inmates who had taken two staff members hostage at a detention center in Rostov-on-Don, Russia. According to state media, the hostages were unharmed, but reports indicate that some inmates were killed during the operation.