https://www.cnbc.com/2022/06/04/russia-ukraine-live-updates.html

UK says Russia’s gains in eastern Ukraine have been ‘slow and costly’; Putin blames West for food, energy crisis

Christine Wang

UPDATED SAT, JUN 4 20226:29 PM EDT

Russia’s war in Ukraine has dragged on for over 100 days, an effort the Kremlin still calls a “special military operation.”

While Russian forces may have advanced in eastern Ukraine, the U.K. Ministry of Defence said those gains have been “slow and costly” as part of Moscow’s “strategy of attrition.”

Meanwhile, the United Nations continues its work to release grain trapped in Ukraine’s Black Sea ports. The agency estimates 1.5 billion people are in need of the food and fertilizer stuck behind Russia’s blockade, emphasizing resuming exports is essential for preventing another crisis.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, however, blames “short-sighted” Western policy for the state of global food and energy markets. He also pushed off blame, saying the food crisis began with the coronavirus pandemic and not Russia’s “special military operation.”