Reservists now are being further integrated into eastern troop activity as bombardment continues with Russian attacks on civilian targets. Russian forces continued attacks against the southern outskirts of Lysychansk and consolidated control of Severodonetsk and surrounding settlements.
Key Takeaways
- Russian forces conducted a missile strike against Kyiv for the first time since April 29, likely to coincide with the ongoing G7 leadership summit.
- Russian Colonel-General Gennday Zhidko has likely taken over the role of theatre commander of operations in Ukraine.
- Russian forces continued attacks against the southern outskirts of Lysychansk and consolidated control of Severodonetsk and surrounding settlements.
- Russian forces are conducting operations to the east of Bakhmut to maintain control of the T1302 Bakhmut-Lysychansk highway.
- Russian forces conducted unsuccessful ground assaults to the northwest of Slovyansk.
- Russian forces intensified artillery strikes against Ukrainian positions along the Southern Axis.
- Russian occupation authorities are escalating measures to stem Ukrainian partisan activity in occupied areas through increased filtration measures and the abduction of civilians.
If the Russians can close off the Luhansk pocket, it remains to be seen whether they have the reserves and logistic support to maintain their offensive momentum. They, like the Ukrainians, have been slogging it out here for some time — combat exhaustion will start to tell. However, in using proxy forces and the Wagner Group mercenaries in Luhansk, the Russians may have been able to preserve other regular forces for subsequent offensives.
There are other challenges that the Russians will have to address in the short term. The Ukrainians in the east will be defending along a much shorter defensive line. And, Ukrainian advances in the south around Kherson will pose a dilemma about priorities for the Russians.
Even before the massive missile attacks over the weekend, it has been a grim week for Ukraine. But even the best military organisations sometimes have bad weeks in war. This is entirely normal. Remember, after Dunkirk came the liberation of Europe. And after the First Battle of Alamein came the Second Battle of Alamein, which was the beginning of the end of the Nazis in north Africa.
George Washington lost many of his battles, and gave up territory, but kept his Continental Army alive to eventually win the war (with the help of his French allies).
So too must the Ukrainians cede ground at times to win this war. Despite their enormous courage, the Ukrainians must not be drawn into an attritional fight with a Russian Army that prefers to fight this way.
This week's events have shown again that losing territory is bad for a country at war, but losing your army is fatal.
The Ukrainians have had a terrible week. But it is not the same as them losing the war.
- russian occupiers continue to launch missile strikes on civilian targets in Ukraine. Today, in Kremenchuh, Poltava oblast, russian rocket hit a shopping center where civilians were staying. The number of victims is currently unknown.
- Rescue operations are underway.
- Demonstrative and provocative actions by units of the Armed Forces of the republic of belarus in the areas bordering Ukraine are not ruled out in the Volyn and Polissya areas,
- as well as intensification of intelligence to clarify the positions and nature of our troops.
- Air and missile strikes from the territory and airspace of the republic of belarus are expected to continue. Once again, we urge you not to ignore air alarm signals.
- In the Siversky direction, units of the Armed Forces of the russian federation continue to be located in the border areas of the Bryansk and Kursk regions in order to restrain the actions of units of the Defense Forces.
- The enemy fired mortars near Pokrovka and Starykovo, Sumy oblast. The enemy also used jet artillery in the areas of the settlements of Porozok and Verkhnya Pozhnya, Sumy oblast.
- In the Slobozhansky direction, the enemy is defending previously occupied positions,
- trying to prevent the advance of units of the Defense Forces and their entry to the state border of Ukraine in the north of Kharkiv region. Intelligence is trying to find weaknesses in the defense of our troops.
- In Kharkiv direction, the enemy, in order to regain lost ground, tried to carry out assault operations in the area of the settlement of Dementievka, had no success, withdrew. Also, Ukrainian soldiers successfully repulsed enemy assaults in direction of Dovhalivka and Zalyman.
- The occupiers are taking measures to quickly disguise and try to mislead our units, for which they are installing wooden models of tanks on the defensive positions.
- In the Slovyansk direction, the enemy is trying to improve its tactical position and create favorable conditions for the attack on the settlements of Barvinkove and Slovyansk. Continues shelling.
- Trying to take control of Mazanivka, the enemy launched an offensive from the area of the village of Dovhenke. It received a strong rebuff from the Ukrainian defenders and withdrew with losses.
- In the Donetsk direction, the enemy continues to focus on attempts to surround the Defense Forces near the city of Lysychansk, trying to blockade the city from the south and southwest. Takes measures to replenish the loss of personnel, weapons and military equipment.
- The enemy did not take active action in the Kramatorsk direction.
- Mortar and artillery shelling was recorded in the Lysychansk direction in the areas of the settlements of Lysychansk, Verkhnokamyanka and Soledar.
- The enemy led the offensive in the direction of Vovchoyarivka - Verkhnokamyanka, has partial success, is consolidated south of the Lysychansk refinery. To distract the efforts of our troops, he led the offensive in the direction of Pidlisne - Lysychansk, had no success, withdrew.
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The spokesman explained that Kh-22 missiles are fast missiles that can develop a speed of about 3,000 km per h. They are launched from TU-22M3 long-range bombers. If earlier Russia launched such missiles from Rostov region, the Black Sea, now it has redeployed these planes to the north. Flying into the airspace of Belarus, an aircraft strikes the northern regions as this missile has a range of only 600 km.
www.ukrinform.net/...
Opposing views about US involvement are out there.
“The main enemy is (always) at home.” “In the case of Ukraine, it is a reactionary comprador bourgeoisie waging the war, with the full support, short of direct military intervention, of Western military forces; the intention of the Ukrainian ruling class is to ally itself with US imperialism directly against Russian imperialism, and to hand over ownership and control of the massive agricultural and mineral resources of the country to giant monopolies to enable them to be looted and plundered. There is nothing in the war for the Ukrainian working class, and the recent imposition of martial law in the country shows this.”
revolutionarycommunist.org/...