Russia has concentrated its main attack forces in the northern Lugansk region and is reportedly trying to attack simultaneously in nine directions, the Ukrainian army chief said, according to The Guardian. “The fierce fighting for the Lugansk region continues,” said Valerii Zaluzhni, the commander-in-chief of the armed forces.
The Russians are using planes, rocket-propelled grenades and artillery, he added. Serhii Haidai, the governor of the Lugansk region, said the Ukrainian army was defending the key city of Severodonetsk and trying to prevent Russian forces from conquering the city on the opposite bank of the Donetsk River.
The Ukrainians managed to withdraw most of their troops from Severodonetsk
The Ukrainians most likely managed to withdraw a large part of their troops defending the city of Severodonetsk, after the Russian army managed to destroy all three bridges that connected it, informs the British Ministry of Defense, in his daily report, published on Thursday, on the state of the war in Ukraine. The situation continues to be extremely difficult for Ukrainian forces and civilians east of the Siverski Donetsk River.
“With the bridges being destroyed, the Russian military will most likely have to either plan to force the enemy down the river or advance on the flanks to turn tactical ground gains into an operational advantage,” according to the report on the Twitter page of the British Ministry of Defense.
At the same time, the Russian troops currently operating in the Donbas are made up of incomplete “tightening” units. “According to the Ukrainian authorities, some battalion-level battle groups (BTGs) of the Russian army, which normally consist of 600-800 soldiers, have managed to muster at most 30 soldiers,” said the British Ministry of Defense.
The British ministry also states that street fights between Russians and Ukrainians in the cities of Donbas have ended up between smaller and smaller groups of infantry moving on foot. As a result, the Russian military no longer enjoys the advantage and superiority it has over tanks, as they cannot be used successfully in urban combat.
Injured after Russian missiles in Donetsk
Russian missiles hit the Donetsk region, injuring two people. According to the governor of the Donetsk region, Pavlo Kyrylenko, Russian missiles hit the town of Pokrovsk and the village of Hryshyne on June 15, injuring two people. 14 houses, a weather station and an animal farm were damaged, with 30 animals being killed in the attack, writes Kyiv Independent.
Ukrainian soldiers have ignored a Russian ultimatum to hand over Severodonetsk, as Moscow controls 80 percent of the eastern Ukrainian city. Russia has called on Ukrainian forces to stop their “senseless resistance and lay down their arms.” The ultimatum expired on Wednesday. Thousands of civilians, including women, children and the elderly, are trapped in Severodonetsk, at risk of running out of food, water, sewage and electricity. About 500 civilians believed to be trapped with soldiers in the bunkers at the Azot chemical plant were preparing to flee the city through a possible humanitarian corridor.
Meanwhile, two U.S. citizens fighting alongside Ukrainian forces north of Kharkiv have been missing for nearly a week, and there are fears that they may have been captured by Russian forces, according to their families and a fighting colleague, CNN reports. They are believed to be the first Americans to be taken prisoner by the Russians.
Zelensky: Bombing has intensified
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announces that the bombing has intensified, with several regions being hit. Zelenski says that, as always, Ukraine needs weapons and equipment. “Courage, wisdom and tactical skills cannot be imported. Our heroes have them,” Zelensky said.
“The bombing of Ukrainian positions and peaceful cities is intensifying again,” Zelenski said in a recent post on social media. He said Nikolaiv, communities in the Dnipropetrovsk region and the Kharkov region were hit on Wednesday. “In all international contacts I hear admiration for the actions of our defenders. The world really wants to learn from the Ukrainians how to fight and how to win. In the 112 days of this war, the Ukrainian army has shown that courage and wisdom on the battlefield, together with the ability to tactically defeat the enemy, yield significant results, even in spite of the Russian army’s significant advantage in terms of number of soldiers. and the equipment,” said the Ukrainian president. He announced that Ukraine would do “everything possible to overcome the advantages”. “Every day I fight for Ukraine to get the weapons and equipment it needs. But courage, wisdom, and tactical skills cannot be compromised. Our heroes have them,” Zelensky said.
Shelling of Dnipro Region
The Russian occupiers struck the unoccupied territory of Ukraine, destroying residential quarters. There have never been any Russian invaders on the territory of the Dnipropetrovsk region. However, the entire region remains under vile Russian terror, as the Russian Federation strikes rockets and shells the border with other regions mainly at night. On June 15, the night of the Apostolovo turned into a nightmare.
“The enemy fire district of Kryviy Rih from the Soviet multiple-launch rocket system Hurricane. The enemy struck the residential quarters of the town Apostolovo. 4 men died in Apostolovo and 1 was wounded. He is in the hospital. There are a dozen houses and a hospital damaged in the town. The area of the attack is covered with cluster munitions. Pyrotechnicians are working,” said the chairman of the Dnipro regional state administration Valentyn Reznichenko. Read more here.
An Attack on Foreign Aid Train for Ukrainians
Russian soldiers attacked the “World Central the Kitchen” train with food for residents of Mariupol.
A missile strike by Russia was launched against the wagons with humanitarian aid from World Central the Kitchen. In the carriages was food for residents of the Donbas and settlers from Mariupol. Assistance has almost arrived at the destination. However, the occupiers launched a missile strike.
“Russian missile blew up our WCKitchen food train in Eastern Ukraine… Nobody hurt thankfully…but they are now hitting train infrastructure hard! Only 1 wagon of food fully lost, will save the rest! This won’t stop us — our amazing Ukrainian WCK teams will keep feeding the people!” José Andrés, World Central the Kitchen chef. Further details here.
3 More Countries Supported Ukraine’s Accession to the EU
Albania, Montenegro, and North Macedonia support granting Ukraine EU candidate status.
June was marked for Ukraine by a month of a continued struggle for freedom from Russia and European integration. The Ukrainians are waiting for the European Commission’s response on granting the country the status of the candidate. This may not happen in June, but an increasing number of countries support Ukraine’s aspirations to the European Union.
On June 15 president of Ukraine said that, as a result of the 4-party talks, there is a new opinion about Ukraine in the EU.
“I am grateful to Mr. Rami, Mr. Abazovich, and Mr. Kovachevsky for adopting a joint statement of support for Ukraine’s status as a candidate for membership in the European Union,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said after the meeting. Read more here.