snapshot
Ukrainian forces conducted attacks in three zones, while Russian forces counterattacked near Kremmina and Avdiivka. Ukrainian moves were reported towards Priyutne in the Zaporizhia region – the southernmost point of the Ukrainian offensive so far. The Ukrainians held their small base near the Antonivsky bridge over the Dnipro in the Kherson region and may be attempting amphibious assaults on adjacent islands. Russian propaganda proclaims that the attack on a pizzeria was a success that targeted NATO trainers – and killed three teenage girls.
analysis
Ukraine’s Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov told Britain’s Financial Times:
· Previous offensive measures are a “Preview” of a much larger push come;
· The Ukrainian army continues to inflict heavy casualties on Russian troops, with “demotion as a tool and liberation of Ukrainian land as the goal”;
· The main troop reserves of Ukraine, including Most of the brigades recently trained in the West and equipped with modern NATO tanks and armored vehicles have yet to be deployed;
· The Armed Forces of Ukraine had made “certain gains” which the General Staff had not made public in order to avoid exposure of the troops; And,
· The operation would contrast with last year’s defeat of Russian forces in Kiev, the northeastern region of Kharkiv and the southern city of Kherson. “You can’t expect a miracle with every operation.”
General zones and activity
Russian forces continued to conduct heavy artillery, air and tank attacks on Dachi on the left bank of the Dnipro River and near the Antonivsky Bridge in the Kherson region. Ukrainian forces – estimated at company strength – remain in positionaccording to Deep State and pro-Russian sources.
Pro-Russian sources said so The Ukrainians conducted amphibious assaults in the area of several islands south of Kherson and that “there is no secure control over the gray area in the Region of Islands.”
A leading Ukrainian milblogger said: “By driving the Russians away from these small islands and settlements, Ukrainians can gradually gain complete freedom of movement on the river, even without controlling the other bank.” Russian analysts warn that Ukrainians are looking for a seek weak points once Ukrainian forces push the Russians onto the mainland. Given the length of the front line, the likelihood that the Ukrainians will find such a weak point is extremely high.”
Russia claimed some responsibility for the rocket attack on a pizzeria in Kramatorsk that killed 11 people, including three teenage girls. Russian propagandist Olga Skabeyeva, a state TV presenter, said: “The missiles were aimed at NATO trainers and the aim of the attack was achieved.”
Russian forces carried out offensive attacks: a) in the Serebyansky forest area near Kremmina in the Luhansk region, where fighting is extensive and intense, and; b) at Pervomaisk and Mariinka, which according to pro-Russian sources were unsuccessful, in the Donetsk region.
Ukrainian soldiers of the anti-aircraft missile unit of the 10th Mountain Assault Brigade Edelweiss shot down a Russian Su-25 ground attack aircraft.
Russian forces conducted two missile strikes, 44 air strikes and 20 multiple rocket launcher (MLRS) strikes, such as the S-300 system that hit Kramatorsk.
According to ISW, Russian sources speculated that Wagner’s uprising was already having far-reaching implications for the Russian command structure. A prominent Russian milblogger, quoted by the ISW, claimed that Wagner’s rebellion led to “large-scale purges” of the Russian armed forces’ senior cadres and that the Russian Defense Ministry is currently undergoing a “crash test” of its loyalty.
According to the region’s governor, three people were killed by Russian shelling in the Kherson region.
Zone A. TO518 / Mokri-Yaly river axis – border of Zaporizhia and Donetsk regions
Ukrainian units advanced towards Priyutne, according to pro-Russian sources. This would be the most “southern” attack position in this zone so far. The capture of Priyutne would spearhead the Ukrainian position between liberated Levadne, five kilometers west, liberated Makarivka, some 10 kilometers east, and liberated Rivnopil, some five kilometers north.
Zone B. West Zaporizhia
According to Ukrainian milblogger Deep State and pro-Russian sources, there was ongoing fighting and Ukrainian offensive attacks north of Robotyne.
Zone C. Bachmut
According to the Deep State, Ukrainian forces made gains on the route from Sloviansk to Bakhmut and, according to pro-Russian sources, near Klishchivka.
According to pro-Russian sources, Russian forces conducted an unsuccessful counterattack near Berehivka.