Russo-Ukraine War - 03 June 2022 - Day 100
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On 24 February 2022, Ukraine was suddenly and deliberately attacked by land, naval and air forces of Russia, igniting the largest European war since the Great Patriotic War. Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a "special military operation" in Ukraine in response to the appeal of the leaders of the "Donbass republics" for help. That attack is a blatant violation of the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine. Putin stressed that Moscow's goal is the demilitarization and denazification of the country. The military buildup in preceeding months makes it obvious that the unprovoked and dastardly Russian attack was deliberately planned long in advance. During the intervening time, the Russian government had deliberately sought to deceive the world by false statements and expressions of hope for continued peace.
"To initiate a war of aggression... is not only an international crime; it is the supreme international crime differing only from other war crimes in that it contains within itself the accumulated evil of the whole." [Judgment of the International Military Tribunal]
Today marks the 100th day since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The Ukrainian armed forces have recaptured 20% of the territory of Severodonetsk, now Russian troops control about half of the city. The head of the Luhansk Regional Military Administration Serhiy Haidai stated that if earlier the invaders seized about 70% of the territory of Severodonetsk, now the Armed Forces have "moved" them by 20%. "The Russians will not be able to take the region in two weeks, according to British intelligence," said the head of the Luhansk OVA.
After letting Russians conquer up to 80% of #Severodonetsk, Ukrainian forces came back in force, recapturing up to half of the town and a nearby village. Ukrainian forces continued to make a remarkable stand in urban area. Line of contact now reported as Bohdan Lishina Street, a central avenue. Russia losses are reported as heavy with retreats in some areas. Aleksey Arestovich, the adviser to the head of the President’s Office, said: "We lured the Russian troops into a trap in Severodonetsk. Our troops launched a tough counterattack and are now turning Moscow comrades into mincemeat. The Russian command is now throwing all available forces to hold (note, not to capture - to hold!) Severodonetsk."
According to Arestovich, now the Russian command is in shock. The Russians reported about the “capture” of Severodonetsk, and now they have received a tough counterattack from the Armed Forces of Ukraine. “The defenders of Ukraine are now liquidating Moscow comrades,” the adviser to the head of the Presidential Office noted, even though the occupiers have superiority in aviation and artillery. “Our troops show incredible courage, and the commanders are tactical talents. There are in a very tough battle. The Russian command is now throwing all available forces to hold (note, not to capture – to hold!) Severodonetsk. Ours are now tearing the enemy like lions, despite his fire superiority,” Arestovich added.
"From the very beginning, I said - and not everyone agreed with me - nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine. This is their territory. I'm not going to tell them what they should and shouldn't do, "Biden said when asked if Ukrainians should give up part of their territory to make peace.
The UK Ministry of Defence reported that Russia is now achieving tactical success in the Donbas. Russian forces have generated and maintained momentum and currently appear to hold the initiative over Ukrainian opposition. Russia controls over 90% of Luhansk Oblast and is likely to complete control in the next two weeks. Russia has achieved these recent tactical successes at significant resource cost, and by concentrating force and fires on a single part of the overall campaign. Russia has not been able to generate manoeuvre or movement on other fronts or axes, all of which have transitioned to the defensive. Measured against Russia’s original plan, none of the strategic objectives have been achieved. In order for Russia to achieve any form of success will require continued huge investment of manpower and equipment, and is likely to take considerable further time.
The heroic opposition of the Ukrainian nation to the Russian military invasion has been going on for a hundred days. No signs of formation of offensive groups were found in the Volyn and Polissya directions. On June 1, combat training of units of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus began at the Vyzhlovichi test site in the Brest region. The threat of missile strikes from the territory of the Republic of Belarus remains.
In the northern direction, the Russians did not take active action, no signs of the formation of strike groups were found. In order to clarify the location of the positions of Ukrainian troops, the Russians conducted reconnaissance with the use of UAVs in some areas of Sumy and Chernihiv regions. They fired a missile at the settlement of Krasnopillya in the Sumy region and fired mortar fire at the settlement of Mykhalchyna Sloboda in the Chernihiv region.
In the Slobozhansky direction, the Russians were concentrating its main efforts on restraining the advance ofUkrainiantroops in the direction of the State Border. They continued to fire on units of the Defense Forces using aircraft, artillery, multiple rocket launchers, mortars and tanks. Exploration was underway to find weaknesses in the defense of Ukrainian troops and determine further areas of action. Logistical support and strengthening of Russians troops were not stopped.
In the Kharkiv direction, the Russian occupiers continue to defend themselves, destroying civilian objects in the city of Kharkiv. They launched an air strike by Mi-8 helicopters at the positions of Ukrainian troops in the areas of the settlements of Slatine and Dementievka. In the Slavic direction, the Russians were preparing to resume the offensive, concentrated a group of up to twenty battalion tactical groups. In order to improve the tactical situation, he tried to launch an offensive in the directions of the settlements of Barvinkove and Sviatohirsk, but was unsuccessful.
In the Donetsk direction, the Russians concentrated its main efforts in the area of the city of Severodonetsk. Under cover of artillery fire, they stormed residential areas in the eastern part of the city with partial success, and active hostilities continue. The Russians led the offensive in the directions of the settlements of Bakhmut, Soledar and Lysychansk, but had no success, retreated to previously held positions.
Russians tried to take control of the left bank of the Seversky Donets River and create conditions for its forcing by the main forces of the group. In the Lyman direction, the occupiers used rocket and tube artillery in the areas of Shchurove and Brusivka. On Avdiivsky, the Russians did not wage active hostilities in the Kurakhiv, Novopavliv, and Zaporizhzhya areas. Mortar, tube and rocket artillery shelling was recorded in the areas of Pisky, Mykolaivka, Poltavka and Pokrovske settlements.
In the South Bug direction, the Russians were defending, in some areas trying to regain lost ground. He carried out artillery fire and intensified air reconnaissance. The situation in the Bessarabian direction had not changed significantly. No signs of Russians offensive formations were found.
The main efforts of Russians naval groups in the Black Sea and Azov Maritime Zones focused on isolating combat areas and blocking civilian shipping in the northwestern Black Sea.
Forced mobilization of civilians continues in the temporarily occupied territory of Donetsk region. Threatening criminal responsibility, the command of the occupying forces was trying to make up for the losses of units they suffered in the fighting against the defenders of Ukraine. According to available information, the command of the armed forces of the Russian Federation was taking measures to intensify reconnaissance and sabotage activities in Ukraine. To this end, the recruitment and training of mercenaries for the formation of sabotage and reconnaissance groups with their subsequent activities in Ukraine. Preference in the implementation of this selection is given to residents and former residents of Donetsk and Luhansk regions who are fluent in the Ukrainian language.
Over the past day, Russian operational-tactical, army and unmanned aircraft during the special operation of the Russian Armed Forces to denazify Ukraine destroyed over 360 Ukrainian nationalists. This was announced at a briefing by the official representative of the Russian Ministry of Defense, Major General Igor Konashenkov. As Konashenkov noted, during the specified period, Russian operational-tactical, army and unmanned aircraft hit a total of 37 areas of concentration of manpower and military equipment of Kyiv militants.
The Kyiv regime is preparing a staged video with the testimony of Ukrainian civilians accusing Russia of shelling settlements, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov told reporters. Konashenkov said that the shooting of fake videos is scheduled for June 5-6. “The video materials will be devoted to staged testimonies of ‘ordinary Ukrainians’ accusing Russia of allegedly intentional shelling of peaceful settlements ,” he said.
“The criteria applicable to exports defined in the Federal Law on War Material (FLMG) and the equal treatment resulting from the law of neutrality do not allow Switzerland to approve a request for the transmission of war material of Swiss origin to Ukraine,” the government said in a statement. European countries, seeking to replenish their arms stocks after providing weapons to Ukraine, have submitted requests to Switzerland for the transfer of surplus material from previous or current armed forces stocks. Neutral Switzerland requires countries that buy Swiss arms to seek permission to re-export them. According to Swiss law, exports of war material must be refused if the country of destination is involved in an international armed conflict. “Russia and Ukraine are involved in such a conflict,” said the government. “As the export of war material from Switzerland to Ukraine cannot be authorised due to the equal treatment resulting from the law of neutrality and the provisions of the LFMG, it is not possible to respond favorably to requests from Germany and Denmark for the transfer of war material to Ukraine,” said the government on Friday, confirming the earlier decisions. Meanwhile, Switzerland's defence procurement office armasuisse said it had given the go-ahead for Germany to freely dispose of 42 Leopard 2 tanks previously sold back to the German defence group Rheinmetall twelve years ago, “as there are no longer any requirements here”. However, mothballed Swiss Leopard 2 tanks will not be passed on to Poland as “this would require a decommissioning and thus a decision by parliament,” armasuisse added. In its statement, the Swiss government said deliveries of war material to European arms companies remain possible, however. “The delivery of war material in the form of assembly elements or spare parts to European armament companies will however remain possible, even if the manufactured war material is likely to be sent to Ukraine,” the government added. The Federal Council had examined two applications for the export of war material submitted by Swiss companies relating to the delivery of spare parts and assembly elements to arms companies in Germany and Italy. One request was for components for anti-tank rocket launchers and the other for air defence components. “Both transactions pose the risk that some of the components will be used in war material subsequently delivered to Ukraine,” the government said. However, “under current practice”, deliveries of war material in the form of parts and components are in principle permitted, provided that their share in the final product is below a certain value threshold (50% for countries like Italy and Germany), it added. “The Federal Council has decided to continue this practice, as such exports are compatible with the law of neutrality,” it said. Retired US Air Force Lt. Col. Karen Kwiatkowski, a former analyst for the US Department of Defence said "It is not clear how effective or orderly Ukrainian political/military command and control is today, and the Russian operation successfully targeted this early on and seriously degraded this aspect. If Ukrainian political desperation grows any and all weaponry could be used against both Russia directly, or as part of a false flag or other incident intended to activate greater assistance or involvement from NATO countries or the US". According to Kwiatkowski, Ukraine's political leadership "is not particularly trustworthy": "It is also not clear who is running the Ukrainian defensive operations, and if they are completely connected with the Zelensky government".
Even shorter range HIMARS could invite a disaster, according to Dan Kovalik, adjunct professor of law at the University of Pittsburgh and author of the book "No More War: How the West Violates International Law by Using 'Humanitarian' Intervention to Advance Economic and Strategic Interests". Kovalik said "[50 miles] certainly would be enough range for Ukraine to be able to shoot into Russia, maybe to get as close as Rostov-on-Don, where, by the way, about a million Ukrainian immigrants now live", the professor says. "It does show that Biden is giving in to pressure to expand this war, to expand it by possibly attacking the Russian territory itself. And it's something that I think people in the US and Western Europe need to oppose".
David T. Pyne, an EMP Task Force scholar and former US Department of Defence officer said "[I]t is entirely counterproductive to US national security interests for the Biden administration to provide any further lethal military assistance to Ukraine whatsoever because it is this promise of seemingly never-ending US arms shipments that is emboldening President Zelensky and giving him false hope that Ukraine can defeat Russia causing him to continue to refuse to resume peace negotiations which were very close to ending the war as recently as mid-April".
Pyne warned that the more weapons the US and NATO send to Ukraine and "the longer the Biden administration causes this unfortunate and unnecessary war to drag on, the greater the chances that the conflict will spread to one or more NATO countries likely leading to the outbreak of a full-scale and total war between the US and its NATO allies and Russia and its allies".
European politicians' short-sightedness, not Russia, provoked the energy crisis, and Russia is ready to take necessary measures to alleviate a global food crisis, President Vladimir Putin said. "We see attempts to shift the blame for what is happening on the food market on Russia, but this is an attempt to pin the blame on someone else," Putin said in an interview with Rossiya-1. He recalled that contrary to Western politicians' claims, problems on the global food market began during the COVID-19 pandemic, long before Russia kicked off its special military operation in Ukraine. Putin characterized Western countries' decision to sanction Russian fertilizer producers as a "short-sighted, stupid and erroneous policy" which is "leading to a dead end." He warned that due to sanctions, the situation on the world fertilizer market will worsen, with food prices subsequently expected to go up even further.
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