Russo-Ukraine War - 06 June 2022 - Day 103
| Su | M | Tu | W | Th | F | Sa |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |||
| 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 |
| 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
| 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
| 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 |
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]
The one hundred and third day of the heroic opposition of the Ukrainian nation to the Russian military invasion began.
Anders Åslund said tha Ukraine is defending not only itself but the West. Therefore the collective West needs to give Ukraine all the arms & financing it needs to kick Russian troops out of the whole of Ukraine.
Sievierodonetsk in Luhansk Oblast is currently the focal point of fighting between Ukrainian and Russian troops. The Kyiv Independent reports that some observers have called on the Ukrainian army to withdraw from Sieverodonetsk to Lysychansk, which is separated from it by a river and is easier to defend. President Volodymyr Zelensky said that, if the Russian military fully captured the city, Ukraine would need five times more equipment and people for a counter-offensive. Zelensky said “we’re holding out” in the flashpoint eastern city of Severodonetsk but said of Russian forces there that “there are more of them and they are stronger”. Zelensky's remarks come after he met with frontline troops in neighboring Lysychansk.
Ukraine said its forces controlled half of Severodonetsk, but it expects a major major counter-attack from Russian forces in the coming days. Lugansk's regional governor, Sergiy Gaiday, said that Russian forces had been tasked with gaining control of the city, as well as a key transport artery connecting two other nearby cities, Lysychansk and Bakhmut. "We expect in the near future that all the reserves that they now have access to -- all the reserves, all the personnel that they have -- they will throw to perform these two tasks," Gaiday said. "In the next five days, there will be a large increase in the number of shellings from heavy artillery," from the Russian side.
Ukraine is negotiating with a number of countries and with the United Nations to unblock ports for the unimpeded export of grain, but the main guarantor in this matter remains the weapons we receive from partner countries. This was stated by President Volodymyr Zelensky during a conversation with media representatives on the occasion of Journalist's Day. "We are working on this with specific countries on specific anti-ship systems and we are already getting it - I can say that. I think this is the best guarantee," the President said.
"We need a safety corridor for ships. That the fleet of this or that state provided export of this grain. And we talked to both Britain and Turkey. Turkey is now finding a format on how to provide us with guarantees," the Ukrainian head of state said.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken gave support to reports that Russia has stolen grain from Ukraine for resale, even as Moscow blocks the country from exporting its own corn. "There are credible reports... that Russia is pilfering Ukraine's grain exports to sell for its own profit," Blinken said at a State Department conference on food security issues arising from the invasion of Ukraine. "Now, Russia is hoarding its food exports as well," Blinken added, outlining the reasons for the sharp surge in global prices for wheat and other grains, and looming shortages. The war "is having a devastating impact on global food security because Ukraine is one of the breadbaskets of the world," Blinken said.
The UK Ministry of Defence reported that in the early hours of 5 June, Russian Kh-101 air-launched cruise missiles struck rail infrastructure in Kyiv, likely in an attempt disrupt the supply of Western military equipment to frontline Ukrainian units. In the Donbas, heavy fighting continues in the contested town of Sieverodonetsk and Russian forces continue to push towards Sloviansk as part of their attempted encirclement of Ukrainian forces. At sea, following the loss of the cruiser Moskva in April, Russian forces have likely moved multiple air defence assets to Snake Island in the western Black Sea, including SA-15 and SA-22 systems. It is likely these weapons are intended to provide air defence for Russian naval vessels operating around Snake Island. Russia's activity on Snake Island contributes to its blockade of the Ukrainian coast and hinders the resumption of maritime trade, including exports of Ukrainian grain.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that there were no significant changes in the situation in the Volyn and Polissya areas. On the territory of the Republic of Belarus, along the State Border of Ukraine, there is a presence of separate units of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, which are armed with operational and tactical missile systems "Iskander-M", anti-aircraft systems "Pantsir-C1", anti-aircraft missile systems S-400 and operational and tactical aviation aircraft. In the northern direction, the Russians continue to provide enhanced protection of the Ukrainian-Russian border in the Bryansk and Kursk regions. In order to demonstrate the presence in the border areas, there are separate units of the Russians, who are shelling the civilian infrastructure of the settlements of Chernihiv and Sumy regions of Ukraine.
In the Slobozhansky direction, the Russians continues to fire on units of the Defense Forces with barrel artillery, rocket-propelled grenades, mortars and tanks. In order to support the offensive, the Russians were intensively restoring the transport infrastructure and building pontoon-rail crossings across rivers in the temporarily occupied territories. In the Kharkiv direction, the occupiers are actively defending, the main efforts focused on maintaining the occupied borders. In order to increase the stability of the defense, the Russians took additional measures on the engineering and fortification equipment positions. To restrain the actions of the Ukrainian Defense Forces, they were conducting intensive artillery and mortar shelling of Ukrainian positions. In addition, the Russians fired on civilian infrastructure in the areas of Bazylivka, Kutuzivka and Petrivske.
In the Slavic direction, the Russian's main efforts are focused on continuing the offensive in the direction of the village of Slavyansk. From artillery of various calibers, the Russians fired on civilian infrastructure in the areas of the settlements of Velyka Komyshuvakha, Virnopillya, Dibrivne, Nova Dmytrivka and Kurulka. In the Donetsk direction, the aggressor's units are firing on the positions of Ukrainian troops along the entire line of contact. The Russians fired missiles at Sloviansk, Lysychansk and Orikhovo. In the Lyman direction, with the support of artillery, the Russians is conducting offensive operations in the area of Svyatogorsk. The Russians are also conducting assault operations in the direction of the settlements of Shchurove and Staryi Karavan. Fighting continues there.
In the Severodonetsk direction, the Russians fired at Ukrainian troops with mortars and artillery systems of various types. Civil infrastructure in the areas of the settlements of Metolkino, Borivske, Ustynivka, Toshkivka and others was also affected. The occupiers continue to storm Severodonetsk.
In the Bakhmut direction, the Russians fired on the positions of Ukrainian units with mortars, barrel and jet artillery in the areas of the settlements of Zolote, Orikhove, Gorskoye, Vrubivka, Klinove, Belogorivka, Pokrovske and Rota. They used assault and army aircraft for air strikes near Bakhmut and Berestov, and carried out assault operations in the areas of the settlements of Komyshuvakha, Berestov and Mykolayivka. The Russians has suffered significant losses, has no success, fighting continued. On Avdiivsky, Kurakhivsky, the Russians did not wage active hostilities in the Novopavlovsk and Zaporizhzhya areas. They fired on civilian infrastructure in the districts of Novobakhmutovka, Kamyanka, Avdiivka, Mykilsky, Zolota Niva and Poltavka.
In the South Bug direction, in order to bind Ukrainian troops, the occupiers fired artillery of various calibers in the areas of the settlements of Tavriyske, Nova Zorya, Stepova Dolina, Novomykolayivka and Kobzartsi. The Russians continued engineering equipment positions in the areas of Shevchenivka, Olgino and other settlements.
Over the past 24hrs, seven Russians attacks have been repulsed in the Donetsk and Luhansk directions, four tanks, three artillery systems, eight armored combat vehicles and three units of motor vehicles have been destroyed. Air defense units shot down a Ka-52 combat helicopter and an unmanned aerial vehicle.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Russia Major General Igor Konashenkov during a briefing spoke about the advances of the Russian Armed Forces in Ukraine and Donbas. It is noted that the military of Russia and the fighters of the republics of Donbass continue to clearly fulfill the tasks assigned to them in the DPR, LPR and Ukraine. Russian troops, using high-precision air-launched missiles on the outskirts of the Lazova Kharkiv region, liquidated the production buildings of the forging and mechanical plant, where Ukrainian militants were repairing and restoring military equipment.
In addition, it was possible to destroy four command posts of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, 15 areas of accumulation of manpower and equipment of Ukrainian militants. Russian air strikes eliminated, among other things, two enemy command posts, more than 150 neo-Nazis, and a fuel depot.
The Russian armed forces are completing the liberation of Svyatogorsk of the Donetsk People's Republic and the area around it. "The Russian armed forces are completing the liberation of the city of Svyatogorsk of the Donetsk People's Republic and the surrounding area," Konashenkov said.
According to the spokesman for the Russian Defense Ministry, Ukrainian nationalist formations blew up a bridge over the Seversky Donets River today to prevent the retreat of Ukrainian troops. "Under the onslaught of Russian units, cut off from the main forces and supplies due to the blowing of the bridge, the remnants of the battalions of the 95th Airborne Assault Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the 81st Separate Airborne Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine abandoned military equipment along with weapons and dispersed along the coast," he added, specifying that up to 80 Ukrainian servicemen swam across the river, while the Russian military did not open fire on them.
Ukraine Weapons Tracker reported that Vector Pinzgauer 718 6x6 armored patrol vehicles were delivered from the UK to Ukraine. "Interestingly, these vehicles were purchased by a Ukrainian soldier from a private company, using his own money and then donated them to the the Territorial Defense Forces."
Dai Bing, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, warned against constantly providing weapons to Ukraine or imposing sanctions on Russia. "The international community should work together to promote peace talks, and encourage Russia and Ukraine to come back to the negotiation track," Dai told a Security Council meeting on sexual violence and human trafficking in the context of the Ukraine conflict. "Constantly providing weapons or imposing sanctions and pressure will not solve the problem, but will only perpetuate and expand the conflict," he warned.
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
