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Russo-Ukraine War - 03 July 2023 - Day 495

A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the ground and online. While GlobalSecurity.org takes utmost care to accurately report this news story, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.

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" (SVO - spetsialnaya voennaya operatsiya) 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 UK Ministry of Defence reported that on 29 June 2023, Ukrainian authorities reported that, under emergency legislation,139,000 citizens have been evacuated from the combat zones in the Ukrainian controlled areas of the Donetsk, Kharkiv and Kherson regions since July 2022.

This is just one part of Ukraine's ongoing broader crisis of displacement. The UN estimates 6.3 million Ukrainians remain refugees, and over five million internally displaced.

With a pre-war population of 44 million, a quarter of Ukrainians remain forced from their homes as a result of Russia's invasion.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that during the day July 2, the Russian occupiers launched another missile-air strike at Ukraine, using 3x anti-aircraft guided missiles from the S-300 and 20x Iranian strike UAVs of the "Shahed" type against civilian infrastructure in Sumy, Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia Oblasts. As a result of air combat, Ukrainian Air Defense Forces, in cooperation with other components of the Defense Forces of Ukraine, destroyed 14x attack UAVs of the "Shahed" type.

Russian forces carried out 44x airstrikes and launched about 50x MLRS attacks on Ukrainian cities and Ukrainian Armed Forces.

The threat of missile and air strikes across Ukraine remains high.

Russia is concentrating its main efforts on the Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka, and Mar'inka axes, heavy battles are ongoing. More than 30x combat clashes took place during the day.
Volyn' and Polissya axes: no significant changes detected. There is no signs of the formation of offensive groupings. Armed Forces of Belarus perform tasks in the border of Ukraine. Transferring of the russian armed forces, which underwent training at Belarusian training grounds, to the frontlines of Ukraine, has begun.
Sivershchyna and Slobozhanshchyna axes: Russian forces maintain an enhanced military presence. They carried out airstrikes at Sumy and in the Katerynivka area of the Sumy Oblast. russians shelled with mortars and artillery more than 10x settlements, including Bachivsk, Khodine, Katerynivka of the Sumy Oblast and Veterenarne, Kozacha Lopan', Budarky of the Kharkiv Oblast.
Kup'yans'k axis: Petro-Ivanivka, Figolivka, Novomlyns'k, Dvorichna and Kup'yans'k of the Kharkiv Oblast were shelled by Russian artillery and mortar fire.
Lyman axis: more than 10x settlements were shelled by artillery, in particular, Nevs'ke, Bilogorivka of the Luhansk Oblast and Verkhn'yokam'ians'ke, Berestov, Rozdolivka of the Donetsk Oblast.
Bakhmut axis: Russian forces conducted unsuccessful offensives southeast of Orihovo-Vasylivka and west of Bakhmut. More than 10x settlements, including Kramators'k, Kostyantynivka, Vasyukivka, Bogdanivka, Chasiv Yar, Klishchiivka, and Bila Hora of the Donetsk Oblast, were shelled by artillery.
Avdiivka axis: the Russian forces shelled with artillery more than 10x settlements. Keramik, Avdiivka, Severne, Vodyane and Nevels'ke of the Donetsk Oblast were shelled.
Mar'inka axis: despite Russian airstrikes and artillery fire, Ukrainian defenders repelled all 14x Russian attacks in the vicinities of Mar'inka. Russian forces shelled more than 10x settlements. In particular, Krasnohorivka, Georgiivka, Maksimilianivka and Pobyeda of the Donetsk Oblast wereunder fire.
Shakhtars'k axis: Russians launched an airstrike in the Blagodatny area of the Donetsk Oblast. Shelled more than 10x settlements, including Blagodatne, Vugledar, Bogoyavlenka, Shakhtars'ke, Zolota Niva and Vugledar of the Donetsk Oblast.
Zaporizhzhia and Kherson axes: Russian forces are on the defensive, and concentrate their main efforts on preventing the advance of Ukrainian troops. They shelled with artillery more than 30x settlements, including Hulyaipils'ke, Biloghirya, Mala Tokmachka of the Zaporizhzhia Oblast; Manganets, Nikopol', Dnipropetrovsk Oblast; Antonivka of the Kherson Oblast and Kherson.

Ukrainian Air Force conducted 14x strikes on Russian manpower concentrations.

Ukrainian missile and artillery units hit 2x Russian manpower, weapons and military equipment concentrations and 5x Russian artillery units at firing positions.