RUSSIA’S NEW OFFENSIVE BRINGS LOSSES TO UKRAINE

Amid the ongoing heavy battles, the frontlines have started moving in new directions in Ukraine. The Russian army launches new offensive operations, forcing the Armed Forces of Ukraine to deploy their depleted reserves on extended fronts. At the same time, precision strikes by Russian drones and missiles are pounding the Ukrainian rear. On the night of June 20, the Russian military launched a series of strikes in Ukrainian rear regions. Explosions thundered in the city of Dnipro, where a large fire broke out. Russian strikes hit targets in the city of Krivyi Rig. According to unconfirmed reports, the target was a military airfield of the Ukrainian Air Force. The Vinnytsia region also came under Russian attack. Local authorities confirmed damage to some strategic infrastructure facilities. A series of explosions thundered around Kyiv. Strikes were reported in the town of Brovary. According to a local report, Russian kamikaze UAVs inflicted damage to Ukrainian air defenses near the capital. The border regions in eastern Ukraine are pounded on a daily basis. The Russian aerospace and missile forces are destroying Ukrainian manpower and military equipment accumulated near the frontlines. In particular, massive strikes were launched in the Kharkiv region and continue to be launched every night and every day. At least three explosions were recorded in Kharkiv on June 19. The territory of a children’s camp used for the accommodation of Ukrainian servicemen and foreign mercenaries in the Shevchenko district came under another attack. On the same day, another wave of Russian strikes hit the southern Odessa region. Explosions thundered in the port town of Chernomorsk and in the village of Karolino-Bugaz located south of Odessa. Another recreation facility used by the Ukrainian military was destroyed. In their turn, the Armed Forces of Ukraine attempted to reach Russian rear facilities with their kamikaze drones. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, 15 Ukrainian UAVs were destroyed in six Russian regions. As a result of the massive drone attack, a fire broke out at an oil depot in Adygea. Another target was the Afipsky oil refinery but the drone did not reach it. A civilian woman was killed after a UAV fell on her house. Meanwhile, the Russian army launched an offensive in a new direction on the Donbass frontlines. After a prolonged pause, the Russian military advanced towards the town of Toretsk located on the border of the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics. The front has been almost unchanged there since 2014. The attacks caught the Ukrainian forces by surprise when they began a rotation of military personnel in the area. The Ukrainian military is forced to admit the loss of a number of important strongholds near Pivnichne. Over the past day alone, the Russian army expanded its zone of control by about 1.5 kilometers in the area.