Russian special forces secretly raided from behind, obliterating Ukrainian defensive positions at the Antonovsky bridgehead in Kherson.
Russian Defense Ministry: The war in Ukraine is still fierce
The armed forces of the Russian Federation carried out a high-precision land and sea weapons attack on Ukrainian command posts in Donetsk. All assigned objects are hit.
During the past day, the Ukrainian armed forces continued to attempt to attack in the directions of Donetsk, Krasnolimansk, and South Donetsk but without success.
In the direction of Donetsk, the southern group of forces successfully repelled 15 Ukrainian attacks on the settlements of Belogorovka, Artemovsk (Bakhmut), Pervomayskoye, Lastochkino, Vodyanoye and Veseleye in Donetsk.
Ukrainian losses amounted to more than 265 soldiers, 1 tank, 2 infantry fighting vehicles, 8 motor vehicles, 2 MSTA-B cannons, and 1 D-20 cannon.
In the direction of Krasnolimansky, the Center group, armed with heavy air force, artillery, and flamethrowers, inflicted heavy losses in manpower and equipment of the 21st, 42nd, and 67th Ukrainian motorized brigades in the areas of the Ukraine. settled Nevskoye, Kremennaya and Chervonaya Dibrova in Luhansk.
In the settlement of Torskoe in Donetsk, the operation of the reconnaissance group – sabotage Ukraine was stopped.
During the day, up to 90 Ukrainian servicemen were killed, and 2 armored fighting vehicles, 2 pickup trucks, 1 D-20 artillery, and 1 Gvozdika self-propelled howitzer were destroyed.
To the south of Donetsk, the Vostok force group repelled two Ukrainian attacks in the settlement of Staromayorskoe in Donetsk. In addition, in the settlements of Novodarovka and Rabotino, Zaporizhia region, the activity of two groups of sabotage – Ukrainian reconnaissance was stopped.
In the direction of Zaporizhia, Russian troops repelled the Ukrainian attack in the settlement of Pyatikhatki. In addition, a unit of the 106th Ukrainian Territorial Defense Brigade was defeated in the settlement of Lugovskoe.
Ukraine’s losses amounted to 140 servicemen, 3 armored fighting vehicles, 7 motor vehicles, 2 D-20 cannons, and 1 MSTA-B cannon.
In the direction of Kupyansk, the Western group of forces attacked Ukrainian manpower and equipment in the settlements of Timkovka, Topoli, and Berestovoye in the Kharkiv region. In the settlement of Novoselovskoye in Luhansk, the activity of the Ukrainian sabotage-reconnaissance group was suppressed.
Total Ukrainian losses amounted to more than 75 servicemen, 3 motorized vehicles, as well as a D-30 howitzer were destroyed.
In the Kherson direction, Russian fire destroyed up to 30 Ukrainian servicemen, 4 motor vehicles, and 1 American-made M777 cannon. In addition, a group of Ukrainian saboteurs was wiped out trying to land on Antonovsky Island in two motorboats.
The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation during the day destroyed 85 artillery units on the battlefields, along with many Ukrainian personnel and military equipment in 102 areas.
Russian air defense intercepted 2 Storm Shadow long-range cruise missiles and 5 HIMARS missiles.
In total, since February 24, 2022, Russia has destroyed Ukraine’s 444 aircraft, 240 helicopters, 4,845 UAVs, 426 anti-aircraft missile systems, 10,430 tanks and other armored fighting vehicles, 1,134 rockets, 5,291 mortars, as well as 11,324 special military vehicles.
Ukraine’s President is disappointed by the West’s delay in delivering F-16s
According to the Kyiv Independent, President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed frustration with Western allies, who he believes are delaying the start of training Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16 fighter jets as promised.
Mr. Zelensky said in a joint statement during talks with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on July 1: “There are no training schedules, this is being delayed. I don’t know why they are doing it. so”.
So far, Ukraine has received 14 MiG-29 fighters from Poland and 13 from Slovakia but is lobbying for more advanced planes.
Ukraine’s Defense Ministry previously said it needed at least 48 F-16 fighter jets to retake territory controlled by the Russian military.
CIA director secretly went to Kiev, revealing much unexpected information
According to the Washington Post, during a secret visit to Kyiv in June, CIA Director William J. Burn was told by Ukrainian officials an ambitious strategy to recapture Russian-controlled territories and launch meetings. ceasefire negotiations with Moscow later this year.
Burns met with President Volodymyr Zelensky and top Ukrainian intelligence officials, reaffirming the Biden administration’s commitment to sharing intelligence to help Ukraine defend itself.
Military planners in Kyiv shared with the CIA director their optimism about the goal of regaining vital territory by the fall, maneuvering artillery and missile systems closer to the peninsula’s boundaries. Crimea is controlled by Russia, moves deeper into eastern Ukraine, and then opens negotiations with Moscow.
War developments in Ukraine on each front
On Vremyevsky Peak, since yesterday, shock groups of 2 Ukrainian brigades 35 and 128 have “explored” the Russian defenses in the Staromayorsky region.
At the same time, the combined assault units of the 31st Brigade and the 36th Ukrainian Brigade, with artillery and mortar fire support, are trying to break through to Priyutnoye from the Levadnoye-Rivnopol line.
Ukrainian forces are operating in batches, using small strike groups in such a way that as soon as one unit is exhausted, a new unit will take its place. To limit casualties, Ukraine turned forest areas into shelters, one of which was located between Staromayorsky and Priyutny.
The task of Ukrainian forces now is to break through the Russian defense near Staromayorsky and Priyutnoye. Combat is also expected to heat up near Novodonetsk and Urozhaynoye.
In the direction of Zaporizhia, the 65th Ukrainian motorized brigade continued to attack north of Rabotino but could not penetrate the Russian defense.
In addition, the 128th Ukrainian mountain assault brigade again attempted to capture Pyatikhatki but was counterattacked by Russia. The village remained in the gray area for many weeks due to its lowland location, which was continuously suppressed by fire from both sides.
Although no clear results were achieved, Ukraine still sent “old” units to attack, while keeping the new brigades of the 10th corps and the Marun tactical group as a reserve force, not ready for battle.
In the direction of Starobelsky, in the Serebryansky forestry zone, Russia continued to attack Ukrainian positions, causing damage with fire. In other areas, there was no significant change, the two sides mainly conducted shelling of each other.
In the direction of Soledar, Ukrainian assault groups continued to put pressure on Russian positions on the flanks from Bakhmut and north of Soledar. The fiercest battles are taking place near Razdolovka, Kurdyumovka, Orekhov – Vasilevka, Kleshcheevka, and the Berkhovsky reservoir. At this moment the Russian army still holds the line.
In the direction of Donetsk, around the fortified Avdiivka area, the situation did not change much. In the north of Avdiivka, there are no exact data on changes in the front line, currently,
fighting is recorded in the Krasnogorovka and Novobakhmutovka areas.
In the south, battles continued on the Opytnoe – Vodyanoye line. Ukraine conducted sorties along the forest belt on the Severnoye-Vodyanoye road, trying to gain a foothold in the gray zone. Russian forces with artillery support also launched counterattacks. However, neither party has absolute control.
Russia ambushed a group of Ukrainian forces at the Antonovsky Bridgehead
CNN quoted a statement by Boris Saldo, the acting governor of Kherson province appointed by Russia, announcing that Russian special forces had successfully ambushed and wiped out a Ukrainian stronghold near the foot of the Antonovsky bridge on the Dnieper River, in Kherson.
“Last night, members of the Dnieper task group finally cleared the area on the east bank, near the Antonovsky bridge,” said Boris Saldo.
Accordingly, Russian special forces used motorboats to approach Ukraine’s defenses from behind and then launched a surprise raid. By 3 am, they had defeated all Ukrainian forces in this area.
Thus, after nearly a week of fierce fighting, Russia has “uprooted the thorn” which is a strategically significant stronghold established by the Ukrainian army on the east bank of the Dnieper River.
Earlier, Russia used artillery, air force, and even Iskander ballistic missiles to attack Ukrainian defensive positions at this bridgehead.
CNN was unable to independently verify Mr. Saldo’s statement or any other reports on battlefield developments.
The Rybar channel said that although Russia has wiped out the fortress, it is likely that Ukrainian units will continue to attack in this direction.
The reason why the Ukrainian army is still trying hard to capture and hold positions at the bridgehead is to prepare a springboard for larger-scale attacks if conditions permit. This is really a big threat, so the Russian forces are determined not to let the Ukrainian side establish any similar bridgehead.
According to some reports, Ukraine is planning regular sorties in small groups in July and by August they will launch larger attacks to reach Aleshki with the final target of Skadovsk.
To divert the attention of the Russian military, Ukraine plans to launch attacks with sabotage groups on the Kinburn peninsula and the Novaya Zburyevka-Golaya Pristan line.
In recent days, Western satellites, including military satellites, have been recording various settlements in the Kherson region. Particular attention is paid to bridges and road crossings, including those on the border with Crimea.
In the rear areas, the preparation of reserves continues to be in Ukraine. At the training ground at Shiroki Lana, the presence of the 41st Ukrainian Mechanized Brigade was noted.
