It is well known that the Ukrainian counteroffensive did not go as Kiev had originally planned, but now the Russian army will try to make a move by stopping the slow advance of Ukraine. According to Serghe Cherevati, spokesman for the Eastern Command of the Ukrainian Army, at least 100,000 troops, supported by 900 armored personnel carriers and 555 artillery systems, launched a counterattack in the Lyman and Kupiansk front zone, with the aim of taking the second city northeast of Kupiansk. Kharkiv, where about twenty railway tracks intersect and connect it to both Russia and the rest of Ukraine. Cherevati explained that Russia has deployed its “best motor infantry units” in the region to recapture two cities retaken from Ukraine last year.
Kiev reported a “complicated” situation in the fighting in eastern Ukraine, but Ukrainian ground forces commander General Oleksander Syrskyi believes the Ukrainian military is still in control of the situation.
How is the Ukrainian counteroffensive going?
Equipped with billions of dollars of new Western weapons and ammunition, the Ukrainian counteroffensive has yet to face the main Russian defensive line. Kiev says it deliberately moved slowly to avoid heavy casualties on its mine-lined fortified defensive lines, and for now it’s focused on targeting Russian logistics.
However, according to the estimates of Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar, since the beginning of June Kiev troops have recaptured more than 210 square kilometers. But in the areas occupied by the Russians in February 2022, Ukrainian troops found heavily defended positions and minefields that hindered the counterattack. Bakhmut, which was captured by the Russian forces in May and around which the encirclement maneuver of the Kiev armed forces continues, is one of the hottest spots of the front. In the south, the Ukrainian forces succeeded in the direction of Mala Tokmachka-Novopokrovka and Velyka Novosilka-Urozhayne after removing Russian troops from the village clusters. Russian forces are intensifying the engagement in the direction of Avdiivka and Maryinka in the Donetsk region, but Ukrainian forces thwart Russian attempts to advance near Maryinka and Krasnohorivka, west of Donetsk city.
Meanwhile, after the suspension of the agreement on the free movement of Ukrainian grain ships, Russia struck the port of Odessa with missiles and drones. Retaliation after Ukrainian seaplane attack on a Russian road bridge on the occupied Crimean peninsula. “Russia’s night attacks on Ukrainian ports were further proof that the terror country wanted to endanger the lives of 400 million people in various countries dependent on Ukrainian food exports,” said Andriy Yermak, Chief of the Ukrainian Presidential Staff. It was reported that 36 drones were shot down in the coastal areas of Odessa and Mykolaiv: The falling debris and shock waves damaged several houses and port infrastructure in Odessa and caused a massive fire in Mykolaiv.
The Black Sea grain export agreement negotiated a year ago between Turkey and the United Nations was one of the war’s few diplomatic successes, effectively lifting the Russian blockade of Ukrainian ports and preventing a global food emergency. Ukraine and Russia are among the world’s largest exporters of grain and other food products. If Ukrainian wheat is locked out of the market again, prices around the world could rise and hit the poorest countries hardest. Russia says it could return to the grain deal if its demands are met to relax rules on food and fertilizer exports. Any attempt to restart grain shipments to Ukraine without Russian involvement will depend on whether insurance companies accept insurance coverage on cargo ships.
Source: Today IT
Karen Clayton is a seasoned journalist and author at The Nation Update, with a focus on world news and current events. She has a background in international relations, which gives her a deep understanding of the political, economic and social factors that shape the global landscape. She writes about a wide range of topics, including conflicts, political upheavals, and economic trends, as well as humanitarian crisis and human rights issues.