Ukraine – 6/20/2023 Sitrep
By: Robert Homans & Bohdan Chomiak
June 20, 2023
De-Mininig
Yesterday I listened to a Podcast produced by the Daily Telegraph. It included an interview with James Cowan, a retired General in the British Army. Cowan is now Head of the Halo Trust an organization engaged in removing landmines from Ukraine and other countries.
Cowan said that there are approximately 2 million landmines in Ukraine. He said that it is possible to remove all landmines from a single country. He cited Mozambique, where Halo Trust removed 200,000 landmines over a period of 20 years, where fighting was much less intense than what is going on in Ukraine.
He said they use a rule of thumb, where they estimate that 1 day of fighting equals 1 month of clearance. Today is the 482nd day of Russia’s latest invasion. If the war stopped today, by Halo Trust’s estimate it would mean that it would take just over 40 years to clear all the mines that have been sown in Ukraine, and that doesn’t account the for the mines that were sown in the period between March 2014, when Russians and their proxies began their invasion of Donbas, and February 24, 2022 when Russia’s latest invasion began.
One positive development is that de-mining is becoming automated, that would potentially reduce the time it takes to complete demining. Ukrainian farmers who need to get onto their fields have developed several different de-mining machines, some of which are attached to tractors. There is also work being done to apply artificial intelligence to de-mining.
Both sides are automating the process of mine sowing. Ukraine is using a small, four-wheeled autonomous vehicle to sow mines. Ukraine also fires a 155mm shell, that releases small mines, both anti-armor and anti-personnel mines.
Russia has sown many underwater mines in the Dnieper River, that are now being exposed because of the flooding following the destruction of the Nova Kakhovka Dam. Underwater mines can be detonated in several ways, including: the sound of a propeller; change in water pressure, created by water displaced by a boat moving above the mine; change in orientation of the mine. It is the latter that is now causing problems in the Dnieper River. These mines are sown in a horizontal position. If they are moved off a horizontal position, by floodwaters for example, they explode. Some mines float, and many of these are now being found in the Black Sea.
There are mines that are being found, that were sowed during WW-II. There are places not far from Kyiv, where it is dangerous to walk off designated paths because of unexploded WW-II mines.
News From the Battlefield
A large Russian ammunition dump at the entrance next to Crimea has been destroyed by Storm Shadow missiles fired from a Ukrainian aircraft. The location of the ammunition dump is shown by the 2 red dots next to the entrance to Crimea, on the map supplied by Bohdan, below. According to reports secondary explosions continued for several hours. A railroad line was also destroyed. There was a report on Twitter stating that this one ammunition dump supplied a significant portion of the ordnance to Russian forces operating in southern Ukraine. A report I saw last night on BBC/US showed an interview with a Ukrainian officer. He said that instead of the Ukrainian rate of fire being far less than Russian rate of fire that the situation has now reversed. The loss of a major source of supply of ammunition may be one reason.
“Reporting From Ukraine” covering continued Ukrainian advances south of Orikhiv, just east of the reservoir that is currently being drained by the destruction of the Nova Kakhovka Dam. Lobkove, that is shown on the map is, according to Google Maps, approximately 54km. from Tokmak, likely the next major objective for this incursion. Reporting From Ukraine also stated that Russia has been re-deploying troops from the Left Bank of the Dnieper River toward the Lobkove area, but they were destroyed largely by Ukrainian partisans. There has also been reports of an outbreak of Cholera among Russian soldiers who had been located along the Left Bank, likely because of water contaminated by the destruction of the dam.
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6/20/2023 Sitrep
Russian Invasion of Ukraine 12:00 noon June 19 to 12:00 noon June 20, 2023
Abbreviations:
RMA = Regional Military Administration SBU = Security Service of Ukraine
RASHISTS = russian Facists/all russian invaders
INTERNATIONAL
Tuesday June 20
12:18 am: The French-Italian SAMP/T anti-missile defense system has already been deployed in Ukraine, French President Emmanuel Macron said.
12:39 am: Finland may refuse financial aid to countries that support Russia against the background of its war against Ukraine.
· This was stated by the future Minister of Foreign Trade and Development of Finland, Ville Tavio, Yle reports.
· He also clarified that Finland's priority in the field of international aid will be to support Ukraine, and the development budget will be reduced by about one billion euros.
8:09 am: The EU is preparing a package of financial aid for Ukraine in the amount of about 50 billion euros. Details will be announced today in London, - Bloomberg.
8:10 am: Great Britain and Sweden call on China not to provide Russia with material and technical assistance in the war in Ukraine, - a joint statement of British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his Swedish colleague Ulf Kristersson following their meeting in London.
11:18 am: US President Joe Biden said the threat of Putin using tactical nuclear weapons is "real", - Reuters.
· "When I spoke here about two years ago and said I was concerned about the Colorado River drying up, everyone looked at me like I was crazy. They looked at me the same way I did when I said I was concerned about Putin's use of tactical nuclear weapons. weapons. It's real," Biden said.
Monday June 19
12:37 pm: The First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska arrived in Israel, where she met with the country's president Yitzhak Herzog and his wife Michal.
12:53 pm: Volodymyr Zelenskyi had a telephone conversation with the Prime Minister of Great Britain Rishi Sunak.
· "They discussed the course of hostilities, Ukraine's defense needs and further cooperation to expand Ukraine's capabilities on the battlefield, in particular through long-range weapons. They coordinated positions on the eve of the Vilnius NATO summit. They also discussed steps to implement the Peace Formula and prepare security guarantees for Ukraine," the president said.
3:36 pm: Britain will not lift sanctions against Russia until the Russian Federation pays compensation to Ukraine, British Foreign Minister James Cleverley said.
· Cleverley also announced new legislation that would allow sanctioned Russians to donate frozen funds to rebuild Ukraine.
4:22 pm: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine demands to immediately allow the consul to visit the Ukrainian prisoners of war in Hungary, — the spokesman of the foreign policy department Oleg Nikolenko.
· Nikolenko noted that Ukrainian prisoners of war are actually kept in isolation. The representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the Hungarian authorities ignore all attempts of Ukraine to establish a constructive dialogue regarding this situation.
6:12 pm: Volodymyr Zelenskyi had a telephone conversation with the President of the World Bank Ajay Banga.
· "We are interested in cooperation during the post-war transformation of Ukraine, in particular in overcoming corruption and reducing the share of cash in the Ukrainian economy," Zelenskyy.
8:31 pm: Volodymyr Zelenskyi had a telephone conversation with the Prime Ministers of the Netherlands and Denmark — Mark Rutte and Mette Frederiksen.
· "We talked about the actual situation on the battlefield and the results of the visit of the leaders of African countries to Kyiv.
· We discussed the necessary efforts to consolidate support for Ukraine by the countries of the Global South," the president wrote.
9:37 pm: Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a telephone conversation with the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.
· "They discussed further financial support for Ukraine and the prospects for the adoption of the 11th package of EU sanctions against Russia.
· This week, we expect the publication of an interim oral assessment of Ukraine's progress in implementing the recommendations of the European Commission," Zelenskyy wrote.
10:49 pm: The Kremlin has not achieved any strategic goal in the war against Ukraine, but this war has affected unprecedented cooperation between Ukraine and NATO.
· This was stated by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland, Zbigniew Rau, reports Polskieradio.
· Rau emphasized the importance of supporting Ukraine: military, political and humanitarian.
NATIONAL
Tuesday June 20
7:20 am General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine:
· Tonight, the Russians launched another massive air and missile attack on Ukraine. Previously, 28 "shaheeds" out of 30 launched were destroyed
· Also, the Russians used 7 S-300 missiles in Zaporizhzhia and its surroundings - the information is currently being clarified.
· Yesterday, the aviation of the defense forces made 15 strikes on the areas of concentration of personnel of the Russian Federation.
· During the day, units of missile troops and artillery struck 3 control points, 10 areas of concentration of personnel and military equipment, 2 ammunition warehouses, 1 warehouse of fuel and lubricants, 15 artillery units in a firing position, 3 air defense facilities and 2 more important objects .
8:43 am: Air defense forces destroyed 32 out of 35 Russian attack drones tonight, - Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
10:32 am: Ukraine lacks air defense equipment, - the spokesman of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Yuriy Ignat.
· "Today, air defense is placed where it is most needed, protecting large cities, infrastructure facilities, nuclear energy facilities and the front line. There is a banal lack of air defense means," - Yuriy Ignat.
· According to him, it is difficult for mobile fire groups to shoot down "shahedis" with small arms at night, who often fly across rivers using different routes.
Monday June 19
2:57 pm: The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valery Zaluzhnyi showed a video of the work of the 128th separate mountain assault brigade of the Transcarpathian region, which liberated the settlement of Pyatikhatka in the Zaporizhia region from the Russians.
6:54 pm Operational information from the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine as of 18:00 on June 19:
· "During the day, the Russians made another [...] attack on the territory of Ukraine, using 4 Kalibr cruise missiles and 4 Iranian attack UAVs "Shahed-136/131".
· All 8 aerial targets were destroyed by the forces and means of air defense of the Armed Forces of the Armed Forces.
· In addition, the enemy carried out 32 airstrikes, carried out about 40 attacks from multiple launch ballistic rocket systems on the positions of our troops and populated areas. Peaceful people suffered."
· "The enemy continues to concentrate its main efforts on the Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka and Marinka directions, heavy fighting continues.
· During the day, 39 combat clashes took place."
· "The occupiers turned the comprehensive school of the village of Rozhivka in the Zaporizhzhia region into a military hospital.
· An operating room was placed in the attached dining room, and wards for the wounded were arranged in the classrooms.
· At the same time, the corresponding military hospital is used as a logistics hub for the redistribution of wounded and dead enemy servicemen."
· "Heavily wounded Russian soldiers and sergeants are being transported to medical facilities in Donetsk, Mariupol and Berdyansk by road transport.
· Wounded officers are being transported to the Russian Federation by air."
· "Today, the aviation of the defense forces carried out 15 strikes on areas of concentration of enemy personnel.
· During the day, units of missile troops and artillery hit 3 control points, 6 areas of concentration of personnel and military equipment of the enemy, 2 ammunition warehouses, 1 warehouse of fuel and lubricating materials, 14 artillery units in firing positions, 3 means of air defense and 2 more important objects. objects of the occupiers".
8:00 pm: Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valery Zaluzhnyi met with troops that perform the most difficult tasks at the front.
· "The enemy is trying to prevent the advance of our units.
· For this, he deployed a system of fortifications with dense mining of the area and a large number of reserves," Zaluzhny writes.
8:47 pm: The High Anti Corruption Court changed preventive measure for Vasyl Lozynskyi, ex-deputy minister of community development, territories and infrastructure.
· This was announced by the prosecutor of the Special anti-corruption prosecutor Oleksandr Omelchenko.
· The court decided to change the preventive measure to detention with the alternative of bail in the amount of 5 million hryvnias, since Lozynskyi did not pay the previous bail in the amount of 9.93 million hryvnias.
10:30 pm: In some directions, our soldiers are moving forward, in some directions they are defending positions and resisting assaults and intensified attacks by Russian troops, - Volodymyr Zelenskyi.
· "We have not lost positions. They only have losses," the president added in his evening address.
MORDOR – Russia
Monday June 19
3:16 pm: Tu-22m3 long-range bombers, which took off from the Mozdok airfield (North Caucasus), allegedly conducted training flights with simulated cruise missile launches, — Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
· At the same time, enemy tactical aircraft and jet artillery (probably S-300) were operating in the Zaporozhia direction. The information is being checked.
4:08 pm: Activity of enemy tactical aviation in the waters of the Sea of Azov. Probable repeated launches of guided aerial bombs (guided aerial missiles), — Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
5:55 pm: Activity of enemy tactical aviation in the waters of the Sea of Azov, the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reports.
· "Re-launches of guided aerial bombs (guided aerial missiles) are likely. In the event of an alarm, go to shelter," the message reads.
9:42 pm: The activity of enemy tactical aviation in the waters of the Sea of Azov, the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reports.
· "In the event of an alarm, go to the shelter," the message reads.
9:55 pm: SBU employees destroyed the Russian station "Murom-M" and 6 units of enemy armored vehicles.
· This was reported by the SBU press service.
· "[...]Our soldiers "destroyed" four more enemy BMP-2s, two MTLBs along with 16 crew members and a mortar fire," the report says.
11:13 pm: New interception of GUR of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine :
· A Russian serviceman talks about drunkenness among Russian soldiers, loss of personnel and fears about a possible counteroffensive of the Armed Forces.
11:34 pm: PVK "Wagner" began to recruit gamers without military service experience, - rosZMI.
· It is noted that the PMC is now looking for specialists in the management and maintenance of UAVs. A potential hire must be between 21 and 35 years old, have good computer skills and be physically fit.
11:59 pm: The reason for the overestimation and inflated expectations of the counteroffensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is related to the events of last fall, stated the Minister of Defense of Ukraine Oleksiy Reznikov.
· "Then Ukrainian fighters liberated part of the Kharkiv and Kherson regions in a short period of time. However, this time the front line, terrain and weather conditions are completely different.
Plus, the Russians had the opportunity to prepare. The density of minefields there is incredible. Unlike the Russians, Ukrainians protect the lives of their soldiers," Reznikov said.
KYIV
Tuesday June 20
3:41 am Social Networks: Explosions are heard in Kyiv. Preliminarily the work of air defense.
3:49 am: Air defense is working in Kyiv, - KMVA
4:14 am Social Networks: Explosions are heard again in Kyiv. Preliminarily the work of air defense.
7:07 am: Almost 20 "Shahed" drones were discovered and destroyed in the airspace of Kyiv at night - KMVA
10:01 am: As a result of a drone attack on the territory of one of the districts of the Kyiv region, non-residential buildings and several private houses were damaged, RMA reported.
· In addition, the burning of grass litter was recorded due to falling debris. There are no victims or injured.
Monday June 19
5:41 pm: Kyiv Court of Appeal remanded judge Oleksiy Tandyr, who fatally hit a National Guardsman with his car in Kyiv in May, — media.
· Accordingly, the court left Tandyr's preventive measure unchanged.
· The judge will remain in custody without bail for at least another month.
7:45 pm: In Kyiv, road workers are renovating the most problematic facilities and those whose repair was started earlier.
· This was announced by the mayor of the capital Vitaliy Klitschko.
· "In March, road workers resumed major repairs of six streets, which were suspended due to the full-scale invasion of Russian barbarians," Klitschko said.
SUMY
Monday June 19
12:21 pm Sumy RMA: At night and in the morning, the Russians launched 20 shellings. 112 explosions were recorded.
· The communities of Bilopolsk, Krasnopilsk, Myropilsk, Yunakivsk, Seredino-Budsk, Shalyginsk, Hlukhivsk, Druzhbivsk, Znob-Novgorodsk, Novoslobidsk, Velikopysarivsk came under fire.
KHARKIV
Tuesday June 20
11:02 am RMA: During the past day, the Russians continued to shell the civilian infrastructure of the settlements of Kharkiv, Kupyan, Chuguyiv, Bogoduhiv and Izyum districts with artillery, mortars and using aviation.
· In the city of Izyum, an explosive object detonated while burning garbage in his own yard. A 52-year-old man was injured. Hospitalized in a moderate condition.
· On the bank of the river in the village A 32-year-old man blew up an anti-personnel mine in Oskil of Izyum district. Hospitalized with moderate injuries.
Monday June 19
10:00 pm Social Networks: Explosions are heard in the Kharkiv region.
DONETSK
Tuesday June 20
9:09 am: Around 11:00 p.m. on June 19, a Ka-52 attack helicopter was destroyed in the Donetsk direction by a unit of anti-aircraft missile forces of the Air Force, - Commander of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Mykola Oleschuk.
11:35 am Donetsk RMA: During the night, the Russians fired on Rai-Olexandrivka — they damaged power lines
· The communities of Kurakhove, Avdiivka, Toretska, Soledarska, Kostiantynivska, Lymanska were also under fire.
· In total, the Russians wounded 5 residents of Donetsk region in one day.
11:49 am Social Networks: Explosions were heard in temporarily occupied Tokmak.
11:53 am: The SBU detained a Russian informant who wanted to disrupt the counterattacks of the 3rd Assault Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine near Bakhmut
· The attacker gave the FSB the locations and directions of movement of units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine involved in counteroffensive operations in the Bakhmut area.
· He also informed the aggressor about the locations of warehouses with fuel and lubricant materials and the number of military convoys of the Defense Forces passing through Ukrainian checkpoints.
Monday June 19
● 11:32 pm Social Networks: Explosions were heard in temporarily occupied Tokmak.
ZAPORIZHIA
Tuesday June 20
1:05 am Social Networks: Explosions heard in the Zaporozhye region.
1:33 am Social Networks: Explosions are heard again in Zaporizhzhia.
6:06 am: Zaporizhzhia and its suburbs were shaken by another insidious mass attack of the enemy, - RMA.
· The targets of the Russian soldiers were communications, property and equipment of the agricultural and farming economy, as well as a popular vacation spot.
· Fortunately, there were no reports of injured people.
· Specialists are working to eliminate the consequences of enemy strikes.
6:50 am: The situation in Zaporizhia is stable this morning, - Anatoly Kurtev, secretary of the Zaporizhia City Council.
· People and residential buildings were not injured.
· All utility systems are normal. City services are starting to work as usual.
10:15 am: Ukrainian military is successfully attacking in the Melitopol and Berdyansk directions, - General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
· "Last day, on the directions Novodarivka - Pryyutne, Makarivka - Rivnopil and Novodanilivka - Robotino, the Ukrainian military had partial success, they are entrenched at the achieved boundaries," said the representative of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Andriy Kovalev.
10:46 am: the Russians launched 72 attacks on civilian objects and communications in 19 cities and villages, - the head of the Zaporizhia RMA Yury Malashko.
· So far, 50 reports of destruction have been recorded: apartments, houses, cars, administrative and commercial buildings.
· A 54-year-old man received mine-explosive injuries in Oryhov. He was rushed to the hospital.
Monday June 19
8:51 am: Ukrainian Armed Forces liberated P'yatikhatki in Zaporozhye region, — Deputy Minister bothUkraine Hanna Malyar.
● In total, 8 settlements were liberated in the two weeks of the offensive in the Berdyansk and Melitopol directions.
DNIPRO
Tuesday June 20
7:53 am Dnipro RMA: At night, the Russians opened fire on the Myrivska community of the Nikopol district. They were hit by heavy artillery.
· It passed without casualties. Rescuers are surveying the area - establishing the consequences of shelling.
KHERSON
Tuesday June 20
7:08 am Social Networks: Explosions are heard in Kherson.
Monday June 19
812:06 pm: On the right bank of the Kherson region, 5 settlements (843 houses) remain flooded, — State Emergency Service .
1:10 pm: At night, the Russians shelled Kherson again, reported the head of the Kherson RMA Oleksandr Prokudin.
· The enemy took aim at a gas station, which caused a fire. A dozen vehicles and an excavator of the rescuers were damaged by the fire.
· Warehouses, exhibition halls and commercial buildings were also burned due to shelling.
8:18 pm: Consequences of blowing up the Kakhovskaya HPP on the streets of Ostriv microdistrict in Kherson.
· "Today, 13 Ukrainian regions joined efforts to liquidate the consequences of flooding. They provided their specialists and equipment within the framework of the "Side by Side" program," wrote Prokudin.
8:49 pm Social Networks: Explosions are heard in Kherson.
MYKOLAIV
Monday June 19
3:56 pm: A cholera-like protein was found in the water in the Mykolaiv region, which is a marker for the possible presence of cholera, reports the regional center for disease control and prevention of the Ministry of Health.
ODESA
Tuesday June 20
3:29 am Social Networks: Explosions are heard in Odesa. Preliminarily the work of air defense.
Monday June 19
7:01 am: At night, there were air defense forces over the Odesa regionshot down four out of four enemy missiles, - Serhii Bratchuk, head of the public council at Odesa OVA.
● The Air Force of the Ukrainian Armed Forces first wrote about a 1:19
LVIV
Tuesday June 20
6:54 am Lviv RMA: In Lviv there is a hit to a critical infrastructure object
· People were not injured. There was a fire. All services are available on site.
9:46 am RMA: Lviv was attacked by shahed drones around 5 o'clock in the morning. They hit a critically important object. Three hits
· Damaged ceiling between floors, broken windows. There are no victims or injured. There was a fire.
Comparing Soviet invasion of Afghanistan to Russian invasion of Ukraine using Wikipedia and Ukraine Ministry of Defense Daily Bulletins. Soviet and Russian military losses not including captured equipment.
SOURCES
https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/
https://espreso.tv/
https://cutt.ly/Blyskavka
https://t.me/uawarinfographics