Ukraine – 6/21/2023 Sitrep
By: Robert Homans & Bohdan Chomiak
June 21, 2023
An Inflection Point?
I just got finished participating in a call organized by the Atlantic Council moderated by Ambassador John Herbst, with Andriy Yermak, Head of the Office of President of Ukraine, and former NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, on the upcoming NATO Annual Meeting in Vilnius and prospects of NATO Membership for Ukraine, and the questions of weapons deliveries and security guarantees. Just before the call, I read the most recent blog by Timothy Ash, entitled “Think Outside the Russian Safety Deposit Box,” about the question of applying frozen Russian Central Bank assets for Ukraine reconstruction.
Taking these two subjects together leads me to wonder if free nations, in the West and elsewhere, have reached an inflection point, about the need and the will to protect our ideals by assisting another free country, Ukraine, defend itself from aggression by a totalitarian neighbor? By the term “defend,” I mean not just the military sense, but also defending Ukrainians from all the adverse impacts of the latest Russian invasion on their lives, including matters being taken up by the Ukraine Recovery Conference now going on in London.
National security and finance are intertwined; neglect of either invites instability and, eventually, war. It is both national security and finance that are currently in play in Ukraine.
Tim Ash doesn’t pull any punches, about what he thinks about those who take the position that using frozen Russian Central Bank assets to fund Ukraine’s reconstruction would violate the “Rule of Law,” while at the same time looking the other way while London became “Londongrad,” by accepting dirty money from Russian oligarchs. Those who don’t believe that national security and finance are intertwined should read a book called “Lords of Finance: the Bankers who Broke the World,” about the Heads of the Federal Reserve, the Bank of England, the Banque de France and the Reichsbank in the period between the end of World War I and the beginning of World War II, when poor decisions about German WW-I reparations, the Gold Standard and interest rates were a direct contributor to WW-II. The parallels with events today are sobering.
The call with Yermak and Rasmussen was very interesting. You can watch the video of the call here. Some takeaways:
· Rasmussen favors NATO offering membership to Ukraine at Vilnius, but he doesn’t believe it will happen.
· Rasmussen said that “gray zones are danger zones,” neutrality provides no security,” and “Ukraine needs a safe place, and not the waiting room where Ukraine has resided since the Bucharest Meeting in 2008,” “Putin can no longer be the doorman to Ukraine entering NATO,” and “if you insist that there can be no security guarantees or NATO membership for Ukraine while the war is going on is an invitation to Putin to continue the war.”
· Instead, Rasmussen wants NATO to offer a specific path for membership, to be concluded by the 2024 Annual Meeting in Washington, that does not include a Membership Action Plan which was waived as a requirement for Finland and Sweden.
· Rasmussen & Yermak want implementation of security guarantees for Ukraine that covers the 1-year period between Vilnius and Washington, when Ukraine will become a full NATO Member, based on agreements between NATO members and Ukraine contained in the Kyiv Security Compact co-authored by Yermak and Rasmussen.
· The Kyiv Security Compact includes complying with all requests by Ukraine for “delivery of weapons on such a scale that would allow Ukraine to repel any further Russian aggression;” enhanced intelligence sharing; training of Ukrainian troops under NATO and EU auspices and support to rebuild Ukraine’s once substantial defense industry.
· Rasmussen said that during the 1-year interim, and assuming that the war continues beyond the 2024 Washington meeting, that accommodations would have to be made concerning Article 5, given that it is likely that, for the first time, NATO would be admitting a country during a period when it is engaged in a war on its territory.
Those who wrap themselves around the ideal of “The Rule of Law” in arguing that the frozen Russian Central Bank assets cannot be touched, and those politicians, in the U.S. and elsewhere including at least 2 Republican Presidential candidates, who argue that support for Ukraine must be curtailed so we can move on to more important concerns, should understand that they are the Neville Chamberlains of our time, with all that entails.
“Ukraine’s Spymaster has Gotten Under the Kremlin’s Skin”/The Economist.
Major-General Kyrylo Budanov is Head of Ukraine’s military intelligence. Some excerpts:
· Ukraine has not claimed responsibility for attacks inside Russia but, as the article says, “General Budanov barely respects the official ambiguity. “We are at war,” he says. “Drones over the Kremlin showed the world that Russian defences are just a Potemkin village.” “
· “Volodymyr Zelensky’s decision in 2020 to promote a little-known commander came as a surprise to many. But inside the services Kyrylo Budanov’s name was already legendary. The Kremlin knew something about him, too. “It was the equivalent of holding a red flag to them,” says Andrii Yusov, an HUR officer. “It’s what convinced many of us of [President] Zelensky’s national-security credentials.” “
Budanov’s headquarters is located on Rybalsky Island in the Dnieper River, just north of Central Kyiv. It has been the object of Russian missile attacks on at least 2 occasions, and the Russians have reported Budanov’s death more times than the supposed death of Mark Twain.
Rybalsky Island is located very close to the Obolon neighborhood, where a column of Russian tanks got trapped and destroyed during the 2nd day of the war. Were they headed for Rybalsky Island? Another prominent figure with ties to Rybalsky Island is former President Poroshenko who owns commercial real estate and a health club there.
News From the Battlefield
“Reporting From Ukraine” continues to cover one of the vectors of Ukraine counteroffensive, located just to the east of the reservoir. This seems to be becoming more than just a minor incursion, and it is largely being carried out without the use of the main battle tanks. Instead Ukraine seems to be reverting back to the strategy they used last year, in the Kharkiv Offensive, by relying on more nimble infantry fighting vehicles like the Bradleys.
The map in the “Latest Denys” includes the locations and dispositions of Russian trench lines. My colleague Bohdan also included a good map of the trench lines (below). It is likely that when Ukraine approaches the Russian defense lines, we will begin to see the use of the main battle tanks along with the new brigades that have benefitted from training in the UK and Germany.
The Financial Times has an interesting article about the Russian Ka-52 attack helicopter, that has been causing problems for Ukraine during their counteroffensive. The “good news” is that Ukraine appears to be shooting down more of them, and Russia is hard-pressed to replace them because they rely on Western components currently under sanctions.
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6/21/2023 Sitrep
Russian Invasion of Ukraine 12:00 noon June 20 to 12:00 noon June 21, 2023
Abbreviations:
RMA = Regional Military Administration SBU = Security Service of Ukraine
RASHISTS = russian Facists/all russian invaders
INTERNATIONAL
Wednesday June 21
12:57 am: Ukraine will receive another $6.2 billion in aid from the United States
· The deputy press secretary of the US Secretary of Defense, Sabrina Singh, said at a briefing that the Pentagon has recalculated the cost of military aid to Ukraine and found out that for the 2022 and 2023 fiscal years, the US overestimated the cost of military aid by $6.2 billion.
· Singh also confirmed support for the territorial integrity of Ukraine.
· "Crimea is part of Ukraine, and we support the efforts of Ukrainians to return their lands," she said.
06:50 am: The Pentagon overestimated the cost of aid to Ukraine by more than $6 billion.
· An audit of military aid to Ukraine from the US was conductedfound a discrepancy of $6.2 billionbetween the estimated and actual cost of the provided equipment. The US Department of Defense overestimated weapons due to an accounting error.
· The error in the calculations arose because the Pentagon services used the value of the equipment that replaces the transferred equipment, and not the so-called residual value, "thereby overestimating the value of the equipment that was removed from the American stockpile and given to Ukraine," noted Pentagon Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh.
8:10 am: China highly appreciates the participation of African countries in creating the conditions for a political solution to the "Ukrainian crisis" and supports the efforts of all countries aimed at its peaceful settlement, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning.
8:11 am: London aims to work out appropriate mechanisms that will make it possible to oblige businessmen from the Russian Federation to pay for the restoration of Ukraine, - the head of the British Foreign Office, James Cleverley.
Tuesday June 20
12:16 pm: Budapest is not involved in the removal from Russia of 11 Ukrainian prisoners of war who are currently on the territory of Hungary, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijártó said during a speech at the PACE.
· Piotr Sijarto claims that negotiations on the handover were conducted exclusively between the Russian Orthodox Church and the country's religious organizations.
· He also assures that Ukrainians are "free to move around in Hungary", and if they want to contact the Ukrainian authorities, they can do so.
12:26 pm: Denmark confirmed a new package of military aid to Ukraine for the next 5 years.
· "Great news from Copenhagen. The Folketing (the unicameral parliament of Denmark, - ed.) has approved another package of military aid to Ukraine for 2.95 billion euros for 2023-2028," Reznikov said.
· In a post, the minister thanked his friends, members of the Folketing and the citizens of Denmark.
1:11 pm: Five European countries approved decision on the purchase of the French "Mistral" air defense systems, - Reuters.
· As the publication notes, this agreement shows progress by France in encouraging some of its European allies to buy European-made systems instead of buying them outside the bloc.
· Sources said that the relevant document was signed at the beginning of a meeting of defense ministers in Paris, the purpose of which was to coordinate European efforts to strengthen air defense capabilities across the continent against the backdrop of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
2:57 pm: The European Union is preparing a package of financial assistance to Ukraine in the amount of about 50 billion euros in the form of grants and loans, said the President of the EC, Ursula von der Leyen.
· The financial assistance is calculated for the next four years. According to her, this assistance will provide perspective and predictability for the government of Ukraine, as well as "stimulate other donors to step up."
2:32 pm: The State Department described the mechanism of the possibletransfer of F-16 fighters to Ukraine.
· Although the US has not yet announced the transfer of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, it supports the intention of other allies to deliver these aircraft to Kyiv.
· But the decision on the transfer of fighters must be preceded by obtaining a pilot training license. This is one of the first steps, the representative of the State Department emphasized.
· After that, it will be necessary to determine how the aircraft will be transferred - by a third party or by some other means.
15:03 pm: Undermining of the Kakhovskaya HPP: in Bulgaria and Turkey the current brought more
than150 dead dolphins.
· Bodies of dolphins from Ukrainian shores are found on the shores of the Black Sea in Bulgaria and Turkey. More than 150 official cases have been recorded. It is possible that the current will bring roe deer, foxes, and hares from the southern region of Ukraine to these countries. About 20,000 wild animals lived on the flooded territory.
· 95,000 tons of fish died in the Kakhovsky Reservoir, which became shallow as a result of the blow-up of the hydroelectric power plant.
5:00 pm: Speech of Russian journalist Muratov at a media forum in Germanyinterrupted by an air-raid alarm.
· "A little "Ukrainian vibe" during the Global Media Forum in Germany. An air alarm sounds in the hall during the speech of a Russian journalist. Dmytro Muratov, the editor-in-chief of "Novaya Gazeta", for some reason became confused and confused... This is just a reminder that where the Russians have come and the Russian language is being spoken, Russian rockets can always fly in and sirens wail," said the message of the "Nakipilo" media group.
7:25 pm: Slovakia recognized the Holodomor as genocide of the Ukrainian people, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi announced.
5:30 pm: Japan will provide Ukraine emergency aid for $5 million.
· The Japanese government intends to provide food, water, hygiene items and medicine through international organizations, including the World Food Program and the United Nations Children's Fund.
6:00 pm: Participation in the provision of ammunition to Ukraine will be a mistake, - President of Bulgaria Radev.
· "You see that the conflict is escalating, carries huge risks, exhausts our economies and social systems. Both in Bulgaria and in Brussels, I argued that our country should not interfere by supplying weapons in the war in Ukraine," Rumen Radev said.
6:31 pm: Packages with bombs in Spain: the detainee was convicted of terrorismwith the aim of hindering the support of Ukraine.
· Pompeo González Pascual, 74, was arrested in January after sending six packages of improvised explosive devices to Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, Defense Minister Margarita Robles, the Ukrainian and US embassies between November 24 and December 2 of last year. Madrid, an air force base and arms manufacturer.
8:00 pm: The EU will supervise the countries, which can re-export sanctioned goods to the Russian Federation, - special representative O'Sullivan.
· The EU special representative on sanctions, David O'Sullivan, noted that priority is given to goods that can be used for military purposes.
· "They go beyond the traditional definition of dual-use items that are used in civil and military areas. Your government has recently identified them as being able to be used in missiles and drones," O'Sullivan said.
· He added that he has already visited countries that can re-export such goods to a terrorist country. According to him, he met a positive response there.
9:00 pm: The US will announce a new package of military aid to Ukraine tomorrow, - Secretary of State Anthony Blinken.
· "Biden said that we will be with Ukraine as long as it takes, and both our countries are deeply committed to this.
· We will continue to fulfill this commitment, in particular with the help of a new powerful package of American aid, which I will be able to announce tomorrow [at a conference in London on the reconstruction of Ukraine]," said Blinken.
10:10 pm: France has changed its position and will support Ukraine's accession to NATO, -The world.
· It is noted that France is going to defend the prospect of Ukraine joining NATO in order to try to bring Moscow and Kyiv to the negotiating table.
10:56 pm: Network equipment manufacturer Cisco is liquidating one of its two "daughters" in the Russian Federation. This is reported by rosZMI.
11:16 pm: Portugal will transfer 14 more M113 armored personnel carriers and 9 towed 105-mm howitzers to Ukraine.
· In total, Portugal handed over 45 M113 series APCs to Ukraine.
11:45 pm: German Rheinmetall admitted that he supplied products to the Russian Federationuntil June 2022.
· These were transactions within the framework of already concluded and paid contracts, for which the delivery of goods was delayed due to the fact that official verification and approval procedures take a long time and are difficult.
· Rheinmetall said it decided to complete the contracts to avoid fines.
NATIONAL
Wednesday June 21
7:05 a.m. General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine: Tonight, the Russian Federation carried out another missile and air strike by Iranian strike UAV "Shahed" on Ukraine. Information about the consequences is currently being clarified.
· the Russians continue to focus their main efforts on the Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiiv and Marin directions, heavy fighting continues. During the day, 40 combat clashes took place.
· During the day, the aviation of the defense forces made 9 strikes on areas where Russian personnel were concentrated and 3 on their anti-aircraft missile complexes, the General Staff of the Armed Forces.*
· 4 reconnaissance UAVs were also destroyed. During the day, units of missile troops and artillery hit 3 control points, 1 area of concentration of personnel and military equipment, 3 EW stations, 18 artillery units in firing positions, 1 means of air defense and 6 other important objects.
7:28 am: The Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reports the possible re-launches of "Shahed" type attack UAVs from the south.
· At night, the Air Force of the Ukrainian Armed Forces destroyed 6 Russian drones.
· Also, during the past day, the Defense Forces landed 4 reconnaissance drones of various types.
9:42 am: UN reports 9083 civilian deaths in war in Ukraine
· Since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion in Ukraine in February 2022, 9,083 civilians have been killed in Ukraine, and another 15,779 civilians have been injured of varying degrees of severity.
· This is stated in the June report of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
10:14 am: The average level of the lower beat near the dam of the Dnieper hydroelectric station is 12.77 m BS, - Ukrhydroenergo.
· According to the Ukrhydrometeorological Center, in the creation of the Kherson post, the water level dropped by 7 cm during the day. And as of 8:00 am on June 21, it is - 0.54 m BS.
11:18 am: SBU detains sleeping FSB agent who was preparing new Russian strikes on power substations in 5 regions of Ukraine
· At the direction of the Russian Federation, he collected information on the location of key power substations in the Kharkiv, Sumy, Poltava, Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
· In addition, the Russian agent informed the Russians about the estimated voltage of power facilities, as well as the level of their damage after shelling.
11:58 am: The defense forces of Ukraine continue to conduct an offensive operation in the Melitopol and Berdyansk directions, - the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
· In the direction of Bilohorivka - Shipylivka, the Ukrainian military conducted offensive actions, had partial success: they were consolidating on the lines reached and effectively destroying Russian paratroopers.
Tuesday June 20
12:56 pm: "Difficult day of our offensive": Oleg Sentsov showed creepy selfie from the front.
· Oleg Sentsov went to defend Ukraine in the first days of the full-scale invasion. Currently, the junior lieutenant is fighting in the 47th separate mechanized brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The Ukrainian director, writer and activist commands the platoon.
12:56 pm press service of the SBU: the SBU exposed a Kyiv IT company that tried to "leak" information from the front-line RMA electronic systems to the Russians.
· The investigation established that the possibility of a leak existed through the electronic document management system. Thus, the Kyiv IT company, which installed software in a state institution, granted access to the databases to its colleagues from the temporarily occupied part of the region.
· These "colleagues" turned out to be representatives of the terrorist organization "DNR", who acted under the guise of employees of the company's Donetsk "branch".
1:26 pm: "I would like the situation in Kyiv to be better": Kremin voicedthe number of complaints about violations of language legislation.
· According to him, the language ombudsman has no levers of influence on mayors to force them to monitor compliance with language legislation. Kremin expressed hope that the local authorities will heed the recommendations, at least in cities with millions.
1:37 pm: Volodymyr Zelenskyi signed draft laws on the abolition of VAT and import duty on components for drones.
· Now importers are exempted from paying for materials, assemblies, units, equipment, and components for UAVs during martial law.
2:16 pm: The head of the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Major General Kyrylo Budanov, responded to fake Russian propaganda about his alleged "death/injury/coma".
· "Now a special squad of immortal commanders is being created in Ukraine - Valery Zaluzhnyi, myself, Stepan Bandera, Simon Petliura, Ivan Mazepa. The squad of immortals will come in the middle of the night in the dreams of Russian ordinary people who sought to take over Ukraine and give them nightmares," said the head of the GUR Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.
3:55 pm: Defense forces are advancing in the Taurian direction. Units of missile troops and artillery fired 1,487 fire missions during the day, said Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, commander of the operational-strategic group of troops "Tavria".
· Over the last day, the enemy lost more than five companies in killed and wounded. 46 units of enemy military equipment were destroyed and damaged. 5 enemy ammunition storage sites were also destroyed.
3:45 pm: For special services to Ukraine:Zelensky signed the law on payments to political prisoners of the USSR.
· Payments in the amount of 4,200 hryvnias per month will be added to the pension of political prisoners of the USSR with further indexation.
4:36 pm: Ukraine successfully used a domestically produced strike drone with a range of thousands of kilometers.
· This was announced by Ukroboronprom spokeswoman Natalia Sad, publishing a photo with General Valery Zaluzhny and the director of the concern Yuriy Gusev.
· 4:44 pm: The Kyiv Court of Appeal remanded Vyacheslav Boguslaev, the president of Motor Sich JSC, in custody, who is suspected of aiding the aggressor state. The court extended the preventive measure until July 17, 2023.
5:40 pm: SBU eliminated 5 schemes of illegal departure of citizens of military age abroad.
· As a result of comprehensive measures, the organizers of the events were detained in Ternopil Oblast, Zakarpattia, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Khmelnytskyi Oblast, and Lviv Oblast.
· The attackers valued their "services" at 6 to 9 thousand dollars.
6:25 pm: Ukraine has returned 3 prisoners of war from Hungary, - the spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Oleg Nikolenko.
· He informed that they are already in Ukraine, they are provided with all kinds of support.
6:58 pm Ministry of Reintegration: Law enforcement officers have established the whereabouts of 202 people who were considered missing after the Russians blew up the Kakhovskaya HPP.
7:45 pm: Minister of Defense of Ukraine Oleksiy Reznikov showed a video of the CAESAR night hunt.
· "When the Russian occupier goes to bed, he does not know that CAESAR (a 155mm howitzer produced in France) has gone on a night hunt, which will be glorious. But he is scared. And cowards die many times before the real death. Thank you, Denmark and France!" Reznikov wrote on his Twitter.
7:45 pm General Staff of the Armed Forces:
· According to detailed information, Russian troops struck Ukraine with 35 Iranian strike UAVs of the "Shahed" type, 7 S-300 anti-aircraft guided missiles and 1 Iskander-M land-based cruise missile against Zaporizhzhia civil infrastructure facilities.
· The forces and means of air defense of the Air Force of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, in cooperation with the air defense of other components of the Defense Forces of Ukraine, destroyed 32 "Shahed" attack UAVs.
· In addition, the enemy carried out more than 72 airstrikes, carried out 36 shelling from the anti-aircraft guns against the positions of our troops and populated areas. Peaceful people suffered.
· Russian troops equipped additional roadblocks and filtering points in populated areas on the temporarily occupied territory of the Zaporizhzhia region.
· All civilians leaving the south of Ukraine, temporarily occupied by the enemy, are forced to pass through screening points located in Mangush and Novoazovsk, Donetsk region.
· During filtering measures, citizens' belongings and documents are carefully checked, and fingerprints are also taken.
· During the day, the aviation of the defense forces made 8 strikes on areas where Russian personnel were concentrated and 2 on its anti-aircraft missile complexes.
· Ukrainian defenders also destroyed 3 reconnaissance UAVs.
· During the day, units of missile troops and artillery hit 3 control points, 1 area of concentration of enemy personnel and military equipment, 3 EW stations, 17 artillery units in firing positions, 1 air defense vehicle and 1 other important enemy object.
10:50 pm:
The current format of actions of the Armed Forces forces the enemy to transfer reserves.Serhiy Zgurets column.
11:49 pm: NBU obliged banks and exchangers to accept worn foreign currency banknotes - NBU
· "All foreign currency banknotes, the authenticity of which has been confirmed using counters and detectors, must be accepted for exchange. This excludes the influence of the "human factor" in determining the degree of wear and tear of the banknote," the message reads.
· It was clarified that it is about "all foreign currency banknotes without exception, except for significantly worn or damaged ones."
MORDOR – Russia
Wednesday June 21
12:41 am: A large-scale fire broke out in the suburbs of Moscow. The workshop for the production of wooden pallets is on fire, the area of the fire is 3000 m²
7:05 am Institute for the Study of War: The Russian Ministry of Defense learned lessons andchanged the information policyregarding the coverage of the counteroffensive of the Armed Forces
· Analysts emphasize that the fact that Shoigu publicly and relatively calmly discussed the counteroffensive of the Armed Forces (even despite the typical denial of Ukrainian successes by the Ministry of Defense) is a noticeable consequence of Russia's inability to prepare a unified response to Ukrainian counteroffensives in the Kharkiv and Kherson regions in 2022 and panic in the Russian information spacious This shows that the Russian information space has adapted to a certain extent and learned lessons from past moments of information collapse.
8:39 am: An explosion rang out in the Moscow suburbs of the Russian Federation. In rosZMI, it is announced that the drone fell near the Pakhra River.
· It was also reported about other drones that fell near Moscow near the village of Kalininets, Naro-Fominsky district near Moscow.
9:13 am: A railway track has been damaged near Feodosia, - the so-called "head" of the Republic of Crimea, Sergei Aksenov.
· "Within two hours, the movement of trains will be restored. There are no casualties," Aksyonov said.
· Feodosia lies on the Black Sea, northeast of Yalta. Feodosia was a Genoese trading center, and they built a fort there that still stands. Later, there is an underground prison in Feodosia built by the Ottomans, where Roxelana was held before being sent to Constantinople to be part of the harem of Suliman the Magnificant. She eventually married Suliman, the only time an Ottoman sultan married a member of his harem. Roxelana is a heroine in Ukraine. Many Ukrainian parents, especially in Western Ukraine, name their daughters after Roxelana. Feodosia is also the home of Ivan Aivazovsky who, along with Winslow Homer is the greatest painter of seascapes. In December 2008 I had the good fortune to visit the Aivazovsky Museum in Feodosia, that doubles as his house.
11:04 am: Belarus announces start of "mobilization teaching.” It takes place in the Minsk region and will last 10 days, until June 30, - the Ministry of Defense of Belarus.
· It is planned to implement measures for the deployment of infrastructure facilities, the attraction of liable for military service and automotive equipment. The department noted that such exercises are held annually.
Tuesday June 20
5:12 pm: Director Department municipal safety KMDA the novel Weaver in case of sheltersSuspicion was handed over.
· We are talking about the issue of the fund of protective structures - storage facilities and shelters and the case in the Desnyan district of the capital, when people died as a result of Russian shelling. Law enforcement officers handed over the suspect to Roman Tkachuk at his workplace. A preventive measure is currently being determined.
12:11 pm: Occupiers under the guise of a review valuables and Ukrainian documents of residents of the Kherson region are stolen from flooded houses.
· It is noted that the military forces of the Russian Federation, under the guise of liquidating the consequences of their own terrorist attack on the Kakhovka HPP, steal the property of the residents of Novaya Kakhovka, Oleshok and Golaya Prystan.
· The Russians are taking gold and equipment of residents, as well as Ukrainian documents - passports, birth and marriage certificates.
15:16 pm: Shoigu said that the Armed Forces of Ukraine are allegedly planning to attack the Russian Federation and Crimea with HIMARS and Storm Shadow missiles andthreatened to strike "decision-making centers".
· "The use of these missiles outside the zone of the special military operation will mean the full involvement of the USA and Great Britain in the conflict and will cause immediate strikes on decision-making centers on the territory of Ukraine," the Russian Defense Minister said.
3:35 pm: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation believes that July 18 will be the time of completion of the "grain agreement".
· This was stated by the Deputy Head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia Serhii Vershinin.
4:02 pm: A retired military pilot is in Berdyansk collected data about former colleagues, to lure them to the side of the Russian Federation.
· The SBU established that the man was preparing lists of current pilots of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. First of all, the aggressor was interested in specialists who have practical experience of flying MiG-29, CU-24, SU-25, SU-27, An-26 and IL-76 aircraft, as well as Mi-8 and Mi-24 helicopters.
· Currently, the person involved is hiding from justice in the temporarily occupied territory in the south of Ukraine, they add to the SBU and inform about "complex measures" to bring him to justice.
4:16 pm: There was an explosion at a gunpowder factory near Tambov, Russia. According to preliminary data, five people died as a result of an explosion in one of the workshops. Another 12 were injured, rosZMI reports.
· The Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations has so far only confirmed the fire at the plant. There is no more detailed information about the event.
SUMY
Wednesday June 21
11:50 am Social Networks: Explosions heard in Sumy region.
KHARKIV
Wednesday June 21
10:27 am Kharkiv RMA: Russians shelled Vovchansk tonight. A private house was completely destroyed in the city, outbuildings were damaged. Previously, no casualties.
· Over the past day, the Russian occupiers shelled the settlements of Kharkiv, Kupiansk and Chuhuiv districts of the region. A 58-year-old woman was injured.
DONETSK
Wednesday June 21
12:31 am Social Networks: Explosions were heard in temporarily occupied Tokmak.
11:35 am Donetsk RMA: Around midnight, Russians shelled Rai-Oleksandrivka, Mykolaivska hromada, damaging power lines.
· Konstiantynivka, Kurakhove, Avdiivka, Toretsk, Chasovoyarska communities, Molocharka, Torske, Zarichne, Siversk, and Serebrianka were also under fire.
· In just one day, Russians killed 2 residents of Donetsk region.
Tuesday June 20
8:23 pm Social Networks: There were explosions in the temporarily occupied Volnovakha of Donetsk region.
8:50 pm: Enemy manpower successfully destroyed":Syrskyi showed a video of the snipers' work in the direction of Bakhmut.
ZAPORIZHIA
Wednesday June 21
9:58 am Zaporizhia RMA: Over the past day, the Russians carried out 87 attacks on 18 settlements in the region.
· During the evening attack in Preobrazhenka, four local residents sustained mine-blast injuries - women aged 38, 43, 47 and a 54-year-old man. They were promptly taken to a medical facility.
· There were 66 reports of damage and destruction of residential buildings, outbuildings, vehicles, warehouses, communications.
Tuesday June 20
9:53 pm: the Russians additionally mined the Zaporizhzhya NPP, — the head of the GUR of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine Kyrylo Budanov.
· "The truth is that by destroying the dam, they destroyed the normal access of water to the coolers at the ZNPP. This is the first. But the second, the most terrible thing is that the ZNPP was additionally mined. And the most terrible thing is that the cooler was mined. If they disable it , then there is a high probability that there will be significant problems," the head of the GUR stressed.
DNIPRO
Wednesday June 21
9:26 am Dnipro RMA: Late in the evening, the Russians struck twice on the Marhanetska community of the Nikopol district.
· They attacked with heavy artillery and drones. The consequences of the strikes are still being clarified. People survived.
Tuesday June 20
10:41 pm Dnipro RMA: Russian military today shelled the Nikopol district of the Dnipro region with artillery. As a result of the enemy attack, one person was injured.
· 4 objects, 8 private residential buildings, 3 passenger cars, 2 power lines were damaged. The Russians also shelled the Marganets community. Artillery fire and a drone attack was recorded.
KHERSON
Wednesday June 21
7:20 a.m.: The occupiers send an SMS to Henichesk collaborators with instructions and coordinates of evacuation points in case of a breakthrough of the Armed Forces.
· At the same time, the Defense Forces hit areas where the occupiers were concentrated, 3 electronic warfare stations and 18 artillery units of the Russians.
8:57 am: Air defense forces destroyed all 6 drones attempting to strike the Khmelnytskyi region, the OVA said.
· Debris fell on a garage and outbuilding in one of the communities of the region. There were no casualties.
Tuesday June 20
6:04 pm: Half an hour before the destruction of the Kakhovskaya HPP, a command to the Russian military to leave the territory of the station was recorded over the radio, - the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, Kyrylo Budanov.
· "The most interesting thing is that in half an hour (the Russians - ed.) radioed the unit located at the Kakhovskaya HPP and told them to get together and quickly leave the area. At the same time, a group of special forces arrived. And after that, what happened," he said Budanov.
· According to him, all Russian units that were near the HPP were unaware of the plans of their command to blow up the station. This caught them off guard.
12:36 pm Kherson RMA: Russian troops shelled residential quarters of Kherson. A 27-year-old man died
· Houses, a kindergarten, an educational institution, a service station, as well as an "ambulance" team that went to help people came under fire. The doctors were not injured.
3:16 pm: As of 3:00 p.m. on June 20, the water level in the Kherson region is at 0.3 m (since the beginning of the day, the level has dropped by 9 cm), — State Emergency Service.
· 3 settlements (595 houses) on the right bank of the Dnipro remain flooded.
· Since the beginning of the day, rescuers of the State Emergency Service have pumped out more than 0.29 thousand tons of water from 223 basements and houses. More than 29 tons of water were delivered for citizens.
4:06 p.m.: the Russian army fired at rescue workers in Kherson who were clearing mud, — reported the head of the OP.
· As a result of the shelling, 1 employee of the State Emergency Service was killed, 7 more employees were injured. Six are in serious condition.
8:52 pm Social Networks: Explosions are heard in Kherson.
11:35 pm: New satellite images confirm that the Kakhovsky Reservoir is effectively gone.
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