Ukraine – 6/27/2023 Sitrep
By: Bohdan Chomiak & Robert Homans
June 27, 2023
Once Again - Thank you!
Once again, we would like to thank everyone who has supported us!
We will be sending our e-book covering the first week of Russia’s “Special Military Operation” on July 5th, to all those who have provided support through June 30th. To provide support for our work, you can click on the link HERE.
One of the subjects we’ll be covering in the e-book is how wrong the experts were, collectively we refer to them as the “pundits,” about the war, starting with the prediction that the war would last 3 days. The pundits fall into a couple of camps: those who are Russia experts but know very little about Ukraine, or Ukrainians; military experts who largely bought into the narrative that the Russian Army had been modernized, with modern equipment, and manned by well-trained, professional soldiers. At the same time, those who fall into the 2nd camp really knew nothing about the experience and training that the Ukrainian Army had received since mid 2014. We have not been bashful in calling out the pundits, most of whom seem to do not much more than to read each other’s articles.
An article in today’s NY Times includes several reviews of books about the war in Ukraine. For my money, the best has to be Serhii Plokhy’s “The Russo Ukrainian War – The Return of History.” I have read 3 of Plokhy’s books, “Gates of Europe,” “Chernobyl,” and “Nuclear Folly,” the last one about the Cuban Missile Crisis, where Plokhy used materials he found In Ukraine, including minutes from meetings of the Soviet Central Committee. This is an interview with Plokhii, conducted by my stepdaughter Evgeniia Shidlovska (in Ukrainian).
I’ve known Anna for over 9 years. She sent me a LinkedIn message today. I had not heard from her since the start of the war. I was thrilled to hear from her, confirming that she’s OK.
One of the reasons why the pundits get it so wrong about Ukraine, and why Ukraine will win this war, is because of Ukrainians like Anna Kovalenko. In our emails, we have been very remiss in not covering individuals who not only have made major contributions to Ukraine’s success, but whose lives changed completely starting with their participation during Euromaidan.
Before the beginning of Euromaidan, Anna Kovalenko was a theater critic. Soon after the start of the protests, people realized that Independence Square had to be defended, which meant building barriers.
Anna told me a story about her attending a meeting in December 2013, at the beginning of Euromaidan, the purpose was which was to discuss designing and building the barriers. She said she brought a book containing pictures of barriers built by the Romans to defend their camps. The organizers told her to leave, that she was wasting their time. A couple of days later, Anna said that they called her back, asking her to return and oh, by the way, bring the book.
This led to several activities during Euromaidan, as her Wikipedia page describes, “She later became a deputy captain of the 11th Self-Defense Hundred. In mid-January 2014, she organized and led the 39th Maidan Women's Self-Defense Hundred. At the time of its creation, the hundred had more than 150 participants. At present, 39 hundred have been transformed into an all-Ukrainian public organization, "Women's Hundred", which has about two thousand members. Since March 2014, she was the chairman of the All-Ukrainian NGO "39th Maidan Self-Defense Hundred".
After the Revolution of Dignity ended, as her Wikipedia Page describes, “from 2014 to 2015, Kovalenko worked as an adviser to the Minister of Defense and Minister of Information. As an adviser to the Ministers of Defense, she set up a Center for Coordination of Operational Assistance to the Ukrainian Army, as well as a hotline (call center) for communication and coordination between checkpoints and volunteers. She organized numerous events to establish communication between the MoD staff, volunteers, the public and other government agencies. She participated in the development of reform programs of the Ministry of Defense and the organization of cooperation with NATO, OSCE, and the Canadian and Norwegian embassies.”
She has also served as an adviser to the Defense and National Security Committee of the Ukrainian Parliament, she was a Fellow at the Wilson Center in Washington, studying civilian control of the military, and she served as Governor of Chernihiv Oblast.
Anna is 32 years old. I’m glad she’s safe. When I asked Anna what she is doing now, all she said was that she and her family were in Kyiv, and she’s spending a lot of time traveling around Ukraine.
Ukraine Small Business Survey
Last week, in London, the Ukrainian Recovery Conference drew more than 1,000 attendees. The American Chamber of Commerce in Ukraine (AmCham) surveyed its membership, and released their findings at the Conference. The findings cannot be good news for Russia.
· Despite all of Russia’s efforts, 84% of AmCham’s members are still fully operational. Many have lost employees, have suffered from damaged facilities, either from Russian missile strikes or because those facilities are located in temporarily occupied territory. I’m reminded of a line from a documentary on the Battle of Midway, where the United States Navy turned back the Imperial Japanese Fleet, “Midway Blazes but Midway Stands.”
· The survey also found that “only 15% of respondents are currently considering requesting compensation from Russia for direct physical damage or lost profits as a result of the war, while 53% do not plan to request compensation and 32% have not decided yet.” According to Andy Hunder, the Head of AmCham, respondents are waiting until “proper mechanisms are in place.” The subject of re-purposing frozen Russian Central Bank assets for use in Ukraine reconstruction was a major subject of the London Conference, and it is the major subject of the “REPO Act,” recently introduced in the U.S. Congress. Maybe the “proper mechanisms” will soon be established.
News From the Battlefield
“Reporting From Ukraine” covers the liberation of Rivnopil, collapsing a Russian salient that they had held since the beginning of Ukraine’s counteroffensive. “The Latest Denys” also covers Rivnopil, stating that Ukraine had advanced more than 6km in 1 day, a bit more than an advance of a few hundred meters, recently the favorite characterization of Ukraine’s progress by the Western press. He also covers progress by Ukraine on the flanks north and south of Bakhmut. Finally, he announced the death in combat of one of his best friends.
Goings On in Russia
Since I’m not a Russia expert, and there is too many events happening in Ukraine, I will leave commentary about the botched civil war, Putin, Prigozhin, etc., to others. There seems to be more Russia expert than fleas on a dog, I will only say that the idea of the Wagners invading Ukraine from the north, from Belarus, is completely absurd in my opinion, because:
· The Ukraine-Belarus Border consists mostly of swamps and forests, good for picking blueberries and finding mushrooms, but not conducive to an invasion.
· Wagner doesn’t have enough troops.
· There are plenty of Ukrainian troops on the northern border. Ukraine won’t have to move troops up from the south to defeat a Wagner invasion.
· The conditions that allowed the Russians to get to the outskirts of Kyiv during the first 2 days of the war, are not present today.
· I don’t believe Lukashenko will allow an invasion to take place. He’s too concerned about his own future.
If the experts predicting a Wagner invasion from the north aren’t ready to accept that, after Bakhmut where thousands of Wagner soldiers were killed as part of a conscious Ukrainian strategy, Ukraine is fully capable of dealing with the Wagners, then they have their collective head in the sand.
6/27/2023 Sitrep
Russian Invasion of Ukraine 12:00 noon June 26 to 12:00 noon June 27, 2023
Abbreviations:
RMA = Regional Military Administration SBU = Security Service of Ukraine
RASHISTS = russian Facists/all russian invaders
INTERNATIONAL
Tuesday June 27
12:32 am: The United States government will continue to apply sanctions pressure on PMC Wagner to prevent the group from wreaking havoc and violence around the world.
● John Kirby, coordinator of strategic communications at the US National Security Council, said this at a briefing.
7:38 am: During Prigozhin's rebellion, the allies asked Ukraine not to attack the Russian Federation, - CNN.
● Allies at various levels contacted the officials of Ukraine and advised not to use the chaos in Russia caused by Prigozhin's rebellion to attack Russia.
● The fear was that Ukraine and the West would be seen as Russians helping Prigozhin and threatening sovereignty.
8:09 am: The Council of Ministers of the European Union for Foreign Affairs supported the Peace Formula proposed by Ukraine and will promote it in the world.
● This was stated by the EU High Representative Josep Borrell, the European Council reports.
8:26 am: The US sees no signs that Russia is going to blow up the nuclear power plant or use nuclear weapons in Ukraine, said John Kirby of the White House National Security Council.
● "We've seen these reports. As you know, we have the ability to monitor radioactivity near the station, and we haven't seen any indication that this threat is imminent. But we're watching it very, very closely..."
● And we do not see any signs that there is any intention to use nuclear weapons on the territory of Ukraine."
10:15 am: The White House understands why the armed forces are advancing more slowly than everyone expected - White House National Security Council representative John Kirby.
● "the Russians have invested a lot in the last six to eight months in defense capabilities. In some cases, they have three lines of defense deep. When I say three lines, I mean miles, and miles deep, and three big defensive lines.
● They knew that the Ukrainians were going to take back the territory in the spring and summer, and they worked to prepare for that."
Monday June 26
3:17 pm: Germany to supply Ukraine with ammunition for howitzers, Spiegel.
● According to the agreement, the first package of 20,000 ammunition for the next two years has already been agreed. Its cost is about €60 million. It is covered by the German government.
● Up to 333,000 155 mm ammunition is planned to be delivered to the Bundeswehr warehouses by 2029. They will also go to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
3:37 pm: Denmark has begun training Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets, AP reports.
● Acting Minister of Defense Troels Lund Poulsen noted that Denmark "has taken a step towards starting training and improving the qualifications of Ukrainian pilots."
● According to him, Ukrainian pilots must undergo six to eight months of training before the possible transfer of Danish F-16 aircraft becomes a reality.
4:36 pm: Poland will send thousands of machine guns and millions of rounds of ammunition to the combat formations of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, said Mariusz Kaminski, Minister of Internal Affairs and Administration of Poland.
● "We have supported Ukraine since the beginning of the war and will continue to do so," the minister said in a statement.
7:30 pm Reuters: Tomorrow, the US will announce a new package of military aid to Ukraine worth up to $500 million, which will include ground equipment.
7:50 pm: The head of the British Ministry of Defense spoke about the "significant impact" of long-range missiles Storm Shadow on the course of hostilities.
● At the same time, Wallace emphasized that such weapons were "almost infallible" during attacks on Russian logistics.
8:30 pm: The US was ready for several scenarios in connection with the recent events in Russia, - Joe Biden commented on the mutiny of the leader of the "Wagner" Prigozhin Communist Party.
● The US president also made several statements:
o The USA and the West in general were not involved in the attempted coup in the Russian Federation.
o On June 26, new telephone consultations will be held with other Western leaders regarding the situation in the Russian Federation.
o The USA has assured Ukraine that it will continue to provide assistance regardless of the development of events in the Russian Federation.
8:55 pm: Latvia completely stops issuing any visas to citizens of the Russian Federation in connection with the "unforeseen development of internal political events in Russia", - the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia.
10:51 pm: The Bulgarian government has approved a new package of military-technical assistance for Ukraine.
● This was reported by the press service of the Council of Ministers of Bulgaria.
● "The approved list can be compared in terms of volume with the aid from the first package, provided by the interim government by decision of December 22, 2022," the Council of Ministers said.
11:12 pm: On Monday, the Polish arms concern Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa signed a cooperation agreement with the American General Dynamics, within the framework of which a maintenance center for Abrams tanks will be opened in Poznań.
● The cooperation agreement was concluded during the Abrams Suppliers conference, organized jointly by General Dynamics and the Poznań company Wojskowy Zakłady Motoryzacyjne.
11:58 pm: On June 26, in the Scottish city of Glasgow, representatives of 18 participating countries held a solemn ceremony dedicated to the beginning of the training complex as part of the "Sea Breeze" exercise series.
● The event was held with the participation of the Commander of the Naval Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Vice Admiral Oleksiy Neizhpapa.
● From the Ukrainian side, the flotilla commander, captain 1st rank Yurii Fedash, is in charge of the training.
NATIONAL
Tuesday June 27
12:11 am: Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked and presented state awards to the fighters who defend Ukraine on the southern sections of the front.
● Today is the front. Donetsk region, Zaporizhzhia. Our soldiers, our advanced positions, directions of active actions at the front. Today, in all directions, our soldiers had an advance, and it is a happy day. I wished the boys more days like this.
● Meetings with generals... Zubanych, Tarnavskyi, Sodol, Syrskyi. Several operational solutions. The creation of the Marine Corps was once again discussed. All the details are clear, absolutely clear: organization, training, supplies... We are strengthening the Marines and all elements of our defense forces - this is a must.
7:07 a.m. General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation: Aviation of the Defense Forces over the past day carried out 6 strikes on the areas of concentration of personnel of the Russian Federation.
● During the past 24 hours, units of missile forces and artillery hit 1 control post, 12 artillery units in firing positions, 1 area of concentration of Russians, 2 ammunition warehouses and 3 other important targets.
9:43 am: NABU intercepted the conversation of the head of the Ternopil Regional Council and two deputy heads of the Ternopil Regional Government, who, according to the latest data, demanded about UAH 2.4 million in bribes from a local businessman.
11:26 am: Teenagers Tigran Ohannisyan and Nikita Khanganov were shot dead by snipers in occupied Berdyansk, the Media Initiative for Human Rights reported.
● "No one knows how it happened and what happened at that moment. Today (June 26 — ed.) we learned that the boys were killed by sniper shots. Nikita was killed by a shot in the head, and Tigran - in the heart. In other words, the occupation police did not even try to somehow save the boys' lives," — co-founder of the Media Initiative for Human Rights, Olga Reshetylova.
11:46 am: The departure of the Tu-22m3 aircraft from the Shaykovka airfield of the Kaluga region of the Russian Federation was recorded - the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
11:56 am: Attention! Rocket launches! — Air Force.
Monday June 26
12:15 pm: Today, on the Day of the Crimean Tatar flag, Vitaliy Klitschko, together with the chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people, Refat Chubarov, and representatives of the indigenous people of Crimea, took part in raising the national Crimean Tatar flag near the building of the capital city hall.
● "Having defended the freedom and independence of Ukraine, liberating our state, we will definitely return Crimea. And with joint efforts, we will arrange a dignified life there for the Crimean Tatar people. And the flag of the Crimean Tatars will also become one of the symbols of restoring the territorial integrity of Ukraine," said the mayor of Kyiv.
12:55 p.m.: The court announced the sentence to the organizer of the attack on the Kherson activist Kateryna Gandzyuk, — Prosecutor General's Office.
● Vladyslav Manger and Oleksiy Levin were each sentenced to 10 years in prison. They must also pay the Handzyuk family compensation in the amount of 10 million hryvnias.
1:15 pm: Armed Forces of Ukraine landed and took positions on the left bank in the Oleshok/Oleshki area, — rosZMI.
● It is reported that units of the Russian Armed Forces "were evacuated to avoid encirclement." Russian mass media also publish videos of what they claim are combat actions during the Ukrainian assault.
1:36 pm: After the coup in Russia, which was organized by Prigozhin, the Russian dictator Putin finally lost his image, - HUR representative Andriy Yusov.
● "Of course, in front of the conditional Putin, everyone put a mark that he is a downed pilot. He is a person, an image that has lost the image of a person who, yes, is a bloody murderer, a criminal, but he controls a huge territory, nuclear weapons, financial and economic issues. Everyone was convinced that this is not so. Everyone is convinced that both the king is naked and the house of cards," he said.
1:57 pm: On the Taurian direction, the Defense Forces are advancing. During the past 24 hours, the enemy attacked our positions 18 times and fired 450 rounds, said Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, commander of the operational and strategic group of troops "Tavria".
● Over the last day, the enemy's losses in killed and wounded amounted to almost four companies. 15 units of the enemy's military equipment were destroyed, 4 BBM, 2 "Supercam" UAVs, 2C3 "Akatsiya" self-propelled artillery installation and automobile equipment. The enemy's ammunition depot was also destroyed.
2:16 pm: State concern "Ukroboronprom" will be headed by Herman Smetanin, the current general director of "V. O. Malyshev Plant" SE, the EP reports.
● According to the publication, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine approved Smetanin as the new head of Ukroboronprom on Saturday, June 24. The decision will be announced today, June 26, and it will enter into force on the 28th.
● Volodymyr Zelenskyy set three main tasks for him: to increase the production of all weapons, to clean the industry from corruption and to complete the defense reform.
5:34 p.m.: Volodymyr Zelenskyi put into effect the decision of the National Security Council to strengthen responsibility for improper maintenance of shelters, a decree on the website of the President of Ukraine.
6:50 pm General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine: during the day, the Russian Federation carried out 36 airstrikes and carried out 17 attacks from rocket salvo systems.
● The enemy continues to focus its main efforts on the Lymansky, Bakhmutsky and Marinsky directions - more than 35 combat clashes took place during the day.
● The aviation of the defense forces struck 6 strikes on enemy personnel concentration areas during the day.
● During the day, units of rocket troops and artillery hit the control post and 10 artillery units of the enemy in firing positions.
8:10 p.m.: The Armed Forces advanced 1.5 km in the Tavria direction, - the spokesman of the United Press Center of the defense forces of the Tavria direction Valery Shershen.
● It is, in particular, about the successful offensive actions of the "Tavria" group in the Melitopol direction.
● Currently, the armed forces are anchored at the achieved borders. Aerial reconnaissance of the area is carried out, demining is carried out, fire losses are inflicted, artillery is working on identified enemy targets, and counter-battery countermeasures are being carried out.
MORDOR – Russia
Tuesday June 27
8:10 am Institute for the Study of War: Belarus can become a trap for the militants of the "Wagner" PMC - Minsk is unlikely to provide them with a safe haven if the Kremlin puts pressure on Lukashenka.
● The President of the Russian Federation, Putin, with his statements about the mutiny, is trying to keep the "Wagnerians" to use them in the war in the future.
8:33 am: Today, at 7:40 a.m., the plane of the head of the "Wagner" PMK Prigozhin landed at the Machulyshchi military airfield near Minsk - Belarus Gayun with reference to Flight Radar data.
9:26 am: A railway track was damaged in the Kirov district of Crimea, the so-called "head of the republic" Aksyonov said.
● There are no casualties. According to him, the repair of the damaged railway will last from 4 to 8 hours.
10:52 am: I gave all the orders to bring the army to full combat readiness, — Lukashenko.
● If Russia collapses, we will remain under the rubble, we will all perish - Lukashenko
11:06 a.m.: Preparations are underway for the transfer of heavy military equipment from the "Wagner" PMC to active units of the Russian Armed Forces — Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
Monday June 26
6:09 p.m.: "Lukashenko proposed ways for the "Wagner" PMC to work in a legal jurisdiction," - a note in Prigozhin's press service.
● On June 27, Lukashenko commented on the situation with Wagner PMC. The self-proclaimed president of the Republic of Belarus said that it "pained him to watch the events" that took place in the south of Russia, "because the Motherland is one."
● Lukashenko said that during the "Wagner uprising" in Russia, he brought the Belarusian army to full combat readiness, including the police and special units.
● The Belarusian dictator also traditionally filled the air of his speech with theses of Kremlin propaganda about "the collective West, the threat of NATO expansion, etc."
● "I said: under no circumstances should you make a hero out of me, nor Putin, nor Prigozhin, because we missed the situation, and then we thought it would settle down, but it didn't. And two people clashed, who fought at the front. There are no heroes in this matter."
● "The worst thing is that if there was trouble, the West would instantly take advantage of it."
● This is written by the "Belarusian Gayun" monitoring group.
7:10 pm: A preserved solid waste landfill caught fire in the Kirovski district in Crimea, local media reported.
● According to preliminary data, the fire occurred due to violations of fire safety and the laying of dry branches near the boundaries of the landfill.
● 9:54 pm: A video of an explosion on the highway near Voronezh during the movement of the "Wagner" PVC convoy towards Moscow is published on the Internet.
10:33 pm: Putin made a speech after the coup attempt in the Russian Federation.
● Main theses:
o An armed rebellion would have been suppressed in any case.
o The organizers of the rebellion betrayed the people, this is exactly what the neo-Nazis in Kyiv and in the West wanted, they wanted Russians to kill each other.
o The vast majority of "Wagner" fighters are patriots, they were used in the dark.
o Thanks to those soldiers of "Wagner" who stopped, did not go to the bloodshed.
o I suggest to the fighters of "Wagner" to sign a contract with the Ministry of Defense, return home or go to Belarus.
SUMY
Tuesday June 27
10:30 am Sumy RMA: At night and in the morning, the Russians launched 2 mortar attacks on the border.
● The communities of Esmansk (2 explosions) and Seredino-Budka (4 explosions) were shelled. Previously - without victims among the civilian population and destruction of civil infrastructure.
12:00 pm: Explosions are heard in Sumy, subscribers report. Anti-aircraft defense works in advance. We are waiting for official information.
Monday June 26
11:28 pm: Destruction of a Russian sabotage and intelligence group that crossed the border in the Sumy region.
KHARKIV
Tuesday June 27
9:58 am Kharkiv RMA: During the past day, the Russians continued to fire artillery and mortars at the frontline and border settlements of the Kharkiv, Kupyan, Bogodukhiv and Chuguyiv districts of the region.
● Civilian infrastructure is mainly under their blows. No casualties.
DONETSK
Monday June 26
12:37 pm Donetsk RMA: In the middle of the night, the Russians fired 4 rockets at Druzhkivka — 2 high-rise buildings and 2 private houses were damaged, and the water supply was cut off.
● In the Donetsk direction, 6 private houses were damaged in Kurakhivka. A house was damaged in Elizavetivka street of the Marin community, and power lines were cut.
● On the Horlivskyi direction, 1 person was injured in Sukhiya Balka of the Toretsk hromada, a house was damaged in the Severnyi district. 2 houses were damaged in the Chasovoyarsk community.
1:21 pm: "The defense forces have returned Rivnopil of the Donetsk region under our control. We are moving on," — Deputy Minister of Defense Hanna Malyar.
2:20 pm: Soldiers of the 31st mechanized brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine published a video from Rivnopoly.
2:36 pm: The Armed Forces of Ukraine cleared the enemy's bridgehead on the western bank of the Siverskyi Donets-Donbas channel, — Commander of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi.
● He also published a GoPro video of soldiers of the 1st company of the 1st mechanized battalion of the 3rd separate assault brigade, which defeated the 3rd battalion of the 57th Guards Motorized Rifle Brigade of the Russian Federation.
5:14 pm: Volodymyr Zelenskyi visited the fighters of the Khortytsia operational-strategic group of troops.
● The President thanked our defenders and presented awards: "I wish you health and only victory. Ukraine is proud of each of you. You are cool, strong, our real Ukrainians."
ZAPORIZHIA
Tuesday June 27
9:09 am Zaporizhia RMA: A local woman died in her house during the shelling of Orikhov, her 59-year-old husband was rushed to the hospital with injuries,
● In addition, a wounded 52-year-old resident of Preobrazhenka and a 59-year-old woman who came under fire near Pavlivka were hospitalized.
● the Russians carried out 43 attacks on 15 settlements in the region. 37 damages to residential buildings, communications and residents' property were recorded.
Monday June 26
2:27 am Social Networks: Explosions are heard in Zaporizhzhia.
9:31 am Zaporizhia RMA: Russian troops carried out 52 strikes on 14 towns and villages of the Zaporizhia region.
· Added 38 new reports about the destruction of civilian objects. At night in Preobrazhenka, experts rescued a 73-year-old man and a 77-year-old woman from under the rubble of a house and quickly transferred the victims to doctors.
DNIPRO
Tuesday June 27
7:51 am Dnipro RMA: Russians hit the Marganets community in Nikopol region. They used heavy artillery, -
● People survived. Rescuers are investigating the consequences of the attack.
Monday June 26
4:55 pm Nikopol County Military Administration: Russians shelled Nikopol with heavy artillery, two people were killed,
● Enemy shells hit a private enterprise, workers were killed: a 51-year-old woman and a 50-year-old man. Another worker received shrapnel wounds and a mine-explosive injury.perfect
● 9:34 pm: Volodymyr Zelenskyi: "Frontline positions of Ukrainian troops in the Berdyansk direction. It is very important to be here today. It is especially nice to welcome the 3rd battalion of the Separate Presidential Brigade named after Hetman Bohdan Khmelnytskyi of the Ground Forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces."
Kherson
Monday June 26
12:06 pm: Explosions are heard in the Kherson region.
2:56 pm: the Russian army struck the building of the music school in Bilozerka, Kherson OVA.
● Private houses, gas pipelines and electricity networks were damaged. A 71-year-old woman was injured as a result of the shelling.
3:57 pm: Various artifacts continue to be found at the bottom of the Kakhovsky Reservoir, media reports.
ODESA
Monday June 26
2:00 am Social Networks: Explosions are heard in Odesa.
7:28 am Operational Command South: At night, the Russian Federation attacked Odesa region with Kalibr and kamikaze drones.
· Two Calibers were shot down on approach to the coastal zone. Due to the blast wave during the work of shooting down drones, windows in two apartment buildings were damaged. There are no injured. Other details of the attack are being clarified.
TERNOPIL
Monday June 26
11:37 am: The head of the Ternopil Regional Council and two of her deputies were detained for extortion and bribery, - NABU*
· The detainees demanded almost UAH 1.8 million. from the owner of the enterprise for signing acts of completed works on the construction and repair of infrastructure objects by the communal enterprise of the Ternopil Regional Council.
· After the transfer of the third tranche in the amount of over UAH 600,000. activists were detained.
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.