Ukraine – 6/7 Sitrep
Compiled by: Robert Homans
Twitter: @rhomansjr
June 7, 2022
June 7 Sitrep (my comments in Bold Face)
INTERNATIONAL
“Foreign Policy” Magazine: Fascinating interview with former NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen. He served as Secretary General between 2009, just after Russia’s invasion of Georgia, and 2014, just after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Rasmussen made the following observations:
· In the run-up to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, NATO vastly overestimated the strength of the Russian Armed Forces and, since then, NATO underestimated the level of brutality that the Russian Armed Forces are capable of.
· He believes that Turkey’s issues with the admission into NATO by Sweden and Finland is more of a conflict that Turkey has with the U.S., over the U.S. refusal to supply F-16s and F-35s to Turkey because of Turkey’s purchase from Russia of the S-400 air defense system.
· He’s not concerned about Russia’s possible use of nuclear weapons or other WMDs.
· “We cannot save Putin from humiliation. The cost of face-saving for Mr. Putin will be much higher than an outright defeat for the Russian troops in Ukraine. That’s why my conclusion is that Ukraine must win this war, because if Putin succeeds in Ukraine, he won’t stop. He will continue into Moldova, Georgia, and eventually also put pressure on the three Baltic states. That’s why the Ukrainians must win, and they have the will to fight. It’s our duty to give them the means to fight.”
· He dismisses allegations by NY Times columnist Tom Friedman, and others, that NATO expansion contributed to Russia’s decision to invade Ukraine.
· In 2008, NATO made a mistake by not offering Ukraine and Georgia NATO Membership Action Plans, and in 2014 by imposing very mild sanctions in response to Russia’s invasion of Crimea.
· “I think we are now approaching a new world order where you have two camps: an autocratic camp led by China and a democratic camp led by the United States.”
Bloomberg: India intends to double the import of Russian oil. State refineries are racing to make the most of heavily discounted supplies from Rosneft as international buyers back out of deals with Moscow over its incursion into Ukraine.
Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev on his Telegram channel - People often ask me why my Telegram posts are so harsh. The answer is that I hate them. They are bastards and geeks. They want death for us, Russia. And as long as I am alive, I will do everything to make them disappear,
The European Council will discuss the status of Ukraine’s candidacy at the summit on June 23-24. Currently, the European Commission is preparing a conclusion on Ukraine's compliance with the EU membership criteria.
Serbian President: Due to the partial oil embargo imposed by the European Union against Russia, Serbia will lose $600 million annually. "$600 million per year has been taken directly from the pockets of the citizens of Serbia due to the sanctions, and people should know about it.”
Reuters: British Prime Minister: Thanked the Conservatives who refused to pass a vote of no confidence in him. He called the result of the vote convincing and decisive for the country. There were many Ukrainians who are breathing a sigh of relief that Boris Johnson survived the no-confidence vote. He has been a great supporter of Ukraine, and Ukrainians were/are rightly concerned about what might come after him.
US Secretary of State: Grain theft is a part of broader Russian actions during the war against Ukraine that undermines Kyiv's ability to export its wheat crop and exacerbates the global food security crisis. "There are reports that are credible, as we saw today in one of our leading newspapers, that Russia is stealing Ukrainian grain prepared for export ... to sell it for its own benefit", – Blinken says.
● Russia is blackmailing the world with an aggravation of the food crisis by blocking export grain in Ukraine and using aggressive propaganda.
● “Putin is trying in this way to achieve a relaxation of sanctions against the Kremlin, but it is the Russian Federation that contributes to the worsening of the situation with hunger outside the Ukrainian borders, in particular in African countries”, – Blinken says.
Munitions coming to Ukraine from Europe often have inscriptions:
● Missiles from the Czech Republic “For the execution of the Prague Spring of 1968”.
● The Dutch write “Revenge for MH17” on shells.
● The Poles sign ammunition "For Katyn!".
European Commission for Enlargement and Neighborhood Policy: The EU calls on Turkey to take a tougher position on the situation in Ukraine, in line with the policy of Brussels. We welcome Turkey's constructive role in de-escalating the conflict. At the same time, we continue to urge Turkey to take a more decisive position, which would be more in line with the position of the EU, We call on Turkey to be more vigilant when it comes to preventing the circumvention of sanctions."
Speaker of the Greek government: Greece will transfer about 100 units of German BMP-1s to Ukraine when it receives the Marder infantry vehicles promised by Germany in return. The reason for this position is the conflict between Greece and Turkey encroaches on some Greek islands, which is why the country's armed forces are on alert.
CNBC: The United States allowed to confiscate two of Abramovich's planes. The planes are a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner and Gulfstream G650ER aircraft. Both planes left the United States for Russia in March, according to the US Department of Justice. This is a violation of the export restrictions imposed against Moscow due to the invasion of Ukraine.
Head of the European Council, during today's meeting of the UN Security Council directly accused the Russian Federation of creating a food crisis in the world. After these words, as well as after accusations of Russian army soldiers of mass rape of Ukrainian women, Russia's permanent representative to the UN, walked out of the meeting room.
● The Russian Federation destroyed the second largest grain terminal in Ukraine in Mykolaiv. Another Russian missile strike contributing to the global food crisis. In the light of such reports, the disinformation that Putin is spreading to deflect blame becomes even more cynical.
"We Can Explain" Telegram channel: State procurement data shows that Russian authorities are buying hundreds of graves for the dead, which indicates heavy losses in the war in Ukraine. In May, a lot of lots appeared on the State Procurement portal for organizing burials in different cities. 700 graves were ordered to be dug at once in the Khabarovsk Territory. About 100 graves are being purchased in Krasnoyarsk - for the first time in the history of the customer. 37 dead were ordered to be buried at once in the Kopeysky district of the Chelyabinsk region. In Karelia - 39. In Murmansk, the number of new burials is not indicated: the documentation says that they are planned in "bursts.” Interestingly, all the cities and towns mentioned here are located outside of areas of Russia that are considered to be majority Russian. It’s another indication that Russia is relying heavily on ethnic minorities to fight its wars.
The Independent: While the EU is trying to negotiate an embargo on energy from Russia, European companies have almost doubled the transportation of Russian oil. The publication notes that in February, companies and ships associated with Greece, Cyprus and Malta transported 31 million barrels of Russian oil, and in May - already 58 million barrels. Thanks to this, Moscow received billions of dollars.
Hungarian Foreign Minister: Defended the head of the Hungarian parliament Laszlo Kever and supported the words about "mental problems" of Volodymyr Zelenskyi. Earlier, Kever explained his words by the fact that the President of Ukraine in his addresses allegedly speaks from the position of demands and threats to those from whom he expects support.
Deputy Prime Minister: The UK has provided additional assistance to investigate Russian war crimes. In addition to funding, the government will send a special legal and police team to Ukraine.
Russian media: An unknown drone dropped two explosive devices, presumably RGD-5 grenades, on Russian "peacekeepers" car park in Transnistria.
New York Times: Russia is trying to sell wheat stolen in Ukraine to African countries.
Estonian Defense Force: NATO Air Force exercises of partner countries started today in the airspace of the Baltic States - Finland and Sweden, – Ramstein Alloy 22-2. The main goal of the exercises held three times a year is to protect the airspace of the Baltic countries, conduct communication and control procedures.
Minister of Defense and the Minister of Finance of Sweden: The Swedish government has decided to supply the Ukrainian army with RBS-17 anti-ship short-range missile systems.
Russian Deputy Minister of Education: All Russian educational organizations are excluded from the Bologna educational process.
Bloomberg: Türkiye (formerly Turkey) and Russia have reached a preliminary agreement on ensuring the export of Ukrainian grain by a sea corridor from the port of Odesa, Ukraine does not comment on the information and is skeptical about the statements.
● Ukraine Minister of Defense: Held talks with Türkiye Defense Minister. New projects in the Black Sea to ensure free navigation and security of trade have been discussed.
● The New York Times: The US warned 14 countries, most in Africa, against buying stolen Ukrainian grain from Russia
The Times: Irish Prime Minister believes that Ukraine should join the EU as soon as possible.
Public Opinion Foundation: Half of Russians (50%) note that, compared with the beginning of May, the most significant increase in prices among food products was for sugar.
● 46% have seen a noticeable increase in meat and poultry prices over the past four weeks.
● 43% of respondents noted the increase in prices for milk and dairy products;
● a noticeable increase in prices for vegetable oil, as well as for fish and seafood, is noted by 39% of respondents;
● for cereals and pasta - 37% of respondents each, for fruits and vegetables - 35% of survey participants;
● every fifth (20%) Russian speaks about a noticeable increase in prices for alcoholic beverages over the past four weeks.
Defense Committee of the State Duma: Russia may strike at the infrastructure and state institutions of Ukraine in case of deliveries of long-range MLRS to Kyiv.
● Does not rule out that peacekeepers from the CSTO countries will be needed in the territories Russia occupied after and before February 24.
Ukraine Foreign Minister: Putin says he will not use trade routes to attack Odessa. This is the same Putin who told German Chancellor Scholz and French President Macron that he would not attack Ukraine, a few days before the start of a full-scale invasion of our country. We cannot trust Putin, his words are empty”.
Russian Foreign Minister called the decision of several NATO countries, including Bulgaria, Montenegro, and North Macedonia, not to let his plane through to Serbia unprecedented.
rus lsm lv: The National Electronic Media Council of Latvia: Latvia has decided to ban the broadcasting of all Russian TV channels on its territory. The decision will come into force on June 9.
bTV channel: Ukraine Ambassador to Bulgaria: Ukraine sent an official note to the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry with a request for the supply of weapons.
Spiegel writes, citing sources close to the German government that Germany does not want to supply tanks to Ukraine. There are fears that Ukraine could become overconfident if it scores a series of victories on the battlefield and breaks into Russian territory. This will mean that German tanks will again be on Russian territory.
Russian media reports that the property of Ukrainian oligarchs, including Ihor Kolomoiskyi, Rinat Akhmetov and Viktor Pinchuk, in the Zaporozhyzhia region should be "nationalized".
NATIONAL
A former employee of Russia’s 'Channel One', who during the live broadcast ran out to the studio with an anti-war poster, says that she is Ukrainian, not Russian. Now she is going to change her surname to the original Ukrainian Tkachuk - all for the sake of supporting Ukraine.
British Intelligence
● Over the weekend, Ukrainian forces have recaptured parts of Sieverodonetsk although Russian forces likely continue to occupy eastern districts. Russia's broader plan likely continues to be to cut off the Sieverodonetsk area from both the north and the south .
● Russia made gains on the southern ,Popasna axis through May but its progress in the area has stalled over the last week. Reports of heavy shelling near Izium suggests Russia is preparing to make renewed effort on the northern axis.
● Russia will almost certainly need to achieve a breakthrough on at least one of these axes to translate tactical gains to operational level success and progress towards its political objective of controlling all of Donetsk Oblast .
Institute for the Study of War
● The control over Severodonetsk passes from hand to hand. Fierce battles are going on for Severodonetsk.
● The Russian army continues unsuccessful attempts to cut Ukrainian communications northeast of Bakhmut
● The occupiers did not achieve success around Izium, while those advancing to the west from Lyman achieved insignificant success.
● Limited and localized Ukrainian counterattacks have forced the Russian troops to focus on maintaining defensive lines north of Kharkiv.
The Wall Street Journal: An employee of the Chornobyl nuclear power plant spoke about a "gift" from the Russian military in the form of excrement in all offices. Excrement was found in all offices at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant after the retreat of Russian troops.
GRC personnel portal: Employers in Ukraine continue to reduce salaries. The labor market has passed the zero mark of a complete collapse, when at the beginning of the war there were no new vacancies, no new resumes.
● According to the portal, the decline occurs in almost all areas, including in demand - such as sales, construction, transport and workforce. The incomes of top management, in agriculture, medicine and pharmaceuticals, marketing, advertising, PR and IT are not falling.
The Guardian: President's Office - To win the war with the Russian Federation, Ukraine needs at least 60 MLRS, and not "a handful promised by the UK and the USA". If we get 60 of these systems (MLRS - ed.), then the Russian troops will be stopped and will not be able to advance. If 40, they will slow down, suffering heavy losses. If 20, they will continue the offensive with greater losses than now".
● Slavyansk may be under siege in a week.
● The enemy's Liman grouping will most likely succeed in capturing Svyatogorsk. And from Izyum, the offensive goes to Barvinkove, in order to cut the road to Slavyansk from there. The concentration of forces allows the Russians to take Slavyansk into an operational encirclement within a week, adviser Arestovich said.
● Russians left Blagodatne, which is located near Kherson.
Ministry of Health: At least 60% of Ukrainians need psychological help. The Ministry notes that the consequences of the war will affect the mental state of citizens for at least 7-10 years. This is fraught with an increase in the number of cases of alcohol dependence, problems in families, as well as economic losses.
Prime Minister: The government is developing an initiative to give the English language the status of a language of business communication in Ukraine. According to him, the Cabinet of Ministers is currently working on a relevant bill.
Deputy Interior Minister: About 700,000 Ukrainian servicemen are participating in the full-scale war of Ukraine against the Russian Federation.
Financial Times: National Security and Defense Council Secretary: ⚡The Armed Forces of Ukraine need to form six new brigades numbering 25,000 people for a counteroffensive and complete liberation of the temporarily occupied territories by Russia in the south and east of the country.
Minister of Justice: Ukraine organized a special camp in one of the western regions to hold Russian prisoners of war who are not subject to exchange in the near future.
● The level of their content "is slightly better than the content of a prisoner or convict." Russians have access to hygiene products, they have normal food and links to the Red Cross.
President of Ukraine: We are preparing for all the risks of an invasion, but so far our analysts and experts, do not see real risks of a re-invasion from Belarus.
Energoatom: The occupiers sent new Rosatom personnel and military to the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant. The latter began tracking down employees of the station who have a pro-Ukrainian position.
Ministry of Defense of Ukraine
08:31 June 7
● Belarus intends to increase the size of its armed forces from 45 thousand to 80 thousand soldiers.
● In the Sloviansk direction, the enemy is concentrating its main efforts on continuing the attack on the directions of the settlements of Izium and Sloviansk.
● The main efforts are concentrated in the Severodonetsk and Bakhmut directions. The assault on the city of Severodonetsk continues.
● Over the past day, the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Donetsk and Luhansk directions repelled 10 attacks, destroyed 1 tank, 3 artillery systems, 2 armored combat vehicles, 1 car and 2 ammunition depots.
● Air defense units shot down two unmanned aerial vehicles of the Orlan-10 type.
18:40 June 6
● Repair and restoration units of the Russian troops are working to restore the destroyed railway bridge across the Oskil River near the Kupiansk-Uzlova railway station in the Kharkiv region.
● In the Slavyansk direction, the Russian army is preparing to resume assault operations to improve the tactical situation.
● Ukrainian units successfully repulsed the assault in the direction of the settlement Dovhenke. The Russians suffered losses, they retreated.
● The Ukrainian military maintains control in Severodonetsk, fighting continues in the eastern part of the city. They repelled the enemy assault in the direction of the settlements of Novookhtyrka and Voronove.
● In the Donetsk direction, the Russians are focusing their main efforts on attempts to establish full control over Severodonetsk and block the Ukrainian troops in the Lysychansk area.
● The Armed Forces of Ukraine nullify the attempts of the Russian army to take control of the Bakhmut-Severodonetsk highway.
● In the Yuzhnobuzhsk direction, the enemy is concentrating efforts on holding occupied lines. The enemy prepares for the intensification of hostilities.
● The enemy has reinforced the grouping of troops with forces into a battalion tactical group in the Zaporizhzhia direction.
15:38 June 6:
● In the Slavyansk theater, the AFU stopped the offensive and repulsed the Russian forces.
● The Russian army advanced in the directions of Velyka Kamyshevakha, Vernopil, Dibrivnogo, Dolyna and Bogorodichna. In total, the AFU successfully repulsed seven Russian attacks, destroyed four tanks, three artillery systems, eight armored combat vehicles and three vehicles.
● The Russians have five ships with missiles at sea. In fact, they can deliver missile strikes across the entire territory of Ukraine from the Black Sea.
● Russia is deploying additional S-300 battalions in annexed Crimea. In the northwestern part of the peninsula, in the areas of Olenivka and Razdolne, the deployment of two S-300 anti-aircraft missile battalions continues.
Head of the Occupational Authority of Donetsk. Today the first meeting of the "court" will take place against foreigners who fought among the Ukrainian military and were captured. According to him, capital punishment is not ruled out for them.
Command of the Ukrainian Navy: The naval arm of the Armed Forces of Ukraine pushed the Russian Black Sea Fleet to a distance of more than a hundred kilometers from the Ukrainian coast and prevented it from having complete control over the northwestern part of the Black Sea.
Russia is likely concerned about the deliveries of new Harpoon anti-ship missiles, plus existing Ukrainian-made Neptune missiles of the type that sank the “Moskva.” The arrival of the Harpoons has 2 potential benefits for Ukraine: Reduction of the chance of a Russian amphibious assault against Odesa; withdrawal of Russian Navy ships away from Ukraine’s coast may improve conditions for escorting grain carriers to/from the Port of Odesa.
● The Russian Federation has changed its tactics, namely, it has deployed Bal and Bastion coastal missile systems in Crimea and Kherson region and is transferring additional forces to Zmiinyi Island. The missile systems are surface to surface
State Security Service: Intercepted Communication
● Mother in Russia with son serving in Russian invasion force: Disabled people were told that they are all fit to continue fighting, - the mother of a Russian soldier shares the latest news with her son. The mother tells her son the news that is spread among the relatives of the military sent to Ukraine.
● Russians are allowed to shoot civilians at checkpoints in the temporarily occupied Kherson region. This is evidenced by a conversation between two soldiers from the so-called "DPR", who provide patrols for the Russians at neighboring checkpoints in the Kherson region.
● Russian soldiers try to make fictitious marriages to escape from the war. They ask for leave from the commanders to supposedly be in time for their wedding. According to them, due to the significant number of refuseniks in the Russian army, control has been significantly increased. Now they can return home only in three cases: wounds, death of the soldier himself or a close relative.
State Security Service: Neutralized a criminal group consisting of three criminal circles. The group were involved in subversive activities directed by the Russian special services. They had Russian special forces weapons and equipment
The Center for Counteracting Disinformation: Reported that fakes about the evacuation from Mariupol to Zaporizhzhia are being spread by a number of Telegram channels, which supposedly should be carried out under the auspices of the UN and the Red Cross.
● The Russians can arrange a provocation in Europe using similar weapons to those that are being transferred to Ukraine. A possible terrorist attack with human casualties arranged by the Russian Federation could become a turning point in the history of arms supplies to Ukraine and a trump card of Kremlin's propaganda
● In response to Putin's statement about strikes "on those objects that have not yet been struck." The Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council explains that the Russian President proposes that Ukraine should not receive weapons, capitulate and sign a surrender.
● I think that a completely different country should sign the surrender. This is my public position. And the fact that Putin can damage any Ukrainian city with his missiles, unfortunately, is a fact.
Ukraine’s chief medical officer: Over the last week, 34 deaths from COVID 19 were recorded in Ukraine; there is a child among the dead.
● Since the beginning of the war, no new strains of COVID-19 have been found in Ukraine.
Minister of Culture and Information Policy: Since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion, 32 journalists have been killed. According to him, today journalists who work around the clock are heroes.
SUMY
Regional Military Administration: Russian troops have been shelling the region with mortars since the very morning. More than 40 mortar “arrivals” were recorded in Veyikopysarivka and Shalyhin communities. A Russian drone also dropped an improvised explosive device.
● The Russians themselves shelled their own territory near the Sumy region. They hit the border village of Tetkino, the Kursk region. Homes, the railroad and the factory were damaged.
● Velikopisarevskaya, Khotynska and Vorozhbyanskaya communities were under Russian shelling. First, no casualties.
KHARKIV
Regional Military Administration: “The "Metalist" stadium and the infrastructure of the Kyivskyi district were shelled in Kharkiv. At night, because of a Russian shell hit, a fire broke out in a private house in the Kyivskyi district.
● Rescuers pulled a 52-year-old man out of the rubble. He was not seriously hurt. A 70-year-old woman was injured. In total, 3 people were injured in Kharkiv".
● Over the past day, Russian troops shelled Kharkiv, Chuhuiv, Bohodukhiv, Krasnohrad, Losov and Zolochiv areas of the region There are 2 dead and 7 wounded people.
Schemes: Russian troops are building a pontoon crossing near the village of Kupiansk-Uzlova in the Kharkiv region, based on June 3 satellite imagery.
Mayor of Lozova: At night, Russian troops fired missiles at Lozova Balka of the Kharkiv region. As a result of the attack, critical infrastructure facilities, 2 schools, 3 kindergartens, a significant part of multi-storey buildings and dormitories, where not only residents of the Lozovsky community, but also IDPs, were damaged. There were no casualties.
DONETSK
Donetsk Police: During June 6, Russian troops killed 4 civilians in Donbas: 2 in New York, 1 in Vremenny Yar and 1 in Pisky. Another 7 people were injured.
City military administration: The situation in Severodonetsk is changing every hour, the Russians are superior in manpower. Severodonetsk did not submit in one or two days, so they level it with the ground. An artillery duel is taking place in Severodonetsk - fierce street battles are taking place.
Head of the Slavyansk city military administration: As a result of another Russian shell to the Mayatsky water conduit near Slavyansk, the transformer substation and electrical equipment of the substation were destroyed. Its restoration today is impossible due to constant shelling.
Adviser to the mayor of Mariupol: Evacuation from Mariupol is not planned and the occupation government of the city has not been sharing information.
● In Russia’s Rostov-on-Don, hospitals have been prepared for Russians with cholera from Mariupol. Mariupol is on the verge of an epidemiological and environmental disaster. Not only civilians are at risk, but also the Russian military, which is why the occupying authorities decided to close Mariupol
● In Mariupol, the Russians have been taking the townspeople they killed to three huge mass graves for two months, but hundreds more bodies remain under the rubble of houses.
● But the Russian army has killed so many that this process could drag on for another two or three months. There are still spontaneous burials in almost every yard of Mariupol.
● “The occupiers turned on the supply of water to the Prymorskyi district of Mariupol yesterday. Mariupol residents report that there are water fountains everywhere. What happened to the underground water pipes can only be guessed at. But the main thing is that the invaders cut the "red ribbon".
● Occupiers are recruiting Mariupol residents as workers in their concentration camps in the “DPR”.
DNIPRO
Regional Military Administration: Russians fired on the region Hurricane MLRS. Kryvyi Rih district is under shelling again. At night, the enemy hit the Zelenodolsk community with 'Hurricanes'. A 46-year-old man was wounded in Velyka Kostroma. He is in the hospital. Houses in the village were damaged”.
● Russians continue shelling along the entire line of contact using all types of Multiple Launch Rocket System, cannon artillery and combat aircraft. Zelenodolsk community again came under shelling in the Kryvyi Rih region.
● The demining of the territories continues. On the territory of the Zelenodolsk community, 9 cluster munitions from the Hurricane" were defused, and in Malaya Kostromka - right on the territory of the household - another 30 such unexploded ordnance after shelling.
ZAPORIZHIA
In the Zaporizhzhia region, in the area of Orekhovo and Huliaipole, there are active battles. The Russians are withdrawing troops from the Melitopol and part of the Vasiylivka district to move them toward Kherson.
Elected Mayor of Melitopol: The Russians left almost all checkpoints near Melitopol (Zaporizhia region), fearing the offensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Mayor: All schools and kindergartens refused to cooperate with the occupation authorities in Enerhodar. According to him, out of several thousand teachers, only a few decided to cooperate with the Russians. They will no longer receive a salary and will not work with children.
KHERSON
The "head" of Kherson’s occupation administration said that Russia day will be celebrated in the occupied region.
MYKOLAIV
Mykolaiv Regional Council: As a result of yesterday morning shelling of Mykolaiv, there are dead and wounded people.
● As a result of the night shelling of Bashtanka in the Mykolaiv region, two people were killed, two more were injured.
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://euromaidanpress.com/
https://invite.viber.com/?g2=AQBD3wxTrZ6XUU7IdXeHUfjVCydekezQCCGuwYnT6qPd1r7n1aVbFIewa6ng6Lis