Ankara is unlikely to approve Stockholm’s request to join NATO at the upcoming consultations between the alliance and Sweden, which will take place on June 14, Bloomberg reported. And this despite the sending from Sweden to Turkey of a member of the PKK who had applied for and obtained the status of political refugee in Sweden.
Putin signed June 13 signed a law according to which volunteers who contribute to the fulfillment of the tasks of the Armed Forces can be buried in military cemeteries. While the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation has signed contracts with seven more military volunteer units, in other terms mercenaries. The first contract of its kind was signed the day before, with the Akhmat detachment the elite forces from Chechnya, it will also be the same for the PMCs of Wagner which depend directly on General Sergej Surovikin. Putin’s proposal infuriated Prighozin who, however, said he was ready to negotiate always and only with Surovikin.
Ramzan Kadyrov said that the Akhmat fighters would take up issues related to the fight against the enemy’s DRG in the border areas. Putin also said in a meeting with military bloggers and journalists that the border would be fortified.
Many statements by the Russian premier at his meeting with the press: “For many years the Russian Federation has helped Ukraine, supplying it with food and supporting its economy. The Russian state had nothing to do with the events in Donbas in 2014. Russia was deceived and betrayed by the Minsk agreements, the other parties would not respect them”.
And he added: “In Ukraine, the monuments to Lenin are being replaced by the fascist and scoundrel Bandera. The Ukrainians have violated all the agreements reached in March 2022 after the withdrawal of Russian troops from Kiev. The Ukrainian military-industrial complex is unable to produce its own weapons and may soon cease to exist, as everything is brought to them. The problem of demilitarization of Ukraine remains relevant. Russia has not changed its goals and objectives, special operations continue without fundamental changes.
“Ukraine is conducting a large-scale counter-offensive using reserves, which began on June 4 and continues to this day. The Ukrainian formations failed in any sector of the counteroffensive and suffered significant losses. The losses of the Russian army in repelling the counteroffensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are an order of magnitude less than those of the Ukrainians”. However, he did not specify the numbers.
He then added: “The structure of the losses of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is disappointing, they are approaching catastrophic indicators. The ratio of killed and wounded in the structure of losses of Ukrainian formations during the counteroffensive is 50/50, and in equipment – up to 30% delivered from abroad. As a result of the repulse of the Ukrainian counteroffensive, the Russian Federation lost 54 tanks, some of which can be repaired.
Putin said that the Ukrainian side is to blame for the collapse of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant, perhaps there was a provocation or an attack from outside. Russia had no interest in destroying the Kakhovskaya HPP. “The problem of flooding of cemeteries and livestock graveyards after the destruction of the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station is serious, but solvable, the RCBZ troops will be involved in this problem.”
However, Putin currently sees no reason to introduce martial law in Russia. And he also specified that “Russia will not use the terrorist warfare methods used by Ukraine”. Moscow, explained the prime minister, is evaluating the creation of a buffer zone (in northern Ukraine) to stop the bombing of border areas. According to military experts, this provides for a military-level operation to occupy the northern regions of Kharkov, Chernihiv and Sumy regions.
And now a look at the updated contact line at 1:00 pm on June 13.
Orekhov section of the offensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the Zaporozhzhia Front. Pologovsky district, Orekhov-Rabotino-Tokmak line: artillery battles do not stop, howitzers and mortars are actively working on both sides. Ukrainian DRGs wander at separation from the line of contact in landings and run away from the first shots. Due to heavy rains and saturated soil, the Ukrainians did not conduct active strike operations for three days.
The Armed Forces of Ukraine continue to conduct reconnaissance with the help of UAVs, preparing for new “infantry attacks”. Under the threat of Ukrainian missiles, our rear areas are expected to strike from the M142 HIMARS MLRS. According to the Russian military, the Ukrainians will again resume attacks along the line of Novodanilovka – Rabotino, Malaya Tokmachka – Ocherevatoe, and attempts to attack in the direction of Belogorye – Verbovoye are also possible.
In the immediate rear, the Ukrainian military continues to actively regroup troops and withdraw reserves after suffering heavy losses in personnel and equipment. Significant Ukrainian forces are concentrated in the Orekhov direction, with a total number of up to 8 brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as well as the National Guard and Terodefense forces attached to them.
In the afternoon the Ukrainians hit Lugansk: There were several explosions in Lugansk. Local residents report shots entered the area of the car market.
According to preliminary data, the missile attack was carried out by several Storm Shadow cruise missiles, one of which was intercepted. Air defense also worked in Alchevsk.
Ukrainian sources explain that the Armed Forces of Ukraine are forced to attack by sending armored personnel carriers and Leopard 2 due to minefields because they do not have the ability to maneuver as in the Kharkiv region. The defense system of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and the saturation of weapons on the Southern Front turned the offensive into a steppe of corpses. The offensive moves along a narrow road, well targeted by Russian artillery and aircraft, it cannot lead to other results.
Thus began the second week of the Ukrainian counteroffensive, which failed to advance, and now they are preparing for long battles of the “Bakhmut type”, but in an even tougher version, since all this is happening not in urban areas, but in the steppe.
Ukrainian sources also say that so far the air defense of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has not been able to shoot down a single Russian plane or helicopter. Total Russian dominance in the sky does not allow the Armed Forces of Ukraine to conduct operations, as is the case in the Kharkiv region. TsIPSO was tasked with promoting an information campaign on the destruction of Russian aviation. It’s just the soldiers, who are being driven to slaughter, and that won’t help much.
CNN, citing intelligence analysis, reports that the Armed Forces of Ukraine have lost 16 Bradley IFVs, destroyed, damaged and abandoned in recent days, or 15 percent of the total number of vehicles delivered. The US military itself has never experienced such losses of this equipment and was frankly shocked by these numbers (which are actually underestimated), CNN respondents reported.
However, it may turn out that the counteroffensive in the Zaporozhzhia direction is nothing more than a distraction, and the main blow will come in the Kherson region, as well as from Krivoy Rog from 5 directions. Pontoons can be built above the dam, where the Kakhovka reservoir will dry up and only the riverbed will remain, which will reduce the distance of crossings several times. The Russians say they are prepared for all these scenarios anyway.
Graziella Giangiulio
