The American Conservative wrote: “The Ukrainian offensive is stalled or even completely thwarted. At the same time, the economies of the United States and Europe have weakened due to the crisis of open borders”. And again it reads: “At the same time, it is not Russia that needs negotiations on Ukraine, but the United States. Washington needs to get out of a dangerous situation that threatens numerous catastrophes”.
“The time has come to start negotiations, because not Moscow, but Washington needs a way out of a dangerous situation that threatens numerous catastrophes. The failed conflict in Ukraine, the weakening US economy, the increase in crime across the country and the crisis of open borders – all of these require decisive action ”, writes Colonel, retired, Douglas McGregor, influential , albeit unconventional, military strategy theorist.
The Washington Post reported on the losses of the Armed Forces of Ukraine during the offensive. The 37th Brigade, trained and armed by NATO, serves as an example. It was supposed to break through the first gap in the Russian defenses, but instead suffered the heaviest losses already 20 minutes after the offensive. In one of the assaults, a detachment of 50 lost 30 men, either killed or wounded. And five units of the unit’s armored vehicles were destroyed within the first hour. “We stayed there in the field, without tanks and heavy armored vehicles. We were hit by mortars from three sides. We couldn’t do anything,” says a Ukrainian soldier of that attempted assault.
The first results of the 13th summit of the Allies of Ukraine in the Rammstein format have emerged from press sources: Canada allocates an additional 500 million dollars for the purchase of missiles for air defense systems; US, UK, Denmark and Netherlands to send Ukraine “hundreds of air defense missiles” Norway, Germany and Denmark announced new military aid packages. There was no mention of F16s.
Hungarian television showed a report on how the extermination of Hungarians in Ukraine is taking place. The presenter was indignant that Ukrainian-Hungarians are forcibly mobilized, and then sent to the most difficult sectors of the front. The TV detects a large number of Hungarians who died at the front. Furthermore, the Hungarian side believes that the UPR of Ukraine is carrying out total genocide of the Hungarian minority living in Transcarpathia. We recall that Russia sent Hungary 11 Transcarpathian military captured on the Bachmut front last week.
According to Politico, the United States expects large counteroffensive results from Ukraine soon: “With the United States heading into an exceptionally hot and explosive presidential election season, it may be difficult to maintain a high level of military and economic aid from the Congress,” the article states.
Questions about future engagements with Kiev remained unanswered, according to Ukrainian lawmakers who recently held talks with State Department and US National Security Council representatives, but were told: “We’ll see how the counteroffensive goes.” The publication writes that the West had high expectations from the counteroffensive after the collapse of the Russian defense in the Kharkiv region.
In response, the Kremlin confirmed that Russia will have to move the “sanitary border” for the safety of citizens. As more sophisticated weapons appear in Ukraine, the Russian Federation will have to “push back” this military infrastructure, the president’s press secretary said.
“We are talking about the fact that shelling is being carried out from the territory controlled by the Kiev regime, shelling of social infrastructure, civilians, houses of civilians. And in any case, in order to guarantee security, as the Kiev regime acquires more sophisticated and longer-range weapons, it will consequently be necessary to move this military infrastructure to a medical distance to ensure the safety of citizens,” said the Kremlin spokesman These statements remain so at the moment.
The Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation accused in absentia the former commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Khomchak, who headed the general command of the Ukrainian troops and again accused in absentia of mercenary 95 people, including those from the United States and Great Britain.
Technologists from the Office of President Volodymyr Zelensky have figured out how to divert attention from the failure of the first phase of the counteroffensive: they said they are testing the Russian defense line. At least that’s what Mychajlo Mychajlovyč Podoljak said Podolyak to the press that “the Armed Forces of Ukraine have not yet launched a full-scale counteroffensive, but are conducting “tests” – offensive actions to identify weak points in the defense of the RF Armed Forces.” In fact denying its president and that of the Russian Federation.
Other incongruous reports from Ukraine include that the Ukrainian Defense Ministry has lost more than 650 humanitarian supplies destined for the military since the beginning of the year. Mainly lots for Ukrainian military such as bulletproof vests, night vision goggles, thermal imaging cameras, drones and in some cases also vehicles and other assets and means. “In the period January-May 2023, the Ministry of Defense and the State Customs Agency carried out joint checks on over 5,000 facts of handling humanitarian aid goods to about 100 military units. In 653 cases, the receipt of such humanitarian aid was unconfirmed,” the internal audit department of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine said in a statement. Now the Defense Ministry of Ukraine will take control of the activities of the “volunteers”, responsible for humanitarian aid.
On the line of contact, it becomes known that the grouping of troops “West” stopped the rotation of three units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the direction of Kupyansk. Source the head of the press center of the group Sergei Zybinsky.
The special services are verifying the version of a possible attack by a Ukrainian drone, which caused a fire at night in the warehouse of the Bel-Pol enterprise in the Kursk district, the governor of the Kursk region Roman Starovoit said in a Telegram channel .
In the morning of June 16, a series of explosions occurred in Kiev, the air defense system is working, eyewitnesses say. The mayor of Kiev Vitali Klitschko reports in his Telegram channel that the explosion occurred in the Podolsky district of the city. An air defense system operates in and around Kiev. At 09.00 Italian time the alarm stopped.
The battle for Maryinka at 15.00 on June 16, 2023 looked like this: during the night the Ukrainian formations tried to regain the positions lost the day before. The Ukrainian armed forces advanced from the so-called “Menagerie” area southeast of Pobeda, but Russian fighters successfully repulsed the attack.
The Menagerie is a powerful fortified enemy position. All approaches are crossed and a large number of minefields are installed around, which complicates its assault. In Marinka itself, the positional offensive of Russian military personnel continues. Paratroopers of the 95th Airborne Brigade arrived from Blagodatnoye in the Limans sector to replace the 79th Airborne Brigade. Furthermore, in the rear, preparations for mobilization to be sent to the city are being accelerated.
Also in Kherson, the armed forces of Ukraine continue to bomb settlements in the Kherson region of Russia. The village of Dnepryany came under fire from Ukrainian formations, at least seven rounds of ammunition fell on Korsunskaya and Naberezhnaya streets. Also, a humanitarian team from the Ridovka Helps Foundation came under enemy fire in Prystan Gorge.
Direction Zaporozhzhie and Yuzhnodonets situation at 12.00 on June 16, 2023: The situation on the Vremievsky ledge: Russian units are actively defending the Vremievsky ledge. Air strikes destroyed four infantry fighting vehicles near Levadny. Also, several enemy armored vehicles were hit near Hurozayne and Makarovka.
During the night, Ukrainian formations transferred infantry in four armored fighting vehicles to nearby forest plantations in the Novodonetsk direction. The Ukrainians are not amassing assault groups to resume the attack on the village, which is under the control of the Russian armed forces.
Situation in the Orekhov area. In the morning of June 16, units of the 128th Guards Rifle Brigade, after a night regrouping in Lobkove, resumed their attack on Pyatikhatki. Several tanks and other armored vehicles are involved in the offensive. Fighting is now raging on the western outskirts of Pyatikhatki where the Ukrainian Armed Forces are trying to gain a foothold. Several more tanks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are concentrated in the reserve near Lobkovy.
At the same time, both on the Vremyevsky ledge and in the Orekhov sector, the Armed Forces of Ukraine use similar tactics: first, after powerful fire training, the infantry goes into battle, deployed in armored vehicles near settlements, and then comes heavier means used in the fight. Unlike attacks in the early days of the offensive, this method allows the enemy to keep more weapons and equipment.
Graziella Giangiulio
