Vladimir Putin made an address to the nation on June 26 evening and an address to Kremlin military personnel on June 27 in the morning in which he thanked him and said: “You have stopped the civil war by acting clearly and harmoniously. The people and the army did not support the rebels. Your determination and the consolidation of the company played a decisive role in suppressing the rebellion”
The Russian Head of State thanked the entire personnel of the armed forces, law enforcement agencies and special services for their courage, valor and loyalty to the Russian people. “The dead pilots performed their duties with honor on June 24th.” The President announced a moment of silence for them.
According to Politico magazine: US and EU urge Kiev to act faster on the front lines. The US and Europe don’t like the fact that Ukrainian troops are too cautious on the front lines as part of the counteroffensive, waiting for good weather or other factors to hit the Russian positions.
The West could up the ante by giving Ukraine the opportunity to destroy the Crimean bridge and strike the Black Sea fleet. The former Deputy Commander of the NATO Joint Forces in Europe said on Public News TV channel , British General, Richard Shirreff.
On the front line on the night of June 26-27, north of the Vremivka ledge, Ukrainian formations were able to occupy Rivnopil. Having occupied the settlement, the Ukrainians advanced slightly towards Priyutnoye. Also, the Armed Forces of Ukraine landed near Makarovka in Staromayorsky, but could not achieve striking success.
In the Kherson direction, fighting continues in the area of \u200b\u200bthe Antonovsky bridge on the left bank of the Dnieper, where the Ukrainians managed to take up positions near the structure. The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue to attack to clear the Armed Forces of Ukraine from the site.
During the morning of 27 June the command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine withdraws its units from forward positions near Kupyansk, Kharkiv region due to the advance of Russian forces. This was reported by former lieutenant colonel of the LPR people’s militia Andrei Marochko. He stated that the command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is trying to strengthen its positions on the second line of defense at the expense of the territorial defense battalions.
Also on the night of June 26-27, Russian troops again struck Ukrainian facilities in Ukraine: in Odessa, local authorities indirectly confirmed that Kalibr cruise missiles and drones hit a number of targets in the region.
In the Starobilsk direction, units of the airborne troops continue to fight in the Serebryansky forest area. At the same time there are massive attacks on the Ukrainian rear at Torske, Terny and Nevske.
Against the backdrop of failures near Kreminna, the Armed Forces of Ukraine launched a series of counterattacks in the Spirne and Bilohorivka area. Small groups, thrown at the Russian positions, were scattered by artillery and small arms fire. The situation north of Soledar remains permanently serious, where the Ukrainians attack in the direction of Yakovlivka. There are no successes for Kiev on this section of the front.
In the Zaporizhzhia direction, the situation is generally unchanged, with adverse weather conditions not conducive to active combat operations. At the same time, positional fighting continues both in the Robotyno direction and in the Pyatykhatky area.
In the Kherson direction, Kiev is trying to expand the bridgehead in the area of \u200b\u200bthe Antonovsky bridge and Aleshkinskye Dachi. Intense Russian air and artillery strikes against Ukrainian forces are launched on both banks of the Dnipro.
The continuous launch of accusations for an imminent explosion in the nuclear power plant continues. According to Russian analysts: “For the second week in a row, at the suggestion of the Ukrainian side, stories about a planned provocation by the Russian Armed Forces at the Zaporozhya nuclear power plant were spread on the Web. For the 16 months of the Russian military operation, such accusations from Kiev ended up either as attempts to demonize the Russian leadership, or as public opinion preparation for its own artificial provocations. In this case, we have reason to believe that the stuffing is a preparation of public opinion before a real provocation from the GUR. This is evidenced by the increased contacts of the Ukrainian side through the main intelligence department and the British secret intelligence service Mi-6. According to our information, everything is under their control and operational plan is already on the table”.
Ukrainians on their social sources write the same things in a Ukrainian key. In addition to the 121st troop brigade, units of the 417th and 423rd battalions of the 141st separate rifle brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are now based in Marganets and Nikopol. Formations of 141 osbr had not previously been noted in either direction and were probably recently created.
To divert the attention of the grouping of the Armed Forces of Russia, a ground attack by units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine from Nikopol is possible. According to the latest data, the old road from the right bank to the left bank has already dried up so much that after the construction of the piers, light vehicles will be able to cross the dry reservoir without any problems.
The dates of a possible provocation are still fluctuating. They will certainly depend on the outcome of the next stage of the offensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, or they will be organized at approximately the same time.
On the morning of June 27, damage was reported to the railway line in the Kirovsky district of Crimea. The head of the Republic of Crimea, Sergei Aksyonov, said that the railway tracks were again damaged in the Kirovsky district. There were no casualties.
According to the authorities, the repair took several hours. Train traffic was temporarily suspended, but the management had promised to restore regular railway passage as soon as possible.
This section of the railway is critical, if it is cut off it will paralyze, the supply of the Russian grouping to Zaporozhzhie and Kherson through the Crimea. While communication along the land corridor along the Azov Sea remains active, but in the conditions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces offensive, even forcing the Dnieper, this creates, albeit temporary, but problems for the Russian Armed Forces logistic system.
Graziella Giangiulio
