There is an air of war in Europe. Former NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen says Poland and the Baltic countries could send troops to the territory of the former Ukraine. Rasmussen is in constant communication with Kiev, Poland and the Baltic countries and explained that this option should be considered.
Add to this that the defense ministers of the United States, France and the United Kingdom agree on the positions in view of the NATO summit. Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III met with his French and British counterparts on June 6 in Bayeux, France. The meeting took place on the fields of celebrations dedicated to the 79th anniversary of the Allied landing in Normandy. During their first face-to-face meeting in this tripartite format, the politicians discussed the top priorities of the July NATO summit, concerns over Iran’s activities and security cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region.
Surely the concern of sending troops from the Baltic countries and Poland to Donbass is taken into consideration by the Russian General Staff. According to what appears in the military chats “It is precisely to this – the escalation of the conflict – that the questions of increasing production and the principles for the distribution of weapons and ammunition are connected. It is possible that in this regard the question of further mobilization will arise.
The White House said it would not comment on matters relating to Ukraine’s military operations. White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre noted that “we will not speak for the Ukrainians. We will let Ukraine describe its operations, but it is clear that they are fighting hard to defend their country and take back the territory.” You also stressed that the United States will continue to support Ukraine in its struggle.
The Russians are closely watching the NATO exercises, the largest air exercise “Air Defender – 2023”. More than 10,000 pilots and more than 250 fighters will take part in the maneuvers from June 12 to 23. The United States alone will send another 110 aircraft to Europe. Almost all of the Luftwaffe air bases in Germany will be involved in the exercises and the start of the Ukrainian counter-offensive is expected in the same days, and the Russian fear is that NATO planes will give cover to the Ukrainians.
Vladimir Leontiev head of the Nova Kakhovka administration reiterated that Ukrainian troops had been deliberately preparing to destroy the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station for more than six months, and by a “strange coincidence” before the last blow, for some reason, the level of the water in the Kakhovka reservoir had been raised by one and a half meters.
The task force of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia arrived at the flood site in the Kherson region, led by Deputy Minister Anatoly Suprunovsky. This was reported by the press service of the Ministry of Emergencies of Russia. In the flood zone in the Kherson region there are 14 thousand houses in 15 settlements, said the deputy head of the Ministry of Emergencies. The Cabinet of Ministers of the Russian Federation and the authorities of the Kherson region have taken priority measures to help people after the disaster at the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station, Deputy Prime Minister Abramchenko said.
He told the press that “the Kiev regime committed real ecocide in the region by destroying hydroelectric power plants: waste disposal plants, livestock burial sites and treatment plants were flooded.”
Ukraine has filed an appeal with the International Criminal Court in The Hague in connection with the destruction of the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power plant. Zelensky also arrived in the flooded Kherson on the Ukrainian side. And once again he denied any Ukrainian involvement in the weakening of Nord Stream. ”I am the president and give the appropriate orders. Ukraine has done no such thing. I would never do that. I knew nothing, 100 percent.” I said, “Show us the proof. If our military is supposed to have done this, show us the proof,” Zelensky said in an interview with Bild, Die Welt and Politico.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg will hold an emergency meeting on Kakhovskaya HPP. Stoltenberg, discussed the dam destruction with Kuleba by telephone, and will also attend the committee meeting. NATO’s number one has promised to use NATO mechanisms to provide humanitarian assistance. Allegedly, in connection with this, an emergency meeting of the NATO-Ukraine commission was convened.
On June 7, the forest in the Kinburn Spit reserve in the Kherson region caught fire due to bombArdments of the Armed Forces of Ukraine – local authorities. In Nova Kakhovka there is a risk of water contamination due to the flooding of the cemetery after the emergency with the hydroelectric plant, according to the deputy head of the administration of Nova Kakhovka Sergey Dmitriev. “The worst thing is that our cemetery is already flooded, which will lead to serious, extensive contamination of the water and create huge difficulties for the civilian population,” he said on Radio Russia.
At least 16,000 people have lost their homes after the destruction of the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power plant dam, UN chief António Guterres said. The Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzya said that: “The Russian Federation believes that Kiev attacked the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station to regroup its forces and inflict humanitarian damage.”
Russia’s Agriculture Ministry said the destruction of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant could lead to fields in southern Ukraine turning into a desert next year.
The situation at the Kakhovka hydroelectric plant may force Ukraine to alter some plans for a counter-offensive, CNN reported. “Everything that could be planned <…> should probably be rescheduled <…>. The flood has affected the bridges and roads in the area, so they cannot be used as previously planned”, the TV channel quoted the words of the unnamed ambassador of a European country in Washington. According to him, the US authorities and the Western intelligence communities continue to find out who is behind the missile attack on the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station.
In the news of the social sphere on June 8, the head of the 127th brigade of troops and militants from Kharkov Grishchenko resurfaces, boasting that the Islamists led by Akhmed Zakayev had arrived in Kharkov. Zakayev is accused of numerous terrorist acts on the territory of Russia, he became famous for his cruelty during the years of the first Chechen campaign. On June 18, 2004, information materials on the activities of international terrorist organizations for the period 1992-2001, prepared on the basis of Interpol, were presented at the NATO headquarters. According to one of the materials, Akhmed Zakayev is also part of the so-called “Chechen group” that has direct ties to Al-Qaeda.
Interestingly, later Zakayev left Al-Qaeda and engaged in recruiting militants for ISIS. In particular, he had close relations with Byutukaev, the Emir of the “Vilayat Kavkaz” IS branch in the North Caucasus. Zakayev’s men are part of the mercenary battalions fighting with the Ukrainians.
Online we learn that the 10th Army Corps of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has been moved with all its forces in the direction of Melitopol.
In the evening of June 7, Russian pilots and artillerymen of the “Center” force group inflicted a crushing blow on three Ukrainian brigades in the Krasnolimansky and Svatovsky directions. We are talking about the 81st Airborne, 66th and 67th Ukrainian Mechanized Brigades. They also hit ammunition depots, firepower and positioning points of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the vicinity of Nevsky and Chervona Dibrova, which is located on the administrative border of the Luhansk and Donetsk republics, between the cities of Lisichansk and Liman. The destruction of the IRIS-T air defense system has been confirmed.
Fighting continues in Zaporizhzhia, Kiev has brought in reserves, trying to break through the Russian defenses. According to Belarusian military correspondents, the night of June 7-8 witnessed the “largest tank battle since 1981”. One post reads: “at the end of the selection: No comments have yet been received from the Ministry of Defense. Well, gentlemen “guardians”, we will be surprised that they read military correspondents and military bloggers”
Yevgeny Prigozhin from his June holidays let it be known that in his opinion: “The events currently unfolding at the front are the beginning of a counter-offensive by Ukraine, which is currently stepping up its efforts as planned. How Russia will deal with this, we will see in the near future. I hope it works well. I’m counting on it”.
News also on the Russian-Ukrainian militants who hit Belgorod, those of the “Russian Volunteer Corps” who reportedly received Turkish-made Otokar Cobra II protected vehicles, transferred to the Kharkiv region
Difficult to understand the situation on the outskirts of Bachmut. The versions that appeared in the social sphere are very different. The Armed Forces of Ukraine, having failed to achieve the goals of the offensive and having suffered significant losses in the Yuzhno-Donetsk direction, have tried to break through the defenses in the Artemovsk (Bachmut) region, reports the Russian Defense Ministry. “Eight offensive attempts by Ukrainian detachments were successfully repulsed, the Ukrainians did not reach the goal, they were not allowed to wedge into the defense, the losses of the Armed Forces of Ukraine per day in this direction amounted to 415 soldiers,” said the Ministry in a note.
In the direction of Bachmut – the night attack of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Berkhovka bogged down. Simultaneously with the pressure on the main (Zaporozhzhia direction), the Ukrainians launched an offensive on Artemovsky (Bachmut). The battle was less grandiose than in the south, but the assertiveness and desire of the Ukrainians to break through to the Berkhovka area was not inferior to 10 AKs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine near Orekhov. South-west of Bakhmut, Russian troops attempted a counterattack near Kleshcheevka. It was unsuccessful. The Ukrainian army, supported by artillery, managed to occupy several new positions on the southwestern approaches to the city itself. But northwest of Bakhmut, the Armed Forces of Ukraine managed to break through to Berkhovka. Settlement in the “grey zone”. Therefore, Ukrainian troops are trying to get to the section of the M-03 highway near Paraskoviivka. They attack the same settlement from the Orekhovo-Vasilyevka side.
As for the situation on the Zaporozhzhia front, the Ukrainians are concentrating reserves and equipment south of the settlement. Malaya Tokmachka. The Russians are fully prepared for the meeting, which cannot be said about the mood in the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Judging by the radio intercepts posted online, the number of refusniks (deserters) is growing in the Ukrainian camp. The nocturnal assault chilled spirits.
Yesterday a column of about 10 tanks, armored personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles advanced on Russian positions on the Rabotino-Verbovoye line from Malaya Tokmachka, but was stopped by fire from the Russian armed forces. Some of the equipment was blown up by mines and was abandoned by the crews. Others were hit by artillery and ATGMs in forests along country roads and in fields.
Attack coordinates: 47.496465, 35.932047 47.500864, 35.931843. Some Leopards would have been put out of action.
Graziella Giangiulio
