Daily Briefing From Ukraine

·      Top 7 Headlines

·      Ukraine Summer Offensive Summary

·      President Zelensky’s Message of the Day

·      Infographic of the Day

Top 7 Headlines

1.     Ukraine hit back at criticisms of progress of its summer offensive, insisting recent gains against Russian occupiers were a “preview” of a much bigger push. Oleksii Reznikov, Ukraine’s Defense Minister, told the Financial Times that the liberation of nine villages under Russian occupation in recent weeks was “not the main event” in Kyiv’s planned attack. “When it happens, you will all see it… Everyone will see everything,” said Reznikov.

2.     The Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) have managed to seize the strategic initiative at the front and have been pushing forward, said Valerii Zaluzhny, its Commander-in-Chief, during a telephone conversation with Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley.

3.     The Deputy Commander of Russian forces in Ukraine was arrested in fallout from the mutiny by Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner financier. A source told Moscow Times that “[Sergi Surovikin] chose Prigozhin's side during the uprising, and they got a hold of him.” US President Joe Biden told CNN that Vladimir Putin has “absolutely” become weaker after the rebellion. Biden first stated it is “hard for him to tell” whether Putin’s authority weakened and then added “but he’s clearly losing the war” and is weaker.

Other Topics of Interest

Russia Shells Village in Luhansk Region During Humanitarian Aid Distribution, Says Local Official

A local official said Friday’s incident was “the second time in a row” that Russia shelled the village during aid distribution, though no casualties were reported this time.

4.     President Volodymyr Zelensky said that “everyone who helps Russian terrorists ruin lives deserves the maximum punishment.” He made his comment following the arrest of a local man and Russian GRU agent in connection to the missile attack on a Kramatorsk pizzeria on June 27 which killed at least 11 people.

5.     The Presidents of Ukraine, Poland and Lithuania met in Kyiv to discuss security issues, including preparations for the July NATO summit in Vilnius and Ukraine’s 10 Point Peace Formula. President Zelensky said that the summit needs to deliver a clear signal about Ukraine’s post-war NATO membership.

6.     Russian units and members who controlled the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant on the night of its explosion have been identified by Ukrainian journalists from Skhemy and Slidstvo.info. Investigators established the names of Russian soldiers of the 205th Separate Cossack Motor Rifle Brigade, which directly controlled the power plant and dam. That includes its commander, Roman Titov. 

7.     English would be recognized by Ukraine as the language of international communication following a bill introduced to parliament by President Zelensky.  According to the draft legislation, heads of local administrations, officers, police and prosecutors must speak English.

Ukraine Summer Offensive Summary

Snapshot

Ukrainians pressed assaults in three zones, while Russian forces counterattacked near Kremmina and Avdiivka. Reported moves toward Priyutne in Zaporizhzhia region – the southern-most point of Ukraine’s offensive to date – merit watching. Ukrainians held their small foothold near Antonivsky Bridge across Dnipro in Kherson region and may be attempting to take adjacent islands.

Zone A. TO518 / Mokri Yaly River Axis - boundary of the Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk regions

Ukrainian units advanced towards Priyutne, according to pro-Russian sources. This would represent the “southern most” assault position in this zone to date.

Zone B. Western Zaporizhzhia

There was on-going fighting and Ukrainian offensive assaults north of Robotyne, according to Ukrainian milblogger Deep State and pro-Russian sources.

Zone C. Bakhmut

Ukrainian forces made gains on the route from Slovyansk to Bakhmut, according to Deep State, and gains near Klishchiivka, according to pro-Russian sources.

Russian forces unsuccessfully counterattacked near Berezivka, according to pro-Russian sources.

Other Zones and Activity

Russian forces continued intense artillery, aerial and armored assaults at Dachi on the left-bank of the Dnipro River and near the Antonivsky Bridge in Kherson region, but Ukrainian forces – estimated at company strength - remain on the position, according to Deep State and to pro-Russian sources.

Pro-Russian sources said the Ukrainians were undertaking amphibious raids in the area of several islands south of Kherson and that “there is no confident control over the gray zone in the region of the islands.”

According to Deep State, Russian forces made counterattacks of offensive assaults: a) in the Serebyansk forest area near Kremmina, and; b) at Pervomaisk and Marinka (which were unsuccessful according to pro-Russian sources).

Ukrainian soldiers from the anti-aircraft missile division of the Edelweiss 10th Mountain Assault Brigade shot down a Russian Su-25 ground attack aircraft.

President Zelensky’s Message

Infographic of the Day