Worth noting, korrespondent.net has compiled its Invasion of Ukraine series into separate months, beginning May 9th, 2023. Linked in the title.
[Korrespondent] 22:49 Ukrenergo has reduced the period of outages for tomorrow - hourly outage schedules will be in effect from 06:00 to 24:00.
22:38 The Argentine government has ruled out the possibility of sending weapons to Ukraine, but will help in the humanitarian and logistics sphere, said Manuel Adorni, spokesman for the country's president.
22:11 In the Zaporozhye region, underground schools - shelters are being built, said the head of the OBA Ivan Fedorov. According to him, the “global task” is to provide the opportunity to study offline for 50 thousand students. Earlier, the Defense Council of the Zaporozhye region decided that the entire educational process should take place in shelters. It is for this purpose that construction has begun at five locations, Fedorov said. The cost of one of the objects is more than 112 million hryvnia, and plans are to commission it in the fourth quarter of 2024.
21:30 The Russians attacked the coastal zone of the Odessa region with a ballistic missile, probably Iskander-M, from the territory of Crimea, no people were injured, the South Air Command reported.
20:48 The prosecutor's office clarified that as a result of today's attacks on Kharkov, two people were injured - in the Kiev and Shevchenko districts. According to preliminary data, the Russian Armed Forces used modified UMPB D-30 aerial bombs from the territory of the Belgorod region to strike Kharkov and Olkhovka. The number of victims as a result of the attack on the village. Novoosinovo, Kupyansky district, has grown to three.
19:47 The United States will not be able to supply Switzerland with missiles for Patriot air defense systems within the expected time frame, because deliveries to Ukraine are now priority, the Swiss tabloid Blick reported, citing sources. Subsequently, the Swiss Federal Defense Procurement Office confirmed that deliveries of Patriot missiles would be delayed due to a decision by the US government. The PAC-3 MSE guided missiles for the Patriot air defense system were to be adopted by the Swiss army in 2030 and 2031. However, now these deadlines may be shifted due to the reference to force majeure circumstances provided for in the agreement - the war in Ukraine.
19:26 The United States expects Zelensky to come to Washington on July 9-11 for the NATO summit and meet with the heads of the Alliance member states, said Michael Carpenter, director of European affairs at the White House National Security Council.
19:24 Ukraine, among the first groups on the points of the Peace Formula, plans to launch a group on energy issues, Zelensky said in an evening video message: “We must return real energy security in all its aspects and overcome the Russian attitude towards energy, towards energy resources as a weapon. This also applies to protection from Russian energy terrorism. The world is able to help in this regard. We are already preparing the first steps in this direction in July.”
The president also said that today he held a meeting on the current energy situation: “We are preparing solutions that will make the heating season more reliable and give people more opportunities to get through this most difficult period in terms of energy, shortages and outages. I instructed to present everything details of what the state can do, and details of what specific energy areas we need to continue to mobilize partners for.”
19:07 Ukraine is open to Russia’s participation in the next peace summit, head of the Presidential Office Andriy Yermak told Bloomberg. “We think that it will be possible to invite a representative of Russia,” he said. According to Ermak, preparations for the next summit have already begun, although there is no time frame yet. The head of the OP also noted that the second summit will be “more representative” and its goal is to “put an end to the war and resolve crises.”
18:58 The United States and allies are discussing what commitments regarding Ukraine's accession to NATO can be announced at the summit in Washington, CNN reports. According to sources, discussions are taking place among key allies, who criticize Washington for its reluctance to “go far” on the issue of Ukrainian membership. Among the critics are countries located near the border with the Russian Federation. According to a proposal by US and German officials, the alliance could promise at the summit that Ukraine has a "bridge" to NATO membership, rather than an "irreversible path."
18:50 Russian troops attacked the Dnieper district of Kherson, two people were injured, said the head of the OVA Alexander Prokudin.
18:39 The Russians shelled the village of Olkhovka, Kharkov region - one person was killed, one was wounded. Two more people were wounded as a result of shelling of the village of Novoosinovo, Kurilovsky community, Kupyansky district, said the head of the OVA Oleg Sinegubov. In addition, the Russian army launched a strike with three KABs in the Shevchenkovsky district of Kharkov. Two hits were recorded on the territory of a children's camp and one near a residential building; no people were injured.
18:28 On Thursday, June 20, hourly shutdown schedules will be applied throughout Ukraine for industrial and household consumers from 00:00 to 24:00, Ukrenergo reported.
18:11 There is very little evidence that Western weapons supplied to Ukraine end up on the black market in Europe, says a report by the Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC) think tank in Switzerland. The organization's analysis is based on darknet monitoring and interviews with EU law enforcement agencies and representatives of the criminal world.
“We have found no evidence that Western weapons have reached Western Europe, and very little evidence of any transactions with Western weapons in Ukraine... The weapons that were supplied by the West are in good hands,” said the director of the European GI-TOC Observatory Daniel Brombacher.
17:56 Estonia is ready to discuss sending its troops to Ukraine, said Estonian Ambassador to Kiev Anneli Kolk. “This is not a red line for us,” she emphasized and added that the country had already trained Ukrainian instructors. "We hope for a common position from NATO or the European Union, and our leaders, especially the Ministry of Defense, are discussing this. They recently said that nothing is impossible for us," Kolk said.
17:28 In Ukraine, the rules for recruiting into the army have changed since June 10. Now all citizens who will choose their position and unit in advance and will voluntarily join the army upon mobilization, after passing the VLK, will be sent to special reserve battalions, the Kharkov Regional TCC said. On the basis of these battalions they will undergo general basic military training. After training, recruits will be sent to selected units for service according to letters of recommendation by order of the commander-in-chief for transfer.
As the military explains, the new rules make it impossible for “erroneous” assignments upon release from training centers and other incidents. When recruits enter training centers, they will already have the status of military personnel.
17:04 In the Borovsk community of the Kharkov region, forced evacuation of children is being prepared, said Oleg Sinegubov, head of the local government agency. He explained that this is due to the formation of a Russian strike force in this direction. Considering that this is not the first time such a group has been formed, the Borovsk direction is considered potentially dangerous.
16:45 In Ukraine, there is a high rate of mobilization, which suits the General Staff, said Roman Kostenko, Secretary of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on National Security, Defense and Intelligence. In his opinion, if the current pace of mobilization continues until the end of summer, it will be possible to discuss the issue of demobilization.
16:16 At an exhibition in France, a new Ukrainian kamikaze drone Bulava was shown, which finds the weak points of Russian equipment using artificial intelligence, reports Bild military expert Julian Repke. The drone is called an analogue of the Russian Lancet. Artificial intelligence allows it to automatically find previously identified weak points in Russian tanks and armored personnel carriers during the final approach to the target.
16:13 The Russians are trying to repeat the attack on the village of Borovaya, Kharkov region. The monitoring resource DeepState reported that the enemy has increased up to 10 thousand personnel and 450 units of military equipment in the area from Raigorodka to Novovodyany. Now the extended defensive line in this direction is held by the 3rd Specialized Brigade, but the forces remain incommensurable. The occupiers prevail in numbers, use additional units, and also conduct intense assault operations along the entire offensive zone. Read more in the article Attack on Borovaya .
16:07 The American military corporation Northrop Grumman will open production of medium-caliber ammunition in Ukraine, Breaking Defense reports. The enterprise will be opened as part of an agreement between the Pentagon and the Ukrainian government. In the future, it is planned to also produce tank and artillery ammunition. The Northrop co-production agreement is the first publicly acknowledged agreement between the US Prime Minister of Defense and the Ukrainian government for a production project in Ukraine.
15:24 The National Rally Party, which won the European Parliament elections in France, opposed the transfer of long-range weapons to Ukraine. One of the party leaders, candidate for prime minister of France, Jordan Bardella , said that he supports Ukraine’s right to defend itself from Russia, but if elected prime minister, he will not hand over missiles that will allow Kiev to hit Russian territory.
15:12 The GUR reported that it had identified Russian military personnel who shot four Ukrainian prisoners of war near Rabotino, Zaporozhye region, in the second half of May. They turned out to be Russian servicemen who were part of the assault group of the 70th motorized rifle regiment (military unit 71718) of the 42nd motorized rifle division of the 58th army of the Southern District of the Russian Armed Forces.
14:50 At a certain building site in Volchansk, dozens of Russian military personnel are blocked, but not hundreds, as Forbes previously reported, said the speaker of the Kharkov Operational-Tactical Group of Troops, Yuriy Povkh: “First of all, the Russians do not operate with such masses of personnel, as noted in this message. That is, 400 people - this fact cannot be confirmed, because it does not exist."
14:19 Russia has transferred almost all its troops from under the Finnish border to Ukraine, writes Yle with reference to satellite images. They show that Russian bases there are practically empty, despite Putin's threats over Finland's accession to NATO. The publication's intelligence source confirmed that the Russians have transferred about 80% of their equipment and soldiers to the war against Ukraine.
14:04 The negotiating teams of Ukraine and the EU have completed agreeing on the text of the security treaty and agreed to sign it in the near future, the Presidential Office reported.
13:31 The Organization of American States has joined the final communiqué of the Global Peace Summit, the Swiss government announced. At the same time, Rwanda withdrew its signature on the communiqué. Thus, 84 states and organizations have already supported the communiqué.
13:25 F-16 fighters from the United States will be deployed on the territory of Ukraine, White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said: “The plan is to supply F-16s to Ukraine. And the bilateral security agreement that President Biden and President Zelensky signed reinforced this point "that we want to help Ukraine have this potential. It should be a potential based in Ukraine."
12:40 The Rada supported the creation of a military police in the first reading.
12:34 The signed agreement between Russia and the DPRK provides for the provision of mutual assistance in the event of aggression against one of the participants, Putin said: “The new agreement with the DPRK provides for mutual assistance in the event of aggression against one of the participants in the document. I draw attention to the statements of the West about the supply of F to Ukraine -16 and long-range weapons for attacks on Russian territory. In this regard, the Russian Federation does not exclude military-technical cooperation with the DPRK within the framework of the signed document."
Putin also called the DPRK’s position on Ukraine “a confirmation of Pyongyang’s sovereign course.” “Korean friends take an objective and balanced position on the topic of Ukrainian settlement and understand the true initial causes of the crisis,” the Kremlin head added. Kim Jong-un, in turn, said that the agreement on a “comprehensive strategic partnership” between Russia and the DPRK is “peace-loving and defensive in nature.”
11:46 Putin and Kim Jong-un held a two-hour tete-a-tete meeting in Pyongyang, after which they signed an agreement “on a comprehensive strategic partnership,” Russian media report.
11:42 The Caribbean state of Antigua and Barbuda joined the communiqué of the Peace Summit in Switzerland, although it did not take part in it, the Office of the President reported.
11:37 The identity of the Ukrainian military man who was beheaded by the Russians in the Donetsk region has been established, said Prosecutor General Andrei Kostin. Russian commanders potentially responsible for the brutal murder of the Ukrainian defender have also been identified.
11:11 Denmark announced another package of military assistance to Ukraine, which, in particular, provides support for the Ukrainian defense industry. The country's Ministry of Defense said that the 19th package will both support Ukraine's immediate needs and contribute to the long-term development of Ukraine's ability to defend itself. In particular, the package provides for the conclusion of a number of different agreements with allies for procurement and transfers from the allied defense industry. Among other things, we are talking about equipment to support F-16 aircraft donated by Denmark.
In turn, Minister for Strategic Industries Alexander Kamyshin said that Denmark would invest an additional $170 million in support of Ukrainian weapons manufacturers.
10:28 The American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) writes that the Ukrainian Armed Forces for the second time attacked an object on Russian territory with Ukrainian missiles with a range that ATACMS could reach. Thus, on the night of June 18, Ukrainian Neptune missiles, modified to hit ground targets, hit the Yugneftekhimtransit oil terminal in the port village of Chushka in the Krasnodar Territory near the Kerch Strait. The previous attack by Neptunes was on May 31 on the neighboring port of Kavkaz on the same spit.
These targets are located approximately 250 km from the front line. ATACMS could hit 300 km, but the United States prohibits their use on Russian territory. For the first time, Ukraine used Neptune missiles against Russian naval targets in April 2022; since then, their modification has continued for more than two years.
10:15 At night, the enemy attacked an energy facility in the central region, there was damaged equipment, the Ministry of Energy reported. In addition, in the Lviv region, as a result of the night attack, overhead lines and electrical equipment were damaged, and 285 metering points were de-energized.
09:57 The day before, Russian troops shelled Kurakhovka, Pokrovsky district, Donetsk region - one person was killed, one was wounded, said the head of the OVA Vadim Filashkin. One more person was injured in Zarechny, Kramatorsk district, and in the Chasovoyarsk community, Bakhmut district.
09:16 On June 18, the Russians shelled the village. Slatino, Kharkov district, one person was injured. Another person was wounded as a result of shelling. Kurilovka, Kupyansky district, said Oleg Sinegubov, head of the OVA.
09:04 In the Kherson region over the past 24 hours, two people were injured as a result of Russian shelling, said the head of the OVA, Alexander Prokudin. A high-rise building and seven private houses, the territory of an educational institution, a factory and a farm were damaged.
08:48 As a result of a night attack by drones in Lviv, the building of a research institute was damaged, said Mayor Andrey Sadovy.
08:45 The General Staff announced the estimated losses of the Russian Federation as of the morning of June 19:
- personnel - about 529,750 (+1130) people,
- tanks - 7984 (+10),
- armored combat vehicles - 15,319 (+12),
- artillery systems - 14,007 (+48),
- MLRS - 1104 (+0),
- air defense systems - 857 (+4),
- aircraft - 359 (+0),
- helicopters - 326 (+0),
- UAVs of operational-tactical level - 11 221 (+34),
- cruise missiles - 2297 (+0),
- ships/boats - 28 (+0),
- submarines - 1 (+0),
- automotive equipment and tank trucks - 19,078 (+47),
- special equipment - 2351 (+7).
08:31 In Malekhiv, Lviv region, two people were injured as a result of a night Russian attack by drones, said the head of the OVA, Maxim Kozitsky. In total, the area was attacked by five Shahed-type UAVs, all of which were shot down.
08:19 Air defense at night destroyed 19 out of 21 attack UAVs of the Shahed-131/136 type, which Russia attacked from Primorsko-Akhtarsk and from the Crimean Cape Chauda, the Air Force reported. Drones were shot down in Kherson, Nikolaev, Dnepropetrovsk, Kirovograd, Khmelnytsky and Lvov regions. In addition, over the past 24 hours, four Orlan-10 drones were shot down in the Nikolaev direction, two Lancets and one Supercam within the Kherson region.
03:43 The United States is ready to impose new sanctions against China for supporting Russia, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said: “We are looking at countries that support the Russian defense industrial base, which allows Russia to continue its war, in particular China. As President Biden has made clear, we "The real concern is not that China is supplying weapons to Russia - that's not what they're doing."
Beijing provides critical support to Russia's defense industrial base, he said. Thus, about 70% of machine tools imported by Russia come from China, as well as 90% of microelectronics. “This needs to end. And we are doing and will do everything for this,” Blinken emphasized.
He also said that the NATO summit, which will take place in early July in Washington, will focus on strengthening Ukraine and its victory in the long term.