Ukraine Latest News. Weekly Overview for June 17-23
VIDEO
June 17/The world must hear: Russian captivity kills
June 17/ Koziy: Who will be the first to push the nuclear button?
June 17/ Nesvitaylov: Peace Summit: counted?
June 18/ Chalenko: A dictator is a friend to a dictator
June 19/ Hyera: Everyone is equal in war
June 19/ Snegiryov: "Cauldron of fire" and more
June 20/ Komar: How Russia’s FSB buys Ukrainian children
June 21/ Hetman: Effective Ukrainian strikes driving Russian aviation away into rear areas
June 21/ Buryachenko: Is Patriot already on the way to Ukraine?
PHOTO
June 17/ Banners carrying the names of fallen defenders, Maydan Nezhalezhnosti, Kyiv
June 18/ Inauguration ceremony for the Veterans’ Theater, Kyiv
June 18/ Soldiers of the 128th OGSHBr at firing practice
June 19/ The third edition of the Ukrainian-Polish “Ukraine recovery” conference, Kyiv
June 19/ A scientific research institute in Lviv was damaged in the aftermath of Russian missile attack
June 19/ Press conference on how to respond to sexual violence in war
June 19/ A display of icons on weapons boxes, Kyiv
June 19/ Construction of underground schools got underway in Zaporizhzhia
June 20/ Germany handed over a new aid shipment to Ukrainian energy companies
June 20/ Farewell ceremony for Army officer Viktor Pustovit, Cherkasy
June 20/ An adaptive sports practice at the inauguration of the SuperHumans Center, Lviv
June 20/ Inauguration of the SuperHumans Center, Lviv
June 21/ Farewell ceremony for Oleh Menshikov, Kyiv region
June 22/ Day of action for prisoners of war, Vinnytsia
June 22/ A university building was damaged in the aftermath of Russian missile attack, Ivano-Frankivsk
June 23/ The aftermath of Russian shelling attack on Vasylkiv
HOSTILITIES
According to the General Staff, 986 combat engagements took place at the front line over the week from June 17 through 23.
On June 21, Ukrainian Forces struck radar stations and ELINT centers in Russia’s Bryansk region and in the currently occupied Crimea Peninsula.
Overnight on June 21 in Russia’s Krasnodar region, Ukrainian forces struck sites where Shahed-136/Geran-2 drones were being stored and prepared for combat use. Furthermore to this, Ukraine's defence forces successfully hit training and command-and-control and communication centers relating to these UAVs. In the aftermath of the attack, a number of explosions and a fire followed by ammo detonation were reported.
In Kharkiv region, Ukrainian defense forces inflicted significant losses on the Russian invaders, forcing them to halt offensive operations and thwarting their plans to capture the village of Borova. Ukraine’s defense forces reported on June 19 that the Russian invaders were planning for a fresh assault on Borova, Kharkiv region.
June 21/GRAPHICS/ Kamikaze drone "Bulava": a weapon of victory
Over the week under review, Ukrainian defense forces struck three pieces of rare Russian equipment, specifically an R-934B "Sinitsa" air defense system, "Murom-M" long-range visual surveillance system, and a "Tor-M2" tactical air defense system.
On June 17 in Klishchiivka area, Kramatorsk axis, soldiers of the 22nd Independent Mechanized Brigade captured a Russian "turtle tank" and crew.
Ukrainian military have hit 15 Russian air defense systems in the currently Russian occupied Crimea Peninsula over the past two months.
In a special operation by the Main Intelligence Directorate at the Ministry of Defense (HUR MOD), a Ukrainian Magura sea drone was able to defeat four Russian Tuna-class high-speed boats on May 30.
Approximately four dozen engineering weapons products, half of them Ukrainian-made, have been commissioned for operational use.
The Ukrainian Magura naval drone has been upgraded with a capability to counter aerial threats using Soviet-era IR guided R-73 air-to-air missiles.
Front line situation
June 17
On Kharkiv axis, intense hostilities continued as the invading forces were pursuing to break out through Ukrainian defensive lines in the Vovchansk and Lyptsi stretches of the front line.
On Kupyansk axis, the enemy was attacking areas nearby the villages of Synkivka, Pishchane, and Stepova Novoselivka.
The enemy continued offensive on Pokrovsk axis, attempted to break out through our defensive lines on approaches to the villages of Yevhenivka, Novooleksandrivka, Novoselivka Persha, Sokil, Umanske, and Yasnobrodivka.
June 18
The invading forces intensified their attacks on Ukrainian positions in Luhansk region.
On the Vovchansk stretch of the front line, the line of contact stabilized along the Vovcha River. Street fighting in town is being waged 24/7.
On Pokrovsk axis, the Russian invading forces pursued their attempts to break out through Ukrainian lines; Ukrainian forces effectively fought off attacks on approaches to Yevhenivka, Kalinove, Oleksandropol, and Sokil.
On Toretsk axis, Russian invaders launched an assault towards the settlements of New York, Pivnichne, and Pivdenne.
June 19
On Lyman axis, invading forces made five unsuccessful attempts to squeeze Ukrainian forces out of Hrekivka, Nevske, and Terny areas.
On Kramatorsk axis, the Russians were going forward with their attempts to force Ukrainian defenders out of their positions in the Kalynivka and Ivanivse areas.
June 20
In the Eastern Operational Zone, the enemy ventured to breach out through Ukrainian defensive lines in the neighborhood of Oleksandropil, Novooleksandrivka, Sokil, and Novoselivka Persha.
On Pokrovsk axis, combat engagements continued on the edges of Sokil, Vozdvyzhenka, Kalynove, and Novooleksandrivka. The enemy used aviation; it dropped five glide bombs on Yevhenivka and Vovche.
On Kharkiv axis, the invaders attempted to assault on Vovchansk and towards Tykhe, but failed to succeed.
June 21
The Russian occupiers launched a storming attack towards Chasiv Yar from Toretsk axis.
The invading forces increased the intensity of their attacks on Lyman axis, with intense fighting continuing in the vicinity of Serebryansky Forest and Nevske village.
On Pokrovsk axis, fighting continued in the areas of Vozdvyzhenka, Novooleksandrivka, Sokil, and Novopokrovske.
June 22
The Russian invading forces were fighting most aggressively in the area of Toretsk, while waging an intense assault on Pokrovsk axis.
On Kharkiv axis, no adversary offensive operations were reported for that day. The enemy was trying to re-deploy its units away from the areas of Vovchansk, Tykhe, and Hlyboke, because they lost part of their combat power due to effective defensive fighting by Ukrainian forces.
On Kramatorsk axis, the invading forces never ceased to advance toward Chasiv Yar, with intense fighting continuing in that area. The Ukrainian defenders effectively hold the defense in that area, giving a decent rebuff to the Russian forces.
June 23
Intense hostilities began on Toretsk axis, with the enemy using aviation for missile strikes.
On Lyman axis, the invading forces made five ineffective attempts to advance towards Kopanky, Makiivka, and Serebryansky Forest.
On Pokrovsk axis, the enemy was focusing its main efforts on the areas of Novooleksandrivka, Sokil, and Karlivka. Furthermore, the invading forces were pushing forward in an attempt to win tactical gains in the vicinity of six more settlements.
WAR: LOSSES AND AFTERMATH
ENEMY LOSSES
Russia’s combat losses in the war in Ukraine over the time from June 17 to 23, 2024 had totaled:
8,050 personnel;
63 tanks;
129 combat armored vehicles;
282 pieces of artillery
4 MLRS
10 pieces of air defense equipment
166 tactical-operational UAVs;
19 cruise missiles
281 automobiles and fuel trucks
346 pieces of special-purpose equipment.
Overnight on June 18, an attack by SBU drones set fire to the Azovsk and Azovnefteproduct oil terminals in Azov, Russia’s Rostov region. These oil depots together stored 22 fuel tanks, up to 60 tons of petroleum products pass through them per month, and the tanks can simultaneously hold up to 30,000 cubic meters of petroleum products. The fires had not been extinguished till June 21.
Overnight on June 21, Ukrainian drones targeted Afip and Ilya oil refineries in Russia’s Krasnodar region, as well as oil depots in Krasnodar and Astrakhan regions.
Overnight on June 20, SBU’s drones hit fuel and lubricants depot and the Enem oil depot in Russia’s Adygea Republic, owned, respectively, by the Tambovnefteproduct JSC and LUKOIL-Yugnefteproduct LLC.
The Enem oil depot reportedly experienced at least five explosions, followed by a fire. Another fuel and lubricants depot in Tambov region was hit by at least three UAVs.
Overnight on June 17, HUR MOD’s self-destroying drones targeted military facilities in the Russian regions of Belgorod, Voronezh, and Lipetsk. Among the targets were the Novolipetsk Steel Mill and the Lipetsk Tractor Plant. Both are used by Russia for military purposes.
The Russian Federation’s Investigative Committee on June 17 acknowledged that Russia’s A-50 long-range radar detection and control airplane was shot down by a Ukrainian missile attack on February 23.
UKRAINE: WAR LOSSES AND AFTERMATH
Since the break-out of the full-scale war in Ukraine, Russian troops have killed 551 children and injured at least 1,366 more as of June 19, according to the Office of the Prosecutor General.
The Russian invading forces have dropped more than 2,400 glide bombs on the Ukrainian soil over June so far, including around 700 dropped on Kharkiv region.
Russian shelling attacks on the Donetsk, Kherson, Chernihiv, Poltava, Zaporizhzhya, Mykolaiv, Dnipropetrovsk, and Kharkiv regions left 17 people dead and 69 injured.
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June 19 drone attack
Ukrainian air defense units shot down 19 out of 21 Shahed-131/136 drones launched by Russia.
An energy facility and equipment in one of Ukraine’s central regions was damaged by Russian drone attack.
Lviv region
A 70-year-old man sustained injuries resulting from a Russian drone attack on Malekhov, Lviv community.
A scientific research institute was partially destroyed.
June 20; Combined missile and drone attacks
Air defense forces shot down 5 out of 9 missiles and all of the 27 strike drones launched by Russian invaders.
The Russians targeted a DTEK thermal power plant with drones and missiles, leaving equipment at the plant damaged and three workers injured.
Energy infrastructures in the Vinnytsia, Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, and Kyiv regions were damaged in the aftermath of Russian attacks.
Dnipropetrovsk region
Three people sustained injuries resulting from Russian attacks on Kryvyi Rih and Nikopol District.
Seven private households, five farm buildings, a car, power lines, and construction equipment were damaged by a Russian attack on Nikopol District.
Kyiv region
Power lines and industrial equipment were damaged by falling debris from a downed Russian drone.
June 22 missile and drone attacks
Air defense forces shot down 12 out of 16 missiles and all of the 13 self-destroying drones launched by Russian army on Ukraine.
Russia struck power transmission infrastructures in Southern and Western Ukraine. Equipment at Ukrenergo facilities in Zaporizhzhia and Lviv regions was damaged.
Lviv region
A critical energy facility came under Russian attack
Ivano-Frankivsk
Three people sustained injuries
Twelve buildings owned by the University of Oil and Gas were damaged and one partially destroyed
The attack inflicted damage to 14 buildings and more than 1,000 square meters of roof surface area
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Russians hit a high-rise residential building in the city of Kharkiv with anti-aircraft missiles, leaving three people dead and 56 injured.
On June 23, Russia launched an airstrike targeting civilian infrastructures in Kharkiv’s Shevchenkivskyi and Kholodnohirskyi Districts; the aftermath left 11 people injured and half the city without power supply.
Law enforcement officers have identified the Ukrainian soldier who was captured and beheaded by the Russians in Donetsk region. The soldier’s name has not been revealed pending ultimate confirmation.
The Office of the Prosecutor General has documented roughly 130,000 war crimes committed by the Russian Federation over the time since the war broke out in February 2022, amounting to an average of 150 crimes a day.
WAR: POLITICAL DECISIONS, TECHNOLOGICAL BREAKTHROUGHS, WEAPONRY, ALLIES’ AID
UKRAINIAN HOME FRONT
The President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky:
On June 17 chaired a meeting at the Supreme Commander-in-Chief Headquarters to talk over the status of domestic defense contracts implementation and the situation with the receipt of aid from the defense packages announced by partners.
On June 20 chaired a meeting at the Supreme Commander-in-Chief Headquarters to address energy security issues and instruct the government to ease procedures governing the installation of solar panels and batteries by citizens.
On June 18 endorsed legislation on the EU-Ukraine common roaming area.
On June 19 hosted a meeting with government officials, members of the Presidential Office, and the secretary of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) regarding the energy security situation.
On June 21 appointed Oleksiy Morozov to lead the State Guard Directorate of Ukraine.
On June 21 issued a decree nominating members for a Ukrainian delegation to EU-Ukraine accession talks.
Visits to Ukraine
The newly elected chair of the German Bundestag’s Defense Committee, Markus Faber visited eastern Ukraine on June 17 to find out firsthand the urgent needs and challenges facing the Ukrainian units holding defense out there.
The United States Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs John R. Bass arrived in Ukraine for a meeting with Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal to talk over key avenues for assistance to Ukraine.
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On June 18, the Speaker of the Seimas of Lithuania Viktoria Čmilytė-Nielsen arrived on an official visit in Ukraine.
President Zelensky and the Speaker of the Lithuanian Seimas discussed matters relating to bolstering Ukraine’s capability to defend itself.
Mrs Čmilytė-Nielsen delivered a speech at the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.
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On June 19, Marshal of the Polish Sejm Szymon Holovnia arrived in Ukraine for his first official visit.
He met with President Zelensky to discuss cooperation in protecting the Ukrainian sky.
Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal held a meeting with the Marshal of the Polish Sejm to discuss matters relating to recovery and reconstruction of damaged energy infrastructures in Ukraine.
The Marshal of the Polish Sejm spoke at the Verkhovna Rada to assure that Poland will always stand side by side with Ukraine in the fight against Russian invasion; this has not changed and will not change.
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The Cabinet of Ministers endorsed procedures for using funds from the State Fund for Decarbonization and Energy-Efficient Transformation.
Artem Sytnyk, the former deputy head of the National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NABU) was appointed deputy director for security affairs at the Defense Ministry’s Defense Procurement Agency.
On July 17, 2024, individual provisions of Article 40 of the Law of Ukraine "On Media" came into force, which tighten the requirements for the use of the state language on broadcasts of Ukrainian-language programs.
The Ministry of Economy of Ukraine, jointly with the European Union and the government of Germany, launched a new grant program worth EUR 480,000, under which 12 small and medium-sized businesses will be entitled to EUR 40,000 in funding for their export and innovation boosting projects.
Ukraine received a positive conclusion from the International Nuclear Energy Agency regarding compliance with the Agreement on Guarantees in connection with the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.
The Eighth Administrative Court of Appeal satisfied the claim of the Ministry of Justice and banned the Nash Krai (Our Land) political party. The court decision also mandates the seizure of the party’s property, funds and other assets and their subsequent transfer to state ownership.
ALLIES AND PARTNERS
Joe Biden’s administration announced in an official statement that the United States will give Ukraine a priority in the supply of Patriot air defense missiles over other customer countries.
Pentagon Spokesman, General Patrick Ryder said on June 21 that Ukraine can use its provided weapons to strike Russian forces that are firing at Ukrainian troops anywhere along the border, not just near the Kharkiv region.
Ukraine and the European Union have extended the validity of the Agreement on the Liberalization of Freight Transportation for a period of one year, with the possibility of further extension.
On June 21, the EU Council officially approved the mandate previously agreed at ambassadorial level for negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova regarding EU accession, thus giving the go-ahead for the first intergovernmental conferences with Kyiv and Chișinău at the June 25 General Affairs Council.
On June 24, 2024, the EU Council adopted its 14th package of sanctions targeting Russia's ongoing aggression against Ukraine. This package aims to intensify economic pressure on Russia, focusing on high-value sectors such as energy, finance, and trade, and preventing the circumvention of existing sanctions.
The EU will ban reloading services for Russian liquified natural gas (LNG) within EU territory to third countries, reducing Russia's significant revenue from LNG sales.
New investments and the provision of goods, technology, and services for ongoing LNG projects, like Arctic LNG 2 and Murmansk LNG, are prohibited.
On June 17, the Latvian government handed over the first shipment of the drones it purchased for Ukraine as part of the Drone Capability Coalition, and the second shipment is being put together.
June 17GRAPHICS/Weapon of victory: Mirage 2000 multi-role fighter-bomber
The German Rheinmetall Group announced on June 18 that it would hand over a Frankenstein air defense system to Ukraine.
June 20/GRAPHICS/Weapon of victory: Frankenstein air defense tank.
The Supreme Council of National Defense, Romania's top defense body announced the country will donate a Patriot missile system to neighboring Ukraine to help Kyiv in the war with Russia as Moscow’s forces continue bombarding civilian areas and energy infrastructure.
The Netherlands announced it would quickly assemble a Patriot air defense system for Ukraine from donated parts.
Japan has unveiled trade restrictions against microelectronics firms in China, India, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan over their alleged support for Russia’s war on Ukraine.
The sanctions announced by Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on June 21 mark the first time Tokyo has targeted China-based companies over their alleged links to the war.
US Representative to UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield criticized Russia's attempt to force Ukraine into accepting an unjust peace at gunpoint as being a disregard for the international security principles on which the UN was founded.
On June 17, the EU Council decided to renew the sanctions introduced by the EU in response to the illegal annexation of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol by the Russian Federation, until 23 June 2025.
Consultations are ongoing among NATO members to remove nuclear missiles from storage and put them on alert in the face of a growing threat from Russia and China.
Romanian President Klaus Iohannis withdrew from the race to lead NATO on June 20, clearing the way for Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte to become the next secretary-general of the transatlantic military alliance.
PUBLICATIONS AND INTERVIEWS
June 17/ Decolonization is Putin's biggest fear.
June 17/ How the world media comment on the Peace Summit.
June 18/ Finnish volunteer: If I survive, I will stay in Ukraine and develop the veteran movement.
June 18/ Summit on Peace in Ukraine: Positives and Negatives
June 18/ Serhii Plokhii, history professor, director of the Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute: Ukraine's victory will be in the preservation of the nation, the statehood, the identity and the freedom of choice
June 18/ Anneli Kolk, Ambassador of the Republic of Estonia to Ukraine: Estonia will support Ukraine in all battles until victory.
June 18/ Oleh Synehubov, head of the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration: The Russian forces are not easing the pressure, but the Defense Forces are not allowing them to advance.
June 19/ Rafael Grossi, IAEA Director General: For the IAEA, it is very clear that the ZNPP is a Ukrainian facility
June 19/ Not by generator alone, or Prepare candles in the summer.
June 20/ Will the Russians take Vovchansk? Ukrainian warriors on the situation in Kharkiv region.
June 20/ Roman Bezsmertny, Ukrainian politician and diplomat: The immaturity of international politics opens up the way to a global war.
June 21/ In anticipation of the F-16s: Will we really have fewer pilots than fighters?
June 21/ Reset the enemy. Ukrinform paid an overnight visit to a Grad MLRS unit and witnessed how it works.
June 21/ South Korean armaments: what Ukraine can count on.
June 21/ Oleksiy Haran, professor of political science: Once they see that Russia becomes weakened and running out of resources, the Global South countries may change their attitudes.
Compiled by Maryna Dmytriv, Kyiv
