Day 467: Has Ukraine started its counteroffensive?

Ukrainian troops make limited tactical gains at the crossing between Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk regions. Russian anti-Putin groups continue to fight for Belgorod in Russia. Ukrainian troops begin an assault on Bakhmut’s southern and northern flanks.

Ukrainian troops make limited tactical gains at the crossing between Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk regions

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said there were many reports from pro-war Russian military bloggers that Ukrainian troops launched local ground attacks and gained between 500 meters and three kilometers in the crossing between the Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk regions. There was no visual evidence of that as of the writing of the report, ISW added.

Ukrainian forces carried out local ground attacks and reportedly made limited tactical gains in western Donetsk Oblast and eastern Zaporizhia Oblast on 4 June. Geolocated images released on June 4 show that mechanized Ukrainian forces made limited advances northeast of Rivnopil.

Russian milbloggers claimed that Ukrainian forces attacked in the direction of Pryyutne (15 km southwest of Velyka Novosilka) and Makariivka (4 km southwest of Velyka Novosilka) and captured Novodarivka (14 km southwest of Velyka Novosilka) and Neskuchne (2 km southwest of Velyka Novosilka). Some Russian bloggers claimed that the Ukrainian forces broke through the first line of Russian defense and advanced from 500 meters to three kilometers in this area. There is no visual evidence of these reports at the time of writing, ISW said on June 4. The language of these reports suggests that the Russian forces also lost their positions at Levadne (18 km southwest of Velyka Novosilka), although it is not clear if this is the case. a recent development or occurred at an earlier date.

Ukrainian troops begin assault on Bakhmut’s southern and northern flanks

Ukrainian troops launched an “offensive assault” on the southern and northern flanks of Bakhmut in the Donetsk region, spokesman for the Eastern Military Command of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Colonel Serhiy Cherevatyi, said on television.

“Despite the fierce resistance of the enemy, our mechanized and airborne assault units advanced in various parts of the front line, along the Siverskyi Donets-Donbas canal towards Klishchiyivka, Orikhovo-Vasylivka, Zaliznyanske and Bohdanivka, at a distance from 300 meters to a kilometer. ” he said.

US officials said there were signs that Ukraine may have begun its long-awaited counteroffensive, The New York Times said.

The US officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the increase in attacks [Ukrainian artillery strikes and ground assaults] it was a possible indication that kyiv’s long-planned counteroffensive against Russian forces had begun.

The officials based their assessment in part on information from US military satellites, which detected an uptick in action on Ukrainian military positions.

One difficulty in pinpointing the exact start of a counteroffensive, beyond Ukraine’s operational security measures, is that the fight could well start with feints or diversions that are hard to decipher.

Bolstering reports that the counteroffensive may have begun, US military analysts said they believed Ukrainian units had begun an initial advance to determine the position and strength of Russian forces.

Russian anti-Putin groups continue to fight for Belgorod

The Russian Freedom Legion, an all-Russian group also fighting alongside Ukrainian troops in Ukraine, said it used drones to shoot down two Russian tanks, a BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicle and a BRDM reconnaissance vehicle near from the Shebekino checkpoint. , a little more than 30 kilometers south of Belgorod. “We are making further progress until the regime is completely destroyed. Russia will be free!” the group said on Telegram. On June 1, the Russian Freedom Legion and the Russian Volunteer Corps began another raid into Russia’s Belgorod region, on the border with Ukraine.