Greece (Brussels Morning Newspaper) It was two years ago during a government meeting where President Putin claimed that “Everyone wants to bite us somewhere or to bite off something from us,” and then added “But they – those who are going to do it — should know that we will knock out their teeth so that they cannot bite.”
Following the sabotage attack on the Kakhovka dam in southern Ukraine on June 6, flood waters wreaked havoc on nearby towns and villages, killing dozens of people as sporadic evacuation operations occurred in Russian-controlled areas. The flood also limited Ukraine’s choices for attack in its early-June counteroffensive.
Although the scope of Ukraine’s operations is yet unknown, the US-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said on Saturday that the country’s military was engaged in at least four front-line attacks.
It’s probable that Ukraine won’t get another significant infusion of armored equipment from the West anytime soon, which is pushing Kyiv to reclaim as much territory as it can in case military support wanes.
At a time when Russia has threatened to slam the grain corridor shut, Kyiv might restore unhindered access to its Black Sea export lines if it can regain control of the south.
Glory to Ukraine
Is the standard battle cry used by the soldiers participating in the massive counterattack. The Ukrainians aim to reclaim vast territories but also to sabotage key infrastructure inside the Russian peripheries. The length of the front would stretch Russia despite the network of defenses, which Kyiv would try to exploit with feints, distractions, surprise, and operational speed.
Two months ago, Reuters published satellite photos of thousands of defensive positions within Russia and along Ukrainian front lines, which reveal that the southern Zaporizhzhia area, which serves as the entrance to the Crimean Peninsula, is where it is most fiercely fortified.
Rail service was interrupted in the Belgorod region of Russia, which borders Ukraine after a freight train derailed on Saturday night. The border regions of Belgorod have recently been the target of cross-border assaults, shelling, and drone attacks.
Vladislav Shapsha, the governor of the Kaluga area, reported two drone crashes further north, one close to the village of Strelkovka and the other in a forest.
The Ukrainian forces should be especially careful at the points of advance but also those wishing to enter the Russian Territory. A possible counterattack coming from the territory of Belarus is not unlikely, while the Russians will not hesitate to create other problems/accidents in the area like with the Nova Kakhovka dam.
NATO should also show restraint in its statements and how much it encourages the Ukrainians to expand beyond the territory of 2014. The recovery of lost territories, including Crimea (or not) would be a huge victory for the Ukrainian people. The development inside Russian territory and the creation of demilitarized zones would be ideal and an event that no one would have expected 15 months ago.
Under the Ukrainian flag again
With its first significant victory, Ukraine drove Russia away from Kharkiv, launched a counterattack in the area of Kherson, and eventually took back control of the city. Over a year after the invasion, Ukraine is now optimistic that its most recent counteroffensive would help them win the conflict.
Numerous contemporary battle tanks, infantry combat vehicles, bridging equipment, and mine-clearing vehicles have been dispatched by the West to act as the forerunner to an attack.
For this reason, Russia had been constructing vast, layered fortifications to ensure that its forces will be far more firmly established than when they were driven from Kherson City and the northeastern region of Ukraine.
In the southeast Zaporizhzhia area, in the east, and across the constrained geographical swath separating the Crimean Peninsula from the rest of Ukraine, Russian deployments are mostly concentrated close to the front lines.
Additionally, according to Ukrainian officials, there have been advancements made in the area of the eastern city of Bakhmut, the majority of which is now under Russian control following the longest and possibly bloodiest combat of the conflict. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on 13.06.2023 that there was “movement forward” and thanked Ukrainian troops for “every step and every meter of Ukrainian land that is being liberated from Russian evil”.
