Summary of the Events of the Day
It seems that the artillery that Ukraine’s allies have pledged has finally reached the frontlines as Ukraine unleashed a bevy of attacks against Russian forces from Kharkiv, to the Donbas, and in Kherson Region as well giving Russia a devastating Friday the 13th. It was a bad day for Russia as they were pushed even farther out of the Kharkiv Region.
Battle for the Donbas (Donetsk, Luhansk, Mariupol)
Russia conducted 18 concerted but unsuccessful attacks along the Donbas Contact Line with Ukrainian forces inflicting heavy damage on them in the process. Russia cannot continue to take such a pounding.
Luhansk – Russian forces moved against Orikhove, Zolote, and Komyshuvakha but with no success.
Siversky Donets – Russian forces inched forward on the M-03 Highway between Izyum and Slovyansk but were stopped short at Bohorodychne. Ukrainian forces continue to hold onto Oleksandrivka and Lyman stopping the advance from the northeast.
Donetsk – Russian forces moved heavily against Marinka, Novomykhailivka, Avdiivka, Kamianka, and Novoselivka but were repulsed in all attacks.
Mariupol – Russia fired heavily upon the Azovstal steelworks to get their troops onto the territory.
Battle for Southern Ukraine (Mykolaiv, Kherson, Kryvyi Rih, Zaporizhia, and Odesa)
Ukraine conducted over one hundred strikes against Russian positions in the Mykolaiv and Kherson regions inflicting heavy damage.
Battle for Kharkiv
In a brilliant move, Ukrainian forces took Petrivka and Ternova and began the liberation of Vesele reaching the outskirts from the south and the east. A total of six communities were liberated to the north of Kharkiv.
Russian forces did fire a missile on the Dergachiv House of Culture in Kharkiv which had been serving as the humanitarian aid center for the city.
Other Regions
Russia fired two missiles on the Ochkino border checkpoint on the Russian border in the Sumy Region. There were no casualties.
Other News
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe reported that up to 1.2 million Ukrainians may have been forced into filtration camps within Russia’s border. That is in addition to the six million refugees that have fled into Europe.
The war crime trial of 21-year-old Vadym Shyshymarin in the shooting of an unarmed 62-year-old Ukrainian civilian in the Sumy Region as he was walking home has begun. According to the prosecution, Shyshymarin has confessed his crime, repented, and is cooperating with the investigation.
The Swedish Parliament gave a thumbs-up vote on the potential application to join NATO stating that being a member of the alliance would increase their defensive position. Finland is expected to submit their application to join NATO on Sunday, and now Sweden can submit their application as early as Monday.
An unconfirmed report by Ukrainian chief of intelligence Kirill Budanov claims that Russian President Vladimir Putin is seriously ill with cancer and that a coup is already underway to remove him from power. He predicts that Ukraine will turn the tide in the war by August and it will all be over by the end of the year. Let’s pray that he is right!
Russia cut off its supply of electricity to Finland because they stopped making payments due to the sanctions. Finland receives only 10% of its electricity from Russia and has already made a deal with Sweden to make up for what they lost from Russia.
Oleg Morozov, a member of the Russian parliament, threatened that Poland will be next in Russia’s denazification campaign because of their avid support of Ukraine and inflammatory words towards Russia.
International Support
The UK expanded their sanctions on Russia to include several family members of Vladimir Putin including his current wife and former wife.