Summary of the Events of the Day
Ukraine staged an attack on their drive to liberate Kherson by destroying a Russian weapons depot forcing Russian forces to retreat. Eight communities were liberated, and Ukrainian forces are now only 15 miles from the center of Kherson. Along the Donbas Contact Line, Ukrainian forces held their line. Russian soldiers were able to enter Zarichne placing that community under contest with street fighting.
Battle for the Donbas (Donetsk, Luhansk, Mariupol)
The village of Hirs’ke was hit Saturday night killing six civilians. Ocheretyne was also hit in the night killing two children.
Three main battles are being fought on the Donbas Contact Line at Rubizhne (street fighting), Popasna, and Zarichne. Russian forces have installed pontoon bridges over the Krasna River in preparation of their planned assault the regional center Severodonetsk. All in all, twelve concerted attacks by Russian forces were made against the Donbas Contact line through the early morning hours on Sunday, but all were repulsed. Eight Ukrainian civilians were killed.
On Sunday Russian forces conducted seven attacks along the Donbas Contact Line. Russian forces were able to enter Zarichne placing the village under contest with street fighting as they did the day earlier in Rubizhne. Russian forces, holed up in the southeast of Rubizhne, attempted to gain more of the city but were unsuccessful. Assaults against Lyman, Yatskivka, Novomykhailivka, and Marinka were also repulsed. Russian forces had more success as they inched closer to Orikhove and Nyzhnye. Popasna also remained under Ukrainian control after another day of fierce fighting. Five civilians died in the attacks.
Russia suffered heavy losses during the day losing 13 tanks, 3 artillery systems, 17 armored vehicles, 18 trucks, and 4 fuel tanks. Up to 100 Russian soldiers were killed in the battles.
Battle for Southern Ukraine (Kherson, Mykolaiv, and Odesa)
Russia fired two more missiles against Odesa on Saturday night which were both shot down by Ukrainian defense.
Ukrainian forces beat Russia to the punch who were supplying their forces in Kiselivka for an invasion of Posad Pokrovs’ke. Ukrainian forces blew up their weapons stash forcing the Russian forces to retreat to Chornobaivka on the edge of Kherson. Ukraine was able to liberate eight communities and move seven miles closer to Kherson.
Battle for Kharkiv
Russian missiles fell on a high-rise apartment complex and private home in Chuhuiv, 25 miles southeast of Kharkiv, killing one civilian and injuring three, including one child. Another person died in the daily shelling of Kharkiv.
Other Regions
Railway infrastructure was struck in the Dnepropetrovsk region to slow down the delivery of Western weapons to the frontline in the Donbas. One person was killed in the attack.
Nine missiles fell upon the city of Kremenchuk in the Poltava region against infrastructure facilities.
Other News
The Bulgarian Consul who stayed behind in Russian-occupied Melitopol has been reported kidnapped by Russian forces. Russian forces have also detained the last remaining monitors of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) who were sent to the Donbas to ensure all sides were adhering to the peace agreement.
Austria Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg voiced the opinion of his country that Ukraine should not be offered EU membership in June as there are many other countries that have worked over the years to qualify to join and Ukraine should not be fast-tracked past those steps.
Pro-Ukrainian incumbent French President Emmanuel Macron won re-election by 54% over the pro-Russian candidate Marine Le Pen.
International Support
The UK has announced they will send twenty howitzers to Ukraine with 45,000 rounds of ammunition.