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Despite the rainy weather and rutted roads in the steppes, heavy battles continue on the southern front lines in Ukraine, where the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) continue their large-scaled counteroffensive. According to the Russian Ministry of Defence, since June 4, the AFU have lost up to 7,5 thousand servicemen killed and wounded on the frontlines. The losses of the Ukrainian Army are much higher, since this number does not include those killed and wounded by Russian strikes and shelling in the Ukrainian rear areas.
The General Staff of the AFU actually acknowledged in its morning briefing the lack of important gains in the Zaporozhye direction. According to the Ukrainian military, their troops continue the offensive and have some success at the front, having liberated only “more than 3 km2 in three days.” The AFU has reportedly “succeeded in advancing in certain directions, taking control of the areas from 200 meters to 1 kilometer and 400 meters.”
In fact, the Ukrainian advance in recent days cannot be called a success, since the Ukrainian military has not managed to secure their foothold in new territories.
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While the intensity in other areas of the Zaporozhie front has subsided, the villages south of Velikaya Novoselka remain the main battlefield og the Ukrainian counteroffensive.
Battle for the village of Makarovka continues. Russian counterattacks do not allow the AFU to gain a foothold in the area.
Another heavy battle broke out at night in the area of Makarovka after Ukrainian forces attacked Russian positions from the forest area with up to a company armed with tanks and armored personnel carriers. The advancing forces faced fierce resistance of Russian fighters from the Far East, who are holding the defense at this area.
Humvee of the AFU blown up by a mine:
Ukrainian forces are trying to take the destroyed equipment back from the battlefield:
The advance of Ukrainian forces further south is strategically important. Unlike other settlements south of Velikaya Novoselka, Makarovka is located on a small hill. Only full control over it will allow the AFU to further develop their offensive. However, despite the transfer of numerous reserves, the Ukrainian forces failed to advance so far.
“The attacks of two motorized infantry companies of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, supported by four tanks and 11 armored fighting vehicles, were repelled by selfless and competent actions of the defending units, air strikes and artillery fire of the Vostok group of troops on the Vremyevsky ledge near the settlement of Makarovka of the Donetsk People’s Republic. During the fighting, four tanks and seven armored combat vehicles of the enemy were destroyed,” the Russian Ministry of Defense reported on June 14.
From the eastern flank, the AFU continue their attempts to cut off the Russian grouping with attacks on Urozhainoe. The outskirts of the village are reportedly in the gray zone, but the AFU are still failing to advance despite their numerous attempts in recent days.
According to the reports of the Ukrainian military, the reserves of Russian troops transferred to Staromlinovka launched a counteroffensive and managed to push back the AFU units, straightening the front line from the village of Urozhainoye to the village of Novodonetsky.
Ukrainian tank destroyed by Russian ATGM:
Destruction of Ukrainian positions in the area of Ugledar:
Small Russian drones in action:
The Russian Ministry of Defense also reported that two Ukrainian attacks by company tactical groups were repelled near the village of Prechistovka, located east of Velikaya Novoselka.
“The enemy’s losses amounted to five tanks and five armored combat vehicles,” the Russian Defense Ministry reported.
On the western flank, Russian forces are holding control of the area near the village of Rovnopol, where the AFU are trying to attack Novodarovka with armored groups of tanks and infantry fighting vehicles. Ukrainian engineering and sapper units do not stop trying to mop up the mine fields for new attacks in the area. After a three-day pause, the AFU also began to move cautiously south and east from the village of Levadnoye, which is still in the gray zone.
According to the Russian Ministry of Defense:
“Five enemy tanks were destroyed by Russian troops in the areas of the settlements of Rovnopol of the Donetsk People’s Republic, Levadnoye of the Zaporozhye region and the October farm.”
Over the past day, an attack by units of the 128th Mountain Assault Brigade of the AFU in the area of Zherebyanka was disrupted by Russian airstrikes in the Zaporozhye direction. In addition, a warehouse of artillery ammunition of the Ukrainian 65th mechanized Brigade was destroyed near the settlement of Novoandreevka in the Zaporozhye region. Near the city of Zaporozhye, the P-18 radar station for detecting and tracking air targets was destroyed.
In total, over the past day, Ukrainian losses in the South Donetsk and Zaporozhye directions amounted to:
- more than 800 Ukrainian servicemen,
- 20 tanks,
- four infantry fighting vehicles,
- 15 armored combat vehicles,
- two US-made M777 artillery systems,
- howitzers: Msta-B and D-30,
- as well as a multiple rocket launcher combat vehicle”Grad”, according to the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation.
Up to 50 Ukrainian servicemen, nine cars, as well as a self-propelled artillery installation “Acacia” were destroyed by Russian fire in the Kherson direction during the day.
On the southern frontlines in the Zaporozhye region, Russian forces are aimed at holding the commanding heights, which give them an advantage for fire damage and counterattacking actions. In its turn, despite the horrific losses, the AFU Command is regrouping forces and deploying reinforcements to continue offensive operations.
