For: 2024-06-12
GRUMPY |
ALONG THE CONTACT LINE
GSAFU Morning Report
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The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in its Operational Information update at 23:00 on June 11 stated that day 843 of the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation against Ukraine was about to begin.
During the past day, 90 combat engagements took place. Over the past 24 hours, the enemy carried out 3 missile strikes, 55 air strikes, 640 drone strikes and 2,800 shellings across the positions of our troops.
At the same time, Ukrainian soldiers continue to inflict losses in manpower and equipment on the occupying troops, exhausting the enemy along the entire front line and continue to disrupt the plans of Russian occupiers to advance deep into the territory of Ukraine.
Ukrainian missile forces and artillery hit 20 areas of concentration of the enemy's personnel during the day.
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Air Force Daily Report
On the night of June 12, 2024, the occupiers launched a missile-air strike against Ukraine, using air and ground-based missiles, as well as attack UAVs.
A total of 30 means of air attack:
- 4 Kh-101/Kh-555 cruise missiles from Tu-95 MS strategic aircraft (launch area - Saratov Region - Russian Federation);
- 1 "Iskander-M" ballistic missile (from the territory of Crimea);
- 1 Kh-47M2 "Kinzhal" aeroballistic missile (from the airspace of the Tambov Region - Russian Federation);
- 24 attack UAVs of the "Shahed-131/136" type (launch area - Yeisk, Primorsko-Akhtarsk - Russian Federation).
Anti-aircraft missile units of the Air Force, mobile fire groups and electronic warfare equipment of the Defense Forces of Ukraine were involved in repelling the enemy's air attack.
As a result of anti-aircraft combat, 29 air targets were shot down:
- 1 Kh-47M2 "Kinzhal" aeroballistic missile;
- 4 Kh-101/Kh-555 cruise missiles;
- 24 attack UAVs of the "Shahed-131/136" type.
Anti-aircraft defence worked in Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia, Poltava, Kharkiv, and Vinnytsia regions.
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The Khortytsia operational-strategic group
(Responsible for the northeastern part of Ukraine. )
Kharkiv axis: There were 4 unsuccessful Russian assaults in the vicinity of and Vovchansk. Ukrainian military continues to take measures to strengthen defence positions and borders.
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Kupyansk axis: The situation has not changed significantly, the tension remains in the area of Berestovoe, where the battle is currently ongoing. Intentions of the opponent to advance towards Synkivka have failed. The situation is under the control of Defence Forces.
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Lyman axis: The enemy was active in the areas of Druzhelyubivka, Nevsky, Hrekívka, Torsky and Serebryanskyy Forest. There were 16 have been attacks in the last day. 3 clashes are still ongoing. Ukrainian defenders are holding their positions.
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Siversk axis: The situation has not experienced significant changes.
Kramatorsk axis: Russian forces attacked 10 times in the vicinity of Chasiv Yar, Ivanivske, Klishchiivka and Andriivka. The situation is intense.
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Russian Forces enter Chasiv Yar suburb
The UK Ministry of Defence in its June 12 Intelligence Update stated that:
Russian Ground Forces (RGF) have likely achieved a limited break-in of an eastern suburb of Chasiv Yar, a town located approximately 8km to the west of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine. They have also likely taken control of Ivanivske, a village southeast of Chasiv Yar. Heavy fighting is reported in the urban areas, with the Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF) contesting RGF advances. Russian forces likely remain on the east side of a canal that runs through the city which presents an obstacle to their advance.
It is highly likely that the RGF is employing a dismounted infantry approach to clearing the suburbs, and that the Russian casualty rate is high. The UAF report an artillery-centric assault on the city with thermobaric munitions in use. Chasiv Yar is likely of value to Russia due to its strategic position on a plateau, as well as its historic use as a logistics hub for the UAF.
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The Tavria operational-strategic group
(Responsible for the central-eastern and southeastern part of Ukraine.)
Pokrovsk axis: Russia attacked Ukrainian positions 24 times in the last day with the greatest activity in the Novooleksandrivka area. A tense situation exists in the Sokil area
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Kurakhove axis: Russia made 4 attempts to breach Ukrainian positions in the vicinity of Krasnogorivka, Paraskoviyivka and Karlivka. The situation is under control.
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Vremika axis: Russian forces made 2 attacks in the vicinity of Staromaiorske and Urozhaine
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Orikhiv axis: 6 attacks took place in the vicinity of Mala Tokmachka. The situation is tense, measures are being taken to stabilise the environment.
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The Odesa operational-strategic group
(Responsible for Kherson, Qırım, (also known as Crimea) and the Black Sea.)
Prydniprovsk axis: The situation has not experienced significant changes.
TEMPORARILY OCCUPIED TERRITORIES
Nothing to report.
THE HOME FRONT
Russia struck Kyiv after a pause on June 12
On the night of June 12, Russian forces launched a massive air attack on Ukraine. Initially, the enemy launched Shahed drones, followed by various types of missiles. This time, the targets were Kyiv and the region, and the distinctive feature was how the Russians decided to use their Tu-95MS aircraft. RBC- Ukraine reports.
According to Oleksandr Kovalenko, a military-political analyst of the Information Resistance Group Ukrainian energy infrastructure remains the primary target for the aggressor nation. Additionally, he notes that the enemy has not abandoned strikes on airfields either.
"Especially military airfields, where F-16s and necessary infrastructure could potentially be located. That is why these strikes are being carried out," Kovalenko believes.
This time, Russian forces decided to attack the capital after a brief pause (the last strike on Kyiv was on May 31). The expert points out that it raises an interesting question as to why the Russians targeted the city and lists several possible reasons.
"They have repeatedly confirmed that Kyiv has a fairly strong, layered air defence system, which is difficult to penetrate. Especially if the attack is carried out with a limited number of munitions, as it was this time. So, it wasn't about breaking through the capital's air defences. Therefore, it is quite possible that this was a test; they were trying to determine which systems are currently present in Kyiv," Kovalenko suggests.
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He explains that missiles like the Kh-101, which the enemy used that night, can be intercepted by all short- and medium-range air defence systems employed by Ukrainian forces, whereas Kinzhals (one of which was used) can only be intercepted by Patriot or SAMP-T systems.
"Therefore, perhaps they were trying to determine the location of these systems or whether they have been changed, and whether they are still around Kyiv," Kovalenko noted.
It also raises questions why during this attack, Russia did not use a single Tu-95MS bomber, which can carry up to eight missiles, but instead used four such aircraft.
"Launching one missile each...burning fuel, using up the resources of four aircraft. This is a very strange aspect. But it's not the first time it has been mentioned that their Tu-95MS aircraft are very old, tens and tens of years old. And their overall resource capacity is essentially exhausted," says Kovalenko.
According to him, it is quite possible that for the crews of some aircraft, it is now risky to use a full complement of munitions due to the aircraft's depleted resources. Therefore, they try to minimise this by launching 2-4 missiles from one aircraft, or even just one, as was the case this time.
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RUSSIAN WORLD
Russia posts abducted Ukrainian children on government-linked adoption sites
Four children who were abducted and deported to Russia at the beginning of the full-scale invasion were possibly put up for adoption on a government-linked adoption site, according to an investigation released by the Financial Times on June 12.
The investigation, which used facial recognition tools, public records, and interviews with family members of the abducted children, identified four Ukrainian children aged eight to 15 on the Russian government-linked adoption website usynovite.ru. The children were reportedly abducted from state-care homes.
One of the children had a new Russian name and a different age than the one listed on their Ukrainian document, and another had a Russianized version of their name. None of the information about the children indicated that they came from Ukraine.
The children were abducted from state care homes and separated from their guardians and relatives in towns across the southern and eastern regions of Ukraine that fell under the control of Russia’s invading army in 2022. They range in age from eight to 15-years-old.
The children traced by the FT and whose identities were confirmed with their families by the Ukrainian authorities have ended up in the Tula region near Moscow and in the Orenburg region close to the Kazakh border. One of the children was taken to occupied Crimea.
The ICC has issued arrest warrants for Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and Commissioner for Children’s Rights Maria Lvova-Belova, saying they bear criminal responsibility for the war crime of unlawful deportation of the children.
The Kremlin did not respond to requests for comment about the FT’s findings. It has objected to the warrants, denied abducting children and tried to justify its actions by claiming it was done for their protection despite an abundance of evidence to the contrary.
A defiant Putin has signed decrees making it possible to fast-track Russian citizenship for Ukrainian children taken to Russia.
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Russia to close 57 penal colonies due to mobilisation for the war in Ukraine
A new report from the National Resistance Centre says that Russia plans to close at least 57 colonies due to the mass mobilisation of prisoners to the front in Ukraine.
Russian authorities justified this decision by the fact that some articles of the Criminal Code were decriminalised.
“In fact, the main reason for the decrease in the number of prisoners in penal colonies is that they are sent en masse to war against Ukraine”, — the report reads.
According to the CNS, someone does this voluntarily, succumbing to promises of annulments of their criminal record and big money. However, most do not even see contracts.
Those contractors who go to the front through the signing of the relevant document in prison on average live no more than eight months the report claims.
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Ex-commander: Russian troops resemble guerrilla fighters
In a recent address to the State Duma, former Commander of the Airborne Forces Vladimir Shamanov criticised the quality of military supplies provided to the Russian army. Defence Blog reports.
He described the current state of the army as resembling a guerrilla unit due to the poor quality of issued gear, forcing soldiers to purchase their own equipment.
Shamanov, now Deputy Chairman of the Committee on the Development of Civil Society, Public, and Religious Associations, highlighted the dire situation faced by servicemen. “Those who have been on the front lines know that today’s army looks like a guerrilla unit. It outfits itself with its own money and the support of relatives because the quality of the issued gear is beyond evaluation,” he stated during the plenary session.
He also directed his criticism towards the generals, referring to them as a “different army” that is well-dressed and equipped. “The ordinary soldier cannot access the tailor shops where they outfit themselves. If we undressed them, we would see what they really wear. When they start buying everything with their own money, not the people’s money, then we will properly outfit our army,” Shamanov added.
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NEWS WORLDWIDE
German Energy company Uniper won more than $14 billion in arbitration against Gazprom
An arbitration court awarded the German energy company Uniper the right to terminate a long-term contract with Russia's Gazprom and more than 13 billion euros ($14 billion) in damages for failed gas deliveries, Uniper said on June 12. The Kyiv Independent reports.
The June 7 ruling by a Stockholm court allowed the German company to terminate its long-term contracts for Russian gas and the "relationship with the Russian state-owned company Gazprom Export" on June 12.
Russia began tightening screws on gas supplies to Europe in the wake of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine and subsequent Western sanctions.
According to Uniper, the sum of $14 billion should compensate for the gas not provided since mid-2022.
"Although only limited gas volumes had been delivered since June 2022 and no gas volumes since the end of August 2022, the long-term gas supply contracts between the two companies were still legally in force, and individual contracts would have continued to exist until the mid-2030s," Uniper's statement read.
After suffering "substantial losses due to the Russian gas supply restrictions," the company initiated arbitration against Gazprom in late 2022.
Uniper, Germany's largest gas importer, encountered difficulties in 2022 due to the reduction of Russian imports and turned to the German government for assistance. Subsequently, the government nationalised the company by becoming its majority shareholder.
The drop in Russian fossil fuel imports to Europe hit Gazprom hard as well. According to a report commissioned by the company, the state-owned giant will not be able to recover losses incurred from Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine for at least 10 years.
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Hungary won’t participate in any NATO decisions on Ukraine, but won’t block them either
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg says that Hungary will not take part in future decisions of the alliance regarding Ukraine, but will not block them either. Interfax Ukraine reports.
“At the Summit, I expect Allies will agree a leading role for NATO in coordinating and providing security assistance and training for Ukraine. I also expect Allies will agree long-term financial pledge to provide military support. This will provide the predictability and accountability that Ukraine needs. Prime Minister Orbán has made it clear that Hungary will not participate in these NATO efforts. And I accept this position,” he said on Wednesday in Budapest at a joint press conference with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, which took place after the bilateral meeting.
“I'm glad that today the Prime Minister and I have agreed on modalities for Hungary's non-participation in NATO's support to Ukraine. No Hungarian personnel will take part in these activities and no Hungarian funds will be used to support them. At the same time, the Prime Minister has assured me that Hungary will not oppose these efforts, enabling other Allies to move forward,” Stoltenberg said.
In turn, Orban stated that everyone knows that Hungary's position on the issue of the war that Russia is waging against Ukraine is different from most of its allies. "Hungary recognizes the fact that there are opinions in NATO that differ from ours. We have always been allowed to share our opinions … Hungary does not have the capabilities or capacity to change its mind. Hungary has clearly said that it does not intend to block any decisions in NATO that may differ from our, as we believe, rational analysis of the situation," the Hungarian Prime Minister said.
The Hungarian Prime Minister stressed that Budapest had been given guarantees "when it comes to Russia's war against Ukraine." "When it comes to military operations outside (NATO's responsibility), we will not take part in this, Hungary will not provide funding and personnel for this war, nor will the territory of Hungary be used for any involvement in this war. We were provided with guarantees for everything that we considered necessary. It was a difficult but constructive discussion with the Secretary General," he elaborated.
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MILITARY & TECH
US President has approved the deployment of another Patriot missile system in Ukraine.
President Biden has approved the deployment of another Patriot missile system to Ukraine, senior administration and military officials said, as the country struggles to fend off Russian attacks on its cities, infrastructure and electrical grid. The New York Times reports.
Mr. Biden’s decision came last week, the officials said, after a series of high-level meetings and an internal debate over how to meet Ukraine’s pressing needs for bolstered air defences without jeopardising U.S. combat readiness.
The new Patriot system — the second that the United States has sent to Ukraine — will come from Poland, where it has been protecting a rotational force of American troops who will be returning to the United States, officials said.
The system could be deployed to Ukraine’s front lines in the next several days, U.S. officials said, depending on any maintenance or modifications it needs.
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