ISW Key Takeaways
Concentrated Russian artillery power paired with likely understrength infantry units remains insufficient to enable Russian advances within Severodonetsk.
Russian forces continued to prepare to advance on Slovyansk from southeast of Izyum and west of Lyman.
Russian forces are focusing on strengthening defensive positions along the Southern Axis due to recent successful Ukrainian counterattacks along the Kherson-Mykolaiv Oblast border.
Successful Ukrainian counterattacks in the Zaporizhia area are forcing Russian forces to rush reinforcements to this weakened sector of the front line.
Russian forces are likely conducting false-flag artillery attacks against Russian-held territory to dissuade Ukrainian sentiment and encourage the mobilization of proxy forces.
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⚡️NYT: Russia used in Ukraine over 210 types of ammunition banned under international treaties. A New York Times investigation examined over 1,000 photos and identified more than 2,000 munitions used by the Russian army in Ukraine, an absolute majority of which were unguided. More than 330 weapons analyzed by NYT appeared to have been used on or near civilian structures.
⚡️Zelensky: Historic week ahead, Russia expected to step up ‘hostile activity’. Zelenskyy: A week when we will hear the answer from the European Union on the candidate status for Ukraine. And in such a week, we should expect greater hostile activity from Russia.
⚡️ Governor: Threat of water contamination at Russian-seized iron ore plant in Zaporizhzhia. Should the Zaporizhzhia Iron Ore Plant stop pumping water, there are risks that surrounding ground water will be contaminated by iron ore. The plant ceased operations in March.
⚡️ Defense Minister: Ukraine to display fragments of Russian military equipment across Europe.
⚡️ Ukraine’s military: Russia reinforces Black Sea fleet. Ukraine’s Operational Command “South” said there are currently three surface ships and three submarines with a total arsenal of 36 missiles and three airborne corps.
⚡️ General Staff: Russian forces continue to fire on settlements in Donbas, focus on Sievierodonetsk and Bakhmut.
⚡️Governor: Ukraine loses control over Metolkino village near Sievierodonetsk.
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UkraineNOW
🍔 "The government of Ukraine is cooperating with the leadership of the McDonald's fast food chain to reopen restaurants in Ukraine in the near future," Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said.
💡 Fenix Insight creates playing cards for Ukrainians that teach them to distinguish between types of mines and shells. There are 60 cards in the deck, and each of them has a text in Ukrainian and English about explosives. [so this idea went ahead! great news]
📈 President Macron's coalition won a majority in the French parliament
❌ The invaders stole 15,000 tons of sunflower and 10,000 tons of grain from the granaries of the Luhansk region, said the head of the regional military administration Serhiy Haidai
Kazakhstan blocked 1,700 wagons of Russian coal on its territory in response to Russia blocking the export of Kazakh oil [this whole situation is really interesting and Kazahkstan is in danger]
❗️ In an interview with the Govorit Moskva radio station, Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on CIS Affairs Konstantin Zatulin tacitly threatened Kazakhstan with a Russian invasion according to the Ukrainian scenario. Zatulin said that there are areas in Kazakhstan "with a predominantly Russian population" that, in his opinion, have a "weak relation" to what is called Kazakhstan. “Everywhere, including in relation to Ukraine, we say: if we have friendship, cooperation, partnership, then no territorial issues are raised. And if not, then everything is possible. As is the case with Ukraine,” Zatulin said. The Russian-Kazakh conflict, caused by President Tokayev's refusal to recognize the L/DPR gangs, continues to gain momentum.