Zelensky announced the "painful" losses of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Severodonetsk and Kharkiv region
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said that the Ukrainian Armed Forces had suffered "painful losses" in Severodonetsk and Kharkiv region over the past day. On the eve of the "significant losses" of the Ukrainian army, the Russian Defense Ministry also reported. Where the fighting is going on and how the special operation is progressing - in the material of "Gazeta.Ru".
"Brutal battles" of the Ukrainian military
Vladimir Zelensky accused Russia of "hitting the Lviv and Ternopil regions." According to him, the Ukrainian air defense still managed to "clip the wings" of part of the "Russian missiles".
"We repeat again and again to our partners that Ukraine needs modern anti-missile weapons. Delaying its provision cannot be justified. I will constantly emphasize this when speaking with our partners. We made the first requests for anti-missile systems long before the full-scale invasion. And this week there will be many different important negotiations - and not only with European politicians who are able to transfer modern anti-missile systems to Ukraine," Zelensky's words are quoted in his Telegram channel.
The Ukrainian leader noted that he asked the Commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to "pay very close attention" to reports in the media and in social networks that some of the servicemen "do not have enough personal protective equipment." He also called for checking the logistics in the army and the allocation of resources.
"Over the past day, there have been no drastic changes in the battle in the Donbas. The most brutal battles are in Severodonetsk and in all cities and communities nearby, as before. Unfortunately, the losses are painful. But you need to hold on. This is our state. It is vital to stay there, in the Donbass. The more losses the enemy suffers there, the less strength they will have to continue the aggression," the head of state said.
He added that Ukraine is suffering "painful losses" in the Kharkiv region, where "the Russian army is trying to strengthen its positions."
Zelensky concluded that the "key goal" of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Donbas is the "liberation of Kherson."
Air strikes by Russian troops
On the eve of the official representative of the Russian Defense Ministry, Lieutenant General Igor Konashenkov, said that aviation had eliminated more than 350 Ukrainian servicemen in a day. According to him, high-precision long-range Kalibr missiles destroyed an ammunition depot on the southern outskirts of Kharkiv. In addition, it was possible to intercept a Ukrainian Tochka-U ballistic missile in the Kharkiv region.
"During the special military operation, the Ukrainian army continues to suffer significant losses," Konashenkov stressed.
He added that in the areas of hostilities, "incidents with the shooting of Ukrainian servicemen in the back have become more frequent." A representative of the Ministry of Defense said that in the area of Novomikhailovka, more than 30 servicemen of the 25th Battalion of the 54th Mechanized Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine decided to surrender.
"The Ukrainian servicemen who occupied a strong point in the area of the Animal Farm radioed to the command of the Russian unit to cease fire and provide a corridor for exit. At about 22 o'clock, the AFU servicemen with white flags began advancing towards the Russian positions," Konashenkov said.
But a squad of armored vehicles opened fire on the backs of the surrendering people, the representative of the Ministry of Defense continued. According to him, 32 servicemen were killed.
The head of the National Defense Control Center of the Russian Federation, Colonel-General Mikhail Mizintsev, said that the Ukrainian side had asked to organize a humanitarian corridor to Lisichansk for the evacuation of women, children and elderly people at the Azot chemical plant in Severodonetsk.
"Taking into account the fact that on June 13, 2022, by order of the Kiev authorities, in order to prevent the retreat of territorial defense units by the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the last bridge over the Seversky Donets River in the direction of Lisichansk was blown up, it is not possible to conduct a safe evacuation in this direction," Mizintsev said.
He added that Ukrainian servicemen retreating from the residential quarters of Severodonetsk "deliberately led hundreds of civilians out of the city into the industrial zone of the Azot chemical plant in order to hide behind them as a "human shield."
The Defense Ministry also suspects that "the appeal of the Ukrainian side about the alleged rescue of civilians" is an attempt to "withdraw the surviving units from the encirclement." However, the Russian side on Wednesday from 8 a.m. opened a humanitarian corridor for civilians towards the controlled city of Svatovo in the Luhansk People's Republic. The Defense Ministry also called on the Ukrainian servicemen blocked at the Azot plant to lay down their weapons and surrender.
According to the data of the Assistant Minister of Internal Affairs of the LNR Vitaly Kiselyov, about 2.5 thousand military personnel "settled" on the territory of the combine, up to 600 of them are foreign mercenaries.
Maria Shustrova
