Russian Invasion of Ukraine Situation Report #75

Military and Diplomatic Highlights: · As of June 18th, the Ukrainian military reported the following Russian losses: o 219,820 Soldiers (Wounded or Killed) o 3,984 Tanks o 7,729 Armored vehicles o 3,847 Artillery o 314 Aircraft o 304 Helicopters o 3,371 Drones o 1,211 Cruise missiles · The Russian Federation has continued to launch missile and drone strikes against Ukrainian targets. Below is a summary of the attacks over the last week: o June 13th: A missile attack targeted Kryvyi Rih. One of the missiles hit an apartment building which killed four people and injured 12. o June 14th: A drone and missile attack killed three people and injured 13. o June 16th: 12 missiles were launched, and all were shot down by the Ukrainian military. · The Ukrainian military as of June 12th, has liberated seven villages in the Donetsk and Tavria regions. · The United Kingdom’s (UK) Ministry of Defense is reporting the following: o Russian deployment of attack helicopters: ü Since the start of Ukrainian counter-offensive operations in southern Ukraine, Russia has re-enforced its attack helicopter force in the region. Imagery shows ground targets. ü Russian General-Major Sergei Goryachev Elimination: ü General-Major Sergei Goryachev was almost certainly killed in a strike on a command post on or around June 12th, in southern Ukraine. Goryachev was the chief of staff of 35th Combined Arms Army (35 CAA). ü With 35 CAA’s nominated commander, General-Lieutenant Alexandr Sanchik, reported to be filling positions at headquarters, there is a realistic possibility that Goryachev was the acting army commander at the time of his death. ü Goryachev is the first Russian general confirmed killed in Ukraine since the start of 2023. o Wagner Group: ü On June 10th, the Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) demanded that members of ‘volunteer formations’ such as Wagner Group sign contracts directly with the MoD, a move endorsed by President Putin on June 13th. ü For several months, Wagner’s owner Yevgeny Prigozhin has been aiming criticism at the MoD hierarchy but deferred to Putin’s authority. ü However, Wagner’s owner has stated publicly that none of his employees will sign a contract with the MoD. o Russian Tactical Combat Air Sorties: ü In the last two weeks, there has been an uptick in Russian tactical combat air sorties, especially over southern Ukraine. This has almost certainly been in response to reports of increased Ukrainian offensive operations, as the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) attempt to support ground troops with air strikes. ü Despite the uptick, VKS’ daily sortie rate remains much lower than the peak of up to 300 daily missions early in the war. ü Since the start of the invasion, the south of Ukraine has often been more permissible for Russian air operations compared to other sectors of the front. ü Over the last year, VKS has increased its use of air-to-surface weapons, such as glide bombs, which allow attack aircraft to remain well away from their targets. ü that over 20 extra Russian helicopters have been deployed to the Berdyansk Airport. ü In the constant contest between aviation measures and countermeasures, it is likely that Russia has gained a temporary advantage in southern Ukraine, especially with attack helicopters employing longer-range missiles against · The UK Ministry of Defense announced a new fund which will deliver hundreds of vital missiles and air defense systems to Ukraine. This fund is a joint effort between the UK, Denmark, the Netherlands, and the United States. · The United States announced on June 13th an additional security assistance package. This package will include the following capabilities: o Additional munitions for the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems o Stinger anti-aircraft systems o Additional ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems o 155mm and 105mm artillery rounds o 15 Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles o 10 Stryker Armored Personnel Carriers o Javelin anti-armor systems o Tube-Launched, Optically Tracked, Wire-Guided missiles. o AT-4 anti-armor systems o Over 22 million rounds of small arms ammunition and grenades o Demolition munitions for obstacle clearing. o Tactical secure communications support equipment · The Ukraine Contact Group announced on June 15th additional assistance through various member states. This assistance includes: o Germany and Poland committed to sustaining Ukraine's new Leopard tanks. o Canada will send Ukraine over 200 air-defense missiles. o Denmark announced nearly $2.6 million for Ukraine military assistance through 2024. o The training of Ukrainian soldiers is ongoing: ü The United States has trained over 11,000 Ukrainians in combined-arms maneuver and staff training. That training effort has resulted in the creation of 12 Ukrainian maneuver battalions of nearly 5,000 operators. ü Nearly 60,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been trained by other member states. · On June 16h, it was announced that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) will be inviting Ukraine into a new NATO-Ukraine defense council as an equal member. War and Atrocity Crimes Investigations Highlights: · On June 16th, the Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine reported that 1,651 new war crimes were registered. Humanitarian Impact and Response and Recovery Highlights: Destruction of the Kakhovka Dam: · The number of villages and towns affected by flooding reduced from 46 to 13 in the Ukrainian-controlled areas of Khersonska oblast, where about 1,800 houses are still flooded. · On the other side of the front line, which is under the military control of the Russian Federation, information is limited, but according to Russian-installed authorities, the town of Nova Kakhovka and the village of Korsunka are no longer flooded. · As of June 15th, a total of 3,000 people has been evacuated by the Ukrainian government. · The flood waters began a gradual decrease (as of June 16th) on the Dnipro River near the "Kherson" post and was at the level of 1.37 meters. · Ukrainian State Emergency Services are supporting recovery operations, this includes delivering relief supplies and pumping out homes: o On June 15th, 36 tons of drinking water and 4,495 kilograms of food and necessities were delivered to affected residents. o In total 59,000 tons of flood water has been pumped out of 245 homes. · The destruction of the dam has resulted in a loss of piped water mainly in the Dnipropetrovska oblast. This has left nearly 210,000 people in urgent need of life-saving water. · The European Union (EU) through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism has supplied the following resources to Ukraine as of June 15th: o The EU is deploying three mobile water treatment units which can produce 120,000 liters of clean water per day. o Additional resources have already been deployed; this includes: ü 71 Generators ü 22,000 Food items ü 74 boats ü 286 motor pumps ü 5 water tanks ü 1 water tanker trucks ü 10,000 shelter and rescue items ü 1 truck with crane ü 27,000 water, sanitation, and hygiene items · Healthcare and Public Health Update: o The World Health Organization (WHO) has delivered 37 medical kits to address growing medical needs. The kits are intended to cover the needs of over 16,000 patients for several months. o At least two health centers have been flooded. · The UN is continuing to provide humanitarian aid in the affected areas: o As of June 17th, a six-truck convoy delivered supplies (water, food, medicine, and other items) to support 4,000 people in Beryslav, Kozatske and Vesele. o On June 16th a UN boat convoy delivered essential supplies (food rations and potable water) to 150 people in a community across the Inhulets river. o As of June 15th, the World Food Programme delivered 148,000 rations to flood affected people. o On June 14th, a convoy delivered water, food, medicine, and hygiene items to 7,000 people living outside of Kherson. Other Humanitarian Assistance Updates: · There are now 5.9 refugees recorded throughout Europe and 5.4 million Internally Displaced Persons in Ukraine. · A total of 4.8 million Ukrainians has returned to their country. · Black Sea Grain Initiative: o There has been a total of 985 Outbound voyages which have delivered 32 million tons of commodities. Russian Dis-information Campaign Highlights: · The Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko is spreading misinformation on the Ukrainian counteroffensive death toll. Here is the fact check. · Robert Kennedy Jr. who is running for President is repeating Russian disinformation about the invasion of Ukraine. Specifically, that the United States installed the Ukrainian government in 2014. Here is the fact check. · Russia is continuing to spread disinformation as to why the Russian objectives in Ukraine have not been achieved. Cultural Heritage Protection Highlights: · The International Alliance for the Protection of Heritage in Conflict Areas (ALIPH) has already provided two emergency grants. These grants were provided to partners in Ukraine to protect endangered cultural heritage following the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam. Sources: · Ukraine - Humanitarian Impact and Response Flash Update #7: Destruction of Kakhovka Dam (16 Jun 2023) · WFP Ukraine External Situation Report #40 (16 June 2023) · War in Ukraine: Situation report from WHO Ukraine country office. Issue No. 54, 16 June 2023 · Ukraine Data Explorer · OCHA Ukraine Twitter Page · ECHO Twitter Page · Ukrainian Ministry of Defense Twitter Page · Ukrainian Red Cross Twitter Page · Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine Twitter Page · United Kingdom Ministry of Defense Twitter Page · U.S. Department of Defense Twitter Page · PolyGraph Info Twitter Page · EU East Stratcom Task Force Disinformation Review Twitter Page · International Alliance for the Protection of Heritage in Conflict Areas Twitter Page Resources Ukraine | Nova Kakhovka Dam breach - DG ECHO Daily Map | 12/06/2023 (New) https://reliefweb.int/map/ukraine/ukraine-nova-kakhovka-dam-breach-dg-echo-daily-map-12062023 ACAPS, UKRAINE: Flooding due to the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam (New) https://www.acaps.org/sites/acaps/files/slides/files/20230609_acaps_briefing_note_ukraine_flooding_due_to_the_destruction_of_the_kakhovka_dam.pdf UN Refugee Agency, Ukrainian Refugee Operational Data Portal http://data2.unhcr.org/en/situations/ukraine Centre for Humanitarian Data, Ukraine Data Explorer https://data. humdata.org/visualization/ukraine-humanitarian-operations/ Humanitarian Logistics Association, Ukraine Crisis Information Website https://www.humanitarianlogistics.org/donate ACAPS Ukraine Analysis Hub https://ukraine-analysis-hub.acaps.org/ UKRAINE- HEALTH CLUSTER ACTIVITIES Dashboard https://www.humanitarianresponse.info/en/operations/ukraine/ukraine-health-cluster-activities U.S. Department of State, Disinformation Website https://www.state.gov/disarming-disinformation/ U.S. Department of Defense, Support for Ukraine https://www.defense.gov/Spotlights/Support-for-Ukraine/ Alliance For Securing Democracy War in Ukraine Dis-Information Dashboard https://securingdemocracy.gmfus.org/war-in-ukraine/ National Democratic Institute Disinformation Coordination Hub https://t.co/OctUrivBQC International Fact-Checking Network, #Ukraine Facts https://ukrainefacts.org/ Monetary Donations