UKRAINE WAR BRIEF DAILY DRAFT
For: 2024-06-26
Slava Ukraini! In early 2022 I began a Telegram channel aggregating news from a number of sources daily on the war in Ukraine. Since June 2023 I have provided a daily draft for the Ukraine War Brief Podcast collecting news from over 60 sources daily, much of which forms the basis of the script. While the Podcast is on hiatus I will make this Draft available here both on my own Substack and The People’s Media for those who wish to keep up with events on a daily basis.
ALONG THE CONTACT LINE
GSAFU Morning Report
GSAFU Morning Report
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in its Operational Information update at 2:00 on June 25 stated that day 854 of the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation against Ukraine was about to begin.
During the past day, 123 combat engagements took place. Over the past 24 hours, the enemy carried out 0 missile strikes, 43 air strikes, 368 drone strikes and more than 2,700 artillery strikes across the positions of Ukrainian forces.
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.
Aviation, missile troops and artillery of the Defense Forces hit 10 personnel concentration areas and two enemy control points.
Air Force Daily Report
Nothing to report.
The Khortytsia operational-strategic group
(Responsible for the northeastern part of Ukraine. )
Kharkiv axis: The enemy, supported by aviation, 8 times unsuccessfully attacked in the area of Hlyboke, Vovchansk and Tykhe. Defense Forces units have successfully repelled five offensive actions of the enemy, three more clashes are currently ongoing.
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Kupyansk axis: The enemy made 10 attempts to breach Ukrainian positions near the settlements of Sinkivka, Stepova Novoselivka, Pičnna and Stelmakhivka. Nine enemy attacks were successfully repelled. The tense situation remains in the area of the Stepova Novoselivka, where the fight is still taking place.
Lyman axis: The enemy attacked Ukrainian positions 15 times in the vicinity of Hrekivka, Makiivka, Nevske, and the Serebryanskyy Forest. Ukrainian defenders repelled 12 attacks of the enemy, the fight continue. Measures are being taken to prevent invaders from advancing.
Siversk axis: The enemy attacked the Defense Forces 22 times in the areas of Bilhorivka, Verkhnokamianske, and Vyimka and Rozdolivka.
Kramatorsk axis: Ukrainian defenders, over the day, repelled 9 attacks in the vicinity Chasiv Yar, Ivanivske and Andriivka. The situation is under the control of Ukrainian defenders.
Toretsk axis: The enemy tried to breach Ukrainian defences 11 times in the vicinity of Pivnichne and New York. All attacks have been repelled.
The Tavria operational-strategic group
(Responsible for the central-eastern and southeastern part of Ukraine.)
Pokrovsk axis: This area continues to have the highest intensity of combat.The enemy conducted 45 attacks against Ukrainian defences in this area over the last day in the vicinity of Vozdvizhenko, Novooleksandrívka, Sokil, Yevhenívka, Novoselívka Persha and Umanske.
Kurakhove axis: The enemy made 6 attacks in the vicinity of Heorhiivka and Kostiantynika. The situation is under the control of our defenders.
Vremika axis: The situation has not experienced significant changes.
Orikhiv axis: The enemy made several unsuccessful attacks in the vicinity of Mala Tokmachka and Robotyne
The Odesa operational-strategic group
(Responsible for Kherson, Qırım, (also known as Crimea) and the Black Sea.)
Prydniprovsk axis: The enemy made 4 attempts to breach the defences of Ukrainian forces on the left bank of the Dnipro.
TEMPORARILY OCCUPIED TERRITORIES
Nothing to report.
THE HOME FRONT
Zelenskyy visits the front in Donetsk region
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Donetsk region on Wednesday together with Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrsky and newly appointed Commander of the Joint Forces Andriy Hnatov.
"Donetsk region. Together with our soldiers, together with Commander-in-Chief Syrsky and new commander of the Joint Forces, General Hnatov … Together with the commander-in-chief, we heard reports directly from the positions," the President said in a video message.
Zelenskyy introduced Brigadier General Hnatov to all those responsible for defence in Donetsk region.
According to the President, “he is a young man, but his knowledge of the frontline and experience are exactly what is needed. General Hnatov's task is clear – to destroy the occupier and, very importantly, to save as many lives of our warriors as possible.”
RUSSIAN WORLD
Russia bans distribution of dozens of EU news outlets in retaliatory step
Russia said on Tuesday it was banning access inside Russia to the broadcasts of 81 different media outlets from the European Union including Agence France-Presse and Politico in retaliation for a similar EU ban on several Russian media outlets. Reuters reports.
The European Union said in May it was suspending the distribution of what it described as four "Kremlin-linked propaganda networks," stripping them of their broadcasting rights in the bloc.
The Russian Foreign Ministry hit back on Tuesday, releasing a list of 81 media outlets from 25 EU member states, as well as pan-European outlets, whose broadcasts it said would no longer be available on Russian territory.
It accused the outlets of "systematically distributing inaccurate information" about what Russia calls its special military operation in Ukraine. [i.e. Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine]
France's Agence France-Presse (AFP) news agency, Austria's ORF state TV company, Ireland's RTE broadcaster, digital outlet Politico, and Spain's EFE news agency were among the outlets affected by the move, along with many other national broadcasters and newspapers.
"The Russian Federation has repeatedly warned at various levels that politically motivated harassment of domestic journalists and unjustified bans on Russian media in the EU will not go unanswered," the foreign ministry said in a statement.
It said it would review its ban if the EU lifted its restrictions on RIA, Izvestia and the Rossiyskaya Gazeta newspaper, all of which it described as Russian media outlets.
Armenia Edges Toward Breach With Russia
Armenia is on the verge of ditching membership in the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), the Russia-led military and security grouping. CEPA reports.
The decision has been threatened since 2020 when Azerbaijan decisively defeated Armenia in war. It worsened in September 2023 when the Azeris fully retook what remained of the Nagorno-Karabakh region. Russia, Armenia’s ally, responded with shoulder-shrugging.
The scars left by Armenia’s sense of betrayal are widespread in Yerevan and the public mood is now deeply anti-Russian (the number of Armenians believing bilateral relations are bad has risen to 66% from 49%.) This realisation was especially stinging for Armenia since it has allied with Moscow since the 1990s and its main purpose is to defend its member states’ security.
Disenchantment has spurred Armenia to diversify its foreign policy. The pace of the shift is indeed staggering. If before 2020, Russian arms made up around 90% of Armenia’s defence capabilities, currently they have fallen to no more than 15%. Instead, Armenia has bought significant amounts of armaments from India and France.
And it is not only about quantity but also about quality, including advanced radars and missiles. On June 18, it was announced that France will sell Caesar self-propelled howitzers to Armenia. Two days later, the French newspaper Le Figaro reported that 36 of the howitzers will be dispatched to Armenia in the next 15 months. Caesars can hit targets up to 40km (25 miles) away and have been heavily used on the battlefields of Ukraine.
Yet, the most serious challenge Armenia posed to Russia was in the operation of CSTO. Yerevan has abstained from participating in major meetings and exercises of the grouping, and hints in the media circulate about its potential withdrawal.
The pace of disengagement has only accelerated since it was revealed in a slate of confidential documents that Putin’s client state, the Belarus dictatorship and another supposed ally of Armenia, was covertly arming Azerbaijan from 2018-2022. Belarus reportedly helped to modernise Azerbaijan’s artillery and sold electronic warfare and drone parts.
Belarus’ help could hardly have been offered without Russia’s tacit participation. Although Lukashenka had greater freedom of manoeuvre at the start of this period, by 2020 he was wholly reliant on the Kremlin for money and support, as he stole the election and cracked down on the opposition. For Armenians, this represents clear evidence that CSTO is of no further use.
The US too has upped its engagement. A number of meetings have been held; on June 18, senior US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Verma visited Yerevan for discussions. Days earlier, James O’Brien, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, visited Yerevan where the two sides signed a Customs Cooperation Agreement.
Armenia also pursues rapprochement with Turkey, which in an ideal scenario would “open up” the country (their mutual border has been shut for more than three decades) and thereby pave the way for a more diversified foreign policy.
NEWS WORLDWIDE
Dutch PM Mark Rutte to become new NATO leader
The North Atlantic Council decided to appoint Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte as the next Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), succeeding Jens Stoltenberg, according to an official statement posted on the Alliance's website on June 26. New Voice of Ukraine reports.
Rutte will “assume his functions as Secretary General from October 1, 2024, when Stoltenberg’s term expires after ten years at the helm of the Alliance.” He was supposed to complete his work in office at the end of September 2023, but due to the lack of consensus on a successor, NATO members asked him to accept an extension of his contract.
This follows an earlier Bloomberg report on June 20 that Rutte had secured the unanimous support of NATO member states to become the next Secretary General after Romanian President Klaus Iohannis announced of his withdrawal from the race.
Earlier, the Financial Times reported that Rutte promised Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban that during his tenure, the country would have the right to refuse to participate in NATO events in support of Ukraine that would take place outside the territory of the Alliance.
US efforts to sanction Russia, Iran hampered by Biden’s desire to keep gas prices low
U.S. efforts to sanction Russia, Iran, and Venezuela have collided with President Joe Biden's reelection campaign and related desire to keep domestic gas prices low, resulting in measures that are weaker than some in the administration would like to see, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on June 26, citing sources.
The U.S. and other Western countries have implemented repeated rounds of sanctions against Russia since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, aiming to weaken the financial support for its war machine.
Russia's economy has nonetheless remained unexpectedly resilient, largely buoyed by sales of oil and other fossil fuels. The U.S. has been cautious about targeting the Russian energy industry too aggressively, as it could have the potential to increase fuel prices at home.
“The president has wanted to do everything that he could to make sure that American consumers have the lowest price possible at the pump, as it affects families’ daily lives,” said a senior administration official.
There is frustration among some staffers in the U.S. Treasury Department over the lack of action against oil-trading networks that ferry Russian and Iranian oil, including one that officials are currently investigating, according to U.S. diplomats and some of the energy-industry players briefed by current officials.
Supporters of the policy within the administration say the moves are finely balanced to keep prices low, but throw sand in the gears of Russia and Iran’s oil export machines, meaning they earn less from each barrel of oil they sell.
The average price of a gallon of gasoline was $3.44 earlier this week, around the same level as a year ago, but substantially higher than four years ago, according to data from the U.S. Energy Administration.
Estonian PM Kallas will take over as next EU foreign policy head
Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas will be appointed the next foreign policy chief of the EU, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) reported on June 26, citing unnamed sources.
Sources also told RFE/RL that Antonio Costa, the former prime minister of Portugal, will become the next president of the European Council, taking over from the current president, Charles Michel.
Kallas had previously expressed interest in becoming the next NATO Secretary General, but eventually backed Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, who was officially appointed to the position on June 26.
First elected as Estonia's prime minister in 2021, Kallas' international profile has grown since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, as she has become one of the most outspoken proponents of Western support.
Ukraine and Canada update Free Trade Agreement
The updated Free Trade Agreement between Ukraine and Canada strengthens trade and economic cooperation between the two countries. We are also talking about facilitating temporary entry for Ukrainian service providers and promoting a free digital economy.
Today, on June 26, the Minister of economy of Ukraine Yulia Sviridenko and the Minister for Export Promotion, International Trade and economic development of Canada Mary Ng updated the agreement on free trade, writes UNN.
The updated Free Trade Agreement between Ukraine and Canada is a symbol of Canada's continued support for our struggle and economic sustainability. I am convinced that it will strengthen trade and economic cooperation between Ukraine and Canada, strengthen our economic partnership and promote the participation of Canadian companies in the economic recovery and reconstruction of Ukraine. This is without exaggeration a historic event, because this agreement is one of the most modern in the world. This is the first agreement that clearly shows that Ukraine shares the trade agenda of Canada, the United States, the EU, Japan and our other partners
- noted the first deputy prime minister-minister of Ukraine – Minister of economy of Ukraine. Sviridenko
MILITARY & TECH
Nothing to report.
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