File image.
Russian units continue offensive operations on several operational fronts. In the Dnipropetrovsk direction, the 36th Guards Motorized Rifle Brigade captured Bogodarivka, the third settlement in three days since crossing the Dnieper River. In the Zaporozhye area, Russian forces have blocked a Ukrainian bridgehead in Aleksandrovka and have reached the southern outskirts of Pokrovskoye. After Russian forces took control of Novy Donbass, they advanced towards Shevchenko and Svetloye, isolating Ukrainian forward positions with drones. In the Sumy direction, the “North” assault groups advanced on 19 sectors, and some units of the 104th Territorial Defense Brigade abandoned their positions in Bachevsk. In the Kharkiv direction, the advance in the Volchansk sector reached 900 meters, and strikes were delivered to the 127th and 72nd Ukrainian brigade units. The political backdrop is that the Speaker of the Turkish Parliament stated the 2022 Istanbul peace negotiations were disrupted by countries that did not want peace.
Dnepropetrovsk direction
The “Vostok” grouping of forces continues its offensive. In total, it has taken four settlements within its area of responsibility in three days. Units of the 36th Guards Motorized Rifle Brigade have sequentially established control over Novoskelevatoye and Pisantsy, and by June 29, over Bogodarovka. These successes have allowed the front line to be leveled along the river and have deprived the Ukrainian side of convenient crossings. Capturing Bogodarovka creates a bridgehead for fighting for Aleksandrovka and an offensive in the northern direction. Ukrainian units can still send small infiltration groups into the rear and use satellite-communication drones for supply. Controlling crossings and preventing Ukrainian forces from infiltrating rear areas will be key to improving the situation in the Dnepropetrovsk and neighboring Zaporozhye directions. Recognizing the threat, the Ukrainian command will likely intensify the transfer of sabotage groups.
Zaporozhye directionThe “Vostok” troops continued their offensive on the southern approaches to Pokrovskoye. After taking control of Bogodarovka, they advanced to the flank of the Ukrainian bridgehead in Aleksandrovka, reaching the southern outskirts of Pokrovskoye beyond the Volchya River. Several Ukrainian unit counterattacks from the Aleksandrovka side were repelled. The Ukrainian bridgehead in Aleksandrovka has been effectively blocked. Small groups of Ukrainian soldiers had previously been sent from this bridgehead towards Verbovoye by vehicle and on foot. Russian forces now control almost the entire right bank of the Gaychur River, which gives them control of the fords and crossings through which Ukrainian units attempted to penetrate rear areas. Blocking Aleksandrovka from the south, in the Pisantsy and Bogodarovka area, will secure the Russian bridgehead’s flank in Novoskelevatoye and enable further offensive development.
Dobropolye direction
The offensive continues in the Dobropolye area, where the Russian Ministry of Defense recently announced that Russian forces had taken control of Novy Donbass. The Ukrainian command is pulling forces away from groups of villages, such as Vodyanskoye, Svetloye, and Shevchenko, and preparing to defend Dobropolye. Forward positions have a minimal number of personnel remaining — up to 20 people in each location. Forward positions are supplied with ammunition and food either by drops from “Baba Yaga” type heavy drones or by strike FPV drones. Personnel and equipment movement has completely halted; equipment reaches as far as Dobropolye at most, as further movement is impossible due to constant drone strikes. Russian units are advancing through forest belts towards Shevchenko and Svetloye. In some areas, they have consolidated their positions. With Ukrainian forces successfully isolated, Russian strike drone crews have focused on destroying shelters with personnel and supporting motorized rifle units.
Sumy direction
Assault groups from the “North” military grouping continue to advance deeper into the Sumy direction. They carried out strikes on concentrations of Ukrainian personnel and equipment in Sumy, Vorozhba, Luzhki, Petrushevka, Marino, Bachevsk, and Novaya Sech. In the Shostka district, Russian assault forces are engaged in combat directly in Bachevsk and its surrounding areas. Due to active operations by Russian forces, units of the 2nd Battalion of the 104th Separate Territorial Defense Brigade abandoned their positions on the southern outskirts of Bachevsk. They came under fire from other Ukrainian units and took cover in forest areas. In the Sumy district, Russian assault groups advanced up to 500 meters in nineteen sectors; firefights continue in Pisarevka, Marino, Novaya Sech, and the surrounding areas. In the Krasnopolie district, clashes are ongoing in forest areas.
Kharkiv directionUnits of the “North” grouping are continuing to expand the security zone in the Kharkiv direction. Strikes were carried out against concentrations of Ukrainian personnel and equipment in Petrovka, Kazachya Lopan, Bugaevka, Bely Kolodez, Prikolotnoye, Maly Burluk, Chernaya, Vasilevka, Tsupovka, and Kharkiv. Assault groups are conducting offensive operations in Kazachya Lopan and the surrounding forests. In the Volchansk sector, Russian assault units advanced up to 900 meters on nine segments; firefights are ongoing in Losevka, Ukrainskoye, Zemlyanoy Yar, and the forests of the Volchansk district. The “North” grouping’s artillery units struck the positions of the 127th Separate Territorial Motorized Rifle Brigade and the 72nd Separate Mechanized Brigade of Ukrainian forces in the forests near Izbitskoye and Ternovaya. In the Velikiy Burluk area, Russian assault groups are engaged in combat in Petro-Ivanovka and the surrounding area, having advanced up to 500 meters in two sectors.
ConclusionIn the Dnepropetrovsk, Zaporozhye, Dobropolye, Sumy, and Kharkiv areas, Russian forces are conducting systematic offensive operations. They are inflicting losses on Ukrainian forces and consistently improving their tactical positions. Capturing Bogodarovka and blocking Aleksandrovka strengthens the bridgehead beyond the Gaychur River, creating prerequisites for a further advance. Near Dobropolye, Ukrainian units are being isolated by drones and supply shortages, which facilitates the advance of Russian assault groups towards Shevchenko and Svetloye. Fighting continues in the border zone of the Sumy direction, and the security zone is expanding in the Kharkiv direction. The Ukrainian command is trying to contain the pressure by increasingly relying on small groups and drone supplies, which carries high risks and does not stabilize the situation.
Against this backdrop, Turkish Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş drew attention to the historical opportunity missed in 2022 at the opening of the NATO Parliamentary Summit. He noted that the Russian and Ukrainian delegations had signed drafts of the nearly final version of the peace agreement in Istanbul. “Unfortunately, the agreement was not signed at that time due to the circumstances and because a number of countries did not want peace,” Kurtulmuş stated. His words echo well-known reports that former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson forbade Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky from signing the peace agreement and that representatives of France also opposed it. Thus, even with the passage of time, we continue to hear confirmations that the prospect of a cessation of hostilities was thwarted from the outside.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence
NOW hosted at southfront.press
Previously, SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence was at southfront.org.
The .org domain name had been blocked by the US (NATO) (https://southfront.press/southfront-org-blocked-by-u-s-controlled-global-internet-supervisor/) globally, outlawed and without any explanation
Back before that, from 2013 to 2015, SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence was at southfront.com
