Victory Chronicles
-DAY 110

SEVERODONETSK

Above: Ruined villages near Severodonetsk.  Photo via CNN

• Luhansk Governor Serhiy Haidai reported the Ukrainians were winning the street battles in Severodonetsk, but that constant Russian bombardment has reduced the cities to rubble.  “This is their tactics — people are not needed, infrastructure is not needed, houses are not needed, everything should be simply ruined,” stated Mr Haidai. Military analysts believe that the enemy has a ten to one artillery advantage.  (Read more)
• A fire raged at Avot Chemical Plant in Severodonetsk where hundreds of civilians have taken shelter.  Two of three bridges between Severodonetsk and Lysychansk have been destroyed, making evacuation of civilians trapped in Severodonetsk increasingly difficult. Russian propaganda media reported a huge fire at another chemical plant in Avdiivka in Donetsk Oblast.

SOUTHERN UKRAINE

Above: Fifty citizens showed up for Russia Day in Kherson to watch five DPR troops march in formation and hear propaganda and the Russian anthem from a small stage. Clip via video at  Twitter

Above: Enemy forces control Melitopol. Photo via BBC 

• The Russian opposition Telegram channel RIA-Melitopol, reported explosions on Sunday near enemy headquarters in Melitopol, streets covered in debris and blood.  Exiled Melitopol Mayor Ivan Fedorov said he had no information on who set off the explosions but said it is possibly not Ukrainian opposition but infighting between rival power gangs.
• The southern occupied zone is looking more like a lawless enclave everyday. Illegal occupation authorities in southern Zaporizhzhya have forbidden the sale of produce outside of the occupied territory, forcing prices for the bumper cherry crop this year down to 30 cents per kilogram on the streets of Melitopol. Enemy collaborators sent to enforce regulations established a protection racket, demanding  payment from sellers for not stealing their cherries.  (Read more)

WESTERN UKRAINE

Above: Chortkiv is a small alpine-style town in western central Ukraine.  Photo via UkraineTrek

• The enemy launched missiles from the Black Sea into the small peaceful town of Chortkiv in Ternopil oblast. The four missiles were apparently intended for military equipment storage facilities, but most of the strikes were against civilian targets and a few dozen citizens were sent to the hospital including families that had fled Russian aggression in the east.

RUSSIAN WAR CRIMES

Above: Chernihiv class graduation picture.  Now is the time for Ukrainian high school seniors to graduate.  This year will be remembered for class portraits taken on top of destroyed enemy tanks.  Photo via Twitter

ARM UKRAINE

Above: Soldiers stand in front of a Bundeswehr Leopard 2 tank. Photo via Spiegel

• The leaders of Germany, France and Italy plan a visit to Kyiv before the G7 meets at the end of June. Each of these countries have struggled to show full support for Ukraine in the first fifteen weeks of war. Ukraine hopes to persuade these three key EU members that arming Ukraine with heavy weapons is all that stands between them and Russian aggression.
• We reported earlier that Spain announced its intention to deliver forty German-made Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine. Over the weekend, the Spanish government backtracked on the seemingly premature announcement.  The delivery would have required German permission but NATO and some of its members have an informal understanding not to provide tanks to Ukraine. (Read more)

UA to EU

• European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen visited Kyiv over the weekend. Ms von der Leyen predicted that Ukraine would get some kind of unanimous approval for moving forward.  Any recommendation would have to be unanimously agreed upon by all member countries and will likely include conditions concerning rule of law and anti-corruption progress.  Photo above via DW