Victory Chronicles
-DAY 463

Above: Ukrainian kids in a Metro bomb shelter Tuesday night. (Ukraine.UA)

• Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada Human Rights Commissioner Dmytro Lyubinets announced that a new channel to bring home Ukrainian children abducted to Russia has returned at least three children. Intermediaries include an unspecified international organization and other “ombudsmen”.  Ukraine has documented 19,400 deported Ukrainian children and 27,000 Ukrainian adult civilians in Russian captivity. 
• Russia is deporting Ukrainians through Belarus with help from the Belarusian government. “We have confirmation that both Ukrainian children and civilian hostages, as well as prisoners of war, were forcibly transferred through the territory of Belarus, with the direct participation of the Belarusian authorities,” according to Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets. 
• The Kremlin may be attempting to force Kadyrovites into the main offensive role following the culmination of Wagner forces and their withdrawal from the frontlines. Chechen warlord Kadyrov claimed on Wednesday to have received orders to take up offensive positions on the Donetsk front and in southern Ukraine.  Kadyrov has said that he has 7,000 troops in Ukraine. 
• The return of Kadyrov to offensive operations would break a nearly year-long hiatus from participating in high-intensity combat operations. Chechen forces have been largely operating in the rear after participating in the battles for Mariupol, Severodonetsk, and Lysychansk – with the exception of some offensive activities around Bilohorivka, Luhansk Oblast.
• Secretary of the National Defense Council of Ukraine Danilov  pointed out the historical fact that Russian tanks razed Grozny to the ground. “Kadyrov should take revenge on Moscow and Putin personally, and not threaten Ukraine. It was the Russians who killed and destroyed the Chechens. It was the Russians who brought centuries of slavery, thousands of murdered and tortured women and children, the destruction of the city and desecrated graves of ancestors to the Chechen land. It was not the Ukrainians who leveled Grozny with its peaceful inhabitants to the ground with tanks, it was Russian tanks. The Chechen people remember this, and for those who have forgotten, it’s time to remember!” 
• The Russian Duma defense committee submitted a bill on May 31 that would formalize recruitment of current and former prisoners in times of mobilization, martial law, and war and would provide full pardons for enlistees. 
• Russia is building two massive morgues in Kursk City and Rostov-on-Don to sort and store dead Russian soldiers from frontlines in Ukraine, spending about $17 million to build the facilities and purchase refrigeration equipment.

 

Video: General Staff’s Daily Video Digest with English subtitles

https://understandingwar.org/

Above: Destroyed enemy Mi-8MTV-5 helicopter. (Ukraine Weapons Tracker)

Above:  Air Force of Ukraine daily report.  On the night of May 31 to June 1, (10) Iskander-type ballistic and cruise missiles were launched from the Bryansk region of Russian. Destroyed: (6) Iskander-M ballistic missiles; (3) Іskander-K cruise missiles.

Above: Ukrainian General Staff of the Armed Forces estimated enemy losses since February 24, 2022, with daily additions

ITEM	QTY	▲
Liquidated personnel	208370	+460
Tanks	3804	+2
Armored personnel vehicles	7478	+6
Artillery systems/ MLRS	3474/575	+14/0
Anti-aircraft systems	333
Aircraft/ helicopters	313/298
Unmanned aerial vehicles	3131	+7
Cruise missiles	1107
Warships/ boats	18
Vehicles and fuel tanks	6239	+9
Special equipment	458	+4

 

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Above: The White Angels evacuated the last child from Bohoyavkenka village near Vuhledar, Donetsk. The mom and child were taken out after the father was killed by shelling.  The National Police report that four children are known to remain in the extremely dangerous Avdiivka area. (National Police of Ukraine)

• As a result of the night attack on Kyiv 14 people were injured and three killed in the Desnyansky and Dniprovsky districts. Air raid sirens and loud explosions throughout the city awoke residents worn out by a month of relentless attacks. Kyiv Mayor Klitschko said that many of the casualties were as a result of falling debris from air defense systems shooting down incoming attacks. Ukraine’s General Staff said Kyiv had been attacked by a volley of 10 Iskander ballistic missiles, and that air defense systems had shot all of them down.
• A Ukrainian military analyst pointed out that Russia is manufacturing missiles and, therefore, will never actually run out.  Aleksandr Kovalenko said that in May, Russia launched 198 missiles of which Ukraine shot down  177, an effective rate of 89%. Also in May, the enemy launched 413 Shahed drones, of which 377 were shot down, a rate of 91%. He estimates that Russia is currently manufacturing 2-5 missiles of various types per day. 
• During the day of May 31, the adversary launched 3 missiles, 29 air strikes, 49 MLRS attacks at the positions of Ukrainian troops and population settlements.  Unfortunately, the attacks have caused civilian casualties, damaged private residential buildings and other infrastructure.
• In the last twenty-four hours, the enemy launched air strikes against population settlements in Kharkiv and Donetsk and shelled population settlements in Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson oblasts. 

Above: A young boy from Kharkiv who was severely injured by Russian bombing earlier this month, getting ready for surgery in Poland with a team of volunteer medical professionals including doctors from Massachusetts, Texas and Michigan. (USA Today)

 

• The Bilhorod Oblast Governor called on Russian forces on May 29 to capture Kharkiv Oblast to create a barrier between Belgorod and Ukraine.  He announced the evacuation of children from the border areas including 300 children relocated to Voronezh Oblast  in response to the “deteriorating” border situation.
• Russian forces conducted ground attacks northwest of Svatove and south of Kreminna on May 30. Russian and Ukrainian forces engaged in 13 clashes in the Kupyansk and Kreminna directions. 
• Ukrainian forces continue to strike Russian rear areas in Luhansk Oblast. Russian sources claimed that Ukrainian forces targeted Karpaty (on the eastern outskirts of Alchevsk) with four HIMARS rockets overnight on May 30 to 31. Geolocated imagery published on May 31 shows damage to a building in Karpaty.

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Above:  Eleven-year-old Yana looks much older than her years.  White Angels evacuated Yana and her younger siblings from the war zone after their mother died a few days ago from a sudden illness. (Ministry of Internal Affairs)

• Concerning the plan to replace Wagner forces with Kadyrovites in Bakhmut, Kadyrov claimed on May 31 that Chechen forces received a new order and assumed responsibility over the Donetsk Oblast frontline. Kadyrov claimed that Chechen units will start “active combat activities” and “liberate a series of settlements.” Kadyrov added that Chechen special forces transferred to the Marinka direction southwest of Donetsk City. 
• Russian forces conducted limited ground attacks around Bakhmut on May 31. Russian forces conducted unsuccessful offensive operations near Orikhovo-Vasylivka (11km northeast of Bakhmut) and Bila Hora (12km southwest of Bakhmut). 
• Russian forces conducted limited ground attacks along the Avdiivka-Donetsk City frontline on May 31. Geolocated footage indicates that Russian forces made a limited advance north of Krasnohorivka (8km north of Avdiivka) as of May 30. Russian forces conducted unsuccessful offensive operations near Sieverne (6km west of Avdiivka) and Ukrainian forces repelled all Russian attacks in Marinka.
• Geolocated footage published on May 31 shows enemy forces previously acting near Avdiivka now active northwest of Bakhmut. Russian forces are likely transferring irregular forces and DNR elements from the Avdiivka area to the Bakhmut area.

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Above: Children in Zaporizhzhia Oblast being evacuated by National Police. (Vgorode)

 

Above:  Russian occupiers continue to add more troops, weapons and military equipment to the territory of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. They have established war materiél warehouses and repair shops in various buildings and have deployed 500 personnel and 50 pieces of military equipment to the plant. Russians store military equipment and ammunition in the turbine halls of ZNPP reactors numbers 1, 2 and 4. (Photo: Korrespondent)

• Ukrainian nuclear energy operator Energoatom reported that Russian occupation authorities are torturing Ukrainian ZNPP personnel to coerce the personnel into signing contracts with Russian nuclear energy operator Rosatom. 
• The IAEA is calling on both Russia and Ukraine to agree to five safety principles, however, Ukraine insists that three additional conditions are added including complete withdrawal of Russia from ZNPP, guarantees on uninterrupted power supply and safe passage of personnel through temporarily occupied space. 
• Russian military command ordered Russian, Rosgvardia and Chechen Akhmat forces to begin offensive actions along the frontline in Zaporizhzhia and Kherson oblasts. Chechen warlord Kadyrov claimed that these units have already begun tactical preparations for offensive actions. 
• Ukrainian forces continue to strike areas in southern Ukraine. Russian sources claimed that Russian air defenses were activated over Melitopol and Tokmak on May 30. Geolocated footage shows Ukrainian forces targeting Russian military trucks west of Vynohradne, Kherson Oblast (34km southwest of Kherson City).