Victory Chronicles
-DAY 469

Above: Downstream from the Kakhovka Hydropower station on Tuesday. More coverage in the Kherson section below. (DW)

Ukrainian officials offered assurances that the damage to the Kakhovak dam and subsequent flooding will not impede Ukrainian counteroffensive preparations. Ukrainian command has already taken into account Russia’s propensity for ”insidious actions” and has built contingencies into planning. The areas of the theater that are impacted by the flooding (those within a 120km flood radius between Nova Kakhovka and Kizomys) are geographically removed from areas of frontline advances in the last week.

 Above: A Ukrainian villager wonders at the depravity that caused the wreckage of Malaysian flight MH17 near Hrabove, July 17, 2014, about 65 km east-northeast from Donetsk City. 

The International Criminal Court began hearings over Moscow’s role in shooting down Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 over Donbas in 2014. A panel of 16 judges at the ICJ began hearing Ukraine’s claim that Moscow violated a UN anti-terrorism treaty by equipping and funding Russian forces that shot down the Amsterdam-Kuala Lumpur passenger plane, killing all 298 passengers and crew. Last November, a Dutch court convicted two Russians and a Ukrainian in absentia to life in prison for their role using a Russian BUK missile launcher to shoot down the flight, finding that Moscow had “overall control” over the separatist forces. (Photo: ABC News)

The attention-starved leader of Wagner called on Putin to announce a full national mobilization, adding new recruits will need three months of training lest they become “meat”. He also threatened the Russian MoD if they do not fulfill his demands for a larger independent army and political influence in Russia, saying Wagner forces will “go to Belgorod” if the Russian military command does not “liberate” Bilhorod Oblast.  He asked for 200 thousand troops and said Wagner would take full responsibility for the war. 

Above: Storm Shadow work on an enemy barracks in Novooleksiivka, Kherson. (Noel Reports)

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

ITEM	QTY	▲
Liquidated personnel	212030	+880
Tanks	3873	+13
Armored personnel vehicles	7560	+17
Artillery systems/ MLRS	3640/594	+37/4
Anti-aircraft systems	352	+1
Aircraft/ helicopters	314/299	+1/0
Unmanned aerial vehicles	3219	+7
Cruise missiles	1171
Warships/ boats	18
Vehicles and fuel tanks	6349	+17
Special equipment	492	+3

 

General Staff on Facebook

Above:  Constant enemy bombardment of population centers in Chernihiv Oblast. (Suspilne)

• The enemy relentlessly shells population centers in Chernihiv Oblast.  Overnight, they sent at least eight artillery rounds on border villages, destroying residential and commercial buildings. 
• In the early morning hours, the enemy sent drone attacks and shelled population centers in Sumy Oblast, destroying apartment buildings and private homes, and killing two. 
• Over the past 24 hours, Russian occupying forces shelled at least 30 border and front-line settlements in Kharkiv including Kupyansk, Kharkiv City, Chuhuyiv and Bohoduhiv districts. The occupiers continue to target an ammonia pipeline in Kupyansk district. 
• Over the past day, the Russian army shelled Donetsk region 20 times, and 10 towns and villages of the region came under attack. A kindergarten, businesses and residential buildings were damaged, two deaths reported. 
• Russian occupying forces attacked the Nikopol district in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast twice on Wednesday morning.
• Russian occupiers fired 70 times at civilian settlements in the Kherson region, the Kherson regional military administration said. “They fired 353 shells from artillery, mortars, MLRS, tanks, drones and aircraft, killing one person and wounding another.”

Above: “We’re going on an evacuation mission to Khersonshyna” posted the Kharkiv Animal Rescue group on Facebook where they are posting video of their rescues

Russian forces conducted limited ground attacks along the Svatove-Kreminna line on June 6. Russian forces conducted unsuccessful ground attacks near Kreminna, Bilohorivka (10km south of Kreminna), and Berestove (30km south of Kreminna).

Above:  As the world turns stunned attention to the catastrophe in the south, intense fighting continues around Bakhmut, Ukrainian troops are moving forward. (Newsweek)

• The Ukrainian Armed Forces are saying much on activities around Bakhmut, so we quote here unreliable Russian sources that claimed Ukrainian forces continued ground attacks north and southwest of Bakhmut. A prominent Russian milblogger claimed that Ukrainian forces entered Berkhivka and that fighting was ongoing in the settlement as of the afternoon of June 6. Russian milbloggers claimed that fierce fighting is ongoing on the southwestern outskirts of Bakhmut and that Ukrainian forces pushed Russian forces out of positions west of Klishchiivka.
• Russian forces continued limited offensive operations along the Avdiivka-Donetsk front on June 6 amid continued claims of Ukrainian counterattacks in the area. Russian forces conducted unsuccessful offensive operations near Avdiivka, Sieverne (6km west of Avdiivka), Neveslke (13km southwest of Avdiivka), and Marinka (27km southwest of Avdiivka). Ukrainian forces repelled 12 Russian assaults in the Marinka area. 
• Chechen forces replaced ”Storm Z” assault elements in the Marinka area roughly a week ago and have since lost their initial enthusiasm for offensive operations after encountering heavy Ukrainian resistance in the area. Chechen forces are attacking one flank in the Marinka area while regular Russian forces attack another.
• Ukrainian forces continued ground attacks in southwestern Donetsk and in eastern Zaporizhia oblasts on June 6. Russian forces unsuccessfully attacked in the direction of Novosilka (10km west of Velyka Novosilka). 
• Mariupol Mayoral Advisor Andryushenko published images on June 6 showing smoke plumes in Mariupol with the caption “Smoke. Port. Cotton”. 

Above: Taking only what is important. (Reuters) 

Міжнародна спільнота шокована підривом Каховської ГЕС російськими військами. Ось що кажуть про це у світі. pic.twitter.com/lulr56aZuY

— DW українською (@dw_ukrainian) June 6, 2023

Video: The reaction of some of the international community to the destruction of the Kakhovka hydroelectric complex. 

Ukrainian drone spots civilians pleading for help as their house is flooding

The Ukrainians can’t help them however, as the house is located across the Dnipro river in the temporarily Russian-occupied area of Kherson.

The Russians aren’t helping people https://t.co/snqTpQEXXl

— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) June 7, 2023

• DW interviewed Ihor Syrota, general director of Ukrhydroenerho about what happened at the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Plant yesterday.  The highlights from Mr Syrota’s comment: The dam and the power station were blown at 02:50 on June 6. The hydroelectric station is half underwater and is sliding from its foundation. The rate of water flow out of the reservoir is increasing as the dam disintegrates further.  Ukrhydroenerho estimates the reservoir will be empty about June 10. At least 150 tons of oil has already spilled into the river with the potential for another 300 tons to enter the river flowing into the Black Sea. From Ukrainian military-supplied images, it is known that the station and its engine room were intentionally destroyed first.  
• The US and UK announced investigations into the destruction of the dam.  Neither country is confirming that Moscow ordered the act of terror, but “the evidence is headed in that direction.” Conversely, NATO Secretary-General Stoltenberg had no hesitancy calling out an inhuman Kremlin. 
• President Zelensky said that the destruction of the dam and consequently the functioning of the only fresh water canal to Crimea indicates that the invaders plan to abandon Crimea.  
• It appears that invader troops stationed on the southern left-bank side of the Dnipro River were not warned of imminent flooding.  In an interview with CNN, a Ukrainian officer said Ukrainian observers watched with drones as enemy forces were caught by surprise and swept away. 
• A representative of the United Nations said that the destruction of the complex is the worst damage to civilian infrastructure in the course of the war.  In fact, it is the worst ecological disaster in Europe for decades. In addition to ruining agricultural soil, killing wildlife and threatening the water supply for millions of Ukrainians, the waters will carry toxins, mines and other explosives into population areas.  Commodity wheat and corn prices increased on Tuesday as traders anticipate the destruction of a significant amount of southern Ukrainian farmland. 
• Ukrainian nuclear energy operator Enerhoatom confirmed that the large cooling pond next to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant should be sufficient to cool the reactor for several months. The power units have been shut down since September 2022 so that water draw from the pond is minimal.  Enerhoatom has contingency plants for replenishing the pond, for example, underground wells. 

During severe flooding caused by the destruction of the Nova Kakhovka Dam, a lucky baby Special Kherson Cat was saved from drowning by a Ukrainian 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/QSQmcLEvag

— Ukraine Battle Map (@ukraine_map) June 7, 2023