According to the Institute for the Study of War, on July 3, enemy troops seized the remaining territory between Lysychansk and the administrative border of Luhansk Oblast.
The invaders carried out attacks to the northeast of Bakhmut and north of Slovyansk, but did not achieve new territorial gains.
The invaders carried out large-scale artillery fire in the western part of the southern front, attempting to disrupt a Ukrainian counteroffensive.
The Kremlin continued to set conditions for potential Russian annexation of proxy republics.
Ukrainian partisans reportedly derailed a Russian armored train carrying ammunition near Melitopol on July 2.
The Radio Liberty news page about the coastal region assessed the current situation. Among its findings:
- The anti-aircraft installations that were on Snake Island will no longer be able to provide anti-aircraft and anti-missile cover to Russian ships near Odesa and threaten to land an amphibious assault.
- As long as there is a bridge to Crimea, Russia can transfer as many troops as needed, transporting them across the Kerch bridge in minutes.
- As soon as the situation in the south improves, the Russian propaganda machine will name the south as the next goal. The Kremlin’s dream is a Moscow-Simferopol corridor encompassing the oblasts of Kharkiv, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhya, Kherson, Mykolaiv and Odesa as a port. It’s their long-term strategic plan.
- In the Kherson and Zaporizhzhya directions, intense battles continue, where the enemy uses massive ground and air artillery. The situation is difficult as enemy forces are trying to counter-attack Ukrainian troops in the flanks of offensive actions.
