Story By: Ana Marjanovic, Sub-Editor: Michael Leidig, Agency: Newsflash
Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov has claimed that pro-Russian forces have surrounded the Ukrainian Army between the settlements of Zolote and Gorskoye.
In a statement obtained by Newsflash, Kadyrov said on 23rd June: “Operational information directly from the line of contact comes from the fighters of the special police regiment named after Hero of Russia Akhmat-Khadzhi Kadyrov.
“Our guys are competently working in the area under the command of our dear brother and Hero of Russia, Zamid Chalaev.
“According to reliable information, the enemy has been forced into a tight circle between the settlements of Zolote and Gorskoye, thus, all retreat routes are closed. The position of the Ukro-nazis is very delicate and fraught with serious consequences in the form of an early crushing defeat.
“Soldiers of the allied forces has put heavy pressure on the Ukro-nazis’ positions and, apparently, the enemy has suffered heavy losses in manpower.
“Our soldiers’ well-thought-out strategy, coupled with excellent combat skills, once again brought good results. At the moment, the Nazis, Banderites and mercenaries of all stripes, who have experienced the full force of the Chechen security forces, have only two options – capitulation or an early departure.”
Russia invaded Ukraine on 24th February in what the Kremlin is calling a “special military operation”. Today marks the 120th day of the invasion.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that between 24th February and 23rd June, Russia had lost about 34,430 personnel, 1,504 tanks, 3,632 armoured combat vehicles, 756 artillery units, 240 multiple launch rocket systems, 99 air defence systems, 216 warplanes, 183 helicopters, 620 drones, 137 cruise missiles, 14 warships, 2,548 motor vehicles and fuel tankers, and 60 units of special equipment.
The Ukrainian military has said that it has launched airstrikes on Zmiinyi Island, which is also known as Snake Island, causing “significant losses” to Russia’s forces there in an operation that it says is ongoing.
Russia has conducted an anti-ship missile exercise in the Baltic Sea amid escalating tensions with NATO member Lithuania after the country blocked the transit of some goods to the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad.
Ukrainian forces have said that they have been successfully thwarting fresh Russian attempts to advance in the Kharkiv region of north-eastern Ukraine, but Russian forces have captured several settlements near Lysychansk and Sievierodonetsk, with 568 civilians believed to still be sheltering in Sievierodonetsk’s Azot chemical plant.
The city of Lysychansk, in the Luhansk Oblast of eastern Ukraine, is now said to be under siege from Russian and pro-Russian forces.
Iryna Vereshchuk, Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories, has urged locals in the Kherson region to evacuate, to help Ukrainian forces “deoccupy” the area.
British intelligence has claimed that the pro-Russian, so-called Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) may have lost about 55 per cent of its original forces.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that this is a “historic week” as Kyiv awaits a decision from Brussels regarding its EU candidate status, with the EU expected to approve the application at a summit in Brussels on Thursday, 23rd June.
This comes after the European Parliament adopted a resolution recommending that the European Union grant Ukraine the status of candidate country for EU membership. Some 438 MEPs voted in favour of the resolution, with 65 voting against and 94 abstaining.
President Zelenskyy, speaking to the African Union on Monday, 20th June, also accused Russia of holding Africa “hostage” over grain and fertiliser shortages.
The head of the International Energy Agency, Fatih Birol, has warned that Russia may stop supplying gas to Europe this winter. Several European countries have already received less Russian gas than expected in the last few weeks, with European imports of natural gas from Russia dropping from approximately 40 per cent before the war began to 20 per cent.
