The Defense Forces of Ukraine continue offensive operation in the Melitopol, Berdyansk and Lyman directions. Meanwhile, the Russians are concentrating their efforts on the Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka and Maryinka areas. 40 clashes occurred during the day.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces writes about this.
In the direction of Rivnopil — Staromayorske, the Ukrainian military has achieved partial success: they are entrenched at the reached lines, inflict fire damage with artillery on the enemy, and carry out counter-battery countermeasures. At the same time, the Russians are unsuccessfully trying to regain lost positions.
In the Lyman direction, the Ukrainian military carried out offensive actions in the direction of Bilohorivka — Dibrova, where they also had partial success. Now they are fixed in new positions. In the same direction, the occupiers tried to advance in the districts of Dibrova and Bilohorivka in the Luhansk region and Serebryanka in the Donetsk region, but have no results.
In the Bakhmut direction, the Russian occupiers carried out unsuccessful offensive actions in the areas of Orikhovo-Vasylivka, Ivanivske and Bila Hora. The enemy also advanced unsuccessfully in the Avdiivka, Severne and Pervomaiske areas of the Donetsk region.
At the same time, the Russian army carried out offensive actions in the Maryinka, Pobyeda and Novomykhailivka areas of the Donetsk region, with considerable success. The same with the offensive in the areas of Novomykhailivka and Vuhledar in the Shakhtarsk direction.
Over the past day, the Ukrainian aviation has carried out 12 strikes on enemy personnel concentration areas and six on enemy anti-aircraft missile systems. Fighters destroyed a Russian Mi-24 attack helicopter and seven reconnaissance UAVs.
Units of missile troops and artillery struck three control points, an anti-aircraft missile complex, two areas of concentration of enemy personnel and military equipment, 13 artillery pieces in firing positions, two EW stations and a warehouse of Russian ammunition.
In general, the Russian army suffered the following losses over the past day: 650 invaders, seven tanks, 12 armored fighting vehicles, 21 artillery systems and others.
- The Ukrainian counteroffensive continues. The Defense Forces have already liberated eight settlements in the south: Pyatikhatky, Lobkove, Levadne, Novodarivka, Neskuchne, Storozheve, Makarivka, and Blahodatne.
- As of June 21, the Defense Forces are continuing their offensive in the Melitopol and Berdyansk directions, namely: Novodanilivka — Robotyne, Mala Tokmachka — Verbove, Vilne Pole — Makarivka, they have had partial success, and are entrenched at the achieved lines.
- The President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky noted that progress in the counteroffensive is "slower than desired." According to him, the counteroffensive is not easy because the Russians mined 200 000 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory.