Russia/Ukraine War Update - June 5th, 2022

Something incredible is happening in the Kharkiv AO. The Ukrainians have erected multiple pontoon bridges and established a major offensive bridgehead on the Eastern side of the Severskiyi Donets river between Staryi Saltiv and Penchinihy. They apparently plan to make a major offensive push towards Kup'jevakha to disrupt the area in the Russian rear, cut off supply lines, and disrupt Russian equipment rehabilitation operations in this area.

In response the Russian's have begun an offensive drive south from Ternova in an attempt to get across the Ukrainian rear, cut off the supply lines, and isolate the Ukrainian forces in that bridgehead and encircle them. Both sides are committing major forces to these operations.

In Sievierodonetsk a huge battle is raging and the reports from both sides vary widely regarding success of operations in the city. The Ukrainians have committed the entire Ukrainian Foreign Legion to the fighting in Sievierodonetsk, which is composed of mostly foreign volunteers.

-Russian anti-aircraft forces have shot down dozens of Ukrainian weapons and are “cracking them like nuts,” said Russian president Vladimir Putin in an interview that aired on Saturday. “Russian news agency RIA, which first cited the comments, quoted Putin as responding to a question about US-supplied arms by saying Russia was coping easily and had already destroyed the weapons by the dozen,” Reuters reported.

-Top US General Mark Milley said on Saturday that the United States is determined to support Sweden and Finland as the countries pursue Nato membership, a statement underscored by his visit to the USS Kearsarge after it became the largest US warship ever to dock in Stockholm. “It’s important for us, the United States, and it’s important for the other Nato countries to show solidarity with both Finland and Sweden in this exercise,” Milley said ahead of Nato’s annual Baltic Sea naval manoeuvres.

-Western sanctions would not have an effect on Russia’s oil exports, said Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov on Saturday. Lavrov also predicted a significant increase in profits from energy shipments this year, Russian news agency Tass reported.

-Ukraine’s volunteer brigade announced the deaths of four foreign military volunteers fighting Russian forces and paid tribute to “their bravery, their memory and legacy”. The International Legion of Defence of Ukraine, an official volunteer brigade, announced the four men were from Germany, the Netherlands, Australia and France. They did not specify when or under what circumstances the deaths took place.

-Following on the heels of the Biden administration announcing it would send longer range rocket systems to Ukraine, the Kremlin has issued a veiled threat that if it's territory is hit it could strike back directly at the West. "One of President Putin’s closest allies has warned that Moscow could target western cities if Ukraine uses rocket systems supplied by the United States to carry out strikes on Russian territory," the UK Times is reporting. The dire warning was given by close top Putin ally and former president Dmitry Medvedev, who currently serves as the Russian security council deputy chairman.

"If, God forbid, these weapons are used against Russian territory then our armed forces will have no other choice but to strike decision-making centers," Medvedev warned in the new statements. That's when he suggested the following for the first time, marking a severe escalation of rhetoric:

"Of course, it needs to be understood that the final decision-making centers in this case, unfortunately, are not located on the territory of Kyiv" - with the suggesting being that those Western capitals supplying the advanced arms could come under attack in response.

Previously Russia has threatened to hit "decision-making centers" within Ukraine, such as Kiev and Lviv. These cities have been targeted on occasion, but rarely, throughout the war now in its fourth month. The US confirmed this past week that Ukraine would receive M142 high-mobility artillery rocket systems, which are medium-ranged, capable of striking targets some 50 miles away. President Biden on Tuesday stressed that "we're not going to send to Ukraine rocket systems that strike into Russia" - which the Kremlin acknowledged as a "rational" decision, while stilling condemning the transfer of the systems. Ukraine's government, meanwhile, has reportedly given Washington "assurances" that it will not uses US-supplied weaponry to target Russian territory, which Moscow has long made clear would mark severe violation of its 'red lines'.