On Jun. 22, Ukrainian long-range missiles struck the Chonhar bridge, a key link between Crimea and mainland Ukraine. This precision strike on the "gateway to Crimea" was intended to paralyze enemy logistics and cut off the shortest supply route for units fighting in the Zaporizhzhia region.

At the same time, behind the front, deep inside Russian territory, increasingly bold actions were taking place, as evidenced by drones neutralized in the immediate vicinity of Moscow, which intensified the sense of threat within the Russian command structures. 

The real shock, however, came on Jun. 23, when the conflict between Yevgeny Prigozhin and the leadership of the Russian Ministry of Defence escalated into an open armed mutiny. Prigozhin accused the regular army of shelling the Wagner Group camps and announced a "march for justice", quickly seizing Rostov-on-Don and moving in columns towards Moscow. Although the mutiny was short-lived and ended with an agreement brokered by Alexander Lukashenko, it exposed deep divides in the Russian system of power. The Ukrainians quickly took advantage of this chaos, intensifying attacks in many sectors. The most symbolic success was the capture of positions near Krasnohorivka, which had been continuously occupied since 2014, a clear signal that previously impregnable defence lines could be broken through.

The following days brought tactical successes, such as the liberation of Rivnopil by soldiers of the 31st Mechanized Brigade and the systematic displacement of the Russians from the flanks around Bakhmut. Ukrainian units managed to take complete control of the western bank of the Donets-Donbas canal, which significantly improved their operational situation. At the same time, Russia continued its brutal missile attacks on cities, using Kh-22 missiles, whose ballistic trajectory made them extremely difficult for the defence systems of the time to intercept. Despite the brutality of these strikes, Ukraine received further assurances of support, including the transfer of additional Gepard and IRIS-T anti-aircraft systems, which was crucial in the face of the threat of Russian sabotage at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.

On Jun. 26, Russian attacks again concentrated on the directions of Kupiansk, Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka and Marinka, where Ukrainian forces repelled 38 assaults. The residential districts of Kherson and Antonivka were hit particularly hard, with artillery fire destroying residential buildings and critical infrastructure, including gas and water supply pipelines. In Nikopol, Russian shells killed two civilians. The Ukrainian side also reported Russians' use of banned chemical munitions in an aerosol form with an asphyxiating effect, in the western Zaporizhzhia region.

On the international front, European Union foreign ministers agreed to provide an extra €3.5 billion in military aid to Ukraine. The governments of Australia and Bulgaria also announced new support packages, including armoured vehicles and ammunition.

On Jun. 27, Russian forces carried out a brutal missile attack on the centre of Kramatorsk, hitting civilian infrastructure with two Iskander missiles. One of the missiles hit a popular pizzeria where about 80 people were present at the time of the attack. As a result of this crime, 11 people, including children, were killed and 61 were injured. In parallel, the Russians continued their terror in the occupied territories; for example, in Hornostayivka there were cases of looting of apartments owned by murdered or evacuated people, which were marked as "property of the Russian Federation".

According to a report by the Kyiv School of Economics, by that date Russia had destroyed or damaged 163,000 residential buildings in Ukraine. In response to the continued aggression, the United States announced another $500 million military aid package, including advanced Patriot and Stinger anti-aircraft systems.

On Jun. 28, the Russians carried out two missile attacks, 50 airstrikes and 52 shellings, targeting both military positions and densely populated areas. As a result of the shelling of Volchansk, three civilians were killed. On the diplomatic front, Lithuania announced the transfer of two NASAMS launchers to Ukraine and introduced a temporary ban on the land transport of dual-use goods that could be used by the Russian arms industry. At the same time, Switzerland, citing its neutrality policy, blocked the export of 96 Leopard 1 tanks, which, after modernization in Germany, were to be transferred to the Ukrainian army.

Illustrative photo/AI generated