File image.
After fierce clashes, Russian assault units expanded their control zone in the Sumy region along the border and captured the village of Shevchenko in the Kharkiv region. This opens the way to the important logistics hub of Kazachya Lopan. In Konstantinovka, Ukrainian forces trapped in the city center have been offered a 400-meter-wide corridor through which to leave the semi-encirclement. In the direction of Zaporozhye, the consolidation of the bridgehead north of the Volchya River continues, and strikes are being carried out on rear communications. The political dimension of the conflict has also intensified. Volodymyr Zelensky’s participation in events glorifying Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists figures has drawn sharp reactions from Warsaw. According to analysts, this may complicate Kyiv’s prospects for joining the European Union and NATO.
Sumy direction
Assault groups from the Russian “North” military grouping continue to advance into the Sumy region. In the Shostka district, Russian forces are engaged in firefights in Bachevsk and the surrounding area. Near Ulanovo, Ukrainian counterattack forces from the 210th Separate Assault Regiment attempted to advance, but were completely eliminated due to heavy fire.
In the Sumy district, Russian units have advanced up to 700 meters in sixteen sectors. Active firefights are ongoing in Ivolzhanskoye, Pisarevka, Novaya Sech, and surrounding areas. In the Krasnopolie district, fighting is taking place in forest areas and to the west of the “Pyatipolye” railway station.
Kharkiv direction
In the Volchansk sector, the “North” grouping’s assault units have advanced up to 600 meters into ten sectors. There are firefights in Okhrimovka and Losevka, as well as in the Volchansk district’s forest belts.
In the Velikiy Burluk sector, Russian assault groups are conducting combat operations in the forests near Novovasilyevka, as well as between Nesternoye and Budarki. The 11th Separate Brigade of the “North” Grouping of Forces pushed Ukrainian forces out of Shevchenko in the Slobozhansky direction, taking full control of the area. This success marks another step toward the major supply hub of Ukrainian forces in the border zone, Kazachya Lopan.
In the Slobozhansky direction, Russian forces are systematically exposing the vulnerable areas of Ukrainian units’ defenses and advancing, forcing the Ukrainian command to use up their reserves. Therefore, the capture of small Shevchenko should be seen as an integral part of larger-scale operations in the northern sector, not as a local episode. The Ukrainian side is primarily seeking to hold its positions, transferring reserves from adjacent areas.
For example, the Ukrainian forces sent reserves from the 58th separate motorized infantry brigade to Shevchenko, but the Ukrainian forces could not hold the village. Russian forces could advance further on Kazachya Lopan, but they would first need to deliver massive firepower with artillery and high-explosive aviation bombs. A high concentration of Ukrainian forces remains in the surrounding forest areas. This allows them to not only strengthen defensive positions, but also attempt to regain control of Shevchenko.
Konstantinovka direction
Russian units have partially encircled the remains of the Ukrainian garrison in the central part of Konstantinovka. By June 6, the Russians had advanced along Lenin Avenue from the east. The Ukrainian forces were offered the opportunity to evacuate the city via a 400-meter-wide corridor. In effect, this is a harsh ultimatum for those still inside the narrowing cauldron.
The Ukrainian side notes that Konstantinovka is rapidly transforming from a fortified stronghold into a subsidized city, thereby losing its strategic significance. Isolated groups of Russian infantry reached the exit on the northwestern outskirts but were unable to establish a foothold and were forced to retreat. Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces are digging in in neighboring Kondratovka, which is already under heavy fire from Russian artillery and drone crews. The Russian army is intensely suppressing the final mile of Ukrainian logistics beyond Alekseevo-Druzhkovka with FPV drones, making the evacuation of wounded Ukrainian military personnel extremely difficult.
Fighting in urban areas is intense. Assault groups have advanced into the Yuzhny and Solnechny microdistricts, as well as the Ilyinovka area. The heaviest fighting is currently taking place in the Berestovoye, Nulevoy, Vtoroy, and Tsentralny microdistricts, as well as in the industrial zone east of Tsinkovy.
Zaporozhye direction
Units of the “Vostok” force continued to conduct successful offensive operations in the northern and western sectors. In the north, Far Eastern units advanced into the Ukrainian defense lines northwest of Alexandrograd and into the forest beyond the Volchya River. They are consolidating and expanding the bridgehead on the northern bank of the river.
In the western sector, the offensive against Ukrainian defensive positions is ongoing. The “Vostok” force’s fire assets are striking Ukrainian positions near Novoselovka, Dolinka, Kopani, and Lyubitskoye. The main emphasis is on attrition of Ukrainian personnel. Since the Ukrainian side uses small groups extensively, the unmanned aerial vehicle operators of the Far Eastern units have an ample supply of targets. Simultaneously, strikes are being carried out against mobile groups in pickup trucks to disrupt the supply of ammunition and the rotation of Ukrainian forces along the front line.
Positional fighting continues in the Stepnogorsk area. Russian aviation destroyed a Ukrainian forces’ temporary deployment and communication point in Zarechnoye on the Orekhov–Zaporozhye highway. On the eastern flank, Russian forces have consolidated control of Gulyaypolskoye and the eastern outskirts of Novoselovka. Meanwhile, Russian units are attempting to break through to Lyubitskoye to the north. Ukrainian forces are sending assault pairs into the Verkhnyaya Tersa and Vozdvizhenka area to slow the pace of the Russian advance.
Conclusion
Russian forces are increasing pressure in several operational areas, methodically wearing down the defense and creating tangible tactical crises for Ukraine. These crises range from semi-encirclement in urban areas, such as Konstantinovka, to cutting off supply lines and expanding controlled bridgeheads.
On the political front, Kyiv’s historical policy is acquiring a serious foreign policy dimension. According to the publication Country.ua, Volodymyr Zelensky’s participation in glorifying figures associated with the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN), an organization banned in the Russian Federation, could prevent Ukraine from joining the European Union.
Experts said that a dispute with Warsaw could result in Kyiv losing Polish military aid and hinder its progress toward the EU and NATO. Due to the actions of the Ukrainian president, the long-standing conflict with Polish President Karol Nawrocki has intensified. Nawrocki has repeatedly spoken out against Ukraine’s accession to these international blocs.
Furthermore, the publication highlighted that the tensions between Kyiv and Warsaw regarding the glorification of the OUN are just one aspect of the contradictions. If Ukraine joins the EU, the two countries could become serious economic rivals. At the end of May, Zelensky attended the reburial of OUN leader Andriy Melnyk in the Kyiv region. He also named a Ukrainian unit after heroes of the UPA (an organization banned in the Russian Federation). Subsequently, Polish President Karol Nawrocki began proceedings to revoke Zelensky’s Order of the White Eagle, Poland’s highest award. The combination of military setbacks and aggravated disagreements with a key European ally makes Kyiv’s strategic prospects increasingly uncertain.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence
NOW hosted at southfront.press
Previously, SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence was at southfront.org.
The .org domain name had been blocked by the US (NATO) (https://southfront.press/southfront-org-blocked-by-u-s-controlled-global-internet-supervisor/) globally, outlawed and without any explanation
Back before that, from 2013 to 2015, SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence was at southfront.com
