Ukraine's armed forces have advanced in the Zaporizhzhia direction and have probably broken through the Russians' first line of defense in some places.

It is reported by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW)

On June 4, Russian forces carried out an unsuccessful reconnaissance northeast of Kharkiv. The Ukrainian General Staff reported that a Russian sabotage and reconnaissance group made an unsuccessful attempt to break through Ukrainian defenses near Zelene (34km north-east of Kharkiv).

The Ukrainian military said Russian forces were trying to regain the initiative on the Kupiansk-Svatove-Kreminna line and were reinforcing their troops along the Luhansk-Kharkiv front line.

The commander of the Eastern Group of Forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Colonel-General Oleksandr Syrskyi, said that Russian forces were trying to resume offensive operations near Masiutivka (13km north-east of Kupiansk), Novoselivske and Kuzemivka (16km north-west of Svatove), Makiivka (23km north-west of Kreminna), Bilohorivka (13km south of Kreminna), and Spirne (27km south of Kreminna).

Syrsky added that Russian troops are reinforcing their positions with Storm Z air assault units, which are staffed by convicts. The Ukrainian General Staff said Russian forces had deployed a group of 500 convicts to reinforce an unidentified unit operating in the Kharkiv region, and nearly 100 of them were wounded by Ukrainian troops by artillery fire.

ISW battle map for June 4

Ukrainian and Russian forces claimed to have made limited territorial gains on the Kupiansk-Svatove line on June 4. Syrsky said Ukrainian forces had successfully advanced 400 meters in an unspecified area in the Svatove direction and liberated a large section of the Ivanovsky forest.

Russian sources claimed that Russian forces had crossed the Oskil River and captured Novomlynsk (21km north-east of Kupiansk), but noted that there was no photo or video evidence of this alleged advance.

The General Staff of Ukraine reported that Ukrainian troops repelled Russian attacks on Novoselivske, and the Russian Ministry of Defense claims that Russian forces repelled Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance groups near Berestovo (20km north-west of Svatove), Andriivka (14km west of Svatove), and Novoselivske.

On June 4, Russian troops continued their offensive south of Kreminna. The Ukrainian General Staff reported that Russian troops unsuccessfully attacked Bilohorivka and Spirne. A Russian news aggregator claimed that Russian and Ukrainian forces fought on the R-66 highway near Kreminna.

Earlier, the General Staff reported that over the past day, the enemy inflicted 14 missile and 40 air strikes, carried out 51 attacks from multiple launch rocket systems on the positions of Ukrainian troops and settlements.

Read also:

  • News of Ukraine
  • War in Ukraine
  • News of Ukraine: video