Russia has ordered Stepnogorsk to be brought under its control by the end of June — Voloshin
Russian troops continue their attempts to advance southwest of Huliaipole and occupy the towns of Verkhnia Tersa and Huliaipilske in the Zaporizhzhia region. According to Voloshin, the Russian command has also tasked the 7th Airborne Assault Division with establishing control over Stepnogorsk by the end of June.
Colonel Vladislav Voloshin, spokesperson for the Southern Defense Forces, reported this in a comment to Ukrinform.
“Over the past day, 37 combat engagements were recorded. Of these, 32 took place in the Huliaipilske area. The enemy is primarily continuing its attempts to break through southwest of Huliaipole on the section of the front where Charivne, Zaliznychne, and Huliaipilske are located. Interestingly, the command set a goal to capture Hulyaypilsk by the 15th, then by the 20th, and has now pushed the deadline to the 30th. And yesterday, the enemy even attempted an assault there using armored vehicles and ATVs. However, all of this was unsuccessful; our forces repelled the enemy even before they reached the outskirts of Hulyaypilske. In general, the enemy is attempting to advance toward Verkhnia Tersa and capture it by May 31,” Voloshin reported.
According to the spokesperson, the situation on this section of the front is currently difficult; the enemy is deploying a large number of aircraft and guided aerial bombs. Specifically, 20–25 airstrikes and up to a hundred guided aerial bombs are recorded daily, and the number of kamikaze drone attacks is also increasing.
“Overall, the number of kamikaze drones is actually increasing by 50–100 per day. A third of these are ‘Molniya’ and ‘Molniya 2’ aircraft-type drones and ‘Lancet’-type gliding munitions. Over the past day, we recorded 2,000 strikes by such drones in the south, and nearly 600 of them were ‘Molniya’ and ‘Lancet’ drones,” Voloshin said, adding that the use of reconnaissance drones is also increasing.
According to the spokesperson, the enemy is not experiencing any shortages of ammunition or manpower.
Reporting on the situation in the Dnipro River area, the spokesperson stated that one combat engagement was recorded on Bilohrudy Island over the past day.
“According to intelligence, the enemy has been tasked with stepping up activity on the islands of Bilohrudy, Kruglyk, Nestriga, Milky, Velykyi Vilkhovy, and Oleksiivsky, where the left bank of the Antonivsky bridges is located. In other words, the enemy will be intensifying its activities where our positions are,” he said.
In addition, according to intelligence reports, the enemy is reinforcing the Orikhiv direction and is redeploying the 137th Airborne Regiment specifically from the Dnipro region. It is also redeploying the 74th Separate Motorized Rifle Regiment, which participated in the assaults on Stepnogorsk, where the Defense Forces are currently attempting to seize the tactical initiative.
According to Voloshin, the enemy command has tasked the 7th Airborne Assault Division with taking control of Stepnogorsk by June 31.
“In addition, a special forces detachment from the 19th Division of the 58th Army is being deployed here to counter our successful counterattacks, and paratroopers are also being deployed from Kherson. As a result, the number of enemy assaults is increasing somewhat in the Orikhiv sector. Furthermore, several TOS-1A “Solntsepek” units are being redeployed here as part of the 5th Army. In other words, the enemy is increasing its fire support here,” the spokesperson said.
According to him, the enemy is stepping up its activity precisely in the section of the front where the Defense Forces have seized the tactical initiative. This refers to the settlements of Stepnogorsk, Plavni, and Primorske.
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