The ISW has identified the true objectives of Russia's latest large-scale attack on Ukraine
On June 2, Russian occupation forces carried out a large-scale combined attack on Ukrainian territory, attempting to exploit a temporary shortage of missiles for the Patriot missile defense systems.
In addition, the Kremlin sought to divert the attention of its domestic audience from its inability to protect its own deep rear and from the Russian army’s obvious failures on the front lines.
Russia’s military leadership attempted to justify the massive attack on Kyiv by declaring it a “response” to the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ successful strike on May 22 against the headquarters of the Russian “Rubicon” drone center in occupied Starobilsk, Luhansk Oblast.
Moscow falsely claims that the Ukrainian Defense Forces struck a civilian facility, after which the Russian army allegedly targeted Ukrainian military and defense-industrial facilities.
However, the facts prove the opposite, as the combined strike on June 2 caused significant damage exclusively to civilian and critical infrastructure.
As a result of yet another act of Russian terror in Ukrainian cities, approximately 23 people were killed, and over 100 civilians were injured.
The report specifically notes that Russia’s use of cluster munitions and double strikes against rescue workers demonstrate a Russian tactic aimed at killing as many civilians as possible in Ukraine.
Experts are convinced that Russia’s claim that the recent strikes are a response to a single strike on occupied Starobilsk is an attempt to conceal the fact that Russia would likely have carried them out anyway.
This is officially reported by analysts at the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) in their latest analytical report.
Russian forces attacked three districts in the Dnipropetrovsk region
Russian drones attacked the Odesa region and wounded two people
Russia attacked Kharkiv and the region overnight; there are casualties
Over the past day, 291 combat engagements were recorded on the front lines between the Ukrainian Defense Forces and Russian troops, with the heaviest fighting continuing in the Pokrovsk direction.
Over the past day, the Russian army lost another 1,430 soldiers in the war against Ukraine. Ukrainian defenders also destroyed dozens of artillery systems, hundreds of vehicles, and nearly 1,800 drones.
