General Staff: Russian forces fail to advance in the east, conduct 37 airstrikes across Ukraine

Russian forces tried to advance toward the towns of Kupiansk, Lyman, Avdiivka, Marinka, and Shakhtarsk in eastern and southeastern Ukraine but failed to make any headway on June 17, according to the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces.

The Ukrainian military reported 22 engagements across these areas.

Over the past 24 hours, Russian forces also hit Ukrainian territories with 37 airstrikes and 19 attacks with multiple rocket launchers.

One strike killed a person and wounded three in Kherson Oblast.

Meanwhile, Russian forces remain on the defensive in Zaporizhzhia and Kherson Oblasts, anticipating the recently-launched Ukrainian counteroffensive.

Russian defenses are thickest in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, with multiple lines stretching all the way down towards occupied Crimea.

Ukrainian aviation, in turn, conducted nine strikes against Russian personnel and an air defense system, according to the report. Rocket and artillery forces destroyed two Russian ammunition depots and one artillery unit.

This Week in Ukraine Ep. 12 – Ukraine’s counteroffensive finally began. What’s next?

Episode #12 of our weekly video podcast “This Week in Ukraine” is dedicated to the beginning of Ukraine’s much-awaited counteroffensive, its early results, and what to expect in the weeks to come. Host Anastasiia Lapatina is joined by the Kyiv Independent reporter Francis Farrell. Listen to the au…

The Kyiv IndependentAnastasiia Lapatina