Ongoing Ukrainian counteroffensive in Kherson Oblast, air battle in Mykolayiv Oblast: last night's highlights

Volodymyr Zelensky stated that during the counteroffensive in the Kherson Oblast, Ukrainian troops had already liberated part of the region's communities. At the same time, an air battle between the Armed Forces and the occupiers took place in Mykolayiv Oblast. Here is what you may have missed from the previous night.

Counter-offensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Kherson Oblast

President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Ukrainian troops had already liberated part of the region's communities during the counteroffensive in the Kherson Oblast. According to him, the offensive of the occupiers in the south of Ukraine has been halted, and the strategic initiative is with the Armed Forces.

Zelensky added that in the Donbas, the Ukrainian army "tactically still beats the Russian military" despite the significant advantage of the Russians in the amount of equipment, especially in artillery systems. The President noted that "the price of this battle for us is very high, it is just terrible," which is why Ukraine on a daily basis draws the attention of partners to the fact that only a sufficient number of modern artillery for Ukraine will provide an advantage and end the war.

Air battle in the Mykolayiv Oblast

On June 13, an air battle took place between the Armed Forces and the occupiers in Mykolayiv Oblast. A Russian fighter fired a missile at two Ukrainian helicopters: they managed to dodge and the enemy, sparing missiles, retreated.

As the Operational Command South notes, on the southern front, the Russian occupiers are bound by the ability to maneuver on the ground, so they attack from the air.

Shelling of Sumy Oblast results in victims

On June 13, Russian occupation forces again fired on communities in the Sumy Oblast from the territory of Russia, killing one civilian and wounding two others.

Scholz refused to confirm whether he would come to Ukraine

On June 13, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz declined to comment on reports that he plans to visit Ukraine soon with his French and Italian colleagues.

At the same time, CNN, citing a statement from the Elysee Palace, writes that French President Emmanuel Macron has no fixed plans to visit Ukraine.

EU candidate status for Ukraine

Politico, citing several officials, writes that the European Commission will recommend granting Ukraine the status of a candidate country for accession to the European Union. Thus, the final decision will remain with the European Council.

Ukraine needs the unanimous approval of 27 heads of state and governments in the European Council, which is expected to consider the issue at next week's summit in Brussels. Officials and diplomats have told Politico that at least three countries still oppose it.

Reznikov on "Ramstein-3" meeting

The Minister of Defense of Ukraine hopes that the results of the meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (the so-called "Ramstein-3") will be able to achieve significant practical results in increasing the supply of weapons for the Armed Forces. This especially applies to heavy weapons.

The United States is trying to prevent the purchase of stolen grain

The United States is working to ensure that various countries refrain from buying grain from Russia, which Washington believes could be stolen in Ukraine. Earlier, the American media reported that in May, the United States sent letters to 14 countries, mostly in Africa, alleging that Russia could try to sell Ukrainian grain.

The West is ready to provide Ukraine with all the necessary weapons

The United States, along with allies and partners from various countries, is ready to meet Ukraine's request to provide all necessary weapons to counter the Russian invasion, said US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.

He assured that the United States and other countries will continue to make efforts to bring as much support as possible to Ukraine and help the Armed Forces to succeed as soon as possible.

Terrorist attacks to accuse guerrillas

Russia may have staged terrorist attacks in Melitopol and Berdyansk in the Zaporizhzhya Oblast ahead of Russia Day on June 12 to accuse Ukrainian guerrillas of attacking civilians, the American Institute for the Study of War believes.