RIGHT SPEAK: RUssia, UKRaine Trade Artillery Fire; UKR Army Destroys RU’s Mainland Route to Crimea with Blasts in Berdyansk and Melitopol; UKR's Defence Forces Repel All RU Assaults Today; Drone Attacks on Moscow ‘the beginning of the end’ for Putin, LIVE UPDATES and MORE

Russia, Ukraine Trade Artillery Fire:

Russia and Ukraine exchanged artillery fire across their borders overnight as Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was ready to launch a long-awaited counteroffensive to drive Russian forces out of the country.

In Ukraine’s northern Kharkiv and Sumy regions, Russian shelling killed at least one civilian and damaged property, local officials said. Inside Russia, five civilians were killed by rocket fire in the Belgorod region, bordering Ukraine.

The border regions have become a new flashpoint in the war amid recent incursions into Russia by an avowed group of Russian nationals fighting for Ukraine. Those attacks, which were coordinated with Ukrainian military intelligence, have prompted Moscow to redeploy forces from Ukraine to defend its own border.

The incursions are part of an attempt by Ukraine to confuse and stretch Russian forces while it prepares to deploy brigades trained and equipped by the West to recapture occupied territory. In recent weeks, Ukraine has also been striking far behind the front line in the east and south of the country using drones and longer range missiles to degrade Russian military logistics.

Russia has played down the size of the incursions and says it is still mounting offensive operations in hotly contested portions of eastern Ukraine. Russia’s defense ministry said Saturday that special forces of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov were fighting for control of the village of Maryinka, which Russia says has been slipping from Ukrainian control.

In its daily briefing in Moscow, the defense ministry said Russian artillery destroyed numerous Ukrainian military units along the front line and intercepted several Western-supplied missiles and guided munitions fired at Russian positions.

In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Zelensky expressed confidence the forthcoming offensive will succeed but said it could take some time and come at a heavy cost. --->READ MORE HERE

Photo:screen grab obtained by REUTERS from a social media video

Ukrainian army destroys Russia’s mainland route to Crimea with blasts in Berdyansk and Melitopol:

There are two main reasons why explosions in the occupied south of Ukraine have grown in frequency, Ukrainian military expert Denys Popovych told Radio NV on June 4.

"It's the southern direction. It is to be considered a possible target of the Ukrainian counteroffensive (as we still don't know what is going to happen)," he told Radio NV.

The other reason to strike military targets in occupied Zaporizhzya and Kherson oblasts.

"Berdyansk is a port city. As Melitopol and other settlements to the south, it is a part of the so-called Russian mainland route to Crimea which is used alongside the Crimean Bridge for munition supply. They need to hit key points (of the route) in order to destroy it. That is happening now.

"Explosions were heard in the Crimean city and logistical hub of Dzankoy in the northern part of the peninsula."it's a railway junction which has been affected before. As it was today during an overnight attack," Popovych said, explaining that the attack was a part of a Ukrainian campaign in the south.

Ukraine is ready to launch a counter-offensive, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal. --->READ MORE HERE