RIGHT SPEAK: In a Grinding Battle UKR Soldiers Hold the Line, RU Pounds But Can't Capture Chasiv Yar; UKR Holds Defense against RU in Pokrovsk Dir; UKR Seizes Tactical Initiative in Kharkiv Reg; RU Troops Surrender to Elite Brigade in Vovchansk; 88 C-Clashes F-Lines; RU Loses: 1160 Sols, 58 Art-Sys, LIVE UPDATES, DETAILS, and LOTS MORE

In a grinding battle far from the spotlight, weary Ukrainian soldiers hold the line

Western arms surge finally being felt as Russia pounds but can't capture Chasiv Yar

Much of the world’s attention in recent months has been focused on Ukraine’s desperate battle to hold off a Russian offensive targeting Kharkiv, the country’s second-largest city after the capital of Kyiv.

Yet a momentous strategic battle is being fought in this devastated, obscure city on the front lines some 200 miles from Kharkiv. Outgunned Ukrainian forces have managed to hold their lines as U.S. and other Western aid and ammunition are finally starting to make their presence felt.

In the wee hours of a Monday morning late last month, a British-made Spartan armored personnel carrier roared down a dusty country road in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region.

With their eyes glazed over or heavy with sleep, the soldiers of Ukraine’s 28th Mechanized Brigade remained silent. The rumble of the engine and the clatter of treads rhythmically slapping the ground were deafening, rendering conversation nigh impossible.

Not that the men were in the mood for a chat: They had climbed aboard the Spartan at about 2 a.m., and a couple of them were hoping to catch up on some sleep. Every five minutes, Andrii, 30, silently shifted his weight from left to right, hoping, to no avail, to find a more comfortable position between his armor-clad comrades and the boxes of ammunition and packs of bottled water.

After an uneventful 30-minute drive, the Spartan came to a halt.

“Dismount!” Andrii shouted without missing a beat. One by one, the soldiers awkwardly exited the cramped vehicle, gun in hand, into a moonlit clearing where they were greeted by a soft, cool breeze and, more ominously, the acrid smell of smoke.

“That’s Chasiv Yar burning,” said Evguenii, the press officer of the brigade. For security reasons, troops on the front lines are identified in print only by their first names.

A small industrial town of 12,000 people before the invasion, Chasiv Yar acquired key strategic significance after Russia’s capture of neighboring Bakhmut in May 2023. Now besieged by Russian forces eager to press on their advantage in the east, most of Chasiv Yar has been leveled to the ground by relentless artillery fire and glide bombs.

Still, the city has not fallen despite widespread fears of a Russian military breakout this spring.

As the unit drove toward the front line that morning, diffuse smoke covered the road like mist on a cold winter morning, and the orange glow of a rocket briefly lit up the cloudy night sky. Whether it was Ukrainian or Russian was impossible to tell. --->READ MORE HERE

Ukrainian forces hold defense against Russian attacks in Pokrovsk direction – Ukraine’s General Staff:

In the past day, there were 118 combat clashes at the front. The situation in the Pokrovsk direction is tense as the occupying troops try, and fail, to breach Ukrainian defenses

This was reported by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine as of 10:00 a.m. on June 16.

Yesterday, Russian troops launched three missile strikes using eight missiles, and 47 airstrikes, including 66 guided aerial bombs, and fired over 4,000 shots, 102 from MLRS.

The General Staff highlights that since the beginning of June, Russian forces have used over 1,050 guided aerial bombs on military and civilian targets.

41 clashes today: Frontline situation

In the Kharkiv direction, a Russian attack on the Ukrainian Defense Forces units near Vovchansk failed. Over the past day, Russian losses in this area include more than 180 killed or wounded, one IFV, two artillery systems, and four cars.

The Russian assault in the Lyman direction also failed. Positions were maintained.

In the Siversk direction, Russian troops' activity is high with five combat clashes since morning. Ukrainian defenders repelled one attack each near Rozdolivka and Verkhnyokamyanske, with three more clashes ongoing near Rozdolivka.

Today, in the Pokrovsk direction, Russia made 18 attempts to breach Ukrainian defenses near Novooleksandrivka, Yevhenivka, Sokil, and Umanske. Nine attacks were repulsed, with nine still ongoing. The situation is tense but measures are being taken to stabilize it and prevent further Russian troops' advancement. --->READ MORE HERE