Dispatches from Ukraine. Day 488.

As Russia’s attack on Ukraine continues and the war rages on, reliable sources of information are critical. Forbes gathers information and provides updates on the situation.

Frontline update. Ukraine’s defense ministry said its forces continue advancing on several fronts in the South and East of the country. Over the course of last week, they have retaken 17 square kilometers of land, bringing the total territory entirely liberated since the start of the counteroffensive to 130 square kilometers. On Jun. 24, the defense ministry announced the definitive recapture of the Krasnohorivka area in the Donetsk region, which had been ruled by Russian-backed forces since 2014. Regular Russian forces are showing immense resistance despite suffering huge losses, in terms of both manpower and equipment, said Deputy Minister of Defense Hanna Maliar. Last week Moscow lost at least two Ka-52 helicopters, one Mi-24 fighter jet, and 48 Shahed 131/136 drones, Maliar further stated.

What was hailed as Yevgeny Prigozhin’s “March to Moscow” and the beginnings of civil war in Russia seems to have failed in less than three days. On Jun. 23, Wagner mercenary group chief Prigozhin shared a video of his military camp allegedly struck by regular Russian troops. The Wagner Group is a private army of roughly 50,000 mercenaries (which includes about 32,000 - 40,000 convicts, including murderers and domestic abusers) that has been fighting alongside the regular Russian army in Ukraine.

Subsequently, a few posts on his Telegram social media channel indicated his intentions: first, to punish those responsible, primarily top Russian military officials such as Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and General Valery Gerasimov, and second, to convince Russian regular forces to join his side.

Jun. 24 saw the swift capture of the Russian city of Rostov on Don by Wagner troops, followed by a massive explosion and fire at an oil depot in the city of Voronezh. The events created a great deal of havoc among Russian authorities, as trenches started to be dug on roads heading to the capital, Moscow.

However, despite Prigozhin’s vocal claims, the situation seemed to have been swiftly diffused with the participation of Belarusian President Alexandr Lukashenko, who played the role of mediator between the Wagner leader and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin. Lukashenko’s press service later revealed the negotiations lasted throughout the day and the sides agreed “on the inadmissibility of unleashing a bloody massacre on the territory of Russia.” As clashes between the two camps unfolded, Dutch defense analysis website Oryx reported that Moscow lost one Ilyushin Il-22 airborne command post bomber, three Mi-8 helicopters, and one Ka-52 “Alligator” attack helicopter.

In the southern town of Berdyansk two 16-year-old boys were killed by the Russian occupational forces, after they reportedly shot a police officer and another occupier, as claimed in a short video made by one of the boys that’s gone viral. Back in September of 2022, the two youths were accused of plotting sabotage operations; then, one of the boys, Tihran, was kidnapped from his home, and tortured for five days, Ukraine’s Media Initiative for Human Rights said. “Just thirty minutes prior to the investigator’s call to notify their parents about the boys’ ultimate murder, Tihran’s mother had a conversation with him,” Olha Reshetylova, coordinator at the Initiative, wrote on Facebook. “He appeared happy, mentioning that he and Mykyta were wandering together, thinking of how to celebrate Mykyta’s upcoming birthday. Today would have marked Mykyta’s 17th birthday.” Ukrainian authorities have opened a criminal investigation into the boys’ killing.

Kyiv region. A 16-story apartment building in the Solom’yans’kyi district of Kyiv was hit by a Russian missile late at night on Jun. 24, said Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko. Rescuers recovered the remains of five deceased residents. Two other civilians were transported to the hospital for medical treatment.

Kherson region. On Jun. 25, Kherson’s residential areas were shelled by Russian forces, authorities said. Rival rounds targeted a five-story residential building killing a 44-year-old man and injuring a woman. One of the shells is believed to have exploded right in the middle of the room. “What is this if not terrorism? Cynical non-humans,” regional governor Oleksandr Prokudin wrote on social media.

On Jun. 23, the European Council adopted the 11th package of restrictions against Russia, aimed at preventing the circumvention of sanctions. “Our sanctions are already taking a heavy toll on the Russian economy and on the Kremlin’s ability to finance its aggression,” Josep Borrell, High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, said. “By tackling sanctions circumvention, we will maximize pressure on Russia by depriving it further of the resources it so desperately needs to allow it to pursue its illegal war against Ukraine.” To avoid the continued bypassing of restrictions, the EU intends to engage in bilateral and multilateral cooperation with third countries where circumvention may be facilitated.

By Daria Dzysiuk, Karina L. Tahiliani