Ukraine’s Offensive Guard advances deep into Russian defense in southern front

Colonel Mykola Urshalovych, acting director of the Planning Department of the Ukrainian National Guard's Main Directorate, said this at the Military Media Center.

In the Melitopol sector, units of the Offensive Guard brigades are pushing the occupying Russian forces out of their positions and consolidating their positions despite strong enemy resistance.

"Despite dense mining and engineering equipment, as well as strong resistance from the Russian troops, our units had partial success, advancing both into the depths of the enemy's defense and along the front," Urshalovych said.

In addition, in the east, the National Guard units as part of the Defense Forces are also involved in defensive operations in the Kupyansk and Lyman areas, as well as offensive operations in the Bakhmut area.

"In the Kupyansk and Lyman sectors, the Russian troops are reinforcing their advanced units, continue to man up assault units, including tank units. Moreover, we observe attempts of its engineer and sapper groups to covertly arrange passages in their own minefields," said the colonel.

What is known about the Offensive Guard

The Ministry of Internal Affairs has begun forming assault brigades of the National Guard, National Police, and State Border Guard Service. The project is called the Offensive Guard. These are brigades of volunteers who will participate in the liberation of Luhansk, Donetsk and Crimea.

The National Guard brigades are Bureviy, Chervona Kalyna, Kara-Dah, Rubizh, Spartan and Azov.

Brigade of the National Police of Ukraine Rage. 

Brigade of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine Steel Border. 

As of March 11, 28,000 volunteers had applied to join the Offensive Guard units. And on May 2, Klymenko said that Ukraine had already fully formed eight brigades of the Offensive Guard.

On May 15, the first volunteers of the Offensive Guard underwent basic training.

On June 2, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said that applications from Ukrainians to join the Offensive Guard units are still being processed, as new brigades are still being formed.