“Occupying Russian forces continue to suffer heavy losses on the battlefield. As a result, the enemy continues to equip civilian institutions of the temporarily occupied territories as medical facilities,” the AFU General Staff reports. Thus, in the city of Melitopol, Zaporizhzhia region, the Russian troops have equipped a children's sanatorium as a military hospital, where more than 200 soldiers with injuries of varying severity are being treated.
In addition, the Russian forces have set up a military base with equipment right on the territory of St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Melitopol.
According to the General Staff, over the past 24 hours, the Defense Forces' aviation launched 9 strikes on the Russian troops' military positions, as well as two on enemy anti-aircraft missile systems.
Missile and artillery units struck a command post, an anti-aircraft missile system, 5 artillery units at firing positions, and 9 weapons and military equipment concentration areas.
The US-based Global Military Products company has received a contract from the US Department of Defense for over USD 118 million to purchase and supply Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft systems for Ukraine.
The work will be performed in Amman, Jordan, with an estimated completion date of May 30, 2024.
The Pentagon recalled that at the time of the contract, USD 118,375,740 was allocated under the Foreign Military Sales Initiative (FMSI) program for fiscal year 2010.
On June 1, one of the largest Ukrainian bookstores reopened in Kharkiv, after having been closed since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022.
“Today we finally opened a bookstore in Kharkiv on (the street - ed.) August 23. The bookstore has not worked for over a year since February 24, 2022. This is one of the largest (if not the largest) bookstores in Ukraine. I invite you to buy books,” Ihor Zarudko, director of the all-Ukrainian BookLand chain of bookstores.
Aleksey Baranovsky, a representative of the Political Center of the Russian Armed Opposition, told Espreso that Russian volunteers continue to liberate Russia from the Putin regime and entered the Shebekino district of the Belgorod region on June 1.
“We recently promised that the liberation of Russia would go on, and now in Shebekino, Belgorod region, it continues. Firstly, there was an attempt in the Graivoron district, and now in Shebekino. Again, we can say that these are only the first steps. However, each time we see that the intensity of the advance is increasing and the number of Russian liberation troops entering the territory of the Russian Federation is increasing. That is, everything is going according to plan, and Belgorod is ahead,” a representative of the Political Center of the Russian Armed Opposition said.
According to him, the population is actively helping the Russian Volunteer Corps and the Free Russia Legion. They send data on the movements of the Russian Armed Forces and police, which allowed them to cover the entire police station in Shebekino with artillery.
“We are very grateful to the people for their cooperation and look forward to new messages. Freedom is coming, people feel it and are preparing for it,” Baranovsky said.
Germany has handed over another batch of military aid to Ukraine, including ammunition for Leopard, 66 armored personnel carriers, as well as about 100 pieces of special equipment.
According to an updated list of aid on the German government's website, over the past week, Germany has provided Ukraine with ammunition for LEOPARD 1, 19 8x8 HX81 tractor trailers and 14 semi-trailers (previously: 17), 14 THEMIS tracked and remotely operated infantry vehicles (previously: 7), 64 Bandvagn 206 all-terrain vehicles (BV206), and 66 armored personnel carriers.