Victorious news of 488th day of war: liberation of Rivnopil, landing of Ukrainian troops on Dnipro's left bank in Kherson region

Defense Forces liberated the Rivnopil village, Donetsk region

The Ukrainian Defense Forces have returned the village of Rivnopil in the Volnovakha district of the Donetsk region under Ukrainian control. This was reported by Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar.

“The Defense Forces have returned Rivnopil to our control. We are moving on,” she wrote. 

The settlement was liberated by the fighters of the 2nd Mechanized Battalion of the 31st Detached Mechanized Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. 

According to Valerii Riabykh, Development Director of the Defense Express information and consulting company, the loss of Rivnopil by the Russians means that successful actions can be developed from this foothold, particularly in the southern direction.

“This is a very important settlement in tactical terms. We can now build on our successes in the direction of Remivka and Pryiutne. The direction of Staromlynivka remains relevant. Creating tension for the enemy along the entire length of the Vremiivka salient makes it impossible to move reserves and respond adequately, which could lead to a collapse of defense in this area. Also, the invading Russian troops may be forced to move reserves from other areas that may be less threatening to them,” he believes. 

Ukrainian pilots are already learning to fly F-16 fighters

Acting Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen has announced the start of training for Ukrainian pilots on Western F-16 fighters. 

Poulsen noted that Denmark, which is a NATO country, has taken a step to start training and professional growth of Ukrainian pilots.

“We will also consider whether we should make a concrete donation to Ukraine of the Danish F-16 fighters, and how many there should be,” he said.

Lund Poulsen said that Ukrainian pilots would have to spend six to eight months training before the possible provision of Danish F-16s would become a reality.

“This does not mean that you cannot make a decision beforehand. But (the F-16 planes) will be in Denmark until 2024,” Lund Poulsen said.

The EU approved additional military aid to Ukraine

On June 26, the European Union Foreign Affairs Council approved additional military aid to Ukraine worth EUR 3.5 billion. The money will be allocated to the European Peace Facility. 

“I believe that it is more important than ever to continue to support Ukraine because what happened this weekend shows that the war against Ukraine is destroying the Russian government and affecting its political system,” said Josep Borrell.

He added that now is the time to support Ukraine more than ever. And this is exactly what the EU will continue to do, he said.

Ukrainian Armed Forces destroyed 10 enemy artillery units overnight

During the day, missile and artillery units struck the control center and 10 enemy artillery units at firing positions. This was reported by the Ukrainian Armed Forces' General Staff.

The Defense Forces' aviation launched six strikes on the invading Russian troops' military positions during the day.

At the same time, the enemy tried to advance in the Avdiivka, Bakhmut, Kupiansk and Marinka directions. However, thanks to the efforts of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, these attempts were unsuccessful.

Ukrainian troops landed on Dnipro's left bank in the Kherson region

Ukrainian troops have successfully landed on the left bank of the Dnipro River near the Antonivka bridge. This was reported by the 46th Detached Air Assault Brigade.

“Our landing was very successful. It is still a tactical success, but it is the kind of success that can be followed by a 'strategy'. If Dachi is really fully under our control, then we can use such an important word as 'foothold' with caution,” the brigade's page says.