Ultimatum in Severodonetsk and Ukrainian counterattack near Kherson: military report for June 15

Russia continues to encircle Ukrainian forces in Severodonetsk, the Ministry of Defense demands that the Ukrainian defenders of Azot surrender, and in the Kherson region, on the contrary, the initiative belongs to the Ukrainian army, which counterattacks.

Fights for the territory of "Azot" and the ultimatum of the Ministry of Defense. After more than a month of fierce fighting, most of Severodonetsk came under the control of Russian forces, writes British intelligence . However, the Russian tactics of fighting, based on the intensive use of artillery, led to widespread destruction in the city.

• Russian troops continue to try to take control of the Azot industrial zone, on the territory of which Ukrainian military and civilians are hiding, writes the Institute for the Study of War (ISW). On Tuesday, June 14, the Ministry of Defense announced that on Wednesday, from 8 to 20, humanitarian corridors would be opened for the evacuation of civilians and at the same time demanded that the defenders of Severodonetsk lay down their arms and surrender by 8 am on Wednesday, promising them "saving lives and observing all norms the Geneva Convention for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, as happened earlier with those who surrendered earlier in Mariupol.
• According to the head of the regional administration, Sergei Gaidai, the Ukrainian military "successfully repulse" enemy attacks in Severodonetsk and the village of Toshkovka, 30 km away, and the fighting continues.

Preparations for the assault on Slavyansk. Russia continues to prepare for an offensive on Slavyansk southeast of the city of Izyum (it is located between Kharkov and Slavyansk) and west of Liman, which is located about 20 km from Slavyansk. In addition, Russia focused its efforts on taking control of the village of Bogorodichne, about 25 km from Slovyansk, but the Ukrainian military "successfully repulsed" the attack of Russian troops, according to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

"Wagnerites" near Bakhmut. Russian troops continue to bombard areas east of Bakhmut. According to the pro-Russian military telegram channel Rybar, Wagner units took the settlements of Vozrozhdeniye and Roty, located southeast of Bakhmut. In addition, Russian forces are trying to cut off communication between Bakhmut and Lisichansk and will probably be able to achieve this by shelling the highway, ISW notes.

Battles near Kharkov. Russian troops continue their efforts to dislodge Ukrainian forces from their positions northeast of Kharkiv. Attempts to attack Rubezhnoye through the settlements of Stary Saltov and Verkhny Saltov continue, control over which Russia is trying to regain control. The shelling of Kharkiv and the residential infrastructure of the region also continues, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reports.

Ukrainian counterattacks in the Kherson region. According to ISW (although the exact positions of Ukrainian troops have not yet been confirmed), Ukrainian troops have advanced within 18 kilometers of Russian-occupied Kherson, which is likely putting significant pressure on Russian troops, who are forced to strengthen their defenses in the south.

• In Nova Kakhovka, 80 km from Kherson, on June 14, the Armed Forces of Ukraine destroyed a Russian ammunition depot, according to Ukrainian media that published photos of smoke from the fire.

Shelling of the Dnepropetrovsk region. At night, the village of Apostolovo, about 45 km from Krivoy Rog, came under shelling. According to the head of the region Valentin Reznichenko, four people died.

Russian official data. The Russian Defense Ministry, as in previous briefings, does not provide specific information about the achievements of Russian troops in Severodonetsk, Kharkov or Kherson, but reports on the destruction of an arms depot transferred to Ukraine by NATO countries in the Lviv and Dnepropetrovsk regions. In addition, according to the department, an airspace control radar station was destroyed in the Lisichansk region, as well as equipment and ammunition depots were destroyed in other areas of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions.