Don's Weekly, 16 June 2025: Part 1

by Donald Hill (intro by Tom Cooper)

Hello everybody!

Please, don’t blame Don: it’s me who’s late today. The life came in between.

…and a little bit of Zionists complaining that’s it’s ‘supporting the Iranian Mullah regime’ when I post a still from a video showing Israeli troops arresting 9-years-young Palestinian children, on my FB account…

It did surprise me none of characters complaining (via Messenger, e-mail etc.), came to the idea to complain about soldiers of the ‘Army of Light’, armed with 200+ nukes - arresting children.

Must be that that’s necessary and fair, while it’s unfair and unprofessional to criticise (or at least completely ignore) such practices: must be it’s me and my inability to soberly analyse the ‘Arab-Israeli conflict’…

Equally unfair - indeed: anti-Semitic - is to criticise Israel’s Minister of Defence, Katz, announcing that (quote) ‘Tehran is going to burn’, and that ‘Residents of Tehran will pay the price for overnight attacks on Israel’. Because, not only threatening civilians, but also exercising collective punishment and then massacring them by dozens (whether by air strikes, UAV-strikes, or car-bombs, like Israel is doing the last two days in Tehran) is acceptable - if expressed and/or ordered, publicly, by members of Israel’s government and members of Israel Defence Force.

….makes me wonder then, what shall one think about the Russians doing the same in Ukraine?

…like, just for example, when they target some meeting of Syrsky & Buddies, but - by sheer accident, of course, miss, by a few kilometres or so, and precisely hit four major children hospitals of Kyiv?

And, if Israel has the right to announce and then conduct such monstrosities - for example in Gaza, in Lebanon, in Yemen, ‘soon’ in Tehran (i.e. Iran) as well - why not Russia too? For example: in the case of 300+ different hospitals in Syria, then in Mariupol, and then in 17 other places around Ukraine?

I should not think about how much of such bollocks is coming from Ukrainians, or from people priding themselves with supporting Ukraine: nah, instead, I should mind that this is proving how wrong I am to support Ukraine.

(Memo for file: register ‘Tom Cooper is wrong’ as a trademark).

…and I’m digressing. After all, you’re not here to read my complaints about cynical, religiously-motivated racists and genocide-supporters, all dripping hatred; and you’re not here to indulge in discussions about ethics, morale, and international law, but to read Don’s update about developments in Ukraine of the last week. Thus, lets go over to doing that: everybody is, promptly, going to feel better, and confirmed and justified, too.

***

Kursk/Sumy

Full revelation: the last 10+ days, it was itching - not only in my small toe (but) - in all 13 fingers of my two hands, and then the 10 of Don’s, to write a longer feature about what a bardak has Syrsky managed to create in the Sumy Oblast. What a fantastic general and super-turbo-magnachrom-laude-genious he must be to have managed that. Especially about Syrsky sending (this time) brigades (‘instead’ of battalions) to this sector, but then critically short on training, lacking skilled commanders, and almost without ammunition (where one might want, but needs not, minding that it’s Syrsky who’s deciding what of ZSU’s brigades is getting how much of what ammunition and other equipment…meh, that’s irrelevant). We were this short >< of writing about a specific brigade Syrsky has sent to Sumy with 150 UAVs, but not a single launcher for these… It was itching… not only in the small toe, or fingers, but all over our bodies, to write how was that crisis solved (in the only way possible, read: without Syrsky… though without Drapaty, too)… and by whom.

But, lets leave that for ‘after the war’. After all, if Syrsky goes on like the last five-… sorry: seven-… sorry: twelve months… sorry: two-… nah: three years… there will be nobody left alive to recall the story, nor ask any questions. It’s not going to matter then. Besides, if was only Ukrainian soldiers (and few shiploads of Russian, too), that were killed. Thus, no point in discussing that… Lets go over to more important things…

The VKS was bombing, and is still bombing the area - de-facto - at will. Foremost with UMPKs. Some of these equipped with thermobaric warheads, like the one used in Khotin. We could go into that topic, and to extension, too… but, lets leave it at that: this is about war and warfare and thus no place for describing unpleasant affairs, pointing out failures, incompetence or similar factors that are causing casualties, or making an entire nation unable of stemming the Russian ‘tide’. Besides, plentiful of acclaimed professional experts in the West (and in Israel) can’t stop explaining how successful is the Ukrainian Air Force & Air Defence Force, right since the morning of 22 February 2022. Thus, no point in telling unprofessional things nobody wants to hear…

How - you’re going to ask: but the PSU F-16s have shot down that Su-35 and Ukraine now has the Link-16? Sure. Just that the Su-35 in question was not involved in releasing UMPKs and… meh, that’s modern air warfare and that’s so complicated even professional experts are not understanding it. Not to talk about unprofessionals. Thus, lets not talk about that, either…

Lets re-focus on good and fantastic news, instead. For example, somebody there came to the idea to re-deploy the 225th (Independent) Regiment to this sector and, what a surprise, the (undeclared) ‘corps reserve’ eliminated an entire Russian assault group. Ukraine also bombed a target near Volodymyrivka.

Logistics are important to both sides, and drones take a heavy toll on logistical vehicles on both sides. Multiple Ukrainian vehicles are attacked by drones around Nova Sich. Ukrainian positions are attacked around Oleksiivka. A Ukrainian towed D-30 gun is attacked north of Mohrytsia. 6 km away a Russian airstrike hit Ukrainian-occupied woods.

Not for the first time, the headquarters of the infamous 155th Naval Infantry Brigade was struck in Rylsk with GMLRS rockets.

Of the 11,000 North Koreans deployed to Kursk, 6,000 were killed according to UK intelligence. The Russian casualties were 36,200 wounded, 25,200 killed or seriously wounded and 983 taken prisoner, according to Ukraine.

… a great win… for Syrsky. Simply no doubt about that.

***

Kupiansk

Russians tried to advance out of Krasne Pershe but were unable to do so. They did manage to move up to 2 km west of Dvorichna.

The different bridges across the Oskil river have been knocked out. Ukraine built new crossings and Russia periodically knocks them out, too.

***

Siversk

Ukraine has held Bilohorivka for three years. At least since Dvornikov’s final attempt to cut off the Sieverodonets/Lysychansk Cauldron by crossing the Siversky Donetsk in the sector west of this village, back in May 2022, ended in a fashion resembling a car-crash at full speed…

Alas, since mid-April, Russia has been slowly pushing forward. Counting this week, they’ve advanced 3 km in the last two months. They even managed to plant a flag northwest of Hryhorivka but they weren’t able to hold that territory. Still, being able to penetrate 3 km from the current front lines shows how thin this sector’s defenses are.

In the southern edge of the cauldron, a Russian assault used 19 bikes and three buggies to try and take a Ukrainian position through speed. The buggies and 13 motorcycles were destroyed by drones from the 10th Mountain Brigade. 18 Russians were killed, five wounded, and three surrendered to a drone.

A wounded Ukrainian was in an exposed defensive position and pulled himself onto a ground drone with a trailer so he could be evacuated.

***

Chasiv Yar

Yet another Russian attack with TOS-1 thermobaric rockets, this time just outside Chasiv Yar. Ukrainian Vampire drones are intercepted by Russian drones.

Among the Ukrainian drone strikes is an airstrike inside Chasiv Yar. Ukraine claims that they destroy 3,500 logistical vehicles throughout the front during the month of May.

Somewhere in Donetsk Oblast, a pair of Russian Su-25s were flying with the intention of firing rockets at the Ukrainians and not each other. One fell out of the sky and had a rough landing.

***

Toretsk

The 100th Brigade attacked Russians in Toretsk with drones. Ten bombs land on Yablunivka.

Back in 2024, Ukraine pioneered the technique of waiting on the ground by a road instead of flying around looking for a target. The Russians started doing it about six months ago. This is an example near Pokrovsk. And this is Rubicon doing it somewhere west of Toretsk.

Some Russian prisoners were worried about being shot.

A photo taken by soldier of the 12th NG ‘Azov’ Brigade, showing a bird’s next made of fiber optic cable woven into natural materials.

***

Pokrovsk

On the eastern end of Malynivka, Russian troops are destroyed by rockets and artillery when they disembark from their vehicles.

Just east of Donetsk, a Russian convoy was hit by GMLRS rockets when they stopped by the side of the road 45 km from the front. 20 soldiers were reported killed and more were wounded.

With a 32 km range, the 2S7 can fire from far behind the front lines. The 15th Artillery Reconnaissance Brigade spotted one of the 203 mm guns with its ammo truck and hit it with something. The post suggest it might be a BM-30 MRLS with a range of 70 km, but it is not a precision weapon and could be off by 150 meters at that range.

Because of the 2S7’s long range it is harder to detect and engage. Russia’s lost 35 that we know of. They had 60 in active service in 2022 and 260 in reserve in various states of repair. The North Korean M1989 Koksan is 170 mm and has a range of 40 km. Russia received 120 of them so far and is scheduled to receive 120 more. Only North Korea produces the 170 mm shells for that artillery system.

The Drone Wall to detected and engage any enemy movement has been partially established at 15 km by both sides. They are slowly extending the range to 40 km, as seen with recent drone engagements at that distance, and there are plans to push the Drone Wall to 100 km.

***

Komar

Ukrainian positions north of Horikhove are bombarded by artillery and drones and a small Russian assault team advances. 21 Russian rockets land east of Komar. Komar itself is bombarded and Russians enter the village.

Ukraine has been fighting hard and counter-attacking in Bahatyr for a month, but last week they lost Odradne and Russia advanced 6 km on a narrow front to Komar. There were no forces to attack that narrow advance and Russia was able to widen that penetration even as it continued to attack into Komar.

This week, Russia advanced 9 km on a very narrow front to the village of Zaporizhzhia. Ukraine likely won’t counterattack that drive, either, showing how thin their defenses are in this sector. Ukraine’s lack of local reserves and slow responses to Russian actions indicate a lack of coordination between units in this sector.

***

Zaporizhzhia

Ukraine damages two anti-aircraft systems (a Pantsyr and a Tor). The missile from one of them missed the attacking drone.

***

(…to be continued…)