The Russian armed forces are increasingly hollowed out after the battle for Severodonetsk, the Ukrainian Defence Ministry said in the Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine on 28 June.
"It fielded the core elements of six different armies yet achieved only tactical success at Sieverodonetsk. They currently accept a level of degraded combat effectiveness, which is probably unsustainable in the long term," it said.
Ukrainian forces continue to consolidate their positions on higher ground in the city of Lyschansak, after falling back from Severodonetsk. Ukrainian forces continue to disrupt Russian command and control with successful strikes deep behind Russian lines.
Over 24-26 June, Russia launched unusually intense waves of strikes across Ukraine using long-range missiles. These weapons highly likely included the Soviet-era AS-4 KITCHEN and more modern AS-23a KODIAK missiles, fired from both Belarusian and Russian airspace.
These weapons were designed to take on targets of strategic importance, but Russia continues to expend them in large numbers for tactical advantage.