In the past three days the Ukrainian armed forces have pressed forward with multiple efforts to execute a long-promised counterattack along the front lines. Yet on June 6, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu stated that those attempts were thwarted in every sector, asserting that the enemy failed to achieve its goals and that Russian troops demonstrated steadfast courage and battlefield resolve in the face of pressure.
The minister’s briefing highlighted that on June 4, the 23rd and 31st mechanized brigades of Ukraine, moving in five separate directions, could not secure any advantage. He described substantial losses on the Ukrainian side and insisted that none of the planned advances reached their objectives. Shoigu emphasized that the overall effort did not translate into strategic gains and that the Ukrainian forces suffered what he called significant casualties across the frontline sectors.
According to Shoigu, Ukrainian forces attempted a major offensive on June 5, seeking to rupture the contact line with five brigades operating in seven directions simultaneously. The defense leadership argued that Kyiv’s forces were decisively repelled, and that the losses incurred during this push were magnified by the stiff resistance of Russian troops and their supporting aviation and artillery assets. The minister cited figures indicating heavy Ukrainian personnel and equipment losses, including more than 1,600 soldiers, 28 tanks with eight Leopards and three AMX-10 wheeled units among them, plus 136 other vehicles, most of which were captured or destroyed.
The defense ministry drew attention to acts of personal valor amid the fighting. It singled out junior lieutenant Yuri Zhelanov, commander of the 3rd battalion of the 37th motorized rifle brigade, and Vladimir Polozhentsev, who led the same brigade as its battalion commander, for their cool and calculated leadership under danger of encirclement. Shoigu noted that Zhelanov, wounded yet still pressed forward, brought his company to pre-arranged defensive positions and effectively halted the attacking formations.
From the ministry’s perspective, the last three days have seen Ukrainian losses surpass 3,700 soldiers, alongside 52 tanks, 207 armored vehicles, 134 other vehicles, and five aircraft with two helicopters reported down. On the Russian side, 71 soldiers were killed and 210 wounded during the same period. The report credited Russian aviation with a key role in repelling the assaults, noting that five tanks and 29 armored vehicles were involved in counteractions that disrupted Ukrainian offensive momentum.
Additionally, Shoigu condemned the nighttime explosion of the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station as a terrorist act that caused flooding in critical regions and raised environmental concerns. He warned that the discharge of water from the Dnepropetrovsk hydroelectric complex would intensify flooding and complicate recovery efforts, framing the incident as evidence of a large-scale sabotage campaign allegedly planned in advance by Kyiv.
The minister argued that the purpose of the Kakhovka attack was to blunt Russian advances in the Kherson direction, where Ukrainian forces had intended to redeploy units and equipment to other sectors along the front, thereby weakening Russian positions. He asserted that Kyiv’s forces have begun to establish defensive lines on the right bank of the Dnieper, signaling a shift toward a more defensive posture rather than pursuing offensive operations on multiple axes, at least for the near term.
Overall, the briefing conveyed a narrative of persistent Ukrainian attempts to alter the front’s balance, countered by a combination of frontline defense, air and artillery support, and disciplined command at the unit level. It presented the events as part of a broader strategic contest that includes infrastructural damage, environmental risks, and shifting tactical decisions on the ground. {Source: Russian Ministry of Defense}