The Heaviest Losses Suffered by the Russian Army During the First Month of Summer
Throughout the first month of summer, Ukraine's Defense Forces continued their long-range strike campaign against some of the most valuable assets in Russia's military arsenal: surface-to-air missile systems, radar installations, coastal surveillance stations, warships, airfields, logistics hubs, and fuel and energy infrastructure.
One defining feature of the month was the start of the holiday season in Russian-occupied Crimea. This year, however, it proved rather unusual for the occupiers. There was no baklava, no shrimp, no gasoline, and no electricity. Instead, tourists arriving from across the Russian border were treated to unlimited sleepless nights and explosive memories courtesy of frequent air raid alerts.
Throughout June, from Cape Tarkhankut to Kerch, Ukrainian drones and missiles reached even those corners of the peninsula where, until recently, the occupiers had felt completely untouchable. That became possible thanks to the sustained efforts of Ukraine's Defense Forces over previous months. On July 4, Commander of the Unmanned Systems Forces Robert Brovdi reported that, since the beginning of the year, Ukrainian forces had eliminated 195 elements of Russia's air defense network, including 32 that quite literally "burned on the job" in June alone. A substantial share of these nearly 200 supposedly unparalleled air defense assets had been deployed to shield the occupying forces in Crimea.
