(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Ukraine Invasion Day 847: Would isolating Crimea via missile attack be costly for Putin [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2024-06-18 Russian forces conducted a limited series of drone and missile strikes against Ukraine on the night of June 17 to 18. The Ukrainian Air Force reported that Russian forces launched 10 Shahed-136/131 drones from Primorsko-Akhtarsk, Krasnodar Krai, and Ukrainian mobile fire groups and air defenses destroyed all 10 Shahed drones over Zaporizhia and Dnipropetrovsk oblasts. [64] Ukraine's Southern Operational Command reported that Russian forces struck Mykolaiv Oblast with a ballistic missile on June 17, causing a fire, and conducted a cruise missile strike against Odesa Oblast on the night of June 17 to 18 that did not cause any damage. [65] Kharkiv Oblast Police Head Volodymyr Tymoshko stated that Russian forces struck a civilian object in Borivska Hromada with an Iskander-M ballistic missile on the morning of June 18. [66] www.understandingwar.org/... The European missile conglomerate MBDA is jumping into the burgeoning market for ground-launched cruise missiles with its new Land Cruise Missile (LCM). It will be unveiled this week at the Eurosatory defense exhibition in Paris. The LCM is based on MBDA’s Naval Cruise Missile (NCM), which evolved in part from the components of the air-launched SCALP-EG cruise missile that has been used to devastating effect by Ukraine. NCM is significantly larger with a different fuselage design and much greater range. LCM’s introduction comes as the need grows for new mobile, modular ground-based long-range strike capabilities. www.twz.com/... x 🔥 'Ukraine’s newest weapon should terrify Russia’s flailing strategists.' l Writes @TomSharpe134 'Cutting off Crimea via missile attack would be so embarrassing and costly for Putin that it has to be worth pursuing' Read the full comment below ⬇️ https://t.co/EvIbzJv9MJ — The Telegraph (@Telegraph) June 18, 2024 Crimea – totemic, strategically essential, Putin’s “unsinkable aircraft carrier” – is starting to look unseaworthy… There are four main arteries supplying it. To the east, the Kerch road and rail bridge and two ferries. To the north, partly in response to previous attacks, a rail route. There are normal roads there as well, but they are less useful for moving large stores from A to B. Crimp these arteries and, while you might not sink the carrier, you would render it without propulsion, weapons and food. The symbolic Kerch Bridge has already been attacked twice, once by a truck full of explosives and once by Uncrewed Surface Vessels (USVs). Both resulted in damage and repair bills, but neither was decisive. With President Biden lifting the restriction on the use of certain US supplied weapons in Russian occupied territory, the US Army’s Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) could now be used to hit the bridge, as well as existing stocks of Storm Shadow and other air-launched weapons. Getting the latter in position arguably requires greater air control than Ukraine has, but the number of tools Kyiv possesses for wrecking the bridge (and other arteries) for good is increasing. https://t.co/EvIbzJv9MJ White House says U.S. agreement with Ukraine allows Kyiv to fire American weapons into russia across from Sumy. "It extends to anywhere that Russian forces are coming across the border… to try to take additional Ukrainian territory”, Jake Sullivan tells PBS x The area of ​​fire at an oil depot as a result of a UAV attack in Azov, Rostov region is 3200 m² pic.twitter.com/RBs9admX4N — NOELREPORTS 🇪🇺 🇺🇦 (@NOELreports) June 18, 2024 Ukrainian forces struck Russian oil depots in Rostov Oblast and Krasnodar Krai overnight on June 17 to 18, using domestically produced Neptune missiles against a ground target in Russia for the second time. [6] Sources in the Ukrainian Navy told Ukrainian media outlet Suspilne on June 18 that Ukrainian forces used Neptune anti-ship missiles, presumably modified to strike ground targets, to strike an oil terminal of the Yugneftekhimtransit LLC in the port town of Chushka, Krasnodar Krai overnight. [7] Russian opposition outlet Astra reported locals witnessed explosions near Chushka overnight and that a fire damaged the pipeline and areas with engineering or technical equipment. [8] Russian authorities did not confirm the strike, but the Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) claimed on June 18 that Russian forces intercepted a Ukrainian Neptune missile in an unspecified area on June 17. [9] Sources in the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) told Ukrainian media outlets that Ukrainian forces conducted drone strikes against the Azovskaya and Azovnaftoprodukt oil terminals in Azov, Rostov Oblast, and geolocated footage shows that the resulting fire burned overnight on June 17 to 18 and well into the day on June 18. [10] Rostov Oblast authorities reported that the strikes set the oil tanks on fire. [11] The SBU sources stated that these depots combined have 22 fuel tanks, and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s (RFE/RL) Crimean service reported that up to 60 tons of petroleum products pass through these depots per month and that the storage tanks can hold up to 30 thousand cubic meters of petroleum products simultaneously. [12] Another oil depot in the Temryuk district of the Krasnodar Territory was attacked. Residents reported explosions, but there has been no official information from authorities. The attacked site, a terminal for liquid petroleum and chemical cargoes in Chushka, reportedly caught fire, damaging the pipeline and technical premises. The attack is believed to have been carried out with Ukrainian Neptune missiles. Ukrainian forces have now conducted two strikes with its own Neptune missiles against areas in Russian territory that are within range of US-provided ATACMS but that are also protected by US policy that has established a vast sanctuary in Russian territory. The Ukrainian General Staff reported on May 31 that Ukrainian forces used Neptune missiles to strike an oil depot near the port of Kavkaz, Krasnodar Krai, and former Ukrainian Naval Deputy Chief of Staff Andriy Ryzhenko stated that the May 31 strike was the first Ukrainian strike using Neptunes against ground targets. [13] Chushka and Kavkaz are port towns near the Kerch Strait and are roughly 250 kilometers from the current frontlines and within the 300-kilometer range of the US-provided long-range ATACMS. [14] The US has not allowed Ukrainian forces to use existing US-provided weapons to strike legitimate targets in Russian territory for much of the full-scale invasion thus far and still prohibits Ukraine from using ATACMS anywhere in Russia. [15] Ukraine first debuted Neptune anti-ship missiles against Russian naval targets in April 2022 and has had to further develop and modify these missiles to conduct deep strikes against Russian territory — a process that took over two years during which Russian forces in Russia enjoyed protection against Western-provided weapons. [16] ISW continues to assess that the US should allow Ukraine to strike legitimate military targets within Russia's rear with US-provided weapons, especially given that standing US prohibitions on how Ukrainian forces may use US-provided weapons will not prevent Ukraine or other Western weapons from striking Russia. www.understandingwar.org/... Key Takeaways: Russian President Vladimir Putin published an article in North Korean state-owned newspaper Rodong Sinmun praising Russian–North Korean cooperation on the eve of his visit to North Korea, likely to frame any future support that North Korea will lend to Russia as part of a common struggle against the West. x x YouTube Video Ukrainian forces struck Russian oil depots in Rostov Oblast and Krasnodar Krai overnight on June 17 to 18, using domestically produced Neptune missiles against a ground target in Russia for the second time. Ukrainian forces have now conducted two strikes with its own Neptune missiles against areas in Russian territory that are within range of US-provided ATACMS but that are also protected by US policy that has established a vast sanctuary in Russian territory. The Russian government is charging Ukrainian servicemen and military officials with crimes in absentia as part of its efforts to enforce Russian federal law outside of its jurisdiction and insinuate that Ukraine should not exist as an independent state. Founder of the Kremlin-linked Rybar Telegram Channel, Mikhail Zvinchuk, gave his second uncharacteristically public interview within a month in which he criticized the state of Russia's war effort in Ukraine and acknowledged that Western sanctions are negatively affecting Russia's industry and economy. Russian forces recently marginally advanced near Vovchansk, Svatove, and Avdiivka Russian President Vladimir Putin continues efforts to groom Russian military personnel for positions in the Russian government through the Kremlin's "Time of Heroes" program. Russian occupation officials continue their efforts to militarize Ukrainian youth in occupied Ukraine. Media: Over 10,000 Russian military personnel accused of refusing military service since start of full-scale invasion [image or embed] — 🔱🇺🇦 (@amplifyukraine.eu) Jun 18, 2024 at 11:03 PM x ⚡️ WAR IN #UKRAINE - JUN 18, 2024 ■ 2nd highest number of engagements in June & casualties well above the 7-day average ■ Good increase in armor losses (tanks & APCs) & improved strike ratio ■ Janovsky: 50 🇷🇺 7 🇺🇦 added; 30-day ratio at 2.9x (Perpetua at 2.7x) See dashboard… pic.twitter.com/7FMojKus4B — Ragnar Gudmundsson 🇮🇸🇺🇦 (@ragnarbjartur) June 18, 2024 [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/6/18/2247364/-Ukraine-Invasion-846-Would-isolating-Crimea-via-missile-attack-be-costly-for-Putin?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=trending&pm_medium=web Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/