Ukraine Conflict Update: 3 – 9 June 2023

Situation Summary

Fighting between Ukrainian and Russian forces continued in the areas of Bakhmut and Marinka in the Donetsk region and along the Kreminna-Svatove-Kupiansk line in the Luhansk and Kharkiv regions. Ukrainian forces claimed to have advanced 1.2 kilometers near Bakhmut. On 8-9 June, Russian sources reported increased Ukrainian ground attacks in the areas of Huliaipole and Orikhiv in the Zaporizhia region. 

Russian shelling, missiles, and airstrikes reportedly killed over 20 civilians last week in the Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Kherson, Sumy, Zaporizhia, and Zhytomyr regions. In the Dnipropetrovsk region, a Russian missile struck civilian houses in Pidhorodne on 3 June, killing one civilian and injuring over 20 more. Russian missiles also struck the Kirovohrad, Kyiv, and Cherkasy regions, leading to civilian casualties in the city of Uman in the latter region. 

On the night of 6 June, a dam near the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant in the Kherson region collapsed, flooding around 80 settlements downstream and displacing thousands of civilians, as well as setting adrift numerous landmines, including anti-personnel devices.¹ Preliminary evidence suggests a major explosion likely occurred in the area of the dam in the gray zone and the power plant controlled by the Russian forces.² Experts have suggested that an internal blast is the likeliest scenario for the collapse as an external strike would require a much larger explosive to cause similar damage.³ The destruction of the dam complicates the crossing of the Dnipro river in the Kherson region for Ukrainian forces and allows Russian units to redeploy to the Zaporizhia region.⁴ As of 13 June, Ukrainian rescue services found the bodies of 10 drowned civilians; at least 20 civilians were injured and over 40 went missing.⁵ Over 20 civilians also died in Russian-occupied areas affected by flooding, with 150 others reported missing. Evacuation and rescue efforts on the northern bank controlled by the Ukrainian government were complicated by daily Russian shelling, which led to additional deaths and injuries among civilians, volunteers, emergency officers, and health workers. Prior to the explosion, the dam held back water in the Kakhovka reservoir used to supply water upstream, carry water to Crimea, and cool down the six reactors of the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant in Enerhodar.⁶

For more information, including previous situation summaries and an interactive dashboard, visit our Ukraine Conflict Monitor.