Russia's gunship fleet of KA-52 have been reinforced with a new version that incorporates experiences they made in Syria. With these units, the fielding of the LMUR air to ground missile has been intensified, where before apparently it was used more sporadically only. The mean detail here is that this missiles has a range of 15 km. It outranges local air defences like manpads and Gepards and means really bad news for mechanised formations trying to advance.
The Washington Post is quoted with its refering to its sources in the Pentagon that there is only muted trust in the reported beginning of the main thrust of the ukrainian offensive. These sources say that the size of this move and how many troops of the reserve are engaged, is unclear, and that one has not yet understood the purpose of the Ukrianian manouvering. A government official said that it could be they just send new troops to rotate out exhausted troops.
Other press media report that the ukrainians in that sector, which is around 90 km exactly east of the nuclear powerplant at Saporishia, have made contact with the first defence line of the Rusians in that area, and a Russian regional commander posted on Telegram that the line has been breached at three locations.
The red lines/dots mark Russian trenches and defence fortifications, early summer 2023.
I marked the region of interest with a blue "V". Its some of the heaviest layer of defences there, and if from there they turn south-west to Melitopol you can see that then they have the maximum thickness of defences against them. Or they go south-east to the coast, bypassing Melitopol - and keeping greater distance from Crimea, which is not wanted. They want their artillery/missiles being able to cover all of Crimea.
The picture thus is obscured and what really is going on is unclear. If there will be lasting advance, it will be slow and take weeks. The region it is about is beside Bakhmut the most heavily defended one in the Russian front, and almost nowhere are the prepared defences as intense and mutli-layered, as here. The Russians expected the attack to come down this road, and the Ukrainians seem to think they have no other chance than to go here.
If this is the real big push, of course.
Zelensky called the NATO-Ukraine council for action over the grain transports, but got nothing substantial in deed and action, only a thunderstorm of determined words and phrases. He must be totally disappointed, and even is not allowed to show it.
BBC reports that Western armour gives troops better protection, but struggles to push through Russian defences:
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-66306150