1 Institute for the Study of War & The Critical Threats Project 2022
Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, June 13
Kateryna Stepanenko, Mason Clark, George Barros, and Grace Mappes
June 13, 7:30pm ET
Click here to see ISW's interactive map of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. This map is
updated daily alongside the static maps present in this report.
Kremlin-sponsored outlet Izvestia published and quickly removed an appeal by the First
Deputy Head of the Russian Presidential Administration Sergey Kirelenko for Russia to
rebuild the Donbas on June 12 and blamed hackers for what they (likely falsely) claimed
was a “fake publication.” Izvestia likely intended to save the article for a later date to set
informational conditions for Russian annexation of Donbas. Kirelenko’s appeal stated that Russia will
restore the Donbas regardless of high costs or if doing so lowers the standard of living in Russia.
1
Izvestia blamed unknown hackers for publishing a “fake article,” but it is possible that hackers instead
released an article Izvestia had prepared to publish at a later date. The Kremlin previously published
and removed an article prematurely celebrating a Russian victory over Ukraine in late February and
discussing the capture of Ukraine in past tense in anticipation of Ukraine’s capitulation during the first
Russian-Ukrainian negotiations in Belarus.
2
Unnamed Kremlin officials previously identified Kirelenko
as the future head of a new Russian federal district, which would encompass Donbas, and occupied
settlements in Kherson and Zaporizhia Oblasts.
3
Russia continues to deploy insufficiently prepared volunteer and reserve forces to
reinforce its ongoing operations. Kremlin-sponsored outlet Izvestia released footage showing
Russian artillery reservists undergoing training with old D-20 howitzers reportedly within 10 days of
their deployment to Ukraine.
4
The reservists focused on learning how to operate hand-held weapons,
despite being reportedly only days away from deploying. Social media footage also showed Russian
forces transporting Russian volunteer and reserve units with T-80BV tanks (a variant produced in 1985,
as opposed to the modernized T-80 BVM operated by the 1st Guards Tank Army) and BMP-1 armored
personnel carriers (which have largely been phased out in favor of the BMP-2) to Belgorod Oblast on
June 9.
5
Additional social media footage showed Russian forces transporting T-80BV tanks removed
from storage in Moscow Oblast on June 9.
6
Key Takeaways
Russian forces pushed Ukrainian defenders from the center of Severodonetsk and
reportedly destroyed the remaining bridge from Severodonetsk to Lysychansk on
June 13, but Ukrainian officials reported that Ukrainian forces are not encircled in
the city.
Russian forces carried out unsuccessful ground assaults in an attempt to sever
Ukrainian ground lines of communications (GLOCs) near Popasna and Bakhmut.
Russian forces launched unsuccessful offensive operations southeast of Izyum and
north of Slovyansk, and are likely setting conditions for an assault on Siversk and
northwestern Ukrainian GLOCs to Lysychansk.
Russian forces are likely conducting a limited offensive directly northeast of
Kharkiv City in a likely attempt to push Ukrainian forces out of artillery range of
Russian rear areas and secured some successes.
