[23] Wagner financier Yevgeny Prigozhin had extensively used Russian milbloggers to promote his efforts to replace Russian MoD leadership with Wagner-affiliated officials prior to his rebellion, and Putin now faces the choice of censoring or appeasing Russian milbloggers in the aftermath of the rebellion. Russian sources claimed that Russian and Ukrainian forces conducted limited offensive operations in the western Donetsk-eastern Zaporizhia oblasts border area. The Russian MoD claimed that Russian forces repelled a Ukrainian ground attack near Rivnopil (8km southwest of Velyka Novosilka). [44] A Russian milblogger claimed that Russian forces also attacked in the Rivnopil area and recaptured unspecified positions. The Russian MoD claimed on July 2 that Russian forces successfully destroyed all Ukrainian forces near the Antonivsky Bridge, but several Russian milbloggers claimed that Ukrainian forces maintain positions on the east bank.

Source: ABC News July 03, 2023 02:00 UTC