Both sides suffer heavy casualties in Russia Ukraine war as offense slows

 ISW:

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Ukrainian forces may be temporarily pausing counteroffensive operations to reevaluate their tactics for future operations. Head of the Estonian Defense Forces Intelligence Center Colonel Margo Grosberg stated on June 16 that he assesses "we won't see an offensive over the next seven days.”[7]The Wall Street Journal similarly reported on June 17 that Ukrainian forces “have mostly paused their advances in recent days” as Ukrainian command reexamines tactics.[8] These reports are consistent with ISW’s recent observations of the scale and approach of localized Ukrainian counterattacks in southern and eastern Ukraine.[9] ISW has previously noted that Ukraine has not yet committed the majority of its available forces to counteroffensive operations and has not yet launched its main effort.[10] Operational pauses are a common feature of major offensive undertakings, and this pause does not signify the end of Ukraine’s counteroffensive.

A Wall Street Journal (WSJ) interview with Russian prisoners of war (POWs) indicates continued significant morale and command issues among frontline Russian units and the continued Russian use of “barrier forces” to shoot retreating soldiers.[11]WSJ amplified the statements of three unidentified Russian POWs who voluntarily surrendered to Ukrainian forces during Ukrainian counteroffensive operations near Velyka Novosilka, on the administrative border between Donetsk and Zaporizhia oblasts. The POWs reported widespread fear of a Ukrainian counteroffensive among Russian forces on the frontlines. The POWs indicated that the Russian military command sees Russian conscripts and penal recruits as expendable, and claimed Russian officers order injured personnel deemed unfit for service back to the front line and use “barrier forces” to prevent penal recruits in “Storm-Z” units from retreating. Barrier forces are specialized units that threaten to shoot their own personnel either to prevent retreats or to force them to attack, and unverified social media footage recently circulated depicting Russian barrier troops shooting retreating Russian forces in Ukraine.[12] The POWs also indicated that Russian forces struggle to supply and staff their units, including struggling to crew tanks and armored vehicles.[13]The POWs expressed concern about returning to Russia in a POW exchange due to Russian laws prohibiting voluntary surrender to the enemy.
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As I have noted before, the Russian defensive efforts appear much stronger than their offensive capability.  That could lead Ukraine to reevaluate its offensive operations.  It is also clear that Russian defensive operations include several elements of desperation and indifference to its own troops.  The callousness toward its own troops will obviously contribute to morale problems and is a sign of desperation.  This is more evidence that this is Putin's war and that of a few warmongers in his government and not a war supported by the Russian troops.

See, also:

Both sides suffer heavy casualties as Ukraine strikes back against Russia, UK assessment says

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Russian losses are probably at their highest level since the peak of the battle for Bakhmut in March, U.K. military officials said in their regular assessment.

According to British intelligence, the most intense fighting has centered on the southeastern Zaporizhzhia province, around Bakhmut and further west in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk province. While the update reported that Ukraine was on the offensive in these areas and had “made small advances,” it said that Russian forces were conducting “relatively effective defensive operations” in Ukraine’s south.

The Ukrainian military said in a regular update Sunday morning that over the previous 24 hours Russia had carried out 43 airstrikes, four missile strikes and 51 attacks from multiple rocket launchers. According to the statement by the General Staff, Russia continues to concentrate its efforts on offensive operations in Ukraine’s industrial east, focusing attacks around Bakhmut, Avdiivka, Marinka and Lyman in Donetsk province, with 26 combat clashes taking place.
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And:

 Explosions rip through Russian ammo dump in Kherson Oblast, detonations captured on video

And:

 Ukrainian troops devastate 4 Russian infantry companies on southern front, officer says

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"Every day turns into hell for the Russians," he said. “Our soldiers are skillfully destroying the enemy.”

Tarnavskiy said the missile and artillery units of the Defense Forces carried out 1,829 firing missions over the course of the day.

Ukrainian troops also destroyed and damaged 77 pieces of enemy military equipment and 12 Russian ammunition storage sites in this area.
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And:

Counteroffensive underway: ‘We overestimated Russians and underestimated ourselves’ 

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The Russians failed to notice the stealthy Ukrainians until the attackers’ grenades went into the trench. The platoon from the 81st then went in by twos and threes, starting a vicious, close-range firefight with the enemy group.

Many of the Russian troops ran away after being taken by surprise. Some remained in their dugouts, trying to shoot back. They ultimately surrendered but not without trouble — one Russian fighter yelled out “I surrender” right before throwing a grenade. Five prisoners were taken — three Russian national guardsmen and two proxy fighters from occupied Luhansk Oblast.

“There were two observation posts. All their communication was hanging on them,” said Sasha, the platoon commander. He identified his unit only as the 1st Platoon for security reasons. “The enemy didn’t even know that we had taken a third position towards the end of the operation. They didn’t know what was going on.”
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And:

 Ukraine lost less than 10% of its Western equipment in clashes with Russia – Estonian intelligence

And:

 Kremlin officials turn to heavy drinking to cope with war stress

The Kremlin has doubled its wine allowance for Russian officials to alleviate the stress of Ukraine’s counter-offensive.

Sources told the exiled Verstka news website that Russian government officials have taken to sipping cognac throughout the day and turning up to meetings drunk and morose.

Verstka quoted one of the sources as saying: “Not everyone used to start their day with a glass of vodka but now I know many more people who do. For some, a glass has turned into a bottle.”
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And:

 Russia can't really fight Ukraine at night because Moscow's military is so broke and degraded it can't afford night-vision gear for its troops, war expert says

Ukraine has the advantage in the dark and is able to launch nighttime assault against Russian forces thanks to Western-provided equipment — which includes everything from night-vision goggles and scopes to drones equipped with thermal imaging.

Beyond equipment, another thing that gives Ukraine an edge in nighttime operations is Russia's inability to do the same due to lack of resources or planning. An expert told Insider that, at the end of the day, Russia just can't afford to equip its forces with expensive night-vision capabilities.
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And:

 A failed US Navy experiment during World War II hinted at how exploding drones would change the battlefield 80 years later