This timeline of the Russo-Ukrainian war covers the period from 8 June 2023, when the 2023 Ukrainian counteroffensive began, to 31 August 2023.
June 2023 8 June Several newspapers and analysts reported that Ukraine's counteroffensive had begun, with the Institute for the Study of War noting that activity throughout Ukraine was consistent with a variety of indicators that counteroffensive operations were underway across the theater.
In the early hours of the counteroffensive, the Armed Forces of Ukraine suffered "significant losses" according to US officials and the Russian Ministry of Defence, but seemingly managed to break some lines of defence in Zaporizhzhia Oblast. According to US officials, the losses were not expected to impact Ukraine's counteroffensive as a whole. The Russian Defence Ministry said its forces had repelled an offensive by Ukrainian forces involving 1,500 soldiers and 150 armoured vehicles after a two-hour battle with Ukrainian troops in the early hours. In response, Ukrainian Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar said only that Russia was conducting "defensive actions" near Orikhiv.
Three people, including a child were reported to have been killed by Russian shelling in Ukrainsk, Donetsk Oblast. One person was killed and eight others were wounded after Russian shelling struck a flood evacuation point in Kherson.
In Russia, drones struck two settlements in Belgorod Oblast.
The Russian Orthodox Church transferred 11 Ukrainian POWs from Zakarpattia Oblast to Hungary, saying that it was a request by the Hungarian government. But despite assurances by the office of Prime Minister Viktor Orban that the prisoners arrived of their own volition and were free to leave the country, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said the Hungarians ignored their requests to contact them, adding that the transfer was conducted without the agreement of the Ukrainian government. On 20 June, three of the POWs were returned to Ukraine.
The United Kingdom imposed new sanctions on Belarus for its support for the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which included banning imports of gold, cement, wood and rubber from Belarus and blocking exports to Belarus of banknotes and machinery, as well as materials that could be used to produce chemical and biological weapons.
As part of NATO's efforts to secure its border with Ukraine, Germany announced it would donate two MANTIS Air Defence Systems to Slovakia.
9 June One person was killed and three others injured in a Russian air strike in Zviahel, Zhytomyr Oblast. Eight people were wounded in another attack in Uman. The Ukrainian military said they shot down four out of six missiles launched during the attacks.
According to OSINT Defender, an Open Source Intelligence website, the Ukrainian counteroffensive started towards the town of Tokmak in Zaporizhzhia Oblast with a mixture of Leopard tanks and Bradley fighting vehicles. A Russian military spokesman claimed its forces had destroyed 13 tanks in Zaporizhzhia and eight in Donetsk.
The Security Service of Ukraine posted an intercepted call on its Telegram channel that claimed to show Russia's responsibility for the Kakhovka Dam's destruction. The call, which news agency Reuters could not immediately verify, was between two Russian-speaking men, with one of whom, described by the Ukraine security service as a Russian soldier, saying that the action at the dam was by a sabotage group under Russian command, and was supposed to "scare" people but "[the group did] more than what they planned for."
In Russia, three people were wounded by a drone strike on a residential building in Voronezh. A state of emergency was later declared in the region.
President Vladimir Putin said Russia would begin deploying tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus after the staging facilities are ready on 7–8 July. He also said during an interview published on Telegram that the Ukrainian offensive had begun.
Belgium announced it would supply Ukraine with 105mm artillery rounds worth 32.4 million euros ($35 million), which would be purchased from Belgian industry and delivered as soon as possible.
10 June During a nighttime attack on Odesa, Russian forces fired two missiles and eight drones. Ukrainian officials reported that all had been shot down. Falling drone debris set fire to an apartment building killing three people. Another 27, including three children, were wounded. An airfield in Poltava Oblast was damaged by missiles. One person was killed in an attack in Kharkiv Oblast. Two people, including a nurse were killed by Russian shelling at a hospital in Huliaipole, Zaporizhzhia Oblast. The Ukrainian military claimed to have advanced 1.2 kilometers (0.75 miles) near Bakhmut over the past 24 hours.
During a surprise visit by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to Kyiv, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy acknowledged the start of the country's counteroffensive against Russia. Trudeau also announced 500 million Canadian dollars (£297 million) in new military aid for Ukraine.
Radio New Zealand (RNZ) launched an external investigation after discovering that some 15 stories about the war in Ukraine "were edited to align with the Russian view of events" to give a "false account" of the conflict. The station's executive later apologized, admitting that RNZ's editorial systems had been insufficiently robust, while a digital journalist was placed on leave.
In Russia, a freight train with fifteen cars was derailed in Belgorod Oblast. No casualties were reported.
11 June Ukraine announced the liberation of the villages of Blahodatne, Makarivka and Neskuchne in Donetsk Oblast, the first settlements it had taken since the start of the counteroffensive. The Russian defence ministry claimed Ukrainian speedboats tried to attack the reconnaissance vessel Priazovye in the Black Sea.
A prisoner swap occurred between Russian and Ukrainian POWs, with 94 Russians swapped for 95 Ukrainians.
In Russia, a suspected Ukrainian drone crashed near the village of Strelkovka in Kaluga Oblast.
Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu ordered all volunteer fighting groups to sign a contract with the ministry, calling it a step towards increasing the effectiveness of Russian forces in Ukraine. However, the Wagner Group's head Yevgeny Prigozhin insisted that they were not covered by the order. Russian media reported it was an attempt by Shoigu to rein in Wagner following Prigozhin's previous outbursts against the military establishment.
12 June Ukraine announced it had retaken seven villages in Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk Oblasts, including the settlements of Lobkove, Levadne, Novodarivka and Storozheve. It also accused Russia of blowing up a dam near Novodarivka that resulted in flooding along the Mokri Yaly river.
Three people were killed after Russian forces opened fire on a flood evacuation boat in Kherson Oblast. One person was killed by Russian bombing in Orikhiv, while another was killed in Kostiantynivka, Donetsk Oblast. Two people were injured in a Russian attack in Avdiivka, Donetsk Oblast.
Major-General Sergei Goryachev, chief of staff of the Russian 35th Combined Arms Army, was reported to have been killed in a Ukrainian missile strike in the Zaporizhzhia front.
The Russian defence ministry signed a contract with Chechen Akhmat special forces fighting in Marinka, Donetsk Oblast as part of its moves towards consolidating control over allied paramilitary forces.
The United States announced a new aid package that would include "roughly two dozen Bradleys and Strykers" to replace those damaged or destroyed in previous fighting. The US had donated some 90 Strykers and 109 Bradleys to Ukraine. Some 16 Bradleys had been lost during the 2023 counteroffensive. The package also included more ammunition for HIMARS and NASAMS systems.
13 June
A Russian airstrike hit a five-story residential building in Kryvyi Rih, killing 12 people and wounding 36. Attacks were also reported in Kyiv and Kharkiv. The Ukrainian military command said that they shot down ten out of fourteen cruise missiles and one of four "Iranian made drones". An elderly priest was killed by Russian shelling in Bilozerka, Kherson Oblast. Seven people were killed by Russian shelling across Sumy Oblast. Six of them, which included four forestry workers, were inside a van that was shelled near Seredyna-Buda, close to the international border.
In a meeting with military journalists and bloggers, President Putin claimed Ukraine had lost 160 tanks and more than 360 other armoured vehicles since the start of its counteroffensive, while Russia lost 54 tanks. He further acknowledged that there were shortages of precision-guided munitions, communications equipment, aircraft, drones and other military equipment.
Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said his country had received the first delivery of tactical nuclear weapons from Russia and threatened to use them if necessary, contradicting statements from Vladimir Putin that the delivery would take place in July and would only be at the disposal of Russia.
14 June
Four people were killed and 13 others were injured after a Russian missile attack on Odesa. The Ukrainian military said four Kalibr cruise missiles were launched at the city and said it had shot down three. The dead were retail employees who died after a missile struck a warehouse, causing a fire. Missile debris also damaged a business center, an educational institution, a residential complex, and shops in the city center. Four people were also killed in Russian attacks in Donetsk Oblast. Two people were killed by Russian shelling in Zaporizhzhia and Chernihiv Oblasts respectively
Pro-Russian officials claimed one person was injured by Ukrainian shelling in Nova Kakhovka. Ukrainian forces claimed to have retaken at least 90 square kilometres (35 square miles) of territory since starting their counteroffensive and advanced by some 200–500 metres towards Bakhmut, and 300–500 metres in the Zaporizhzhia front.
Adam Delimkhanov, commander of the Chechen contingent of the Russian National Guard and member of the Russian State Duma, was reportedly wounded in action in Ukraine according to Russian sources, while Ukrainian sources reported that he had been killed by an artillery strike in Prymorsk, Zaporizhzhia Oblast.
15 June One person was injured in Kryvyi Rih as Russian missiles and drones were launched overnight across Ukraine. The Ukrainian military claimed to have intercepted 20 drones and one missile. An elderly woman was killed by Russian shelling in Zelenivka, Kherson Oblast.
Nine drones were reported to have attacked Russian-occupied Crimea.
On the southern front, Ukrainian forces claimed to have advanced by up to 7 kilometers (4.4 miles) along the Mokry Yali river, as well as up to 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) near Mala Tokmachka.
In Russia, a war crimes trial against 22 members of the Azov Brigade captured during the Siege of Mariupol started in Rostov. Fighters from the Chechen Zapad-Akhmat battalion were deployed to Belgorod Oblast to deter cross-border attacks.
The Russian Defense Ministry claimed to have struck drone production facilities in Ukraine using high-precision, long-range weapons and intercepted five US-built HIMARS-launched missiles and shot down 25 drones.
Russia announced plans to hold local elections scheduled on 10 September in occupied regions of Ukraine that it illegally annexed after the 2022 invasion.
16 June