“We’re standing as we did before, and we will keep standing.” Talks about peace or Russia’s capitulation are illusions, says military pilot Dmytro, callsign Apostol, Voiin Svitla reports. 

“If the aggressor country capitulates, it means huge reparations. No one will pay them,” he emphasizes.

Dmytro stresses that the Ukrainian army is strong due to the work of the rear, volunteers, and funds. But support has fallen critically now.

“We are raising five million for four army aviation brigades. Donations have critically dropped. No one wants to support,” explains the Ukrainian pilot. 

He emphasizes that the soldiers are not tired but need reinforcements.

“My guys and I are not tired. But we don’t need to bury soldiers; we need to go mobilize,” he says.

The pilot finds his greatest motivation in the civilians who don’t give up even in destroyed villages.

“We’re flying over Donetsk Oblast, one small hut, and a boy runs out waving a flag. Isn’t that motivation? I don’t want my children to be involved in war,” he adds.

Earlier, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry revealed that Kyiv forces eliminated more than 230,000 Russian soldiers in just six months of 2025. 

In June alone, Ukrainian forces inflicted heavy casualties: 32,420 Russian troops were killed or injured. Ukrainian strikes also destroyed 111 tanks, 272 armored vehicles.

They pieced together a heavy grenade launcher under enemy fire, on Russian territory. Ukrainian soldiers of the 39th Brigade assembled a heavy automatic UAG-40 grenade launcher on Russian soil to support an infantry assault in a bold operation. 

A Ukrainian defender from the brigade, known by the callsign Philosopher, says that a team of eight soldiers from the fire support company risked their lives to disassemble and transport the mobile grenade launcher.

Its ammunition was also taken into Russian territory, from the Sumy axis, to provide fire cover for advancing Ukrainian assault groups.

“We dragged the UAG-40… onto enemy territory and directly supported assault operations,” Philosopher recalls.

The team rotated positions during the mission. A single ammo box with 32 grenades weighed 15–16 kg, and they needed at least five boxes daily. The UAG-40 itself weighed another 40 kg.

Russian forces bombarded their position with guided air bombs, scoring four direct hits that destroyed their shelter, but the Ukrainians dug themselves out and kept firing.

“When we had to pull back, I gave the order to destroy the UAG so it wouldn’t fall into enemy hands. But they didn’t abandon it, they carried it out,” the defender says. 

Today, the legendary launcher is kept with the brigade as a symbol of Ukrainian soldiers’ courage, skill, and tenacity.

The Ukrainian Defense Minsitry reports that Kyiv forces have eliminated more than 230,000 Russian soldiers in just six months of 2025, the equivalent of nearly 20 divisions. Moscow has also lost thousands of armored vehicles, artillery systems, and drones.

According to Ukraine’s General Staff, Russia’s total losses in the first six months of 2025 include:

• 1,311 tanks 
• 2,885 armored fighting vehicles
• 8,222 artillery systems 
• 21,021 vehicles. 

The most devastating vehicle losses were recorded in April 2025, when Ukrainian forces destroyed 4,104 Russian vehicles.

Despite international calls for a ceasefire, combat intensity remains high. In June alone, there were 5,304 combat clashes, over 28,273 since the beginning of the year.

Meanwhile, Russian summer offensive continues but with small achievements. For instance, in Sumy Oblast, Russian elite units such and airborne brigades, have pushed deeper expanded their control by more than 25 kilometers in width.

However, Ukrainian defenders have successfully halted further Russian advances in key areas like Yunakivka, Yablunivka, and Novomykolaivka. 

The hottest spot of the front remains the city and area near Pokrovsk in Donetsk Oblast. Russian command has deployed a force of 111,000 troops to this part of the 1,200 front-line. 

The rail war rages on. On 1 July, Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence Directorate (HUR) announced the destruction of a Russian locomotive on temporarily occupied territory in Zaporizhzhia Oblast. The targeted railway section, heavily used by Russian forces to move weapons and equipment, has been shut down again.

This marks the second strike on this key logistics route in recent days. On 26 June, Ukraine’s resistance movement, in coordination with HUR, sabotaged the same track. The resulting explosion disabled the line for over a week.

Despite rapid repair attempts, Russian troops fell into a trap once more.

“On 1 July, the occupiers restored the rails and ties, sent a military train, and then came another thunderous surprise: the enemy locomotive was knocked out,” HUR reported.

The agency added that one of the main supply arteries for the occupying army is now out of action again.

In the early hours of the same day, Russian forces launched more than 400 strikes across 13 settlements in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, said regional governor Ivan Fedorov.

A 56-year-old man was injured in the attack. Over the course of the day, Russian troops carried out four airstrikes, 271 UAV launches of various types (mostly FPV drones), six attacks using multiple rocket launchers, and 122 artillery strikes.

Authorities recorded 23 reports of damage to apartments, private homes, vehicles, and businesses.

Russia has lost control over a part of its sanction-evading oil business. Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence (HUR) says a powerful explosion occurred in the engine room of the Vilamoura tanker on 27 June, while it was en route from the Libyan port of Es-Zuwaytina.

The vessel was located about 150 km northeast of Libya’s territorial waters and was carrying approximately 1 million barrels of crude oil.

The tanker was sailing under the flag of the Marshall Islands and, according to intelligence, had been repeatedly used to transport oil products from ports of the aggressor state. In April, it was spotted in Ust-Luga, and in May, near Novorossiysk.

Currently, the damaged Vilamoura is being towed by the firefighting ship Boka Summit (flying the Maltese flag) to the Laconian Gulf in Greece. The tanker is owned by TMS Tanker Ltd., a company registered in Marousi, Greece.

“The Kremlin is losing an important tool used to circumvent international sanctions and fund its war of aggression against Ukraine,” Ukraine’s intelligence emphasized.

Earlier, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced the largest sanctions package in the country’s history, targeting 100 Russian oil tankers linked to Russia’s shadow fleet. According to an official press release, the targeted vessels have collectively carried over $24 billion in Russian oil since January 2024. 

Ukrainian air and missile defense systems will be integrated into the high-tech infrastructure of the Norwegian-American NASAMS complex. Ukrainian Defense Industry JSC says it will become a breakthrough in the country’s air defense by combining domestic developments with powerful Western weapons. 

NASAMS can destroy drones, aircraft, helicopters, cruise missiles, and ballistic targets at medium and low altitudes in all weather conditions. Its range reaches up to 180 km, and its altitude ceiling is 21 km.

The agreement between the companies includes integrating Ukrainian short- and medium-range air defense systems into the NASAMS infrastructure. In particular, the parties agreed that Ukrainian systems will operate in conjunction with Norwegian command and control modules.

In January, Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov announced the beginning of the expanded cooperation with Kongsberg. Ukrainian representatives and the team of the company held a meeting on the joint project. It also addressed anti-drone systems and the possibility of localizing their production in Ukraine, along with the development of maritime capabilities.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk says that counting on Russian energy supplies during the war against Ukraine would be a “grave sin.” He has welcomed Orlen’s decision to stop purchasing Russian oil for its refinery in the Czech Republic, UkrInform reports. 

The Polish company Orlen will cease buying Russian oil for its Czech refinery after 30 June. Tusk has emphasized that this decision is part of Poland’s and Europe’s strategy to minimize dependence on supplies from aggressive countries, including Russia.

“I don’t need to explain to anyone today that during a war, where Russia is the main negative actor, relying on Russian supplies for Polish energy would be a grave sin,” Tusk says.

In May, Orlen and Ukraine’s state oil and gas company, Naftogaz, signed a memorandum of strategic cooperation in several areas, which will also contribute to strengthening the region’s energy security.

According to Tusk, Poland’s energy independence from Russia has been hard-won, but the country now feels more secure on this front.

Moscow has become even more economically dependent on Beijing. Russia’s aluminum exports to China surged 56% in the first five months of 2025, nearly reaching 1 million metric tons, Bloomberg reports.

Meanwhile, Russian copper exports to China rose by 66%, and nickel shipments more than doubled, Trade Data Monitor reports, citing Chinese customs data.

Top Russian producers like Norilsk Nickel and Rusal are not directly sanctioned by the US but face restrictions: their metals are no longer accepted on the London or Chicago Metal Exchanges, pushing them to shift sales to Asian markets.

Sources say Rusal is offloading accumulated stockpiles from Russia throughout 2025, with total shipments to China expected to hit 1.5 million tons by year’s end.

Meanwhile, Norilsk Nickel is partnering with China’s Shandong Gold to expand cathode copper exports. Other Russian firms, including Russian Copper Co. and UMCC, both already under sanctions, continue to trade with Chinese buyers.

Previously, David O’Sullivan, the EU’s special envoy for sanctions enforcement related to Russia’s war against Ukraine, said that 80% of Russian weapons components come from China, UkrInform reports. 

He explained that Russia is circumventing sanctions through third countries and noted that Beijing’s major role in supplying dual-use goods and critical components remains a major obstacle to undermining Russia’s war machine.

Over 9,300 Russians were knocked out of combat in a single month. Ukraine’s General Staff reports that this number of soldiers Russia lost on the Slobozhanskyi and Kursk axes in June 2025 alone.

Of these, over 4,470 are irreversible losses. Another 4,800 were wounded, and 42 Russian troops were captured.

Ukrainian forces also destroyed 423 units of Russian equipment, including six tanks, 20 armored vehicles, 89 artillery systems and MLRS, as well as three air defense systems.

The General Staff notes that Ukrainian units conducted deep strikes up to 100 kilometers behind enemy lines, including on Russian territory. These strikes hit 16 command posts, six manpower concentration areas, three ammunition depots, and even a logistics hub and an oil depot.

Since the start of the Kursk operation in August 2024, Russia has lost over 75,860 troops in this sector, with 1,037 captured. Additionally, Ukrainian forces have destroyed 2,848 pieces of equipment, including 99 tanks, 709 armored vehicles, and 322 artillery systems and MLRS.

Russia deploys new deadly drones in its war against Ukraine. Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov reveals that Moscow forces have used a new type of drone, “Chernika” or “Blueberry,” in the city for the first time.

Russia already has over 11,000 of these drones in two models: Chernika-1 and the more powerful Chernika-2. This new weapon is comparable in destructive power to the Molniya drone but has a different design. In the latest strike, several cars were damaged in a garage cooperative, Defense Express reports. 

Russia shatters 50,000 windows in Kharkiv as aid for recovery dries up

Ukrainian anti-air FPV drones have effectively countered the dangerous Chernika-2, shooting down three of these drones so far. However, due to their reliance on communication links, these drones remain vulnerable to electronic warfare systems, which Russia also actively employs.

Still, most of the Russian attacks on Kharkiv are carried out by Shahed drones.

Over the past week, four people have been injured in these strikes, including a child. Explosions were recorded in the Nemishlyansky, Kyivsky, and Industrial districts, causing damage to residential buildings and civilian enterprises.

The duration of air raid alerts in Kharkiv was 33 hours less than the regional average, emphasizes Terekhov. This is the result of coordinated efforts by the military, air defense forces, and analysts at the Situational Center.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has expanded the scope of information covered by the state secrets law, tightening control over society during the war in Ukraine. Now, data related to foreign policy, international trade, economic policy, scientific developments, and mobilization preparations may be classified as secret, Bloomberg reports. 

Anyone who obtains such materials without authorization risks up to eight years in prison.

“This is the destruction of expertise on the Russian economy based on facts and statistics and will lead to more repression,” said Andrei Soldatov, an expert on Russia’s security services.

He explained that classifying information about mobilization is a “reaction to attacks by Ukrainian drones” targeting bunkers and underground government facilities, rather than a genuine preparation for a new draft.

On 27 June, Putin announced that Russia plans to cut military spending starting next year and over the following three-year period. He also emphasized that Russia must avoid slipping into a recession “under any circumstances”, acknowledging warnings from economists about a potential economic slowdown.

Despite the pressure from the West, Russia may still benefit from Iranian, Chinese, and North Korean aid, as well as getting large profits from the rise in oil prices amid the Israeli-Iranian war.

In Donetsk Oblast, in the Pokrovsk direction, Russian forces are using banned chemical irritants dropped from their drones, says the deputy commander of the 68th Separate Rifle Brigade named after Oleksa Dovbush, known by the call sign Italian, ArmyInform reports. 

“It’s no secret, they use various gases prohibited by international conventions,” the officer says.

The Russians are also actively employing remote mining of Ukrainian logistical routes to complicate troop rotations and the delivery of ammunition to defensive positions.

This is a serious problem that Ukrainian troops combat daily by clearing the consequences of such actions.

Although there is no large-scale Russian equipment advance in this sector, occasional rotations and dense mining of approaches to Ukrainian positions are observed.

The Russians also use powerful electronic warfare means.

“They try by all available means to prevent us from delivering ammunition and conducting troop rotations. Because of this, it is difficult for drone pilots and heavy UAV units to operate,” the soldier explains.

Russian tactics include creating dispersed assembly points for personnel to transfer forces to various frontline sections to bypass Ukrainian defenses.

The main strike is difficult to predict, but there are noticeable attempts to advance north and south, avoiding frontal assaults due to heavy losses.

Particular Russian activity is observed near the settlements of Myrnohrad and Bohatyr.

“The enemy is trying to find weak spots in our defense, attempting to flank fortified areas to complicate logistics and create threats for our units,” he summarizes.

The total combat losses of Russian forces since the start of the all-out war in 2022 have surpassed 1 million personnel. Nevertheless, Russia continues its summer offensive and is planning to bring in North Korean troops to support it. Currently, about 695,000 Russian soldiers are engaged in the war.

Norway will send F-35 fighters to Poland to protect NATO’s strategic logistics hub in Rzeszów from potential sabotage and missile strikes. The Norwegian Ministry of Defense has announced that the jets will be deployed over this important center for international military aid to Ukraine as early as this fall. 

Earlier, the US announced plans to redeploy some of its military equipment and personnel from the Polish military airport Jasionka, near Rzeszów, to other locations within Poland. US aircraft and troops began arriving in Jasionka shortly before Russia’s all-out war against Ukraine in February 2022.

Norwegian Defense Minister Tore Sandvik has emphasized the importance of this assistance to the defense of Ukraine.

“This is an extremely important contribution. We are helping ensure that aid reaches Ukraine and that the country can continue the fight for freedom,” he states. 

In June 2025, it became known that Rzeszów is also a center of Russian spy activity. Vasyl Malyuk, head of Ukraine’s Security Service, confirmed that several assassination attempts on President Volodymyr Zelenskyy were foiled in this city, UNIAN reports. 

They were organized by a retired Polish military man who had been recruited decades ago and firmly believed in the Soviet idea. The goal was the physical elimination of Zelenskyy at Rzeszów airport. Several options were considered: an FPV drone or a sniper system.

Vasyl Malyuk said that these plans were prevented due to cooperation with Poland’s special service, the Internal Security Agency (ABW), the counterpart of Ukraine’s SBU.

The wife of a imprisoned Crimean journalist traveled 2,000 kilometers only to learn that her husband is slowly fading away behind bars in Russia. Amet Suleymanov, sentenced by Russia to 12 years in jail, suffers from persistently high blood pressure, chronic pain, and a rash of unknown origin. 

His wife, Lilia Lumanova, says Suleymanov is in critical condition.

“We are, of course, very concerned about his condition, especially his health… The only thought was — I had to go,” Lumanova wrote on social media, after traveling 2,000 kilometers to the penal colony in Russia’s city of Vladimir.

She was allowed to see her husband only through glass, for 2.5 hours, and their conversation focused mostly on his health. Suleymanov continues to have serious heart problems. Even before his sentencing, doctors recommended urgent surgery to replace a heart valve, but there has been no progress.

“Amet needs a valve replacement. In these conditions, it’s a difficult and lengthy process. But I had to try,” Lumanova said after meeting with the colony’s warden.

In 2021, a Russian court in Rostov-on-Don sentenced Suleymanov to 12 years in prison on terrorism charges over alleged ties to the organization Hizb ut-Tahrir, which is legal in Ukraine but banned in Russia.

“A surprised look, joy in his eyes… As always, Amet stayed himself, he even joked,” Lumanova recalled about the brief visit, possibly the last.

His lawyer Lilia Hemedzhi called the sentence a death sentence due to Suleymanov’s serious medical conditions, UkrInform reports. 

Earlier, the UN Committee Against Torture urged Russia not to enforce the sentence, saying it was incompatible with Suleymanov’s health. The organization demanded immediate medical examination and urgent treatment. 

Despite repeated warnings from the UN Committee Against Torture, which urged Russia not to enforce the verdict and called for immediate medical care, Suleymanov remains imprisoned in harsh conditions.

Kyiv’s battle-proven weapons may play a key role in strengthening Europe’s defense capabilities. The Ukrainian Defense Ministry reports that Kyiv will cooperate with the European Union under the SAFE defense initiative, with a focus on producing drones, ammunition, and missiles. 

The announcement was made by Ukraine’s First Deputy Defense Minister Serhii Boiev at a meeting of the EU’s Operational Defense Readiness Task Force in Brussels.

“Ukraine has high-quality, battle-tested weapons. But we still need modern European arms… We are ready for mutually beneficial cooperation,” Boiev stated.

The Ukrainian delegation presented several projects eligible for SAFE funding, focusing on strengthening Ukraine’s defense and integrating its defense industry into the European ecosystem. These include long-term contracts extending through 2030.

EU member states also shared proposals related to UAVs, aviation, and ground-based systems, showing particular interest in Ukraine’s drone and missile production capabilities.

SAFE was launched to support joint procurement, expand defense production, and address critical military shortfalls exposed by Russia’s all-out war against Ukraine. The program aims to boost the EU’s defense readiness and reduce dependence on external arms suppliers.

Moscow is once again fueling tensions between Ukrainians and Poles, warns Mykyta Poturaiev, head of the Ukrainian Parliament’s Committee on Humanitarian and Information Policy. He emphasizes that both Ukraine and Poland have lost their statehood in the past due to conflicts that Russia used to benefit itself, UkrInform reports. 

Poturaiev stresses that today, a “calm, professional effort” is underway between Kyiv and Warsaw, particularly regarding historical dialogue and the search and exhumation of victims of the Volyn tragedy.

“This is work done with deep respect for the victims… Every lost life of a peaceful person matters — children, women, the elderly,” he says.

However, Poturaiev cautions that attempts to weaponize historical tragedies for political gain are fueling troubling levels of anti-Ukrainian sentiment in Poland.

“When the memory of the Volyn tragedy becomes a tool of political struggle, I find that deeply disturbing,” he claims. 

He reminds that Russia is actively interfering in Polish-Ukrainian relations, inciting conflict and manipulating sensitive historical issues.

“You can clearly feel Moscow’s hand in this. Historical disputes are just part of Russia’s broader game across Europe,” he explains.

Ukraine has already granted Poland permission to exhume Polish soldiers buried in Zboiska in Lviv Oblast, and has carried out excavations in Puzhnyky, Ternopil Oblast. A joint expedition uncovered the remains of 42 people, which are expected to be reburied this summer. DNA analysis is ongoing.

“We must also remember all those whom Russia has killed in both countries… Ukrainians and Poles suffered the greatest losses at the hands of Moscow,” Poturaiev concludes.

Earlier, Ukraine’s Institute of National Memory announced plans to include the search and exhumation in Rivne Oblast in 2025 in response to requests from Polish citizens.

Moscow is turning African women into hostages of the secret production of lethal drones. In the Republic of Tatarstan, within the Alabuga special economic zone, Shahed drones have been hand-assembled for over a year, mostly by young women from Uganda, Mali, Cameroon, Sierra Leone, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and South Sudan, Le Monde reports. 

“The deceptive nature of recruitment and the repressive working conditions may constitute a form of fraudulent exploitation,” the investigation states.

The women were not warned that they would be working in weapons manufacturing. Many believed it was a training program. However, the reality was horrific: long working days, constant supervision, harmful chemical exposure, punitive management, racism, and excessive surveillance.

Recruitment took place through social networks, intermediaries, and Russian embassies in Africa. Some recruits work directly on drone assembly, others as cleaners and kitchen staff.

The Alabuga special economic zone, financed by the Russian Ministry of Defense, has become an example of how “business, crime, and state” intertwine to strengthen Russia’s military machine.

In response to complaints, Botswana police have already appealed to Interpol to investigate human trafficking in this case.

Ukraine plans to appeal to the European Union to impose sanctions on Bangladeshi companies importing wheat that, according to Ukrainian intelligence, partially originates from Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine.

Russian exporters mix legitimate grain with stolen Ukrainian grain and declare it in documents as originating from Russian regions.

“It is a crime,” said Ukraine’s ambassador to India, Oleksandr Polishchuk.

According to intelligence, over 150,000 tons of such grain have already been shipped from the Kavkaz port to Bangladesh. The Ukrainian embassy sent several notes to Bangladesh’s Foreign Ministry requesting rejection of shipments containing stolen grain, but the official in Dhaka has ignored these appeals.

In response to the silence, Kyiv is preparing an investigation to share with its partners in the EU, aiming to impose sanctions on companies cooperating with the aggressor.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh states that it “does not import stolen grain” and does not buy wheat from occupied territories, but has provided no actions or evidence to confirm the information. 

Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin’s spokesperson, states that Russia does not intend to stop the war, even under the threat of new restrictions from the European Union, UNIAN reports. 

He expresses confidence that even the EU’s 18th sanctions package will not compel the Kremlin to change its course.

“It’s impossible to force Russia to submit to any kind of pressure or coercion,” claims Peskov. 

According to him, Moscow will only agree to negotiations when there are “logic and arguments,” not Western pressure. At the same time, he admitted that sanctions are “a double-edged sword.”

The Kremlin continues to describe Western sanctions as “illegal” and claims that Russia has already adapted to life under international pressure. 

“Obviously, we’ve developed a certain resilience after almost four years. We’ve learned to minimize the effects of such sanctions packages,” Peskov adds.

Despite facing near-total international isolation, Moscow once again shows that it chooses confrontation over peace.

Earlier, Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that current “warm conversations” between the US and Russia are a deception to avoid new sanctions.

Moscow also uses the prisoner exchange for the demonstration of willingness for peace but simultaneously denies a ceasefire, claims its territory on every piece of Earth where its soldiers step, and launches the most devastating attacks against Ukrainian civilians. 

Kyiv has multiple times said it should become a part of NATO to maintain the security in the country. However, its partners don’t accept its membership, fearing escalation. Despite trying not to increase tension, Russia may still be preparing an attack on Europe in the next 2-6 years, experts say. 

In the 90s, Ukraine gave up its nuclear arsenal for protection under the Budapest memorandum from allies, including the US. 

His comrades died in their very first battle, and he was taken prisoner. Chinese national Wang Wu, known as Sabre, says he, like many other foreigners, was recruited under false pretenses, promised rear-line duties.

But after a brief training period, they were immediately thrown into frontline combat, including in a suicidal assault near Toretsk in Donetsk Oblast. 

A new report by I Want to Live, the Ukrainian state project, has exposed what happens to foreign recruits in the Russian army after signing contracts with Russia’s Ministry of Defense.

“I truly understand that we were deceived… I believe signing that contract was a shameful decision. I’m certain other Chinese citizens should know they are being lied to,” says the captured soldier.

According to the project’s representatives, most of the new recruits shown in videos from Russia’s 102nd Regiment are now either dead or severely wounded. Among the dead is Wang Wu’s friend, Yan Jingsheng, whose death he witnessed firsthand.

The project has stressed that foreigners in the Russian army are treated as nothing more than cannon fodder.

“If they don’t spare their own, why would they make exceptions for Asians or Africans?” the statement reads.

On 8 April, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy revealed that Ukraine captured two Chinese citizens who were fighting alongside Russian troops in the Donetsk Oblast. The operatives obtained their documents, bank cards, and personal data. An investigation and additional measures are ongoing. 

One of them paid $3,482 to join the Russian military through a Chinese intermediary. He explained that his main motivation was to obtain Russian citizenship through military service. He underwent basic training in occupied Luhansk alongside other Chinese citizens, with instruction conducted without formal translation.

Yale University’s research has found that Russia planned a quick victory and the russification of Ukrainian children. But after failing, it began using them as hostages. Experts estimate that about 35,000 Ukrainian children are still considered missing. They are likely being held in Russia or in territories occupied by Russia, and attempts to bring them back often remain unsuccessful, according to The Guardian. 

In 2022, when Russian forces began their invasion of Ukraine, they abducted children from orphanages or forcibly took them directly from families.

In an interview with The Guardian, a Ukrainian woman named Natalia told how she managed to rescue her two sons, who were held for almost six months in a camp in the Russian city of Anapa.

To retrieve her children after the de-occupation of Kherson, she had to arrange documents for them in Ukraine and then travel to Russia. She spent six days on the road under shelling, where she finally got her children back.

However, this story is rather an exception. According to the Ukrainian organization Bring Kids Back, only 1,366 children have so far returned or escaped to Ukraine from Russia. There are concerns that many of the children kidnapped by Russians were sent to military camps or foster families. Returned children have reported undergoing military training in camps, being punished for speaking Ukrainian, and being forced to learn the Russian national anthem.

Daria Kasyanova, head of the Ukrainian Child Rights Network, which campaigns for the repatriation of abducted children, said that children are also made to believe their parents will suffer consequences if they do not comply.

Activists and researchers emphasize that the forcible deportation and stealing of Ukrainian children is not a new phenomenon. According to Kasyanova, she witnessed similar kidnappings and deportations during Russia’s invasion of the Crimean Peninsula in 2014.

The return of the children remains a key demand of Ukraine in any peace negotiations. However, Raymond says the Russians use children as bargaining chips.

“When Russians started out, they thought they were going to be victorious quickly… But because things started to go south quickly, they had to move their propaganda from the liability concealment phase to using these children as hostages to be leveraged in the negotiations,” he explains. 

Apart from stealing children from occupied territories, Russia continues daily strikes on hospitals, maternity houses, kindergartens, schools, and playgrounds.

Crimea could become a testing ground for Chinese-Russian cooperation. Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service reports says that head of the occupation administration of Crimea Sergey Aksyonov has decided to involve Chinese businesses in building transport infrastructure on the occupied peninsula.

During a recent meeting, Aksyonov reportedly confirmed preliminary agreements regarding two key sites:

• Kerch Sea Port, which Russia actively uses for “gray” exports,
• Infrastructure around Lake Donuzlav, where a Russian naval base is located.

To finalize the agreement, the occupying authorities in Crimea plan to invite potential Chinese builders to visit the peninsula. Among them is China State Construction Engineering Corporation, one of the world’s largest companies in rail and transportation construction.

The total capital involved is estimated at $10 billion, according to Ukrainian intelligence.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian partisans report that security measures across Crimea have intensified. In Simferopol, Aksyonov’s convoy was spotted with a vehicle equipped with electronic warfare systems. 

Following recent operations by Ukraine’s Defense Forces, Aksyonov reportedly fears an FPV drone strike targeting his assassination. As a result, his public appearances have become rare, and his movements are increasingly secretive and rapid.

Another large blast from Ukrainian intelligence was heard on Russian territory. On 28 June, Ukrainian Defense Intelligence units, in coordination with other components of the Defense Forces, carried out an operation on Russian ammunition depots in Bryansk Oblast.

According to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the target was the 1060th Logistics Center, formerly known as the 120th Arsenal of the Main Missile and Artillery Directorate of the Russian Defense Ministry.

The assault caused explosions and a large fire at the facility, which has already been confirmed by intelligence. The final assessment of the damage is still being clarified.

“The Defense Forces continue to take all measures to undermine the military and economic potential of the Russian occupiers and to force the Russian Federation to end its armed aggression against Ukraine,” the General Staff emphasized.

Earlier, Kyiv carried out a drone strike on the Kirovske military airfield in Russian-occupied Crimea.

According to an official statement, the strike destroyed several Russian helicopters, including Mi-8, Mi-26, and Mi-28, as well as a Pantsir-S1 self-propelled air defense system.

Ukraine strikes Crimea again, destroys Russia’s Pantsir air defense system and helicopters

Ammunition depots, air defense infrastructure, and drone facilities were also damaged.

Ukraine hit the heart of Russia’s tactical aviation, destroying four Su-34 aircraft at an airfield in Volgograd Oblast. According to the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the operation involved units from the Special Operations Forces and the Security Service of Ukraine.

In 2025, Russia planned to produce 75,000 aerial bombs equipped with glide and correction modules, which turn a standard unguided bomb into a precision-guided munition with an extended range.

Russian guided bombs, though not highly accurate, cause massive destruction and pose a significant threat to Ukrainian cities, with a few capable of leveling a five-story building.

Ukrainian forces have been seeking ways to intercept them, including using ZU-23-2 anti-aircraft guns, but the most effective solution is targeting the aircraft. 

Russia’s production target for guided bombs last year was 50,000 units. The new number represents Moscow’s plans for a 50% increase in guided bombs production output.

As a result of the recent operation, four Su-34 aircraft and the airfield’s technical maintenance area, which is nearly 400 km from the Ukrainian border and where combat aircraft are serviced and repaired, were hit.

Russian Su-34s are the primary tactical aviation aircraft conducting missile and bomb strikes against Ukrainian positions and settlements. The General Staff has noted that the extent of the equipment damage and the exact results of the strike are still being clarified.

Earlier, Ukraine conducted the Operation Spiderweb that struck 41 aircraft, part of Russia’s nuclear triad. The mission has become a symbol of a new era of asymmetric warfare, where innovative drone systems and high-tech solutions allow a non-nuclear nation to effectively challenge a nuclear power state.

Russia wants to end the war but “on its own terms.” Moscow is ready for a new round of negotiations with Ukraine. The delegations only need to agree on the time and place, said Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to UNIAN. 

His statements came after the NATO summit in The Hague, where US President Donald Trump softened his rhetoric on Ukraine and indicated he would consider Ukraine’s proposal for more Patriot air defense systems. 

Two days after the event, the Kremlin leader claimed Russia is prepared to return the bodies of another 3,000 fallen Ukrainian defenders. 

“Only Russia is friend of Russia”: Amid Trump’s peace efforts Russian general says Moscow’s goal must be victory, not just good terms with “someone”

Putin did not miss the chance to criticize Western countries, accusing them of aggression. According to him, the West “encouraged separatism and terrorism under the principle of ‘everything is fine if it’s against Russia.’” He also claimed Western countries cannot give up Russian energy. 

“The West keeps trying to bury Russia, but they’ll die themselves soon,” he claimed. 

At the same time, Putin spoke favorably about US President Donald Trump, saying he respects the politician greatly and believes in the sincerity of his efforts to end the war.

“Russia and the US have good prospects for economic cooperation. American businesses are signaling their desire to return to the Russian market,” he added.

Previously, Trump revealed that Russian President Vladimir Putin offered to help mediate the war between Israel and Iran, Fox News reported. According to the US president, Putin called him and made the offer. In response, Trump said “no, I don’t need help with Iran. I need help with you.”

Russian Major General Apti Alaudinov declared that only Russia is a friend of Russia, adding that the country has only two allies: its “army and navy,” Newsweek reports. 

Trump has frequently called Russian President Vladimir Putin, and these calls ended with warm words between the two leaders. Despite Ukraine’s summer counteroffensive, the American president has not approved aid for Ukraine, nor has he given a clear answer to Kyiv’s request for more Patriot air defense systems.

This state of affairs is something Russia’s leaders are surely pleased with.

At the same time, the Russian general noted that Trump does not feel bound to stick to his previous statements, and that he might retract a promise, then make a new one, and then change his strategy again. 

“All the others are relative friends. This is why we must clearly play our own game in each of these games and do everything to ensure that we win in each of these games in the interests of our state, and not to be on good terms with someone,” said Alaudinov. 

Currently, Trump is hoping to restore relations with Russia, and he is open to direct interaction with Putin. However, this rhetoric shifted somewhat after the start of the Iran–Israel war.

Trump also reprimanded the former Russian president after the latter hinted that other countries might give nuclear weapons to Tehran after US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. The American leader criticized such statements on social media, leading to clarification from Dmitry Medvedev that Russia has no plans for such transfers.

Russia used overwhelming artillery superiority and white phosphorus munitions to seize control over Sievierodonetsk in Luhansk Oblast in 2022, said a Ukrainian 3rd Special Operations Forces Regiment soldier, known by the callsign Vorobey in the latest interview, ArmyInform reports. 

White phosphorus ignites spontaneously upon contact with air. When released it burns fiercely at temperatures around 815°C. It sticks to skin and clothing, causing thermal and chemical burns that can penetrate down to the bone. Its extinguishing is extremely difficult because it continues to burn as long as it is exposed to oxygen.

“They knew that in close combat, they’re much weaker,” explained Vorobey, explaining the Russian tactics.

Instead, Russian forces relied on artillery and armored vehicles to level everything in their path.

“The first line of buildings, when it starts to collapse, you have to fall back a little. They just dumped phosphorus on us, burning everything,” he recalled. 

At the beginning of the battle, when the bridges were still intact, Ukrainian operators would “fly in” on light armored vehicles and clear the streets. Later, when the connections were destroyed, they had to cross the river on rafts and hold the industrial zone.

Vorobey is confident that Ukrainian defenders were capable of holding out longer. 

“We had everything. We had water, food, and ammo. We could have held ‘Sever’ for another month,” he said.

However, due to intense pressure on the flanks, Ukrainian forces had to withdraw to preserve their personnel.

Currently, Russia’s reliance on massed artillery has sharply declined due to Ukrainian countermeasures and Russia’s own shift toward drone warfare. Drones now play a central role in Russian tactics, with artillery use becoming more precise and less frequent.

Top Ukrainian drone commander warns ceasefire would only pause war with Russia

Russia wants to “plant a flag” on Ukrainian territory to claim a fake victory. Ukrainian General Oleksandr Syrskyi has called the Pokrovsk front in Donetsk Oblast the hottest spot along the entire 1,200-kilometer front line.

“There are no fewer than fifty combat engagements here every day,” said the commander-in-chief during his visit to the Pokrovsk defenders. 

He stated that the Russian command has deployed a force of 111,000 troops to the area, aiming to break through to the administrative border of Donetsk Oblast. However, their objective is not only tactical but also psychological. 

“To create a psychological effect: to place the infamous ‘Russian soldier’s boot,’ plant a flag, and loudly proclaim yet another fake ‘victory,'” he stated. 

Syrskyi stressed that particularly intense attacks took place two weeks ago, when Russian sabotage-assault groups attempted to breach Ukrainian defenses.

“But they were all destroyed or neutralized, and the remnants were pushed back farther from the administrative border. The situation is under control,” he assured.

During his visit, Syrskyi met with soldiers, held briefings with units of the Armed Forces and the National Guard, and issued important directives to strengthen defenses in the direction Russia seeks to turn into a “symbol of victory.”

Over the past week, Ukraine’s Air Force, missile troops, and artillery struck 99 locations where Russian personnel, weapons, equipment, ammunition depots, command posts, and other key military targets were concentrated.

Fire engulfed the enemy’s strategic infrastructure deep in the rear. On the evening of 26 June, strike drones from Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence attacked the 1061st Material and Technical Support Center of the Russian Armed Forces in Bryansk, hitting fuel depots and rocket fuel storage, according to intelligence sources cited by UNIAN.

Local Telegram channels initially reported the flight of unidentified unmanned aerial vehicles, followed by a series of powerful explosions and a massive fire.

“There were four explosions — an oil depot is burning,” wrote Bryansk residents on social media.

According to the sources, the strike was carried out by Bobr, Baklan, and Obrii-type drones, models HUR frequently uses for deep raids behind Russian lines.

“This is part of a broader effort to undermine the Russian army’s logistical capabilities,” the source explained.

The targeted depots supplied fuel and rocket components to Russian units across several front-line sectors. Their destruction marks yet another blow to Russia’s rear infrastructure.

Earlier, Ukraine conducted a historical military Operation Spiderweb, changing old approaches to warfare. The mission has become a symbol of a new era of asymmetric tactics, where innovative drone systems and high-tech solutions allow a non-nuclear nation to effectively challenge a nuclear power state.

Ukraine already redefined modern warfare with Operation Spiderweb — now it’s planning next revolution with new weapons

Shaheds have become a daily mass terror, but it is only getting worse. Russia has ramped up production to 90 Shahed drones per day, and that number is expected to exceed 100 soon, according to Oleg Katkov, Editor-in-Chief of Defense Express, Kyiv 24 Channel reports. 

He emphasizes that the production involves simple, manual assembly at two sites — Alabuga and Kupol in Izhevsk.

“These are basic workshops… manual work involving gluing and assembling from ready-made components, which are being massively imported from China. And supplies from Iran are still ongoing,” the expert explains.

According to Katkov, Russia is betting heavily on Shaheds because, unlike missiles, these drones can be mass-produced using readily available parts.

In response, Ukraine has stepped up the use of anti-aircraft drones and mobile fire teams as part of its air defense system.

“Of course, we can’t cover the entire country with drone-based air defense. But we can do what we’ve been doing since the start of the invasion, protecting cities, facilities, and directions locally. That’s where we’re heading,” says Yurii Ihnat, Head of Communications for Ukraine’s Air Force.

Previously, Katkov reported that Ukraine’s defense forces’ maximum Shahed interception rate stands at 90%. He noted that this is a very strong result, but it still cannot guarantee full safety.

The summit in The Hague opens new opportunities for Ukraine. The real outcomes of the NATO summit demonstrate not decline, but a revival of the Alliance, ready for a long-term struggle against Russian aggression, says Mykhailo Samus, director of the New Geopolitics Research Network, in a comment for Espresso.

“The organizers centered the meeting around the American president, and it worked. Riding the wave of success after the strike on Iran, Trump essentially agreed to all proposals from European colleagues,” the expert notes.

Samus emphasizes that this time, the US president, Donald Trump, was “unusually courteous towards Ukraine and Ukrainians,” which offers hope for more decisive actions on the Russia-Ukraine front.

One of the key achievements is the recognition of Russia as a “long-term threat,” which shifts NATO’s approach from a temporary response to strategic planning.

“The Russian threat is a systemic existential threat that requires rearmament and a shift in defense priorities,” Samus stresses.

The allies also agreed to invest up to 5% of GDP in security and defense. For the first time in the Alliance’s history, quantitative parameters were set not only for overall spending but also for its structural components: 3.5% for the armed forces and up to 1.5% for infrastructure, innovation, and defense industry.

“Including aid to Ukraine in the defense commitments of member states means institutional legitimization of military assistance to Ukraine as a component of NATO collective security,” the expert underlines.

Trump’s actual agreement with the core principles of this agenda shows that despite the threat of political fragmentation, the strategic security logic within the Alliance currently prevails.

He concludes that Ukraine’s integration into the Euro-Atlantic security system provides a new chance to form an effective deterrence mechanism against the “axis of evil.”

Relentless human hunting is becoming a reality in Russia’s war. It is not just about the eastern cities that border Russia but also settlements in the west of Ukraine, warns Ukrainian public figure and head of the Center for Aerial Reconnaissance Support, Maria Berlinska.

“Everyone is afraid of Shaheds and missile strikes right now. But Shaheds and missiles strike specific coordinates. There’s something far more dangerous, thousands of drones above cities, operating in a constant hunting mode,” she says.

Berlinska warns that this will become our reality as early as 2026. It will affect not only Sumy, Dnipro, and Kharkiv but also Lviv and Chernivtsi.

“Thousands of killer drones that will be hunting humans 24/7. I know it sounds like a dystopian horror film but this is our reality, as I see it, already next year,” believes Berlinska. 

She believes countermeasures exist: automatic turrets, anti-aircraft drones, electromagnetic, and laser-based systems. Berlinska urges both central and local authorities to start seeking solutions now.

The expert also admits that very few are seriously preparing for this threat.

Berlinska reminds that 2026 is only six months away and calls on Ukrainians to ask: who will be held responsible when people in Kyiv, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipro, and other cities are forced to live on the run and in basements, under constant threat from Russian drones?

Earlier, she noted that by the end of May 2025, Ukraine had entered a stage where it was increasingly falling behind Russia in the tech race. While parity remains in some areas, Russia is gaining the upper hand overall.

The Russians have built a national policy, mobilized tens of thousands of top engineers into the military-industrial architecture, brought in hundreds of engineering teams from partners such as China, North Korea, and Belarus, and poured hundreds of billions of dollars into R&D and components.

Russia is threatening countries that join the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine. The Russian Foreign Ministry stated it will not recognize the tribunal, according to the BBC Russian Service.

Moscow has also warned third countries against joining the initiative.

“We will regard the accession of any state to the special tribunal as a hostile move — one that signals not a desire for resolution, but for escalation of the current crisis around Ukraine,” says Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova.

She also threatened such countries with “restrictive measures.”

Earlier, Euromaidan Press wrote that despite immunity for top leaders, the tribunal will be empowered to investigate and try other senior Russian and Belarusian officials, potentially even in absentia. Legal experts believe this still sends a strong message about international accountability.

Ukraine and Europe launch war tribunal — just not for Putin

Russia has always made art and culture highly politicized, using past accomplishments as reflections of its power, says Peter Gelb, General Manager of the Metropolitan Opera in New York, according to Ukrinform.

Gelb is convinced: those who believe that art and culture are separate from politics are mistaken.

He emphasizes that art and culture are politics, and Russia has always been the country that has politicized them the most. 

He notes that art is a symbol and expression of civilization, whereas Russia has treated it as a propaganda tool, using its past achievements, its ballerinas, and its stars as a projection of Russian cultural power.

In contrast, Gelb believes it is vital to support Ukrainian artists. He explains his ongoing engagement, including the creation of the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra, as part of an effort to ensure Ukrainians feel supported by the world, especially in moments when they may feel isolated.

That is one of the reasons behind his visit to Ukraine this week: to meet with First Lady Olena Zelenska and discuss various cultural initiatives.

Earlier, The Royal Opera House in London became the center of a scandal after announcing the program for its new cinema season.

London’s Royal Opera House chooses Putin’s ally to open new season, while Russia’s war kills 208 artists in Ukraine

In it, Anna Netrebko, a Russian opera diva known for her support of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s regime and Russian soldiers and collaborators, will play the lead role in the Tosca performance.

Netrebko, a trusted figure in Putin’s election campaigns, is included in Ukraine’s sanctions list and is also listed in the Myrotvorets database as an accomplice to the occupiers during the Donbas war.

Russia and North Korea are preparing a joint attack against Ukraine. North Korea may deploy additional troops on Russia’s side in the war against Ukraine as early as July or August, according to South Korean lawmakers, Reuters reports. 

Ukraine intelligence: North Korean forces may join new Russian offensive on Sumy, Kharkiv

Lee Seong-kweun, a member of South Korea’s National Assembly, stated that this information appeared in a classified report by the National Intelligence Service (NIS). The report was based on the recent visit to Pyongyang by a high-ranking representative of the Russian president’s security service.

“The timing of the additional deployment is that it could be as early as July or August,” Lee notes.

According to the NIS, in exchange for supplying artillery shells and rockets, North Korea is likely to receive satellite launch technology and guidance systems from Russia.

The cooperation between the two authoritarian regimes is based on a mutual defense pact signed in June of last year by Putin and Kim Jong Un.

Earlier, captured North Korean soldiers in Ukraine revealed that Pyongyang operates a military training base designed to resemble Seoul and other major South Korean cities. 

The base is located in Koksan County, North Hwanghae Province, just 65 km from the Demilitarized Zone. The 3.5 km by 1.5 km facility includes a 40-hectare fake city divided into four sections for urban warfare training.

The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has confirmed that Russia violated international law. A new report has verified the use of a “toxic chemical substance” by Russian forces against Ukrainian troops.

The substance is CS gas, known as Siren or Lilac, a dangerous irritant banned as a method of warfare under the 1925 Geneva Protocol and the Chemical Weapons Convention, of which Russia has been a member since 1997.

According to experts, samples of soil, vegetation, grenade casings, and parts of an FPV drone were collected during a visit to Ukraine. All analyses confirmed the presence of CS gas, its precursors, or its breakdown products.

“The analyses… confirm that all grenades collected from dugouts… contained a riot control agent CS. The soil and vegetation collected from the locations where the grenades were found also contained CS,” the report states.

This marks the third confirmed instance of Russia using chemical weapons in the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast — previous reports were released in November 2024 and February 2025.

OPCW Director-General Fernando Arias expressed his concern over Russia’s chemical weapons use. 

“The repeated discovery of riot-control agent grenades near active conflict zones in the Dnipropetrovsk oblast is deeply concerning,” he said.

The OPCW has been monitoring the situation in the territory of Ukraine since the start of the all-out war in February 2022. For its efforts in eliminating chemical weapons, the organization received the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize.

Ukraine has carried out another stage of the large-scale prisoner exchange in accordance with the Istanbul agreements. Defenders who have returned to their homeland are those under the age of 25, as well as wounded and seriously ill soldiers who had spent years in Russian captivity, Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War reports. 

Among those freed are soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, including personnel from the Navy, Ground Forces, Air Assault Forces, Territorial Defense Forces, National Guard, and the State Border Guard Service.

“The youngest defender is 24 years old. He was captured during the defense of Mariupol in April 2022, at the age of 21,” say Ukrainian authorities. 

Many of those returned had been taken prisoner during the fierce battles for Mariupol. One of the freed is a National Guardsman who was guarding the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant.

“The oldest defender returned to Ukraine is 62 years old,” the Coordination HQ writes. 

Some of the soldiers are officers. They defended Ukraine on the hottest frontlines: Donetsk, Kharkiv, Luhansk, Kherson, Kyiv, and Sumy directions.

“The defenders released from captivity will undergo the necessary medical examination, receive support for physical and psychological rehabilitation, as well as all due payments for the entire period of their imprisonment,” reveals the agency. 

The Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War is already preparing the next exchange. 

Wars of the future are not about nuclear strikes. The world is on the verge of a new logic of confrontation, says Andrii Kovalenko, head of Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation.

Outdated politicians keep talking about nuclear weapons, and the Kremlin tries to intimidate with its intercontinental ballistic Oreshnik, but future wars will not be won with missiles.

According to him, “the future lies not in nuclear deterrence, but in the doctrine of AI deterrence.” And already now, “Ukraine must adapt the logic of the nuclear age to the age of AI.”

“Wars of the future are not an exchange of nuclear strikes, as old politicians keep saying. They are attacks on systems that will carry out and make the decisions of the future,” Kovalenko emphasizes.

These include AI centers, generative models, LLMs that will analyze political scenarios, and AI systems that manage energy and vital city infrastructure.

“And if one state deliberately disables another’s AI systems, the risk of losing control increases manifold,” the expert warned.

To avoid catastrophe, Ukraine must initiate:

• classification of critical AI systems as strategic security assets,
• development of “secure decision-making” protocols under hybrid destabilization,
• creation of an international platform for rules of conduct in the sphere of military AI.

“We are on the verge of a new logic of confrontation, competition, and war. This concerns the whole world,” Kovalenko concludes. 

Earlier, reports emerged that Ukraine was building a new class of weapons — drone-powered cruise missiles that are small, cheap, and deadly. 

These weapons use mini jet engines, aviation-model components, and advanced guidance systems, yet weigh a fraction of traditional cruise missiles and cost exponentially less. 

US President Donald Trump has publicly criticized former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev over his hints about the possibility of other countries transferring nuclear weapons to Iran, reminding him of the risk of such words.

After the US president carried out strikes on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, Medvedev stated that Tehran would restore its nuclear program and that several countries might transfer warheads to it.

In response, Trump dismissed his claims. 

“Did I hear Former President Medvedev, from Russia, casually throwing around the ‘N word’ (Nuclear!), and saying that he and other Countries would supply Nuclear Warheads to Iran? The ‘N word’ should not be treated so casually. I guess that’s why Putin’s ‘THE BOSS, ’” he wrote. 

The reaction came on the TruthSocial platform after Medvedev published a post criticizing US actions in Iran, calling the strikes futile and accusing the US of igniting a new war.

Later, Medvedev clarified that Russia would not transfer nuclear weapons to Iran, although, in his opinion, other countries might do so.

Meanwhile, US Vice President JD Vance said the strikes significantly set back Iran’s nuclear program. 

On 23 June, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi visited Moscow to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin and other senior officials after the US strikes. While Russia offered diplomatic support and expressed willingness to mediate the crisis, it did not promise concrete military assistance to Iran.

Russia, heavily engaged in its own war with Ukraine and facing economic sanctions, appears reluctant or unable to provide substantial military aid to Tehran at this time.

Ukraine prepares a tech strike on Russia’s Army. Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov has announced a groundbreaking deal: the Netherlands has signed contracts to produce 600,000 Ukrainian-made drones for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The deliveries will begin this year under the “Drone Line” initiative.

The Netherlands’ new defense aid package, worth over €675 million, will also provide 100 unmanned aerial vehicle detection radars and specialized evacuation vehicles for wounded soldiers.

Minister Umerov has thanked the Dutch government and Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans for their leadership and support. He has emphasized that this cooperation strengthens Ukraine’s technological edge on the battlefield.

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukraine has massively ramped up its production of both reconnaissance and strike drones, including long-range UAVs capable of hitting targets deep inside Russian territory.

One of the most notable recent drone campaigns is Operation Spiderweb, which has redefined modern warfare. On 1 June, Ukraine’s Security Service carried out a special operation that struck 41 aircraft, part of Russia’s nuclear triad.

The mission has become a symbol of a new era of asymmetric warfare, where innovative drone systems and high-tech solutions allow a non-nuclear nation to effectively challenge a nuclear power state.

Its heart couldn’t take it. On the night of 23 June, during another massive Russian strike on Kyiv Oblast, a young moose rescued by volunteers died from shock, according to the Wild Animals Rescue Center.

The calf, which had been recovering from injuries, did not survive the stress: the blast wave shattered windows in the shelter, and terrified animals panicked, crashing into their enclosures.

“Our moose calf’s little heart couldn’t take it,” the center reports.

It’s not the first tragedy of its kind. Recently, a Przewalski’s horse was killed by a landmine left behind by Russian troops in the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone, the second such incident this year.

This is yet another heartbreaking reminder of how Russia’s war kills the defenseless and destroys all life around it.

In the first year of a new war, Europe would face refugees, collapsing infrastructure, and skyrocketing prices, Bloomberg reports. 

Analysts warn that a full-scale war between Russia and NATO could lead to the collapse of many countries. In just the first year of fighting, global output would shrink by 1.3%, or nearly $1.5 trillion, a loss equivalent to what the world suffered after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Russia spy chief warns NATO: Poland and Baltic States to “suffer first” in event of war

The Baltic states would be hit hardest: their economies would shrink by 43%, similar to the economic collapse in Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine. Poland, Finland, Germany, and Sweden would be next in line for missile strikes and devastation.

The European Union as a whole would lose 1.2% of GDP. Rising military spending would only partially offset the blow from soaring energy prices and crashing markets. The UK would lose 0.2%, the US 0.7%, and China 0.9%.

Russia, on the other hand, would lose just 1%, since its economy is already isolated by sanctions, and the war creates an illusion of growth.

The Kremlin could trigger a new phase of the conflict using a staged provocation. One of the most vulnerable targets is the Moscow-Kaliningrad railway, which passes through Vilnius. Denmark has already warned that Russia could attack a neighboring country within six months, and within two years pose a direct threat to NATO.

The report states that without an immediate US response, the conflict could escalate and spread beyond the Baltic States, engulfing additional countries.

The Royal Opera House in London has become the center of a scandal after announcing the program for its new cinema season. In it, Anna Netrebko, a Russian opera diva known for her support of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s regime and Russian soldiers and collaborators, will play the lead role in the Tosca performance, Espreso reports. 

Netrebko’s performance is scheduled for 1 October 2025. This particular production will open the cinema season, which is set to be broadcast in 1,500 cinemas worldwide. Ukraine’s First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Serhii Kyslytsia, has harshly criticized the theatre’s decision, calling it a “global disgrace.”

Despite this, London chose Netrebko to open the season, overshadowing the appointment of the theatre’s new music director, Jakub Hrůša. At a time when the world is fighting for moral clarity in the realm of culture, the theatre appears to still be playing by the old rules.

The masterpiece that never was: five lives behind Russia’s hidden cultural massacre

Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale war, the Russians have killed 208 artists and 107 Ukrainian and foreign journalists.

In June 2025, Ukrainian actor-turned-soldier Yurii Felipenko, who was 32, was killed in action. The actor began his screen career in 2014, appeared in numerous famous Ukrainian TV series, and also performed extensively at Kyiv’s Academic Drama Theater. 

“Yura is gone. Yura was, without exaggeration, my world, my soul, my light. It’s impossible to convey this loss. I feel like I’ve been destroyed,” his wife Kateryna wrote on Instagram.

His role involved operating drones, a critical component of modern warfare.

After the US Operation Midnight Hammer, Russia’s air defense myth collapses. Following the American strikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities, the world witnessed a stunning revelation: Russian-made air defense systems used by Tehran failed completely, The Telegraph reports. 

This display of American and Israeli superiority didn’t just crush Iran’s hope for protection — it could have shaken Moscow’s confidence in its own defense capabilities. 

For Ukraine, this is a historic signal. Russia’s S-300 systems and their upgraded versions, S-400 and the much-hyped S-500, now appear helpless against modern Western technology.

Ukraine has already stunned the world with strikes against Russia’s strategic aviation, such as Operation Spiderweb, and now gains another strategic trump card: Iran’s experience proves that even Russia’s best defenses are vulnerable with Western backing.

Russian ruler Vladimir Putin, who recklessly throws thousands of soldiers into combat, cannot ignore the growing threat to his own vulnerability. Israel and the US have shown they can destroy both military assets and enemy leadership figures. And Ukraine has proven it can operate inside Russian territory, a fact that is triggering real fear in the Kremlin.

The political implications go deeper. If the US arms Ukraine as it arms Israel, the war could turn decisively. If the West finally dares to give Ukraine the full arsenal of capabilities, Putin may be left with no option but to retreat.

Ukraine has begun serial production of its new ballistic missile “Sapsan”. It has already proven effective in combat by striking a Russian military target nearly 300 km from launch, says Andrii Yermak, head of the Ukrainian President’s Office, according to The Times.

“We will surprise our enemies more than once,” claims Yermak. 

The cutting-edge Sapsan carries up to 480 kg of explosives and reaches speeds five times the speed of sound. While its official range is classified, analysts estimate it could reach 500 km or more.

Military expert Andrii Kramarov claims Russian air defense is powerless against Sapsan. 

“There’s no way they can intercept it,” he says.

He identifies Russian tactical aviation airfields and Iskander-M missile launchers as top priority targets for Ukraine’s ballistic arsenal, according to the Kyiv 24 channel. 

Simultaneously, Russian ruler Vladimir Putin has announced scaling up production for the Russian intercontinental ballistic missile “Oreshnik,” a derivative of the RS-26 Rubezh, which has yet to prove its battlefield effectiveness, Censor.net reports. 

Russia first deployed Oreshnik on 21 November, targeting Dnipro, a Ukrainian city. Putin claimed it was retaliation for Ukrainian strikes using US ATACMS and British Storm Shadow missiles on Russian military infrastructure in Kursk and Bryansk oblasts.

Russia has activated its summer offensive in Ukraine, relying increasingly on new technologies, the Financial Times reports.

A key element of Russia’s advance is the use of fiber-guided drones, which can avoid detection by electronic warfare by not emitting radio signals.

These drones have proven effective in striking Ukrainian logistics targets 30–40 km behind the frontlines. They’ve destroyed supply trucks and depots on the Kramatorsk–Dobropillia road.

Ukrainian commanders near Siversk have responded by banning daytime vehicle movement, allowing only “gray zone” or nighttime transit.

Military analyst Emil Kastehelmi of Black Bird Group notes that while a Russian breakthrough is unlikely in the near term, Moscow’s pace may accelerate.

“Careful management of reserves is a key factor for Ukraine this summer, where to put them and how to manage them so that emerging crises do not become catastrophes,” he says. 

Recently, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Ukrainian forces were pushing Russian troops out of Sumy Oblast.

He also emphasized that a lack of Russian battlefield success may encourage US President Donald Trump to apply new sanctions on Moscow, which it tries to avoid.

Iran has once again launched missile attacks on Israel, striking the city of Beersheba. One of the missiles hit a residential building, killing at least three people, CNN reports. 

This came just hours after US President Donald Trump stated that Iran and Israel had allegedly agreed to a ceasefire. According to him, the truce was set to begin on the morning of 24 June, with Iran initiating a halt in hostilities, followed by Israel 12 hours later. The ceasefire, however, did not happen.

On the same day, 23 June, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Moscow to seek additional support from Russian President Vladimir Putin following recent US strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, according to Reuters. 

Later, Araghchi claimed that Iran was ready to halt military actions against Israel, while simultaneously blaming Israel for the war. 

Previously, US Vice President J.D. Vance declared that following American airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, Tehran is no longer capable of building a nuclear weapon, per The Guardian. However, he declined to comment on the status or location of Iran’s highly enriched uranium, saying only that he believes it was buried.

On 23 June, after a Russian strike on Kyiv, which killed nine civilians, including an 11-year-old girl, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Russian assaults have become possible due to “a coalition of killers”, meaning Russia, Iran, and North Korea.

Putin mourned Nazi victims—then ordered missile strike on Kyiv, which kill 11-year-old girl and her mother

“Everyone in countries bordering Russia, Iran, and North Korea should ask themselves whether they could protect lives if this coalition of killers survives and continues spreading terror,” he emphasized.

General Oleksandr Syrskyi, the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, says the pilot project of the First Separate Medical Battalion, created for the systematic evacuation and rescue of the wounded on the front line, is actively developing and already demonstrating strong results. 

The key mission of the battalion is to save as many lives of Ukrainian soldiers, especially infantry, as possible within its area of responsibility.

The battalion combines several critical functions:

• medical evacuation, including the use of ground-based unmanned systems,
• emergency care — stabilization points and forward surgical teams,
• combat training and instruction, directly in the zone of active hostilities.

The personnel mainly consist of professional volunteer doctors who have passed a rigorous selection process and are now completing a mandatory combat training course.

A distinguishing feature of the unit is the creation of a dedicated drone systems company, which enables the evacuation of the wounded from dangerous frontline areas using remotely operated platforms.

“We are doing everything necessary to ensure our military medics are equipped and supplied for effective work in the most challenging conditions,” the commander-in-chief emphasizes.

The battalion is currently undergoing coordination training and preparing for deployment to a designated sector of the front.

Earlier, we reported on this invisible unit, on which the accuracy of Ukrainian artillery strikes depends. A unique meteorological platoon from the 148th Separate Artillery Zhytomyr Brigade of the Air Assault Forces helps air assault troops to launch HIMARS attacks.  

In the Ukrainian army, not just infantry, air defense crews, and paratroopers do essential work. The accuracy of Ukrainian artillery strikes depends heavily on this invisible unit, ArmyInform reports. 

A former gas worker, an office employee, and a construction worker now conduct these measurements, which determine the flight path of shells and missiles.

“Weather significantly affects the ballistics of shells and rockets,” the brigade explains. 

Data from several kilometers above ground is vital for artillery, and when it exceeds 20 kilometers in altitude, it becomes essential for HIMARS systems.

Their data is also used by unmanned aerial vehicle units. Several times a day, soldiers launch a radiosonde that climbs up to 40 kilometers high, collecting information on wind speed and direction, temperature, pressure, and humidity.

Taras, the acting platoon commander who previously worked in the gas industry and began his military service as a technician filling weather balloons, says: “Those who work and develop their skills reach more in a relatively short time than those who just wait for a promotion.”

His comrade Dmytro, who six months ago was an office worker in Kyiv, adds: “Overall, I’m satisfied with where I’m serving. I’m happy to work in a friendly team… It’s hard being separated from family and familiar life. But I’m holding on.”

Oleksii Hryhorovych, a platoon operator who used to work in construction, says: “Of course, I miss my family and peaceful life, but I understand that right now, each of us is part of something bigger. I’m proud to be useful to my country.”

Russian occupiers in Mariupol plan to bring back the monument to the executioner. The Mariupol City Council reports that a so-called “initiative group of Mariupol youth from the LKSM RF organization” has launched a campaign to return the monument to Vladimir Lenin, ArmInform reports. 

The Russians claim that Mariupol is the “only large city” in the occupied territory without a statue of the leader.

They call this step a “restoration of justice” after the demolition of monuments to Soviet figures by the Ukrainian authorities.

The Lenin monument was dismantled at Freedom Square in Mariupol in 2014 during the wave of decommunization. By 2020, the square had been completely renovated: it became a modern public space with 25 metal doves—symbols of peace, freedom, and unity of all regions of Ukraine.

After the occupation of the city, the invaders began erecting monuments to killers — “heroes of the special military operation.” At the same time, they have repeatedly initiated the return of the monument to the “leader of the proletariat.”