Exclusive

Why Ukraine must bet it all on Putin’s greatest weakness—Crimea. Ukraine must focus its strategic efforts on reclaiming Crimea to exploit Putin’s most vulnerable position.

Military

Ukraine strikes Crimea again, destroys Russia’s Pantsir air defense system and helicopters
On the night of June 27–28, Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) carried out a drone strike on the Kirovske military airfield in Russian-occupied Crimea.

Ukraine intercepts a mystery Russian bomb near Dnipro — officials debate if it’s Grom-1
At approximately 11:30 AM local time, a loud explosion shook the suburbs of Dnipro, a major city in central Ukraine.

Intelligence and technology

Ukraine intelligence: Russia deploys Soviet-era tanks as modern reserves dwindle amid massive losses
Russia began deploying Soviet-era T-62 tanks from the 1960s, as the country faces mounting equipment losses in its war against Ukraine, according to Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate.

Zelenskyy: Russian missiles and drones still packed with Western tech — and still killing Ukrainians
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned that Russia continues to rely on foreign-made components, including from Western countries, to build weapons used in its war against Ukraine.

International

Bild: Germany’s Ukraine aid promise math doesn’t add up as € 900 million missing from actual budget
A nearly one billion euro gap has emerged between German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius’s public promises of Ukraine military aid and the actual budget allocations approved by Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s cabinet, according to Bild.

NATO allies conduct major river crossing joint exercise in Germany as Russian security threat persists
Military units from Germany, Britain, the Netherlands, and Italy successfully completed a large-scale river crossing operation on 28 June as part of ongoing joint military exercises in Germany.

German chancellor rules out direct contact with Putin as previous calls led to more strikes on civilians
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz ruled out telephoning Russian President Vladimir Putin in the foreseeable future, citing a pattern of escalated attacks following diplomatic outreach attempts, according to an interview with Süddeutsche Zeitung.

Frontline report: UK patrols cut off Russian shadow tankers at Baltic chokepoints – Putin’s oil billions at risk

Humanitarian and social impact

Russian drone strike on Odesa kills teacher and husband, injures children — “We heard it coming, helpless” (updated) Two people were killed in a Russian drone attack on a residential high-rise in Odesa, local authorities confirmed.

Pope expresses sorrow for Ukrainian prisoners and victims of war. Zelenskyy asks for help to return prisoners Pope Leo XIV expressed solidarity with Ukrainian families suffering from the Russian aggression during a Vatican service, prompting President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to request papal help in bringing home Ukrainian prisoners of war and deported children.

Read our earlier daily review here.

A nearly one billion euro gap has emerged between German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius’s public promises of Ukraine military aid and the actual budget allocations approved by Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s cabinet, according to Bild.

The discrepancy has raised questions about whether the minister miscalculated or misrepresented Germany’s commitment to Ukrainian defense.

The controversy centers on a 900 million euro shortfall between promised aid of 9.2 billion euros and the 8.3 billion euros actually allocated in the government’s 2025 budget draft for states attacked in violation of international law, Bild reports.

The dispute began during Pistorius’s 12 June visit to Kyiv, where he met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The Federal Ministry of Defense subsequently announced that Pistorius had promised Ukraine an additional 1.9 billion euros, primarily for long-range missiles. The ministry stated that if approved by parliament, total Ukraine support would reach around 9 billion euros for the year.

Six days later, the Defense Ministry reinforced this message, explaining that Germany would provide 7.3 billion euros in already-approved military aid for 2025, with an additional 1.9 billion euros planned pending parliamentary approval, totaling up to 9.2 billion euros.

However, Bild reports that when the Federal Finance Ministry distributed its 2025 budget draft on 23 June, the document listed only 8.3 billion euros for aid to states attacked in violation of international law, which primarily benefits Ukraine.

Defense ministry denies miscalculation

When questioned by Bild about this discrepancy, the Defense Ministry denied any miscalculation. A ministry spokesperson stated that the government would support Ukraine with around 9 billion euros as promised, noting that Finance Minister Klingbeil and Pistorius had agreed on this figure during budget negotiations.

The spokesperson attempted to reconcile the numbers by claiming that “the 1.9 billion that we will use, among other things, to finance the Long Range Fires, is included in the 8.3 billion euros.” This explanation contradicts the ministry’s previous public communications, which had presented a simple calculation of 7.3 billion plus 1.9 billion equaling 9.2 billion euros.

According to government sources, the Defense Ministry had consistently registered only 8.3 billion euros for Ukraine aid during budget negotiations, not the 9.2 billion figure communicated publicly.

To bridge this gap, the Defense Ministry referenced “co-funding revenues and fund returns from the EPF (European Peace Facility)” that would theoretically bring the total to around 9 billion euros through these additional funding mechanisms.

This means the ministry hopes to secure an additional 900 million euros outside the federal budget, with the alternative being either additional tax funding or reduced aid to Ukraine.

Ukraine needs concrete support

Green Party budget politician Sebastian Schäfer expressed concern about the transparency of these calculations.

“From the budget draft, it’s not comprehensible how the Defense Ministry arrives at the sums it puts in the shop window,” Schäfer told Bild.

He called for the government to quickly submit a proposal to parliament for releasing additional funds, stating that “Ukraine doesn’t need announcements, but concrete support.”