In June 2025 NielsenIQ’s Russian subsidiary began treating occupied Ukrainian territories as “new Russian regions” in its market surveys, prompting condemnation from Ukraine and concerns about the company’s adherence to EU and US sanctions.
No democratic country recognizes these annexations. By referring to Ukraine’s occupied regions as “new territories of Russia,” Nielsen’s Russian branch effectively legitimizes Moscow’s illegal land grab and undermines international
In June 2025 NielsenIQ’s Russian subsidiary began treating occupied Ukrainian territories as “new Russian regions” in its market surveys, prompting condemnation from Ukraine and concerns about the company’s adherence to EU and US sanctions.
No democratic country recognizes these annexations. By referring to Ukraine’s occupied regions as “new territories of Russia,” Nielsen’s Russian branch effectively legitimizes Moscow’s illegal land grab and undermines international law. Such framing not only echoes Kremlin propaganda but also contradicts the global effort to hold Russia accountable for war crimes and aggression.
Nielsen Russia’s data shows how including these areas inflated market growth figures. The company claims these territories account for 2–3% of beer sales. Growth rates jumped from 6% to 10% when including the new regions. This framing legitimizes Russia’s attempted annexations. It creates an illusion that the occupation has become normalized.
Konstantin Loktiev, executive director of Nielsen Russia, made even more cynical statements. He called residents of occupied territories a “new consumer group.” He speculated about the “economic potential” of regions that Russia’s war has devastated. He added that companies entering the market first would gain loyalty from this “new audience.”
The Ukrainian coalition B4Ukraine unites more than 90 organizations. It sharply condemned Nielsen’s move:
“Recognizing illegally occupied Ukrainian territories as ‘new Russian regions’ makes an unacceptable concession to the aggressor. Such steps legitimize Russia’s attempted annexation and undermine international efforts to stop its war,”
NielsenIQ’s Chicago headquarters has remained silent. The company ignores repeated media inquiries. This refusal to comment deepens suspicions that Nielsen deliberately disregards sanctions.
Nielsen claims it deconsolidated Russian operations. However, company documents confirm Nielsen still owns Russian subsidiaries, including Nielsen Data Factory LLC. Official figures show Russia accounted for about 0.6% of NIQ revenues in 2024. The company insists its Russian entities operate with local management and autonomy. But financial ties remain murky.
Nielsen has faced criticism before. In March 2022, Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine Nielsen limited some operations but chose not to exit the Russian market entirely. Hundreds of other international brands made complete exits. More than two years later, questions about Nielsen’s compliance with sanctions and international norms have intensified.
B4Ukraine urges US and EU authorities to investigate Nielsen’s practices. The coalition wants officials to determine whether Nielsen breaches sanctions:
“Nielsen must face consequences for effectively siding with the Kremlin’s war criminals. This involves more than ethics it’s about international security,”
Ukraine’s new Ambassador to Sweden, Svitlana Zalishchuk, presented King Carl XVI Gustaf with a photograph showing residents of the now-occupied village of Zmiivka holding a Swedish flag that the monarch himself had gifted during his 2008 visit to Kherson Oblast.
Zalishchuk shared the story on Facebook following her credentials presentation ceremony with the Swedish king. She reminded him of his 2008 visit to Kherson Oblast, when he traveled to the village then known as St
Ukraine’s new Ambassador to Sweden, Svitlana Zalishchuk, presented King Carl XVI Gustaf with a photograph showing residents of the now-occupied village of Zmiivka holding a Swedish flag that the monarch himself had gifted during his 2008 visit to Kherson Oblast.
Zalishchuk shared the story on Facebook following her credentials presentation ceremony with the Swedish king. She reminded him of his 2008 visit to Kherson Oblast, when he traveled to the village then known as Staroshvedske, now called Zmiivka.
The village has unique historical significance. In the late 18th century, Russian Empress Catherine II relocated Swedes from present-day Estonia to the Kherson Oblast. “They essentially became internally displaced persons of imperial times. But despite several centuries spent away from their homeland, they preserved their identity: traditions, language, church rituals,” Zalishchuk explained. “I knew that the King cares deeply about this village.”
To gather current information about Zmiivka, one of the embassy’s diplomats contacted Oleksandr Alchiev, head of the Beryslav Civil-Military Administration. Alchiev reported that despite Russian shelling and damage to the school, church, and other buildings, residents managed to save the Swedish flag that the king had personally brought to the village community in 2008.
According to Zalishchuk’s account, the flag had hung in the village council building from the time of the royal visit until Russia’s full-scale invasion. When Russians occupied the village in 2022, they attempted to confiscate the flag “because Sweden is an ‘unfriendly’ country.”
“But then village head Mykola Kuryvchak, by hook or by crook, saved the flag and hid it for 8.5 months. The flag survived. Although it was damaged because it was stored in a house that was hit. And after the village’s liberation, it was taken to a safe place,” the ambassador recounted.
Zalishchuk showed the Swedish monarch a special photograph taken by Zmiivka residents featuring the preserved flag.
“To show that Russians may succeed in destroying our buildings. But they cannot reach some important things,” she said, adding: “You can imagine how touched he was.”
The residents of Zmiivka, who are now internally displaced due to ongoing shelling, quickly organized to create the commemorative photograph for the king. The ambassador noted the historical parallel, describing current villagers as displaced persons from “the same empire” that originally relocated their Swedish ancestors centuries earlier.
Russian occupation forces have destroyed all Ukrainian murals, monuments and pedestals in the occupied city of Mariupol.
In their place, authorities have installed Soviet-era military propaganda and imperial Russian imagery—massive murals celebrating World War II pilots, workers from remote Russian regions, and quotes from Peter the Great and Catherine II asserting Russia’s historical dominance.
The Mariupol City Council calls it a deliberate campaign to erase Ukra
Russian occupation forces have destroyed all Ukrainian murals, monuments and pedestals in the occupied city of Mariupol.
In their place, authorities have installed Soviet-era military propaganda and imperial Russian imagery—massive murals celebrating World War II pilots, workers from remote Russian regions, and quotes from Peter the Great and Catherine II asserting Russia’s historical dominance.
The Mariupol City Council calls it a deliberate campaign to erase Ukrainian identity from the port city.
Mariupol survived nearly three months of siege in 2022. Russian forces surrounded the port city on 24 February and bombarded it relentlessly until 20 May, cutting residents off from food, water, and electricity. The assault targeted civilian areas—bombers hit a maternity hospital in March, then struck the drama theater where families had taken shelter, burying hundreds in the rubble.
As the city crumbled around them, Ukrainian defenders and thousands of civilians retreated to the massive Azovstal steel complex. The plant’s underground tunnels became their final refuge before surrender in late May. Thousands of civilians died during those 86 days of siege.
Where Ukrainian symbols once stood, Russian tricolors now hang. Murals celebrating local history have been painted over with propaganda promoting “friendship with Russian cities.”
One such mural depicts workers from Russia’s Yamal Peninsula offering traditional bread to local residents, presenting the relationship between the conquered Ukrainian city and distant Russian regions as voluntary partnership rather than occupation.
A Russian mural in occupied Mariupol depicts workers from the Yamal Peninsula offering traditional bread, part of Moscow’s campaign to promote “friendship” between Russian regions and the conquered Ukrainian city. Photo: Mariupol City Council.
Russian occupiers emphasize imperial past
Another mural features imperial quotes including Catherine II’s declaration that “Russia itself is vast and powerful, and no one needs it.” The painting also references Peter the Great and military commander Mikhail Kutuzov. Here what the quotes say:
Left portrait (Peter I): “If there is a desire – there are thousands of ways, if there is no desire – there are thousands of reasons! Peter I, first emperor of All Russia.”
Center portrait (Catherine II): “Russia itself is vast and powerful, and it doesn’t need anyone. Catherine II, Empress of All Russia.”
Right portrait (Kutuzov): “Everything comes at the right time for those who know how to wait. Kutuzov M.I., Russian commander”
Russia alters symbols of Ukrainian resistance during siege
The occupation forces also rename historically significant locations. Azovstalska Street, named after the major steel plant where tens of thousands of residents worked and which became a symbol of Ukrainian resistance during the 2022 siege, has been renamed Tulsky Prospekt and now features monuments to Tula gingerbread and a samovar.
By installing monuments to these specifically Tula regional symbols, occupation authorities promote “friendship” with the Russian city while encouraging residents to see themselves as part of Russian rather than Ukrainian cultural heritage.
“It’s simply not profitable for Russia for people in Mariupol to remember even Azovstal,” said Mykola Osychenko, director of Mariupol Television, speaking to Espreso media.
Explore further
BBC: “Life is constant tension, fear, distrust” — reality of Russian occupation in Mariupol
Russia aim to rewrite Ukraine’s history on occupied territories
Before the 2022 full-scale invasion, Mariupol had become what Ukrainian officials called a “showcase of post-2014 recovery” in Donetsk Oblast.
The development of the city was happening after pro-Russian separatists briefly seized the city in May 2014, gutting buildings like the police headquarters before Ukrainian forces drove them out by June. The city’s visible prosperity contradicted Russian narratives about Ukrainian governance in the east.
Mariupol before Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. Residents stroll in front of the Donetsk Regional Drama Theater during a festival as part of France Days in Ukraine in 2019. Mariupol after Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. An elderly woman walks past the destroyed theater and a Russian occupation forces armored vehicle in April 2022.
Ukrainian authorities invested heavily in rebuilding Mariupol’s damaged infrastructure, fostering economic growth, and improving public services. By 2021, the city had gained status as a Cultural Capital of Ukraine and earned recognition for transparency and public welfare improvements.
This success directly challenged Russian propaganda narratives that portrayed Ukraine as a failed state hostile to ethnic Russians. Russian media consistently depicted the Ukrainian government as corrupt and nationalist, claiming Kyiv persecuted Russian speakers and had lost control of its territory.
Osychenko, who taught journalism at a local university and witnessed the siege, described the destruction as deliberate.
“Putin needed to completely destroy this showcase,” he said, explaining how Russian forces leveled much of the city before beginning what he calls a systematic effort to “cleanse people’s memory and rewrite history.”
When Russian forces ultimately destroyed the city in 2022, they reframed this devastation as “liberation,” aligning with Kremlin’s narrative that it invaded Ukraine to “free Russian-speaking populations” from what it calls a “fascist Kyiv regime.”
One of the murals that depicts a woman in a traditional dress and her son beneath a Russian flag states that 20 May 2022 is “Mariupol Liberation Day,” while it was the official end of the siege of Mariupol when the last remaining Ukrainian troops defending the Azovstal steel plant, surrendered.
A Russian mural celebrates “Mariupol Liberation Day” on 20 May 2022—the date the city’s defenders surrendered after a devastating three-month siege—reframing Russia’s conquest as “liberation.”A Russian mural in Mariupol with industrial imagery that says “becoming stronger” which can also mean “stronger than steel.”
Another mural shows industrial imagery with “Stronger than steel” messaging and winter imagery, directly referencing the Azovstal plant, which is key to Mariupol’s identity and economy. The slogan creates a deliberate play on words as the phrase says “becoming stronger” while it can also be interpreted as “stronger than steel.”
The propaganda twist presents resilience themes while omitting that Russia inflicted the suffering on civilians by invading first, transforming Azovstal from a symbol of Ukrainian resistance into claimed Russian triumph over the very industry that defined the city.
Explore further
Russia legally steals 20,000 homes in razed Mariupol — then charges homeless victims for rent
Russian authorities have sentenced two Ukrainian media workers seized by Russian forces in occupied Melitopol in August 2023 to long prison terms, according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
RSF says the convictions reflect Russia’s broader campaign to silence independent media in occupied territories, where Ukrainian journalists face harsh detention and unfair trials.
Heorhiy Levchenko, administrator of the Telegram channel Ria-Melitopol, was sentenced on 2 September t
Russian authorities have sentenced two Ukrainian media workers seized by Russian forces in occupied Melitopol in August 2023 to long prison terms, according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
RSF says the convictions reflect Russia’s broader campaign to silence independent media in occupied territories, where Ukrainian journalists face harsh detention and unfair trials.
Heorhiy Levchenko, administrator of the Telegram channel Ria-Melitopol, was sentenced on 2 September to 16 years in a high-security penal colony, plus a one-year ban on internet use.
The court accused him of “high treason” and “incitement to extremism.” It claimed the channel was used for “anti-Russian and pro-Ukrainian propaganda” and to pass information to Ukrainian intelligence.
Vladyslav Hershon, an administrator of Melitopol tse Ukraina (“Melitopol is Ukraine”), received a 15-year sentence on 3 September from a military court in Rostov-on-Don, Russia.
He was prosecuted for “terrorism.” In letters to his family, Hershon described his detention as “every morning is hell.”
RSF condemned the sentences as a “travesty of justice” and warned that they signal a chilling precedent for the other journalists still imprisoned in Melitopol.
Only one of the group of seven journalists arrested in August 2023, Mark Kaliush, has been released to date in a prisoner exchange.
The remaining detained journalists face ongoing legal proceedings. Maksym Rupchov’s next hearing is scheduled for 8 October, Oleksandr Malyshev’s for 15 September, and Yana Suvorova’s for 18 September. Anastasia Hlukhovska has been missing since her arrest, with her location undisclosed by Russian authorities.
RSF emphasizes that these prosecutions are part of a broader pattern of repression targeting journalists in occupied Ukrainian territories. Media professionals are treated as spies, face baseless charges, forced confessions, and denial of fair defense.
“These are not trials, but political spectacles,” said Jeanne Cavelier, head of RSF’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia Desk. “Russia is weaponising its justice system to criminalise independent journalism in the occupied territories.”
“We call for the immediate release of Heorhiy Levchenko, Vladyslav Hershon, and all journalists imprisoned for their reporting,” she continued.
Melitopol, in Ukraine’s southeastern Zaporizhzhia oblast, has been under Russian occupation since February 2022.
At least 26 Ukrainian journalists remain imprisoned by the Kremlin either in occupied territories or inside Russia.
Across occupied regions and within Russia, Ukrainian journalists face severe repression. Their detentions are widely considered violations of international law and could amount to war crimes.
Russia is turning the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant into a nuclear weapon. Any attempt by Moscow to impose new forms of control over the facility constitutes a direct escalation of nuclear security threats for both Ukraine and Europe, the Ministry of Energy of Ukraine has warned.
The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), the largest in Europe, has been occupied since 2022. It has enough capacity to cover the annual electricity needs of countries like Ireland, Slovakia, o
Russia is turning the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant into a nuclear weapon. Any attempt by Moscow to impose new forms of control over the facility constitutes a direct escalation of nuclear security threats for both Ukraine and Europe, the Ministry of Energy of Ukraine has warned.
The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), the largest in Europe, has been occupied since 2022. It has enough capacity to cover the annual electricity needs of countries like Ireland, Slovakia, or Finland.
Putin floats “cooperation” on ZNPP
On 2 September in Beijing, during a meeting with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested that “under favorable circumstances, Russia, the US, and Ukraine could cooperate at the Zaporizhzhia NPP.”
Ministry of Energy: plant occupied and in peril
Ukraine’s Ministry of Energy stresses that Russia seized the civilian nuclear facility by force and continues to block legitimate Ukrainian control.
“Russia attacked with heavy military equipment and occupied Ukraine’s civilian nuclear facility, the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant,” it claims.
The ministry emphasizes that the plant is operating under an extraordinary threat scenario, unanticipated by design standards or international safety frameworks.
Dangerous shutdowns and risk of disaster
Since the occupation began, Russia has caused “systemic, critically dangerous deformations” at the site.
This includes the destruction of the Kakhovka dam, which eliminated the primary water source for cooling reactors, and nine full disconnections from Ukraine’s power grid.
“These are direct preconditions for a nuclear accident,” the ministry warns.
Call for international action
Kyiv views Putin’s remarks on new maintenance models at ZNPP as an attempt to turn the plant into a military tool.
“Ukraine calls on the international community to provide a clear assessment of these statements and actions, given their potential impact on the security of the entire European continent,” the ministry stressed.
Ukraine will raise the issue at the September session of the International Atomic Energy Agency General Conference (IAEA) and urge global condemnation of Russia’s actions.
IAEA denied access to a new dam
On 31 August, IAEA Director Rafael Grossi said that Russia did not allow the organization’s inspectors to access the new dam that the occupiers built near the plant, according to Sky News.
“Our access to this dam is essential to assess the cooling water situation which is crucial given the fragile nuclear safety situation at the ZNPP,” he said.
He added that the problem is further complicated by the fact that the ZNPP currently relies on a single external power line to supply electricity to the plant’s safety systems, while the plant itself is not producing power.
Russia has persecuted 122 people in “Hizb ut-Tahrir cases” since occupying Crimea in 2014, with 119 of them being indigenous Crimean Tatars, according to the Crimean Tatar Resource Center (CTRC).
“The Russian Federation unlawfully uses its legislation for political purposes, particularly to suppress the non-violent struggle of Crimean Tatars and their protest against the occupation of Crimea,” the CTRC stated.
Crimean Tatars are the peninsula’s indigenous Muslim population who faced mass deporta
Russia has persecuted 122 people in “Hizb ut-Tahrir cases” since occupying Crimea in 2014, with 119 of them being indigenous Crimean Tatars, according to the Crimean Tatar Resource Center (CTRC).
“The Russian Federation unlawfully uses its legislation for political purposes, particularly to suppress the non-violent struggle of Crimean Tatars and their protest against the occupation of Crimea,” the CTRC stated.
Crimean Tatars are the peninsula’s indigenous Muslim population who faced mass deportation under Soviet rule in 1944.
The current cases involve charges related to Hizb ut-Tahrir, an Islamic organization banned in Russia since 2003 but legal in Ukraine and most other countries.
83 Crimean Tatars currently imprisoned in Russian prisons and colonies
According to the CTRC report, 83 people are serving sentences in Russian prisons and colonies, while 27 remain in pre-trial detention. Three are under house arrest, eight have been released with restrictions, and one person died in Russian custody.
The cases have left 252 children without fathers, according to the CTRC. Russian authorities have reportedly conducted 20 waves of arrests since the occupation began, with the most recent in February 2025 when five men were detained.
Russia bases cases on anonymous witnesses and FSB experts
“The accusations in these ‘cases’ are based on the testimony of ‘undisclosed witnesses’ and the conclusions of ‘experts’ who actively cooperate with the FSB,” the CTRC stated. Evidence typically includes Islamic literature found during searches, FSB operational data, and audio recordings of discussions on religious and political topics.
Russia banned Hizb ut-Tahrir in a closed court session in 2003 without providing evidence of terrorist activity, according to the CTRC, yet continues using this designation to prosecute Crimean residents. Sentences range up to 19 years in maximum security colonies.
Hizb ut-Tahrir operates legally in 58 countries despite Russian ban
Hizb ut-Tahrir operates legally in Ukraine and most other countries. The CTRC noted that “in its 75 years of existence, it has not organized a single terrorist attack or armed violence.”
The CTRC has called for the release of all defendants and urged international sanctions against those responsible for the prosecutions.
The analytical project DeepState reported on 26 August that Russian forces have occupied the villages of Zaporizke and Novogeorgiyivka in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, marking the first occupied settlements in the region.
According to DeepState analysts, Russian troops established control over the two villages, while Russian forces also advanced near Shevchenko, Bila Gora, and in Oleksandro-Shultyne.
The occupied villages lie at the junction of Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts’ borders
The analytical project DeepState reported on 26 August that Russian forces have occupied the villages of Zaporizke and Novogeorgiyivka in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, marking the first occupied settlements in the region.
According to DeepState analysts, Russian troops established control over the two villages, while Russian forces also advanced near Shevchenko, Bila Gora, and in Oleksandro-Shultyne.
The occupied villages lie at the junction of Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts’ borders. They became the first settlements in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast to fall under Russian army control.
This development contradicts earlier intelligence assessments. NATO member countries’ reconnaissance data suggested Russia was not planning a major offensive in either Sumy or Dnipropetrovsk oblasts of Ukraine.
Russian forces had repeatedly claimed incursions into Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, but the Ukrainian General Staff consistently denied these assertions. Head of the Main Intelligence Directorate Kyrylo Budanov previously assured that the city of Dnipro faced only threats from Russian missile and drone attacks, with combat operations occurring solely along Dnipropetrovsk Oblast’s perimeters.
The General Staff reported on 2 July that the settlement of Dachne in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast had not been captured by Russians, as claimed by RF propagandists, and remained under Armed Forces control.
DeepState reported on 5 July that the Russian forces had occupied the settlements of Zeleny Kut and Novoukrayinka near the administrative border between Dnipropetrovsk and Donetsk oblasts and was attempting to advance further.
On 11 August, the DeepState analytical center reported that Russian forces had intensified their advance toward Dobropillya over recent days, particularly attempting to establish positions near the Dobropillya-Kramatorsk highway. The “Dnipro” operational-strategic group added that Russian forces were infiltrating in small groups past the first line of Ukrainian positions in this direction.
Key takeaways:
On 24 August 2025, former Kherson Mayor Volodymyr Mykolaienko was released from Russian captivity, where he had been held for over three years.
His return was an emotional moment for his family; the first words he spoke after returning were: “Glory to Ukraine.”
Meanwhile, current Kherson mayor Ihor Kolyhaiev remains in Russian captivity, and his condition is reported as critical.
Former Kherson Mayor Volodymyr Mykolaienko has returned from Russian captivity as part of a priso
On 24 August 2025, former Kherson Mayor Volodymyr Mykolaienko was released from Russian captivity, where he had been held for over three years.
His return was an emotional moment for his family; the first words he spoke after returning were: “Glory to Ukraine.”
Meanwhile, current Kherson mayor Ihor Kolyhaiev remains in Russian captivity, and his condition is reported as critical.
Former Kherson Mayor Volodymyr Mykolaienko has returned from Russian captivity as part of a prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia on Ukraine’s Independence Day, Suspilne reports.
Among those released are rank-and-file and sergeant-level soldiers, many held for over three years. Eight civilians were also freed, including journalists Dmytro Khilyuk and Mark Kaliush, as well as medic Serhii Kovaliov from the Hospitallers battalion.
His release coincided with the day before his mother’s birthday, making it especially significant for the family.
Former Kherson Mayor Volodymyr Mykolaienko before Russian captivity. Credit: Zmina
“It’s the greatest celebration we could have. We are all crying with joy and happiness. We can’t calm down, answering all calls,” his niece, Hanna Korshun-Samchuk, shared.
Mykolaienko immediately called his wife, and his first words were: “Glory to Ukraine.”
Time behind bars
Russian forces abducted Mykolaienko on 18 April 2022, following threats from local collaborators. For a long time, his whereabouts were unknown until the International Committee of the Red Cross confirmed his detention.
Mykolaienko served as Kherson’s mayor from 2014 to 2020 and was active in local Euromaidan protests supporting Ukraine’s European integration.
Heroic decision in captivity
According to Andrii Yermak, Head of the President’s Office, Mykolaienko had the chance to return from captivity in 2022 but refused to save a critically ill cellmate first.
“Many young people break under this pressure. People of older age survived much, and the main task of the Russian authorities is to destroy us physically and morally. They are succeeding at it,” Mykolaienko said in his first address to the public after the release.
Meanwhile, another Kherson mayor is still captive in Russia
After Volodymyr Mykolaienko, who served as Kherson’s mayor before the all-out war, Ihor Kolykhaiev was elected as the city’s mayor. He led Kherson until the Russian occupation in 2022, after which he was abducted by Russian forces.
On 25 April 2022, Russian forces seized the Kherson City Council building, and by 26 April, they installed their own “city government.” Kolyhaiev remained in the city, working remotely until his kidnapping on 28 June 2022.
Several reports have indicated that Ihor Kolykhaiev has serious health problems and is being subjected to torture while in Russian captivity, according to Kavun. He spent over a year in Taganrog, according to the Coordination Headquarters, before being transferred deeper into Russia. This is the latest information on the mayor as of February.
Key takeaways:
Ukraine conducted another combined prisoner exchange, returning both military personnel and civilians, including two journalists and the former mayor of Kherson.
Among those released are representatives from almost all defense forces, primarily enlisted and non-commissioned ranks, many of whom spent over three years in captivity.
Ukrainian soldiers had defended key areas: Mariupol, Luhansk, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Mykolaiv, Kyiv, Sumy, and the Chernobyl nuclear
Ukraine conducted another combined prisoner exchange, returning both military personnel and civilians, including two journalists and the former mayor of Kherson.
Among those released are representatives from almost all defense forces, primarily enlisted and non-commissioned ranks, many of whom spent over three years in captivity.
Ukrainian soldiers had defended key areas: Mariupol, Luhansk, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Mykolaiv, Kyiv, Sumy, and the Chernobyl nuclear plant.
Ukraine brings heroes home
On 24 August 2025, Ukraine, on its Independence Day, completed a combined prisoner exchange, returning both military personnel and civilians. According to Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters for Prisoner Affairs, the United Arab Emirates assisted in the release of civilians.
Russia holds an estimated 8,000 Ukrainian soldiers in captivity. Additionally, nearly 60,000 Ukrainians are considered missing, many of whom may also be detained in Russian prisons.
Ukrainian Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said that Ukraine was also involving Qatar and the United Arab Emirates in efforts to accelerate the return of illegally deported Ukrainian children stolen by Russian forces.
“Thank you to the UAE for their help. Thank you to everyone whose work makes it possible for our people to return,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated.
Who has been returned?
As agreed in Istanbul, Ukrainian forces and eight civilians were released, including:
Soldiers from the Air Assault, Air Force, and Navy units
Defenders from the Territorial Defense, the National Guard, and the Border Service
Enlisted and NCO personnel, most of whom spent over three years in captivity
Two journalists: Dmytro Khilyuk and Mark Kaliushk
Medic Serhii Kovaliov of the “Hospitallers” battalion.
He saved the lives of defenders and civilians during the siege of the Azovstal plant in Mariupol, most of whom spent over three years in Russian captivity.
Former Kherson mayor Volodymyr Mykolaienko
“Also returning home is the former mayor of Kherson, Volodymyr Mykolaienko, who refused to collaborate with the occupiers,” the coordination headquarters added.
Meanwhile, Russia’s Ministry of Defense reports that Moscow and Kyiv conducted another prisoner exchange under the 146-for-146 formula.
According to the Russian military, 146 Russian soldiers returned to Russia in exchange for 146 Ukrainian soldiers. In addition, 8 residents of the Kursk Oblast also returned to Russia, the ministry specifies.
Where did they serve?
The returning personnel had defended strategic locations across Mariupol, Luhansk, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Mykolaiv, Kyiv, Sumy, and the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, with many coming from temporarily occupied territories and Crimea.
Reintegration and support
Released persons will receive medical care, examinations, treatment, state benefits, rehabilitation, and societal reintegration. Special thanks were extended to the UAE for facilitating the release of civilian citizens.
The Coordination Headquarters adds that it will continue working to locate and return every Ukrainian held in Russian captivity.
Earlier, Ukraine brought back home the last defender of Zmiinyi or Zmiinyi (Snake) Island. Vitalii Hyrenko returned home after spending more than three years in Russian captivity.
The defenders of Zmiinyi Island in the Black Sea became known in 2022 for the now-iconic phrase: “Russian warship, go f*ck yourself.” Ukrainian border guards stationed on the island received a demand to surrender from Russian warships.
Active fighting is still taking place around the village of Shevchenko in Donetsk Oblast, home to one of Ukraine's largest lithium deposits, a spokesperson for Ukraine's Khortytsia group of forces told the Kyiv Independent on June 27, denying reports Russia had occupied the village.Earlier on June 26, Russia'a Defense Ministry said it had captured Shevchenko along with another other small settlements in the Velyka Novosilka region of the oblast, as Russian troops continue to push along all areas
Active fighting is still taking place around the village of Shevchenko in Donetsk Oblast, home to one of Ukraine's largest lithium deposits, a spokesperson for Ukraine's Khortytsia group of forces told the Kyiv Independent on June 27, denying reports Russia had occupied the village.
Earlier on June 26, Russia'a Defense Ministry said it had captured Shevchenko along with another other small settlements in the Velyka Novosilka region of the oblast, as Russian troops continue to push along all areas of the front line.
The spokesperson said that while Russian forces had pushed out Ukrainian soldiers on June 26, the situation is constantly evolving and subject to change several times a day.
"This is one of the two most intense directions right now," Viktor Trehubov, the spokesperson, told the Kyiv Independent.
According to the Ukrainian Geological Survey, the Shevchenkivske deposit covers nearly 40 hectares (98 acres) on the eastern outskirts of Shevchenko. Exact data on the Shevchenkivske deposit's lithium reserves are classified, but it's considered one of the most promising.
The deposit's main reserves consist of lithium ores, but it also contains other rare elements such as rubidium, cesium, tantalum, niobium, beryllium, and tin.
Ukraine is home to 20 of the world's critical minerals and metals like titanium used in the aerospace and defense industries and lithium, an essential component of electric vehicle batteries.
The U.S.-Ukraine minerals deal, signed April 30, specifically mentions lithium as one of the mineral resources that both parties could profit from extracting.
Despite the deposit's relatively small size, it could be operated by a single mine, which could make extraction more efficient, according to a Ukrainian Geological Survey data.
The survey classifies the deposit in the highest complexity category of three possible levels, which could complicate development.
According to KSE, Ukraine holds one-third of the European Union's lithium reserves and approximately 3% of global lithium reserves.
Ukraine is preparing to request European Union sanctions against Bangladeshi entities over importing wheat stolen from Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories, Ukraine's ambassador to India told Reuters.In comments for Reuters published on June 27, Oleksandr Polishchuk said that Bangladesh had failed to respond to Ukrainian diplomatic appeals to stop the trade, prompting Kyiv to escalate the matter to the EU level."It's a crime," Polishchuk told Reuters. "We will share our investigation with our
Ukraine is preparing to request European Union sanctions against Bangladeshi entities over importing wheat stolen from Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories, Ukraine's ambassador to India told Reuters.
In comments for Reuters published on June 27, Oleksandr Polishchuk said that Bangladesh had failed to respond to Ukrainian diplomatic appeals to stop the trade, prompting Kyiv to escalate the matter to the EU level.
"It's a crime," Polishchuk told Reuters. "We will share our investigation with our European Union colleagues, and we will kindly ask them to take the appropriate measures."
Russian forces have seized millions of tons of Ukrainian grain from occupied areas, with at least 180,000 tons looted through the port of Mariupol alone, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhalsaid in October 2024.
The Ukrainian Embassy in New Delhi sent multiple letters to Bangladesh's Foreign Ministry this year, requesting rejection of more than 150,000 tonnes of grain allegedly stolen and shipped from the Russian port of Kavkaz, according to documents reviewed by Reuters, shared by people familiar with the matter.
According to Polishchuk, Ukrainian intelligence showed that entities in Russia mask grain obtained from occupied Ukrainian territories by mixing it with Russian wheat before shipping it to other countries.
Bangladesh's Food Ministry, in comments to Reuters, denied the imports, saying that they banned grain deliveries originating from occupied Ukrainian territory.
Ukraine's agricultural sector has suffered approximately $80 billion in losses due to Russia's full-scale invasion, Agriculture Minister Vitalii Koval said in February.
The losses include direct damage, disrupted logistics, higher fertilizer and fuel costs, land reclamation expenses, demining costs, and impacts from occupied territories.
Ukrainian drones struck air defense equipment in Russian-occupied Crimea, damaging radar units and components of the S-400 Triumph system, Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR) claimed on June 26. The drone strike was carried out by the agency's "Ghosts" unit, HUR said. Video footage of the operation published on HUR's official Telegram channel shows the trajectory of multiple drones as they approach and hit their targets. The attack damaged "critical and expensive components" of Russia's
Ukrainian drones struck air defense equipment in Russian-occupied Crimea, damaging radar units and components of the S-400 Triumph system, Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR) claimed on June 26.
The drone strike was carried out by the agency's "Ghosts" unit, HUR said. Video footage of the operation published on HUR's official Telegram channel shows the trajectory of multiple drones as they approach and hit their targets.
The attack damaged "critical and expensive components" of Russia's S-400 Triumph air defense system, including two 92N2E multifunctional control radars, two 91N6E detection radars, and an S-400 launcher, according to HUR.
"Radars are the 'eyes' of the enemy's air defense system. Without them, anti-aircraft systems become combat ineffective," HUR wrote.
The Kyiv Independent could not verify these claims.
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Video footage of an alleged Ukrainian drone strike on a Russian S-400 air defense radar system in occupied Crimea, June 2025. (Ukraine's military intelligence agency / Telegram)
Earlier this month, the Atesh partisan group reported that a Ukrainian drone attack hit Russian military facilities near Simferopol. The group claimed on June 13 that Ukrainian drone attacks likely hit a Russian air defense system.
Ukraine has previously carried out successful attacks on S-400 radar systems in Crimea and other regions, including Russia's Belgorod Oblast. Kyiv regularly launches strikes on military and industrial targets in both Russia and Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine.
Russia has illegally occupied Crimea since 2014, transforming the peninsula into a heavily militarized stronghold. Moscow uses the region to support its war in Ukraine, launching missiles from the Black Sea and exploiting the peninsula as a key logistics and transport hub.
The Kerch Airport in Crimea has also been repurposed from civilian to military use, with Moscow-backed proxies transferring part of the airport's land to the Russian Defense Ministry in spring 2025, according to an investigation by Radio Liberty/Radio Free Europe.
Ukraine's Autonomous Republic of Crimea (Nizar al-Rifai/The Kyiv Independent)
A lion has attacked collaborator Oleg Zubkov at the Taigan Safari Park he founded in Russian-occupied Crimea, the Crimean Wind Telegram channel reported on June 22.Zubkov is a businessman who renounced his Ukrainian citizenship and began cooperating with the Russian authorities following Moscow's illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014He also smuggled animals from zoos in the partially occupied Zaporizhzhia and Kherson oblasts after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.During an evening feedi
A lion has attacked collaborator Oleg Zubkov at the Taigan Safari Park he founded in Russian-occupied Crimea, the Crimean Wind Telegram channel reported on June 22.
Zubkov is a businessman who renounced his Ukrainian citizenship and began cooperating with the Russian authorities following Moscow's illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014
He also smuggled animals from zoos in the partially occupied Zaporizhzhia and Kherson oblasts after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
During an evening feeding, Zubkov was attacked by a lion which tore his trachea, neck, and chest muscles with its claws. He managed to leave the lion's enclosure but then lost consciousness.
As a result of the attack, Zubkov lost a significant amount of blood and was transported by helicopter to a hospital in Simferopol, Crimea.
Zubkov regained consciousness on June 23 after surgery, and his condition is described as stable.
This is not the first time lions at the Taigan Safari Park have attacked its staff. In 2024, three lions killed Leokadia Perevalova while she was cleaning an enclosure. Perevalova had worked at the park for 17 years.
Arkady Gostev, head of Russia's Federal Penitentiary Service, was sentenced in absentia to 10 years in prison for creating a network of torture chambers in the Russian-occupied part of Kherson Oblast, Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) announced on June 19.Gostev was found guilty of orchestrating the transformation of captured Ukrainian prisons into torture sites used to detain and brutalize members of the local resistance. The SBU said victims were subjected to "brutal torture" intended to break
Arkady Gostev, head of Russia's Federal Penitentiary Service, was sentenced in absentia to 10 years in prison for creating a network of torture chambers in the Russian-occupied part of Kherson Oblast, Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) announced on June 19.
Gostev was found guilty of orchestrating the transformation of captured Ukrainian prisons into torture sites used to detain and brutalize members of the local resistance. The SBU said victims were subjected to "brutal torture" intended to break their will and force submission to the Kremlin rule.
According to investigators, Gostev personally oversaw the establishment of torture facilities and pushed for their inclusion in Russia's national prison registry through the Justice Ministry.
The court ruled he committed "actions aimed at violently changing or overthrowing the constitutional order or seizing state power."
"Comprehensive measures are being taken to bring him to justice for crimes against our state," the SBU said, noting that Gostev remains in Russia.
Kherson Oblast, which stretches from the Dnipro River to the Black Sea, remains partially occupied, with the east-bank territories still under Russian control.
Gostev joins a growing list of senior Russian officials charged in absentia with war crimes, crimes against humanity, and the administration of occupied territories.
Ukraine has also targeted collaborators working with the occupation authorities.
On June 18, Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) confirmed the assassination of Mykhailo Hrytsai, a Russian-appointed deputy mayor in Berdiansk, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, for his role in organizing repression and torture of Ukrainian prisoners of war.
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