Ukraine is getting closer to home-built interceptors designed to hunt down Russia's fast jet Gerans. Those interceptors have shown very positive early results, and the harder job now is producing enough of them to match the speed at which Ukraine downs the slower drones, Serhii Bratchuk, spokesperson for the Ukrainian Volunteer Army, said on Radio NV.

The jet-powered Geran is the problem Ukraine has been racing to solve. It flies too fast for the mobile gun teams and light interceptors that bring down the slower, piston-engine version. Alongside ballistic missiles, those drones have already done strategic damage: they helped Russia destroy about 90 percent of Ukraine's modern warehouse capacity.

A working interceptor changes that only if Ukraine can field it in numbers, which is why Bratchuk framed the fight ahead as one of production rather than invention.

Interceptors show early promise

However, Bratchuk would not put a date on their release, saying that "right now, our developers are testing our jet interceptor drones."

"We can't talk about details, but from what I know and what I see, the results are very positive, and we are counting on them," he shared.

Four Ukrainian companies already have interceptor drones in field trials, and President Zelenskyy has said that 67 firms in all are working to shoot down the jet drones en masse.

Production must catch up

Ukraine has to lift jet-drone interception to the level it has reached against the conventional Gerans, Bratchuk said, the ones Ukrainians nickname "mopeds" for their buzzing engines. Only then, he argued, can Ukraine say it is closing the sky to the fast drones as it has to the slow ones.

Russia keeps firing both types, in the south and elsewhere, and often at night, precisely to overload Ukraine's air defenses.

Russia scales, and Ukraine must too

Bratchuk gave Russia its due on the one thing that will decide this contest, its ability to turn out weapons in volume.

"Credit to the Russians. They know how to scale," he said.

Ukraine has to learn the same lesson, he argued, and he believes it can, having pulled off fast build-ups before.

"There are examples where we really do learn fast and scale up the relevant processes. So when it comes to jet interceptor drones, we very much want that scaling," he added.

Ukraine has not had enough of the right weapons to shoot down Russia's jet-powered drones, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said at a press conference with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in Calgary on 10 September. He put the remaining obstacles at time and money rather than engineering, and used the appearance to press partners for joint production. Russia attacks Ukrainian cities with drones every night, and the defense against the fastest of them is still being built.

"We did not have enough means"

Zelenskyy was answering a question about the Russian drone found at Leipzig airport in Germany and the drone that delayed his own flight out of Moldova.

"We have to be very frank: we did not have enough means to destroy all these fast drones," he said. "Yes, we are on the way, more than 60 companies are already working on this. Yes, we will get a result, but it takes time."

Three days earlier, he noted that only three to five of the firms show real results.

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The bottleneck is money

He then went past the engineering.The problem is not only technology, he said, but the funding to build thousands of interceptors every single day.

That arithmetic sends Ukraine abroad with its blueprints. 

"That is why we talk about joint production, about production lines in one country or another," Zelenskyy said.

Russia now builds about 3,000 jet-powered drones a month, by Ukrainian military intelligence's count, and fired some 800 of them in four days at the end of August. They fly faster than propeller Shaheds and are harder to bring down, which has stretched air raid alerts nationwide. Ukraine's Air Force cannot yet rely on usual interceptor drones against them.

One drone, of the kind that turned up at Leipzig or crossed Moldova, is not a problem for Ukraine, Zelenskyy said. Thousands of fast drones a day are.

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What a night without enough interceptors looks like

The same night, Russia sent 161 long-range attack drones at Ukraine, decoys among them, along with a cruise missile.That is an ordinary night now, and its damage spreads thin across the map instead of landing in one place.

A Russian strike set a nine-story apartment block alight in Kyiv, burning the facade up to the fifth floor and a flat on the second. Firefighters carried seven people out and handed seven more to medics. Russian drones injured eight people in the capital overnight. 

North of the city, Russia burned warehouses in the Bucha district, then struck the same site again while the crews were still dousing the flames. 

In Dnipro, the drones kept coming back, more than ten times from the evening on, damaging a plant and a row of garages and injuring seven people.

Farther out, Russia injured a mother and her son in Zaporizhzhia and damaged a plant in Zhytomyr Oblast, and the waves ran west far enough that NATO jets went up over Romania.

Editor's note: this article has been updated with new information.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Canada will contribute technology to Ukraine’s European FREYJA anti-ballistic defense program and provide additional military assistance as Russia maintains near-constant ballistic missile and drone attacks.

Russia has ramped up ballistic missile attacks on Ukrainian cities in recent months, increasingly combining them with large waves of drones and other weapons. The strikes have damaged civilian infrastructure and caused growing casualties, while Ukraine faces a shortage of the air defense systems and interceptor missiles needed to counter the evolving threat.

Zelenskyy made the announcement on 10 September during a visit to Canada, where he met Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. He said the talks focused on winter support, energy, Ukraine’s financial needs, and defense cooperation.

“Mark assured me that Canada is ready to join our European anti-ballistic program FREYJA with its technologies,” Zelenskyy said. “This is a necessary and timely step.”

Zelenskyy also said Canada had made an “important decision” on a major air defense assistance package, adding that there is a global shortage of air defense systems and missiles.

Update: Canada and Ukraine sign 100-year partnership declaration

Update 23:00: Zelenskyy and Carney also signed a declaration establishing a 100-year partnership between Ukraine and Canada, setting out long-term cooperation between the two countries.

Zelenskyy said that Ukraine and Canada had reached agreements worth more than $2 billion, including more than $1 billion in government defense assistance.

Canada will also contribute $40 million to a new Ukrainian veterans fund, while the two countries reached agreements on energy cooperation ahead of winter.

Zelenskyy said Canada’s support will strengthen Ukraine’s air defenses and its fighter aircraft, including those being used to intercept Russia’s jet-powered Geran drones. He added that 21 Ukrainian pilots are currently training in Canada.

Russia is changing its aerial attacks

The additional air defense comes as Russia has significantly expanded and adapted its aerial campaign against Ukraine.

Russia is launching increasingly large waves of drones, including faster versions of the Shahed/Geran attack drone, while combining them with ballistic and other missiles. The changing speed, volume, and composition of attacks are putting greater pressure on Ukraine’s air defenses and interceptor stocks.

Zelenskyy said he had also discussed with Carney Russia’s “virtually constant” strikes with ballistic missiles and drones.

The Russian attacks increasingly reach deep into Ukraine, targeting cities, energy facilities, transport and logistics infrastructure, and industrial sites far from the front line.

That makes layered air defense increasingly important. Ukraine needs systems capable of intercepting different types of threats, from relatively slow attack drones to much faster ballistic missiles.

Air defense becomes critical ahead of winter

The need for additional air defense is particularly urgent as Ukraine approaches another winter under Russian attack. Russia has repeatedly targeted Ukraine’s energy system during previous winters, damaging power generation and distribution and threatening electricity, heating, and water supplies.

Ukraine therefore needs not only more interceptor missiles but additional systems and technologies capable of dealing with the increasingly complex mix of Russian aerial weapons.

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Zelenskyy said Canada would also provide additional defense supplies and that the two countries were working on a broader “Drone Deal” covering defense cooperation.

He thanked Canada for its support throughout the war, saying Ukraine needs to remain strong to achieve a “strong and lasting peace.”

Ukraine has nearly run out of the one weapon that reliably stops Russia's ballistic missiles, and no replacement is close, according to The Economist. Now it is betting on cheaper homemade interceptors—and on hitting Russian missiles before they launch.

Russia has spent this year rebuilding its arsenal around the weapons Ukraine can least often intercept and aiming them at cities and the power grid, so the race to field cheap defenses will help decide how many people survive another winter of strikes.

Ukraine's homemade bet

Kyiv is building its own answer. The pan-European Freyja project, led by Ukrainian firm Fire Point with 12 European defense companies, aims for an interceptor near $700,000. That is a fraction of a $7 million export Patriot round. The second track is "left-of-launch": hitting the factories and launchers before missiles fly. In March, Ukraine struck a Bryansk plant making Iskander components. It also hopes to add its own Sapsan and FP-series missiles within months, though catching Russia's mobile launchers is a tall order.

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Faster drones, less warning

Russia sends waves of jet-powered Geran-4 and -5 drones to swamp Ukrainian radar, then fires ballistic missiles behind them. The drones fly at up to 600 kph, and 3,000 leave Russian factories each month. Over five days to 1 September, Russia hit Kyiv almost hourly. The barrage paused on 6 September for the visit of American envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, who had just met Putin in Moscow. The day after they left, Russia killed three civilians. Ukraine's F-16s, meanwhile, are running low on the American air-to-air missiles they need against cruise missiles.

The shield is empty

Ballistic missiles are the class of Russian weapon Ukraine's air defenses stop least often, which is why Brussels recently cleared Ukraine to spend EU loan money on American interceptors for the winter, and why a cheaper homemade fix carries so much weight.

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Of 57 ballistic missiles fired in the first eight days of August, Ukraine intercepted only one. Kyiv has almost nothing left of the PAC-3, the one interceptor that reliably downs them. Russia now turns out about 100 of its deadliest missiles a month, 60 of them Iskander-Ms. Resupply looks unlikely, because US President Donald Trump's war on Iran drained America's own Patriot stocks, and no ally wants to give up interceptors it cannot replace.

At the MSPO 2026 arms exhibition in Poland, the Luch Design Bureau, part of the state conglomerate Ukroboronprom, presented the RK-19 surface-to-air missile for the Soviet-made Osa air defense systems and disclosed its specifications for the first time, Defense Express reports.

The Osa-AKM forms the backbone of Ukraine's remaining Soviet Osa fleet, and it is the missiles rather than the launchers that are running out, so a Ukrainian-built interceptor lets those launchers keep engaging jet drones and cruise missiles as the Soviet stock runs down.

Its maker's materials describe the RK-19 as designed to intercept subsonic and supersonic targets "at medium range," Defense Express reports. The missile uses radio-command guidance and proximity detonation and carries a 14.3-kg high-explosive fragmentation warhead.

The missile is similar to the original, but slightly faster

On its main specifications, the RK-19 is similar to the standard missile used by the Osa-AKM, although its maximum speed is somewhat higher, Defense Express notes. Both engage targets at ranges of up to 10 km and altitudes of up to 5 km.

However, their speeds differ: the upgraded missile reaches 600 m/s, while the standard 9M33M3 reaches 500 m/s. Their weights also differ: the transport-launch container with the new missile weighs 163 kg, compared with 157 kg for the standard missile, the outlet reports.

Domestic missile keeps Osa launchers firing at jet drones

The RK-19 will allow the older air defense systems to continue protecting Ukrainian skies and intercepting aerodynamic targets, including jet-powered drones and cruise missiles such as the Banderol, according to Defense Express. The price of the Ukrainian surface-to-air missile for the Osa systems and its production volumes have not yet been disclosed.

The Osa systems were effective through 2022 and into 2023, destroying a significant number of Russian drones and cruise missiles, Militarnyi notes. However, the stock of standard missiles for the Osa systems later began to run out, significantly reducing the intensity of their use, the outlet reports.

With interceptors limited, Ukraine's Armed Forces had to use older missiles for the Osa systems, which had poorer specifications, and integrated short-range air-to-air missiles such as the R-73. That route carried its own drawbacks: reduced range, and reliance on the missile's own seeker, Defense Express reports.

A Ukrainian strike drone that quietly hit hundreds of Russian targets, with air-defense systems among them, has come out of the shadows. Ukrspecsystems publicly unveiled the RAM-2X, an X-winged loitering munition long used at the front but kept classified, at the MSPO defense expo in Poland, dev.ua reports.

Its relay capability allows the strike drone to operate in tandem with reconnaissance platforms such as the SHARK-M. In this configuration, the reconnaissance aircraft provides target designation, enabling the strike drone to more effectively counter Russian electronic warfare (EW) systems.

A proven drone steps into the open

To mark the reveal, the company opened an "X-Archive" of declassified combat video, starting with strikes on Russian surface-to-air missile systems and radars — the hardest targets a strike drone faces, since they are built to shoot drones down.

RAM-series loitering munitions are now credited with more than 450 target engagements, over 400 of them against air defenses, according to the manufacturer, which cleared the footage with the units involved before releasing it.

A scout and a striker hunt together

The pairing is the point of what Ukrspecsystems calls its "system of systems."

"Those who operate our reconnaissance equipment can add a strike component that works on the same antennas and stations," the company said.

This closes the reconnaissance-strike loop with its own forces. Built on shared components, a common ground station, and a single software, the RAM-2X supports several radio bands and Starlink terminals, so a jammer that blocks one link does not blind the drone.

The specs reach deep behind the front

The RAM-2X operates at the operational-tactical level, remains airborne for more than two hours, and carries a high degree of automation, with the option to run AI assistants on board. Its warhead is an explosively formed penetrator weighing 2.7 or 3.5 kilograms.

Ukraine has shown off, for the first time, a home-built missile designed to shoot down ballistic targets. The Koral surface-to-air missile appeared at the MSPO defense expo in Poland, in an Ukroboronprom image showing a launch from a self-propelled launcher on a Czech Tatra truck chassis, Militarnyi reports.

It is unclear what is meant by “ballistic targets.” Russia has a wide range of ballistic weapons, from Iskander ballistic missiles to Kinzhal air-launched ballistic missiles.

More broadly, the term “ballistic target” can refer to an object following a ballistic trajectory after the powered phase of its flight has ended, with its subsequent motion governed primarily by gravity and aerodynamic drag. This category can also include rockets fired by multiple-launch rocket systems (MLRS), such as the Grad and Smerch.

Evolution of the Koral

The missile weighs 450 kg, including a 36-kg warhead. Its guidance system combines inertial navigation, radio correction, and an active radar homing seeker. The missile is 4.8 meters long and has a diameter of 230/300 mm.

At the initial stage, the “Koral” was advertised with significantly more modest specifications: an engagement range of up to 30 km, an engagement altitude of up to 10 km, a weight of around 300 kg, and a 25-kg warhead. The missile was 4.33 meters long and had a diameter of 230/260 mm. At the same time, the designers emphasized that the specific specifications could vary depending on the customer’s requirements.

History of the developement

Development of the “Koral” began as early as 2016. Initially, the project was conceived as part of a ship-based surface-to-air missile system. In 2021, the Luch State Design Bureau unveiled a full-scale mock-up of the missile for the first time at the “Arms and Security” exhibition.

At the time, the “Koral” was presented as a unified, modular missile for both land-based and shipborne SAM systems, with potential applications as an air-to-air missile as well.

The European Commission has approved Ukraine's request to buy US-made Patriot interceptor missiles with money from the European Union's €90 billion ($105 billion) loan, an EU official told Suspilne. Kyiv filed the application four days earlier and asked for more than €2 billion ($2.3 billion). The decision settles who pays, not when the missiles arrive.

Brussels signed off four days after the request

Ukraine submitted the application on 3 September under the Ukraine Support Loan program. The Commission said at the time it was working to clear it in the shortest possible period.

Kyiv asked for the money to buy interceptors, and it falls under the EU credit line for 2026 and 2027. That sum can buy anywhere from about 190 to 580 interceptors, depending on the price Washington sets.

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What the €90 billion covers

The European Council decided to create the loan in December 2025, and the Council of the EU finalized the financing mechanism in April 2026. Hungary's veto held the package up for months before it cleared, and Ukraine's parliament then accepted a wartime tax overhaul to unlock the first tranche.

About €30 billion ($35 billion) of the total goes to economic support and €60 billion ($70 billion) to military needs and defense capabilities. The EU raises the money by borrowing on international capital markets against guarantees from its own budget.

Why European money buys American missiles

The military half of the program funds arms purchases, Ukrainian and European defense industry in particular. It also allows purchases outside the bloc when European producers cannot supply enough of what Ukraine needs.

On 6 August the Commission confirmed Ukraine may use loan money for interceptors, noting that Kyiv defines its own requirements and files the applications. That opened the door to non-European weapons. Nothing in Ukraine's inventory stops Russian ballistic missiles without Patriot interceptors, as Russia showed in August by hitting Kyiv and the Boryspil airport hub twice inside a day.

Ukraine's interceptor arithmetic

Zelenskyy has said Ukraine agreed with the US on monthly interceptor deliveries, while calling the volumes short of what the country needs. He put the winter requirement at no less than about 5% of American output of these missiles.

A shortage of allied Patriot missiles, combined with heavier Russian strikes, made July the deadliest month for Ukrainian civilians since April 2022, according to UN figures.

Ukraine now has 67 companies working to shoot down Russia's jet-powered drones en masse, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. He gave the number at a Kyiv press conference alongside US presidential envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Ukrinform reported.

Most of those firms are still chasing the problem, and only a few have working systems. The race matters because Russia's jet-powered Geran drones fly too fast for the mobile gun teams that once downed the slower models. Russia has sharply expanded the jets' use over the summer, launching them by day as well as by night and driving air-raid alerts over Kyiv almost hourly.

Prototypes outnumber proven interceptors

"Today, we have about 60 companies in Ukraine already working on intercepting jet-powered drones, and doing so on a mass scale. To be precise, there are 67," Zelenskyy said.

He added that three to five have shown real results, and the next step is mass production.

Zelenskyy calls it all "Plan B"

Zelenskyy framed the entire defensive build-up as a fallback.

"All this defense is 'Plan B,' though right now it is very relevant. 'Plan A' is to accelerate diplomatic possibilities as much as possible, to reduce escalation from Russia," he said.

He spoke as the US envoys pressed a peace push in Kyiv, with no breakthrough announced.

He also called anti-ballistic defense Ukraine's weak point, saying he would raise it in upcoming meetings in Norway and Canada, and that the US plans to increase production of Patriot interceptors next year while Germany expands its own output under existing licenses.

Ukraine needs the interceptors to down Russian ballistic missiles that come several times per week. Each Russian attack on Kyiv costs the city budget about $12 million.  More than four thousand buildings in Kyiv have been damaged by Russian strikes, with each attack adding to a repair bill the city carries alongside the human losses.

Russia flew hundreds of warplane sorties against a small group of Ukrainian sea drones, according to the ArmyInform. The drones belong to Group 13, a Ukrainian military-intelligence unit. The unit is running out of Russian warships to sink and now strikes land targets from the sea, its commander, known by his call sign Thirteenth, said.

Years ago, Russia entered its all-out war against Ukraine with a commanding navy and treated the Black Sea as its own. A country left with almost no warships has since answered with cheap robot boats, turning expendable machines into the tool that now contests that sea.

More than 500 sorties to hunt one small drone group

Group 13 hunts Russian warships with Magura sea drones—uncrewed attack boats. Russia flew more than 500 aircraft sorties against a group of eight to 10 Magura drones at the time, the commander said. Moscow spent more on locating the drones than the unit's entire mission cost, he added. Missions have grown longer, too. What once took a day now takes three, four, or five days.

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The commander split the unit's rise into three stages: victory at sea, an end to Russian air dominance over the water, and now strikes on land from the sea. The bar set in 2023 and 2024 is unrealistic to hold in the Black Sea today, he said, because there are no ship targets left, and what remains is harder to reach. A struck S-400 air-defense system does not pay off like a sunk warship, he added.

The bill for Russia

The damage runs past destroyed hardware. Each Russian sailor killed leaves a family pension to pay and training to write off, the commander said. He pointed to the Syrian Express, Russia's sea supply line to Syria. It once ran a short route and now goes through the Baltic Sea, and the whole bill runs into the millions, he said.

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The unit's capabilities came together in a strike on the Ivan Khurs, a Russian reconnaissance ship, its first target. The later sinking of the missile boat Ivanovets killed 40 Russian crew in minutes, the commander recalled. He expects the unit to be remembered as revolutionaries, likening its sea drones to the first tanks more than a century ago.

Spain will send Ukraine more Patriot interceptor missiles, Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares confirmed, according to Le Monde.

Patriot interceptors are among the few weapons Ukraine has that can stop Russian ballistic missiles. The specialized rounds are scarce worldwide, and manufacturer Raytheon cannot build them fast enough to meet demand. Each costs $3 million to $4 million.

Spain confirms the flow will grow

Albares spoke at an informal meeting of European Union foreign ministers in Ireland on 2 September. He reaffirmed Madrid's support as Kyiv pressed for more interceptors. "We have been doing this for a long time, and we will continue to do so," he said. He confirmed that Madrid is preparing a new batch. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the bloc is also working with non-member states to lift Ukraine's air defenses.

Madrid and Kyiv meet in Wicklow

The confirmation followed talks with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha. They met on the sidelines of the same EU gathering, in Wicklow. Sybiha said he pressed Ukraine's urgent need to strengthen its air and ballistic missile defenses. He also thanked Spain for its solidarity. Albares reaffirmed Spain's role as a founding member of the Integrated Anti-Ballistic Missile Coalition, which ten countries launched in Paris on 13 July. The group aims to build a shared anti-ballistic capability, and its declaration calls the coalition purely defensive. Spanish military instructors are training Ukrainian technicians to maintain the systems.

What Spain has promised so far

Spain is not just giving—it is also buying. In December 2025, Madrid signed a $1.7 billion contract with US arms maker Raytheon for four new Patriot systems. It was Spain's largest Patriot order yet. The deal covers radars, launchers, command-and-control stations, and training. Spanish firm Sener builds the control system for the GEM-T interceptor those launchers fire. Spain is one of only a handful of European countries that operate Patriots.

What Spain has already sent

Spain has supplied Ukraine with Patriot missiles before. In March, Madrid pledged five older PAC-2 interceptors from an air-defense artillery regiment at Marines, near Valencia. Madrid has pledged €1 billion ($1.16 billion) in military aid for 2026. Ukraine has spent months urging partners to release interceptors from their stockpiles.

Finland shut more than 2,000 people into a rock-hewn shelter that is normally a sports hall in Kuopio on 2 September, with some remaining overnight to practice operating the facility, the Associated Press reported. The two-day exercise, Shelter 2026, was the largest civil defense drill in Europe since World War II, by AP's account. Its scenario had cyberattacks cutting power and water while the threat of Russian missile strikes grew.

What two hours underground exposed

Three colleges got the alarm at 11:30 on 2 September, and students had about half an hour to reach the shelter, called Luola, or the Cave, Yle reported that evening. Staff barred the doors behind them. Partitions divided the sports hall into rooms of about 200 people. There were not enough beds, so people rested in shifts, and 60 dry toilets served everyone. The internet worked poorly, and the air grew heavy after an hour. The site holds up to 7,000 people under emergency law.

Antti Haataja, preparedness chief at the North Savo Rescue Department, said the move underground went calmly and faster than he expected. A real emergency would put those inside to work, he added, including emptying the toilets. More than a hundred people stayed through the night into 3 September, Yle said, while AP described hundreds sleeping on trestle beds.

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Finland is reading Ukraine's experience

Retired Finnish Army Colonel Asko Muhonen, who organized the drill, said Finland has to learn from Ukraine, where people sometimes have only minutes to reach a metro station. What matters is cover they can actually get to, not a shelter that survives a nuclear blast. Ukraine's parliament is advancing a Finnish-style bill that would put one within 10 minutes of everyone.

Dmytro Untila, 20, a Ukrainian student in Kuopio, was at home in Odesa when Russian missiles hit the city on 24 February 2022, and waited the strike out in his building's entrance hall, having nowhere better to go. Training like this would have helped in Ukraine, he said, "because nobody knew this could happen."

The pressure Finland and its neighbors are drilling against

Finland shares more than 1,300 km of border with Russia and joined NATO with Sweden after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Shelters answer only part of the pressure. Russia is running a campaign of sabotage across Europe, Western officials say, a Russian aircraft is suspected of having entered Finnish airspace on 20 August, and US intelligence has warned that Poland and the Baltic states may face wider Russian hybrid attacks for backing Kyiv.

On 4 September, Ukraine's military intelligence agency HUR published drone footage of an August operation against a Russian coastal missile launcher in occupied Crimea, it said on Telegram. Its special unit Group 13 struck the launcher and hit fuel trucks and a command vehicle on the peninsula in the same operation. 

What HUR says its operators hit

The target was a Bastion, the carrier of Zircon and Oniks missiles. Russia uses those missiles for terrorist strikes against Ukraine, HUR said.

Group 13 operators destroyed and struck two fuel trucks and a command-and-staff vehicle belonging to Russian forces, the agency said. It placed the work in August 2026 without giving a date or a place on the peninsula.

The footage shows the view from drone cameras closing on the targets. HUR did not say what kind of drones its operators used, and the unit works with both aerial and naval systems, including naval drones rigged to carry FPV drones.

Designated 3K55, the system defends a shoreline and hits both surface and ground targets, warships among them. It takes up to five minutes to deploy, fires supersonic P-800 Oniks and hypersonic Zircon missiles, and reaches from 300 to 600 km depending on the missile and the mode of use. It doubles as an air defense asset, tracking up to 50 objects along the horizon at up to 250 km with passive radar and 450 km with active radar. Russia has fielded it since 2010 and builds it in a mobile version and a silo-based one.

Other Ukrainian services have hit Bastions before

Ukraine's Navy said its forces struck a Bastion's launch positions and deployment site on the peninsula overnight on 16 August, without naming a unit. Ukrainian forces hit a Bastion launcher in the occupied village of Aktachi in March, and in February they struck the concentration area of the Russian brigade that operates the system in Crimea.

In an operation earlier in the summer, one of Group 13's uncrewed boats launched attack drones at two Russian radars in occupied Crimea without the vessel ever reaching shore.

Strikes on the peninsula continued overnight

Drone attacks on occupied Crimea have been running for weeks, and they continued into 4 September, though what was hit this time is not yet known. 

Explosions sounded in Sevastopol and Dzhankoi district, Suspilne reported. Monitoring channels logged blasts and drone flights past 04:00, and satellite imagery showed a fire west of the airfield at Hvardiiske, with the cause unconfirmed. Russia's Defense Ministry claimed 490 drones downed over Crimea, other occupied territories, and Russian regions.

Ukraine's F-16 pilots are so short of air-to-air missiles that on some daytime sorties they go up with nothing but the plane's gun. Instead of using effective AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) and the shorter-range AIM-9 Sidewinder, Ukrainian forces are left with the M61A1 Vulcan 20mm rotary cannon, which can pose a grave danger to civilians, the War Zone reports.

Destroying Russian targets with the M61A1 Vulcan 20mm rotary cannon carries risks: the cannon rounds, similar to grenades, can strike a fairly wide area when they hit the ground, potentially killing innocent people.

Worse, the AIM missiles the F-16s are rationing are the same ones that arm the NASAMS batteries defending Kyiv, so every jet-fired round competes with ground air defense for the same scarce stock.

A 107th Wing commander using the callsign "Phantom" confirmed the shortage when a journalist asked him directly whether Ukraine was severely short of missiles for its F-16s.

“Yes, that’s true. Any aircraft without weapons is … useless,” Phantom said.

Kyiv wants the missiles, and a way to make them

Stopping as many Russian Geran drones and cruise missiles as possible before they reach Ukrainian cities takes missiles, and Phantom was blunt about what the fleet needs. He called for more air-to-air missiles and for interceptors to reload the US-made ground-based Patriot batteries.

"We require more means of protection, such as Patriot missiles and air-to-air missiles, AIM-9s or AIM-120s to our fleet," he said.

The fix he wants outlasts any single shipment: "At least we need to try to increase the production, or at least to allow Ukraine to localize the production in Ukraine or other European countries."

Until that exists, the arithmetic stays brutal, as every missile fired at a Russian drone or cruise missile is one fewer for the next attack.

A cheaper rocket enters the mix

One weapon Phantom did not mention may ease that math. Ukrainian F-16s now appear to carry the laser-guided 70mm APKWS II rocket.

Built from a standard unguided rocket fitted with a laser-guidance kit, it is far cheaper than an AMRAAM and has already become a primary anti-drone weapon for US jets in the Middle East — a lower-cost way to knock down drones and subsonic cruise missiles without spending a scarce air-to-air missile on each one.

Estonia's defense minister resigned on 2 September over a failed €70 million ammunition deal for Ukraine, ERR reported. The state procurement agency paid EU funds to companies that had never sold artillery shells. Estonian taxpayers may now have to cover the losses.

The Baltic states have poured billions into defense since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Estonia alone redirected €500 million toward air defense and drones. It pledged 0.25% of GDP in annual aid for Kyiv. Defense budgets have grown faster than the procurement systems managing them.

Minister walks over "socks and ammunition"

Hanno Pevkur has held the post since 2022. Amid the scandal, he told Estonian public broadcaster ETV he would step down.

"The minister does not count socks and ammunition," Pevkur said.

RKIK's former chief countered that no major decisions were made without the ministry's approval.

Three opposition parties called for his resignation before he announced it. Prime Minister Kristen Michal said Pevkur was not personally at fault but acknowledged political responsibility applied. The resignation followed a National Audit Office report released on 28 August. Estonia's Prosecutor's Office has also opened a criminal investigation into the procurement.

The deal that fell apart

In 2024, Estonia's Center for Defense Investments (RKIK) signed four contracts with Datasel S.R.L., an Italian-registered firm. Eesti Ekspress reported that the Indian company Neco Defense Munitions owned it. Neither had ever sold a single artillery shell. RKIK paid roughly $81 million in advance using the EU's European Peace Facility. The first delivery was due in November 2024. Ammunition that arrived failed to meet quality standards. Estonia canceled the deals and filed a case at the European Court of Arbitration in Strasbourg.

Pevkur is the second Baltic defense minister to resign in four months. Latvia's Andris Sprūds stepped down in May after drone incursions from Russia's war destabilized the country's government.

Russia has started launching its strike drones during the day, not only after dark. The reason is the new jet-powered Geran drones, which fire groups cannot take down, so for Russia there is no longer any difference between attacking by day or by night, Serhii "Flash" Beskrestnov, President Zelenskyy's adviser on defense technologies, told Glavcom.

The near-hourly daytime raids are the new face of a campaign that culminated on 1 September, Knowledge Day, when Russia hit Kyiv and its region with ballistic missiles and jet-powered drones and killed 12 people. That strike culminated a six-day assault on the capital that began on 27 August, two days after CIA Director John Ratcliffe arrived in Moscow. However, even after that, the attack continued. Sirens now sound across Kyiv and the surrounding oblast roughly once an hour, around the clock.

Why the shift to daylight

The daytime raids carry an added economic and psychological weight, he said. The threat of strikes forces shops and businesses to open and close unpredictably, snarls transport, and can halt rail service.

"They understand perfectly well that daytime attacks hurt the population and business," Beskrestnov said, adding that the state railway Ukrzaliznytsia is paralyzed.

Keeping the defenders on their feet

A further aim is to hold Ukraine's air defense in a permanent state of readiness, Beskrestnov said. Round-the-clock attacks mean radar stations and generators must run without pause.

"Radar stations and generators run constantly, and that also puts a strain on our troops," he added.

Kyiv remains a Russian prime target because it carries symbolic as well as military weight, as the capital houses the government, business, and warehouses, and a strike there would resonate far more than terrorizing a small town.

Russian forces first concentrated on districts nearer the drones' launch corridors — Kyiv's Left Bank, and the Brovary and Boryspil raions — before switching to the other bank to hunt for targets. As the cold season approaches, he expects Russia to intensify strikes on the energy infrastructure it has so far spared.

Ukraine’s Third Army Corps has released photos of the RapidRanger air defense system mounted on a URO VAMTAC armored vehicle. The troops themselves described the system as a “short-range storm.”

The system defends the sky in areas where radar cannot spot a target and other weapons cannot reach it, filling the gap between mobile fire groups and heavy, less-mobile air-defense systems. That niche — fast, cheap, and radar-independent — is exactly where Russia's Shaheds and small reconnaissance drones have been slipping through.

The images show a crew of the 1030th "Aquila" Anti-Aircraft Missile-Artillery Regiment arming the launcher with missiles before going on combat duty for the first time, RBC-Ukraine reports.

Light enough to ride a pickup

Rapid Ranger weighs only 500 kilograms and has a modular design that allows it to be mounted on pickups, armored cars, or even tracked platforms.

The systems in Ukrainian service ride Spanish URO VAMTAC tactical off-roaders, which reach 135 km/h, drive on public roads, and can change position quickly or cover long distances.

That mobility is the point: a launcher that can shoot and move is far harder for Russian forces to find and destroy than a fixed battery.

Laser guidance beats the decoys

The system's LMM Martlet missiles are 1.3 meters long, weigh 13 kilograms, and reach 1,800 km/h, striking targets up to seven kilometers away. Crucially, the missiles use laser guidance, not only infrared, so Rapid Ranger can hit targets with a low thermal signature or those carrying heat-emitting decoys. That makes it effective against Russian reconnaissance drones like the Orlan-10, whose small heat trail slips past heat-seeking weapons.

A 360-degree electro-optical surveillance suite gives the crew all-around coverage, and the system detects targets out to about 15 kilometers, which is more than twice its engagement range, giving the crew time to track a threat before firing.

Rapid Ranger reached Ukrainian units as part of a British military aid package, and Euromaidan Press reported in April that the system was already downing Shaheds from its Spanish mounts. The 3rd Corps' photos are the newest confirmation that Ukraine's newest Western air-defense hardware is now integrated and standing combat duty at the front.

Twenty Ukrainian companies are now building jet-powered interceptors to down Russia's increasingly fast jet-powered drones. One of them, the Ukrainian-British startup Firebolt Engineering, already has an interceptor flying combat missions with two Air Force units and Ukraine's special operations forces, Defender Media reports.

Russia launched more than 2,500 jet-powered drones at Ukraine in August alone, straining air defenses built to catch the slower, piston-engine Shahed-136. Ukrainian Defense Minister Yevhen Khmara said on 30 August 2026 that four interceptor systems have cleared field testing and are being scaled toward mass production. It is unclear whether Griffen, Firebolt's drone, is among them.

Grenadyr funds a spinout

Firebolt was spun out after the UK-based investment fund Grenadyr backed the team behind the interceptor project. Grenadyr's director, Tomasz Wozniak, told the outlet that a reliable way to intercept jet-powered Shaheds "has never been more important" as Russia scales up the faster drones.

Grenadyr and Firebolt have not disclosed the size of the investment, though the fund's check ranged from $350,000 to $1.3 million.

The new company employs up to 25 people across Ukraine and the UK, split into component manufacturing, final assembly, and calibration, plus a separate R&D unit. Its CEO, who asked to be identified only as Mykola, led the interceptor project prior to the spinout.

Griffen flies, but not against jets yet

Griffen, Firebolt's first product, is a fixed-wing, jet-powered interceptor that reaches speeds above 350 km/h, altitudes above 7.5 km, and a range of up to 120 km, according to Defender Media. Mykola said the team aims to push its speed past 400 km/h through aerodynamic changes. The drone currently costs an estimated $8,300–$10,500.

Griffen still flies on Chinese engines while its British partner, Dynamic Propulsion, develops a turbojet built specifically for the drone, with test samples expected by the end of summer. Firebolt can build 30 Griffens a month and is working to add more crews to fly them, Mykola said. The drone's first confirmed kill, however, was a conventional-engine Geran — not the jet-powered variant it was designed to catch.

Autonomy waits on Ukraine's radars

Firebolt is developing a homing system meant to let Griffen find and strike targets without an operator, a goal shared by rival interceptor makers The Fourth Law, SkyFall, and F-Drones. The system is in testing and expected to ship by default by mid-fall, Mykola said.

Full autonomy, he added, is bottlenecked by Ukraine's radar coverage, which he described as too thin and fragmented to reliably feed target data to an autonomous drone. Closing that gap, he said, depends on the state buying more radars — a decision outside Firebolt's control.

Ukraine has asked the EU to spend billions from its support loan on Patriot air-defense missiles, a request European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen confirmed the bloc is weighing. How far the money would stretch depends on a price only Washington controls.

Russia keeps firing more ballistic missiles at Ukrainian cities than the country can shoot down, the warheads hardest for its air defenses to stop. Only a US-made Patriot system can catch them, and their interceptors remain in short supply worldwide, so who pays for them and Washington that agrees or disagrees to sell them now shapes how many cities stay covered.

The exemption Kyiv needs

The European Commission has already received a payment request covering Ukraine's air defenses, including the PAC-3 interceptors that arm Patriot systems. Von der Leyen put it at "several billion euros" and said member states were reviewing it, without naming a figure.

Suspilne, citing its own sources, reported that the request seeks just over $2.3 billion, with another $4.6 billion from the loan's defense tranche going to arms manufactured in Ukraine and the EU, mostly drones.

The money would come from the EU's $104 billion support loan for 2026–27. Because PAC-3 is US technology, spending loan money on it needs an EU exemption. National representatives will take up the decision on 7 September.

What the money actually buys

Defense Express has calculated how many interceptor missiles Ukraine can get with the loan. At the $4–5 million per round the US Army pays, $2.3 billion would fund 460-580 interceptors. At the $6.61 million export price Germany paid in late 2024, about 315. At up to $12.3 million each, the US cleared for Saudi Arabia on 30 January 2026, just 190.

Why money isn't the real problem

For Ukraine, the harder question is not price but whether it can get the missiles at all. Even 315 rounds would equal about half the world's current yearly output, which the sole producer, Lockheed Martin, is straining to lift from around 600 a year to 2,000 by 2030.

Kyiv has been short of interceptors for months. In August, Zelenskyy said Ukraine reached a deal with the US for monthly Patriot deliveries, but that it still needs at least around 5% of American output to get through winter. EU Foreign Policy Chief Kaja Kallas has urged member states to hand over interceptors, especially those with shelf lives nearing their end.

The United States has only about 25% of the Patriot missile interceptors it needs to meet Pentagon military plans, a shortage that led U.S. President Donald Trump's administration to pause a major transfer of weapons to Ukraine, the Guardian reported on July 8.

The decision to halt the delivery, made on July 2, followed an internal review showing low stockpiles of critical air defense systems. The depletion was largely due to recent U.S. operations in the Middle East, including the interception of Iranian missiles after strikes on the American Al Udeid airbase in Qatar, according to the Guardian.

According to officials familiar with the matter, the Pentagon's munitions tracker, used to measure the minimum supplies needed for U.S. war plans, showed Patriot interceptor levels had fallen below acceptable levels. That prompted concerns that sending more to Ukraine could put U.S. defense readiness at risk, the Guardian wrote.

The freeze reportedly affected Ukraine's two key arms transfer methods: drawdowns from Pentagon stockpiles and the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI), through which the Defense Department orders new weapons from contractors.

Because U.S. orders take priority, Ukrainian requests for new weapons, including Patriot missiles, face years-long delays.

The pause came at a critical time for Kyiv, as Russia intensifies large-scale aerial attacks on Ukrainian cities. With limited options to acquire precision-guided and other key munitions, Ukrainian forces have increasingly relied on Western-supplied air defenses to counter the growing threat.

For its latest aid package, the U.S. had planned to send dozens of Patriot interceptors, along with Hellfire missiles, air-to-air Sparrows, GMLRS rockets, and anti-tank weapons, according to the Guardian.

NBC News reported on July 4 that U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth unilaterally halted a weapons shipment to Ukraine despite internal military assessments showing the aid would not compromise American military readiness.

The assessment concluded that while some munitions stockpiles, including precision weapons, were low, they had not fallen below critical thresholds.

Amid the ongoing questions over Washington's weapons pause, Trump has apparently promised to send 10 Patriot interceptors to Ukraine, Axios reported on July 8. Sources also told the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) that Trump claimed he wasn't behind the decision to halt arms to Kyiv in a recent phone call with President Volodymyr Zelensky.

How to enter Ukraine’s defense market: A short guide for foreign companies

Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed in the op-ed section are those of the authors and do not purport to reflect the views of the Kyiv Independent. For editorial coverage of Ukraine’s weapons procurement, the country’s Defense Ministry and the scandal-ridden Defense Procurement Agency click on the links

The Kyiv IndependentVladyslav Bandrovsky

U.S. President Donald Trump has promised to send 10 Patriot interceptors to Ukraine - a smaller number than had been paused previously while en route to the country, Axios reported on July 8, citing its sources.

Trump has also suggested that Germany sell one of its Patriot batteries to Ukraine, according to three sources cited by Axios. They said the U.S. and European allies would split the cost of the purchase.

The discussion comes as Ukraine is calling upon its allies, particularly the United States, to support Ukrainian air defense by supplying "life-saving" Patriot systems and relevant missiles.

The Pentagon said on July 2 that some military assistance to Ukraine had been halted as the U.S. Defense Department conducts a review of foreign aid deliveries.

On July 7, the Pentagon said it would renew shipments, saying the additional defensive weapons were intended to help Ukraine protect itself while the U.S. works toward "a lasting peace."

Merz called Trump to request the release of the paused interceptors, according to Axios. During the call, Trump proposed that Germany sell one of its own Patriot batteries to Ukraine.

While no agreement has been reached, officials on both sides say negotiations are ongoing. German officials maintain that Berlin has already sent a higher share of its available Patriot systems to Ukraine than any other NATO country, including the U.S.

Russia has escalated its aerial campaign against Ukraine in recent weeks, launching large-scale missile and drone attacks that have killed and injured hundreds of civilians across multiple cities.

The suspension of U.S. arms deliveries, which include Patriots and precision-guided munitions, drew criticism from Kyiv. During a July 4 phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Trump said he was not responsible for halting the aid, according to the Wall Street Journal.

He reportedly told Zelensky that a review of U.S. munitions stockpiles was initiated after last month's U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, but denied ordering a full pause in shipments.

NBC News reported that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth halted the shipments unilaterally on July 2, despite internal Pentagon assessments that the move would not jeopardize U.S. military readiness.

Special Envoy Keith Kellogg and Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov are set to meet in Rome later this week to discuss resuming the stalled military aid, Politico reported on July 7.

Seeing war through the lens of narcissism

We usually think of narcissism as a personal flaw — a grandiose ego, a craving for attention, a lack of empathy. But what if narcissism is not just a diagnosis, but a lens? A way of understanding how individuals — and even entire nations — cope with wounds too painful to face directly?

The Kyiv IndependentDr. Gary E Myers

A former deputy chief of the Russian army's General Staff, Colonel General Khalil Arslanov, was sentenced to 17 years in prison on July 7 over a scheme involving the theft of over 1 billion roubles ($12.7 million) from Defense Ministry contracts, Russia's state-owned TASS news agency reported.

A closed-door military court found Arslanov and others guilty of embezzling millions from state contracts with Voentelecom, a company providing telecommunications services to the Russian military.

Arslanov was also convicted of extorting a 12 million rouble ($152,400) bribe from the head of a military communications company. Two co-defendants, Colonel Pavel Kutakhov and military pensioner Igor Yakovlev, received seven and six years in prison, respectively.

Arslanov, a former head of the Russian military's communications unit, served as deputy chief of the army's General Staff from 2013 until his removal in 2020 and was named a colonel general in 2017.

This high-profile conviction is the latest in a series of corruption scandals that have implicated top echelons of the Russian military establishment over the past year. Russia has significantly stepped up prosecutions of senior defense officials.

Just last week, on July 1, former Russian Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov was sentenced to 13 years in a penal colony after being found guilty of corruption. It was the harshest verdict in a series of high-level military corruption cases until Arslanov's sentencing on July 7.

Authorities initially detained Ivanov in April 2024 on bribery allegations, later adding embezzlement charges in October. His trial, like Arslanov's, was held behind closed doors reportedly due to national security concerns.

Ivanov's co-defendant, Anton Filatov, a former logistics company executive, received a 12.5-year sentence.According to state media, the embezzled amount totaled 4.1 billion roubles ($48.8 million), primarily funneled through bank transfers to two foreign accounts. Ivanov pleaded not guilty.

The court stripped him of all state honors and ordered the confiscation of property, vehicles, and cash valued at 2.5 billion roubles, including a luxury apartment in central Moscow, a three-storey English-style mansion, and a high-end car collection featuring brands like Bentley and Aston Martin.

Russia striking NATO while China invades Taiwan ‘plausible’ scenario, experts say

If Beijing moves against Taiwan, NATO might soon find itself in a two-front war with China and Russia — or so the alliance’s secretary general believes. “If Xi Jinping would attack Taiwan, he would first make sure that he makes a call to his very junior partner in all of this, Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin… and telling him, ‘Hey, I’m going to do this, and I need you to to keep them busy in Europe by attacking NATO territory,’” Secretary General Mark Rutte said in a July 5 interview with the New

The Kyiv IndependentMartin Fornusek

Four Alliance 90/Greens party members have sent an open letter to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz calling for a significant increase in military aid to Ukraine, Bild reported on July 5, citing a copy of the document.

The news comes as Russia’s expanded drone production has enabled Moscow to launch as many as 500 drones in a single night against Ukraine on multiple occasions each week.

The letter's authors — Robin Wagener, Sara Nanni, Sebastian Schafer, and Anton Hofreiter — demanded that certain budget items be adjusted, particularly regarding support for Ukraine. They believe that the planned increase in Germany's defense funding for Kyiv from $8.4 billion in 2024 to $9.8 billion in 2025 is insufficient, according to Bild.

The signatories emphasized the need to strengthen Ukraine's air defense systems urgently.

"Without further air defense and assured supplies, Russian dictatorship over Ukraine becomes more likely," the letter read.

The lawmakers also noted that the situation has deteriorated as Russia continues to carry out large-scale attacks on Ukraine, and the United States, for its part, has partially suspended its military aid.

The signatories reminded Merz that, thanks to the Greens party's support in the previous Bundestag, assistance to Ukraine had significantly increased.

Before becoming chancellor, Merz, elected for the CDU/CSU conservative alliance, signaled he could overturn the ban of his predecessor, Social Democrat Olaf Scholz, on delivering Taurus to Ukraine.

The Taurus is a powerful cruise missile capable of striking targets at a distance of 500 kilometers (300 miles), more than the long-range capabilities Ukraine received from other partners.

However, the German government has not approved sending Taurus missiles to Ukraine so far.

Ukraine has been using U.S.-made ATACMS for over a year, and U.K.-French Storm Shadow/SCALP for more than two, initially being allowed to deploy them only against Russian targets on Ukrainian territory.

Only in late 2024, the Biden administration and other allies eased the restrictions, allowing Ukraine to use long-range missiles against Russian military targets on Russian territory.

Russia increasingly targets Ukraine’s cities with cluster munitions, raising civilian toll

Amid stalled peace talks, Russia is increasingly attacking Ukrainian cities with cluster munitions, banned by international organizations for the indiscriminate damage they cause to civilians. The civilian casualty toll in Ukraine in 2025 rose by 37% compared with the same period last year, mostly due to Russia’s use of

The Kyiv IndependentNatalia Yermak

Europe must dramatically ramp up its defenses against a resurgent Russia, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said in an interview with the New York Times published on July 5, crediting U.S. President Donald Trump for driving the alliance to unprecedented levels of commitment.

Rutte, who assumed his role late last year after 14 years as Prime Minister of the Netherlands, has been navigating NATO through a period marked by Russia's expansionist ambitions and questions about the reliability of the United States as an ally.

"Russia is reconstituting itself at a pace and a speed which is unparalleled in recent history," he told the outlet, adding that "...they are now producing three times as much ammunition in three months as the whole of NATO is doing in a year. This is unsustainable, but the Russians are working together with the North Koreans, with the Chinese and Iranians, the mullahs, in fighting this unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine."

He emphasized the interconnectedness of security across different regions, noting that a secure Arctic is vital due to increased Chinese and Russian activity, and a secure Atlantic is "crucial" for the U.S. "If the Arctic, if the Atlantic Ocean, if Europe is not secure, the U.S. has a big problem," Rutte said, arguing that Russia is ultimately aiming to attack the U.S.

The Secretary General strongly dismissed Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's comments that NATO's new defense spending targets would "bankrupt" members.

"I know Sergey Lavrov very well. He has been foreign minister of Russia since the birth of Jesus Christ, and I’ve never taken him seriously. When you talk about fake news, listen to Sergey Lavrov," Rutte told the NYT. He believes Lavrov's comments are "clearly evidence that the deterrence is working."

Rutte acknowledged concerns about the defense industrial output across the alliance, adding that, "we simply lack the defense industrial base to produce the weapons we need to make sure that we can deter the Russians or the North Koreans or whoever to attack us." He underscored the importance of not just financial investment, but also having sufficient personnel and industrial capacity to effectively utilize weaponry.

On the subject of Ukraine, Rutte confirmed that European allies have significantly increased their financial commitment. "The Europeans have now cobbled together $35 billion in military aid this year to deliver to Ukraine, which is more than last year," he said. He viewed this as a logical and fair shift, with the U.S. expecting Europeans to "take more of the burden when it comes to the concrete support to Ukraine."

While acknowledging the complex discussions surrounding peace talks, Rutte recognized President Donald Trump's role in initiating dialogue with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"He is the one who broke the deadlock with Putin. When he became president in January, he started these discussions with Putin, and he was the only one who was able to do this. This had to happen. A direct dialogue between the American president and the president of the Russian Federation."

However, Rutte admitted that subsequent peace talks in Istanbul involved Russia sending a less serious delegation, leading to the conclusion that "we are not there yet, and that means that in the meantime you have to make sure that Ukraine has what it needs to stay in the fight."

Despite some perceived divergences in approach between NATO and the U.S. regarding peace talks, Rutte insisted on the American administration's commitment to the conflict's importance.

"The American administration completely takes the view and shares it with the Europeans that this war in Ukraine is crucial for the defense of NATO territory going forward and that we have to make sure that Ukraine is in the strongest possible position to stop the Russians from taking more territory, and that when it comes to a cease-fire or, even better, a peace deal, that Ukraine with some help will be able to prevent Putin from ever attacking Ukraine again in the future."

Trump says Putin ‘wants to keep killing people,’ signals US may send Patriots to Ukraine

“It just seems like he wants to go all the way and just keep killing people. It’s not good,” U.S. President Donald Trump said.

The Kyiv IndependentTim Zadorozhnyy

President Volodymyr Zelensky described his recent phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump as "the best conversation in all this time" in an evening address on July 5.

"Patriot (missiles) are key to protection from ballistic (missiles). We discussed several other important issues that our teams will work out in detail at meetings in the near future," Zelensky said.

The two leaders spoke on July 4, agreeing to strengthen Ukraine's air defenses amid intensified Russian strikes, Zelensky said earlier.

A day prior to speaking with Zelensky, Trump held a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin in an effort to discuss ending Russia's war against Ukraine.

"This was probably the best conversation in all this time, it was maximally productive. We discussed the topic of air defenses. I am grateful for the readiness to help," Zelensky said, describing his phone call with Trump.

Relations between Ukraine and the U.S. have previously been strained as the White House pushed Kyiv to sign a lucrative bilateral minerals deal and tried to broker a peace deal with Moscow that did not rule out major concessions for Ukraine.

Zelensky's phone call with the U.S. leader followed media reports and announcements from Washington of a pause in military assistance to Ukraine. Trump, on July 3, denied that Washington has stopped supplying weapons to Kyiv.

Trump described his July 3 conversation with Putin as disappointing, saying that the call "didn't make any progress" in stopping Russia's war against Ukraine.

"I'm very disappointed with the conversation I had today with President Putin," Trump told journalists. "Because I don't think he's there. And I'm very disappointed.  I don't think he's looking to stop this fighting."

Russia launches another horrific attack on Kyiv hours after Trump-Putin call

Ripe cherries and apricots fill the stalls of fruit vendors, while people bustle about on a scorching July Friday. Yet just a five-minute walk from the stand, the scene shifts dramatically: a gaping hole mars the five-story residential building where the stairwell once stood. Rescuers tirelessly sift through the

The Kyiv IndependentKateryna Hodunova

U.S. Air Force General Alexus G. Grynkewich assumed command as the 21st Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) on July 4 during a ceremony at Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte presided over the handover, commending outgoing U.S. Army General Christopher G. Cavoli for his contributions to modernizing NATO's collective defense and bolstering support for Ukraine.

Rutte highlighted Cavoli's efforts to strengthen NATO’s presence in the Baltic Sea in response to threats to critical undersea infrastructure and credited him with conceiving and establishing NATO’s new command in Germany to enhance assistance to Ukraine. He also noted Cavoli's role in refocusing the Alliance on collective defense following the 2022 Madrid Summit, where NATO adopted a new Strategic Concept in response to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Cavoli played a central role in developing and securing approval for NATO’s regional defense plans at the 2023 Vilnius Summit—a significant overhaul of the Alliance’s military posture since the Cold War.

His tenure also included the integration of Finland and Sweden into NATO’s military structures, expanding the Alliance’s strategic reach. In 2024, Cavoli oversaw "Steadfast Defender," NATO’s largest military exercise since the Cold War, involving approximately 90,000 troops practicing large-scale reinforcement across the eastern flank and validating a new high-readiness force model.

Rutte specifically acknowledged Cavoli's leadership in rapidly reinforcing NATO's Baltic Sea presence during threats to underwater infrastructure and for establishing the NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine (NSATU), which continues to support Ukraine.

The secretary general welcomed General Grynkewich, noting that, as a former fighter pilot, he brings "a deep understanding of the threats we face from the skies, and across other domains." Rutte added that Grynkewich’s recent role as Director of Operations of the Joint Staff provides him with broad experience in advancing military and security priorities amid global challenges.

Allied Command Operations—responsible for planning and executing all NATO operations—now falls under General Grynkewich's command, a position first held by General Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Russia launches another horrific attack on Kyiv hours after Trump-Putin call

Ripe cherries and apricots fill the stalls of fruit vendors, while people bustle about on a scorching July Friday. Yet just a five-minute walk from the stand, the scene shifts dramatically: a gaping hole mars the five-story residential building where the stairwell once stood. Rescuers tirelessly sift through the

The Kyiv IndependentKateryna Hodunova

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth unilaterally halted a weapons shipment to Ukraine on July 2 despite internal military assessments showing the aid would not compromise American military readiness, NBC News reported on July 4, citing three U.S. officials.

The pause in aid, which included critical air defense systems and ammunition, reportedly caught the State Department, members of Congress, Ukraine, and key European allies off guard.

Ukraine suffered one of the largest attacks on July 4, with President Volodymyr Zelensky calling for more air defense to protect civilians in the cities. The attack on Kyiv killed one person and injured 23 more.

A senior U.S. military review had concluded that while some munitions stockpiles, including precision weapons, were low, they had not fallen below critical thresholds, according to NBC. Despite this, Hegseth opted to stop the shipment. This is reportedly his third such move since February.

"We are not at any lower point, stockpile-wise, than we’ve been in the three-and-a-half years of the Ukraine conflict," Congressman Adam Smith the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, said. Smith, who said his staff reviewed the Pentagon's figures, called the justification "disingenuous."

The shipment reportedly included dozens of Patriot interceptors, 155 mm artillery rounds, Hellfire missiles, guided missile systems (GMLRS), Stinger and AIM air-to-air missiles, and grenade launchers.

Two sources told NBC that some of the weapons had already been loaded onto trucks in Poland when the halt was ordered.

Zelensky recently called Patriot systems "real defenders of life," since Patriot missile systems are the best air defense in Ukraine's arsenal. They are considered to be the most effective measure against Russian ballistic missiles like Iskander and Kinzhal.

‘Major casualties among civilians’ — US freeze on air defense missiles is terrible news for Ukraine

The halting of deliveries of air defense missiles from the U.S. will lead to“major casualties among civilians,” a deputy commander in Ukraine’s air defense told the Kyiv Independent. Politico reported on July 1 that the U.S. Defense Department (DOD) had halted shipments of some weapons previously

The Kyiv IndependentKollen Post

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell described earlier the decision as part of a broader "capability review" to ensure U.S. forces remain equipped.

The halt has initiated debate over the future of U.S. support for Ukraine.

Lawmakers from both parties, including Republican Congressman  Michael McCaul, expressed frustration at the lack of advance notice. "Now is the time to show Putin we mean business," McCaul wrote on X.

Republican Congressman Joe Wilson also reacted to the halt, warning of its consequences amid Russia's ongoing strikes.  

"As Americans begin to enjoy the sounds of fireworks in celebration of our Nation's Independence, war criminal (Russian President Vladimir) Putin, who is losing his pathetic war, resorts to scorched earth tactics across Ukrainian cities that predate Moscow's existence," Wilson wrote.

Wilson said he is "confident the Department of Defense will advance President Trump’s objectives stated at The Hague to send additional air defense and approved weapons to help stop this absolute depravity, as allies have and must continue doing at a rapid pace."

Republican Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick  has requested an emergency White House briefing, warning the decision could cost lives.

Trump has denied that the U.S. paused shipments on July 3, contradicting both Pentagon confirmation and reporting.

"We haven't," Trump told a reporter. "We're giving weapons." He also claimed the Biden administration had "emptied out our whole country" and insisted Washington must prioritize its own defense.

‘Nothing but terror and murder’ — Russia pounds Kyiv with record overnight drone, missile attack, 1 dead, 23 injured

Fires broke out across the city as Russia attacked the capital overnight on July 4. At least 23 people have been injured, with 14 of the victims hospitalized.

The Kyiv IndependentKateryna Hodunova

President Volodymyr Zelensky called for more air defence for Ukraine after a massive drone and missile attack on Ukraine's capital overnight on July 4.

According to Zelensky, as U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin were talking on the phone on July 3, air raid sirens blared across Ukraine.

"Moreover, the first air raids in our cities and regions began yesterday almost simultaneously with the start of media discussions of President Trump's phone call with Putin," Zelensky wrote.

"This was one of the most large-scale air attacks – deliberately massive and cynical... Russia is once again demonstrating that it is not going to end the war and terror."

The overnight attack struck Kyiv and several other regions, injuring at least 23 people and setting off dozens of fires in Ukraine's capital. Russian forces launched more than 550 aerial weapons, including over 330 Iranian-type Shahed drones and multiple types of missiles, including ballistic missiles, Zelensky said.

Kyiv was the main target. Ukraine's military said it shot down 270 aerial threats, while 208 additional drones were jammed by electronic warfare. Interceptor drones also downed dozens more, Zelensky said, calling their growing use a key defense priority.

Zelensky stressed the need for continued and increased military aid from allies, especially air defenses. "Patriots and their missiles are real defenders of life," Zelensky said. "It is very important to maintain the support of partners in ballistic missile defense."

Despite Russia's escalating attacks and Ukraine's desperate need for air defense munitions, the U.S. has decided to halt shipments of Patriot missiles and other promised weapons to Kyiv, claiming it needs to secure its own stockpiles.

Beyond Kyiv, strikes also hit the Dnipropetrovsk, Sumy, Kharkiv, Chernihiv, and Kyiv oblasts, according to Zelensky. Fires and damage were reported in nearly every district of the capital, including residential buildings, schools, medical facilities, and railway infrastructure.

Local authorities described the night as "terroristic." Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported fires in at least five districts. Air quality in the city remained dangerously poor by morning, as noted by the Ministry of Environmental Protection.

Meanwhile, Russian state media reported that during the Trump-Putin call, Putin reiterated his determination to continue pursuing the Kremlin's goals in Ukraine, despite mounting international calls for a ceasefire.

Zelensky called on Ukraine's allies, particularly the United States, to apply massive and immediate pressure on Russia. "We need to ensure that for every such attack on people and lives, they (Russia) feel the corresponding sanctions and other blows to their economy, their earnings, their infrastructure," he said. "Only this can bring faster change."

Ukraine scrambles to clarify extent of US military aid pause and ‘whether everything will continue’

When the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) halted the transfer of critical air defense missiles and other weapons to Ukraine, Kyiv and its partners were caught off-guard and are now left scrambling for clarity on the scope and length of the Trump administration’s decision. The White House confirmed the halt after a July 1 report by Politico said shipments were paused due to concerns over the size of domestic stockpiles. The decision “was made to put America’s interests first following a DOD rev

The Kyiv IndependentAndrea Januta

U.S. President Donald Trump brushed off a reporter's question on July 3 about pausing weapons deliveries to Ukraine, claiming Washington is "giving weapons" to Kyiv.

The Pentagon previously confirmed that the U.S. has already halted some military aid shipments to Ukraine in order to conduct what it calls a "capability review" of its own stockpiles.

"Why did you pause weapons shipments to Ukraine?" a reporter asked Trump as the president prepared to board Air Force One.

"We haven't," Trump replied. "We're giving weapons."

Trump then offered a contradictory answer, saying the U.S. is "trying to help" Ukraine while also claiming that former U.S. President Joe Biden depleted the country's weapons stocks with military aid to Kyiv and that Washington must defend its own interests.

"But we've given so many weapons — but we are giving weapons, and we're working with (Ukraine), we're trying to help them," Trump said.

"But we haven't... You know, Biden emptied out our whole country giving them weapons and we have to make sure that we have enough for ourselves."

Trump then asked the reporter which media outlet he represented.

"The New York Times," the journalist said.

"Ah, no wonder," Trump replied.

Ukraine scrambles to clarify extent of US military aid pause and ‘whether everything will continue’

When the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) halted the transfer of critical air defense missiles and other weapons to Ukraine, Kyiv and its partners were caught off-guard and are now left scrambling for clarity on the scope and length of the Trump administration’s decision. The White House confirmed the halt after a July 1 report by Politico said shipments were paused due to concerns over the size of domestic stockpiles. The decision “was made to put America’s interests first following a DOD rev

The Kyiv IndependentAndrea Januta

Reports that the U.S. had suddenly paused some weapons shipments — including deliveries of desperately needed air defense missiles — left officials in Kyiv scrambling for answers. Trump's response provides little clarity and even less reassurance to Ukrainians facing increasingly deadly Russian missile attacks night after night.

The decision to halt the shipments "was made to put America's interests first following a (U.S. Defense Department) review of our nation's military support and assistance to other countries across the globe," White House Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly said in a statement after Politico broke the story on July 1.

The Washington Post later reported that a shipment of U.S. weapons, including advanced air defense systems and precision missiles, was halted in Poland where it was awaiting delivery to Ukraine.

U.S. State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce, like Trump, insisted that the U.S. was not pulling support from Ukraine.

"This is not — I will reinforce this — this is not a cessation of us assisting Ukraine or of providing weapons," Bruce told reporters at a briefing.

"This is one event in one situation, and we'll discuss what else comes up in the future. But be wary of painting too broad a brush there."

Trump's remarks about the weapons shipments followed an update on his July 3 phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"We had a call. It was a pretty long call. We talked about a lot of things," he said.

Their conversation brought the Kremlin no closer to agreeing to a ceasefire, according to Trump.

"No, I didn't make any progress with (Putin) today at all," he said.

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The Kyiv IndependentThe Kyiv Independent news desk

U.S. weapons already in Poland en route to Ukraine have been halted, including advanced air defense systems and precision missiles, the Wall Street Journal reported on July 2.

The Pentagon confirmed the halt in a July 2 briefing, citing an ongoing "capability review" aimed at ensuring U.S. military assistance "aligns with its strategic defense priorities."

The shipment in Poland includes over two dozen PAC-3 Patriot missiles, more than two dozen Stinger air-defense systems, Hellfire air-to-ground missiles, and over 90 AIM air-to-air missiles intended for use with Ukraine's F-16 fighter jets, according to U.S. administration and congressional officials cited by the Wall Street Journal.

"We see this as a common-sense, pragmatic step towards having a framework to evaluate what munitions are sent and where," Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said.

The decision has sparked backlash from both sides of the political aisle in Washington. Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, co-chair of the Congressional Ukraine Caucus, called the pause "unacceptable," while Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal labeled it "fallacious and maybe even disingenuous."

The pause comes at a critical moment for Ukraine, which faces intensified Russian missile and drone strikes. On June 29, Russia launched the largest aerial assault against Ukraine since the start of its full-scale invasion in February 2022, targeting civilian infrastructure and cities far beyond the frontline.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, speaking on July 2, emphasized the urgency of continued Western support for Kyiv. "I totally understand that the U.S. always has to make sure its interests are covered," he said. "But in the short term, Ukraine cannot do without all the support it can get."

The Pentagon has not provided a timeline for when the held-back shipments might resume.

‘Major casualties among civilians’ — US freeze on air defense missiles is terrible news for Ukraine

The halting of deliveries of air defense missiles from the U.S. will lead to“major casualties among civilians,” a deputy commander in Ukraine’s air defense told the Kyiv Independent. Politico reported on July 1 that the U.S. Defense Department (DOD) had halted shipments of some weapons previously

The Kyiv IndependentKollen Post

Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell confirmed on July 2 that some military assistance to Ukraine has been halted as the U.S. Defense Department conducts a review of foreign aid deliveries.

"This capability review... is being conducted to ensure U.S. military aid aligns with our defense priorities... We see this as a common-sense, pragmatic step towards having a framework to evaluate what munitions are sent and where," Parnell said.

The White House earlier confirmed the pause in shipments, citing a broader reassessment of U.S. military stockpiles amid media reports of the halt in military assistance.

The weapons reportedly being held back include two dozen Patriot air defense missiles, over two dozen Stinger air-defense systems, precision artillery rounds, Hellfire missiles, drones, and more than 90 AIM air-to-air missiles launched from F-16 fighter jets.

New U.S. military aid packages have not been approved since U.S. President Donald Trump was inaugurated in January, raising concern among Ukraine's allies.

"Ultimately, our job here at the Department of Defense is to pursue the president's 'America First' agenda and make sure that we achieve peace through strength throughout the world," Parnell said at a Pentagon press briefing.

The U.S. Defense Department will not provide updates on the timeline and quantity or type of munitions provided to Ukraine, he added.

"What we've done here at the Department of Defense is create a framework to analyze what munitions we're sending (and) where," Parnell said.

A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers has voiced their opposition to the decision to halt military aid shipments to Ukraine.

"We must build up our own Defense Industrial Base here in the U.S. while simultaneously providing the needed assistance to our allies who are defending their freedom from brutal invading dictators. To not do both is unacceptable," Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, the co-chair of the Congressional Ukraine Caucus, said.

Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, described the military aid pause as "fallacious and maybe even disingenuous."

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said on July 2 that he understands the White House's need to safeguard its own defense capabilities, but underscored that Ukraine urgently requires sustained support.

"I totally understand that the U.S. always has to make sure its interests are covered... When it comes to Ukraine, in the short term, Ukraine cannot do without all the support it can get," Rutte said.

The Washington Post reported that the military aid was already in Poland, being prepared for delivery to Ukraine.

‘Major casualties among civilians’ — US freeze on air defense missiles is terrible news for Ukraine

The halting of deliveries of air defense missiles from the U.S. will lead to“major casualties among civilians,” a deputy commander in Ukraine’s air defense told the Kyiv Independent. Politico reported on July 1 that the U.S. Defense Department (DOD) had halted shipments of some weapons previously

The Kyiv IndependentKollen Post

A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers are voicing their opposition to the Trump administration's decision to halt shipments of some air defense missiles and other weapons previously promised to Kyiv.

The U.S. Defense Department (DOD) made the decision to pause the aid deliveries after conducting a review of U.S. munitions stocks, reportedly concerned about dwindling levels of artillery rounds, air defense missiles, and precision munitions.

Among the items being held back from Ukraine are over two dozen Patriot air defense missiles, over two dozen Stinger air-defense systems, precision artillery rounds, Hellfire missiles, drones, and more than 90 AIM air-to-air missiles that Ukraine launches from F-16 fighter jets. The Washington Post reported that the weapons were already in Poland being prepped for delivery to Ukraine.

Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, the co-chair of the Congressional Ukraine Caucus, lambasted the decision in a post on X.

Fitzpatrick, a staunch ally of Ukraine who has previously visited the front line, said he "will be aggressively looking into this matter and will be demanding accountability."

"We must build up our own Defense Industrial Base here in the U.S. while simultaneously providing the needed assistance to our allies who are defending their freedom from brutal invading dictators. To not do both is unacceptable," the Congressman added.

In a letter to U.S. President Donald Trump about the reported halt of air defense deliveries, Fitzpartick requested an emergency briefing from the White House and DOD on the shipments.

"Ukraine's courage must continue to be met with action, and the United States must continue to lead with clarity and purpose," Fitzpartick wrote.

Another Republican House member, Rep. Michael McCaul, said he is examining "very intensely" whether the Pentagon’s freeze breaches legislation on aid to Ukraine passed in 2024, Politico reported.

As Trump continues to call for a ceasefire from Moscow, McCaul said that the decision comes "at the wrong time."

"If you want to get (Russian President Vladimir Putin) to the negotiating table in good faith, you have to put leverage and pressure on him, and that would be (Senator) Lindsey Graham’s economic sanctions and the flow of weapons," McCaul said. "If you take the flow of weapons out, yeah, then you’re not, you don’t have the leverage over Putin to negotiate."

Other Republican members of Congress have thus far dismissed concerns over the reported halts, stating that they are waiting to be briefed with additional information before speaking about the reports.

On the other side of the isle, Democratic lawmakers have also lambasted the real world implications of halting military aid for Ukraine.

Senator Richard Blumenthal, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said in an interview that more civilians are "going to lose more lives, more people will be maimed and injured — more homes, hospitals, schools will be destroyed," calling the decision, "fallacious and maybe even disingenuous."

Since his inauguration in January, Trump has not approved any additional military aid packages for Ukraine. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also announced recently that the U.S. will reduce the total aid it sends to Ukraine in its upcoming defense budget.

In his evening address on July 2, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukrainian and U.S. officials are working through the aid issue at a "working level," including discussions on critical air defense support. Head of the Presidential Office Andriy Yermak held a late night phone call with Rep. Brian Mast, Chair of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.

Ukraine's Defense Ministry said it has not received any formal notification of delays or cancellations but has requested urgent consultations with U.S. defense officials.

The Foreign Ministry also summoned U.S. Charge d'Affaires John Ginkel, warning that "any hesitation" in military support would encourage further Russian aggression.

The Kremlin welcomed the decision, with spokesperson Dmitry Peskov saying, "The fewer weapons that are supplied to Ukraine, the closer the end of the (war)."

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte expressed understanding of Washington's desire to safeguard its stockpiles but said, "Ukraine cannot do without all the support it can get."

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The Kyiv IndependentThe Kyiv Independent news desk

The United States' reported decision to suspend some arms deliveries to Ukraine could help bring Russia's war in Ukraine to an end, the Kremlin said on July 2, according to Russian state-controlled media.

"The fewer weapons that are supplied to Ukraine, the closer the end of the... (Russia-Ukraine war)," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

Peskov's comments came after Politico reported that the U.S. Defense Department has paused shipments of key air defense and precision munitions to Ukraine over concerns about declining U.S. stockpiles.

Among the withheld items are Patriot air defense missiles, precision artillery rounds, Hellfire missiles, and other munitions used by Ukraine's F-16 fighter jets.

Ukraine's Foreign Ministry summoned U.S. Charge d'Affaires John Ginkel on July 2 to voice concern over the reported pause in weapons shipments.

Deputy Foreign Minister Mariana Betsa warned during the meeting that "any delay or hesitation in supporting Ukraine's defense capabilities will only encourage Russia to continue war and terror, rather than pursue peace."

According to Politico, Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby ordered the halt in June following a review of U.S. ammunition levels. The White House confirmed the decision, saying it was part of a broader reassessment of American military aid to foreign partners.

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The Kyiv IndependentDominic Culverwell

"(The decision) was made to put America's interests first following a DOD review of our nation's military support and assistance to other countries across the globe," White House Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly said in a statement.

The move comes as Ukraine faces intensifying Russian attacks. In June, Russia launched a record 5,337 Shahed-type attack drones at Ukrainian targets, the highest monthly total since the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022.

The U.S. has not approved any new military aid packages after U.S. President Donald Trump took office in January. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has also signaled that future U.S. defense budgets will reduce the scale of assistance to Ukraine.

At a NATO summit in The Hague in late June, Trump said Washington was considering whether it could help provide more Patriot missiles to Kyiv but emphasized that U.S. and Israeli needs take precedence.

"They are very hard to get. We need them too," Trump said after meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The Kremlin has long argued that Western arms shipments to Ukraine only prolong the conflict and raise the risk of escalation, while continuing to attack Ukrainian cities and advance on the battlefield.  

Smashing previous monthly record, Russia launches 5,337 kamikaze drones against Ukraine during June

Russia launched a record 5,337 Shahed-type drones against Ukraine in June, according to data from the Ukrainian Air Force and Dragon Capital, smashing the previous record of 4,198 set in March. Russia’s bombardments, a fact of life after three years of full-scale war, have intensified dramatically in May

The Kyiv IndependentYuliia Taradiuk

A person claiming to be a Russian officer said he had received an order to open fire at an aerial target last December that turned out to be an Azerbaijani airliner, Azerbaijani news outlet Minval reported on July 1, citing audio and a written statement it had received.

An Embraer 190AR plane operated by Azarbaijan Airlines crashed in Kazakhstan on Dec. 25, 2024, after coming under fire over Grozny, Chechnya. Thirty-eight people were killed.

Azerbaijani authorities laid blame on Russia, with an investigation pointing to a Russian Pantsir-S1 air defense system mistakenly targeting the plane amid a reported Ukrainian drone attack.

Minval wrote it had received three audio recordings, an anonymous letter, and an explanatory note by a man signed as Captain Dmitry Paladichuk, a Russian air defense crew captain who claims to have relayed the order to shoot down the plane.

In the purported explanatory note, Paladichuk said he had no reliable means of communication with the Russian military command other than a cell connection. A radar detected a target at 8:11 a.m. local time, after which Paladichuk was reportedly ordered to destroy the aircraft — which was not visible due to thick fog — over the phone.

The captain claimed that after the first projectile missed the target, he had given the order to fire again. Paladichuk did not explicitly name the Azerbaijani flight in his explanatory letter.

Minval wrote that it could not confirm the authenticity of the written statement but could do so for the three leaked voice messages, which also confirmed the command to shoot down the plane and the subsequent damage.

Russian independent news outlets Agentstvo and the Insider confirmed Paladichuk's identity as an air defense officer who served in various units, including the 14th Army of the Air Force and Air Defense in Novosibirsk.

The Insider also wrote that the note appears to be authentic, and pointed out that the speed of the plane, revealed in the leaked materials, shows that the Russian command must have known the target was not a drone.

The incident led to a public clash between Azerbaijan and Russia, otherwise close political and economic partners. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev accused Moscow of suppressing evidence and criticized his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, for not openly admitting guilt.

Putin offered condolences for the incident taking place in the Russian airspace, but stopped short of admitting Russian responsibility.

New details of the case emerge just as Russian-Azerbaijani relations sour yet again. Over 50 Azerbaijanis were detained as part of a murder investigation in Yekaterinburg on June 27, two of whom died in custody.

Baku called their deaths "ethnically motivated" and "unlawful" killings. A few days later, Azerbaijani authorities raided an office of the Russian propaganda outlet Sputnik in Baku, detaining who they say are Russian spies.

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Highlighting Iran’s support for Russian aggression against Ukraine, Kyiv has previously called for the dismantling of the Iranian nuclear program to prevent it from threatening the Middle East or the wider world.

The Kyiv IndependentMartin Fornusek

Former Russian Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov was sentenced on July 1 to 13 years in a penal colony after being found guilty of corruption—the toughest sentence so far in a string of graft investigations involving high-level defense officials.

Authorities detained Ivanov in April 2024 on bribery allegations, later adding embezzlement charges in October. Over a dozen individuals, including two other former deputy ministers, have been implicated in separate investigations.

The trial was held behind closed doors due to national security concerns. Ivanov’s co-defendant, Anton Filatov, a former logistics company executive, received a 12.5-year sentence. According to state media, the embezzled amount totaled 4.1 billion roubles ($48.8 million), largely funneled through bank transfers to two foreign accounts.

Ivanov pleaded not guilty. The court stripped him of all state honors and ordered the confiscation of property, vehicles, and cash worth 2.5 billion roubles. Reports in Russian media described his and his wife’s assets, including a luxury apartment in central Moscow, a three-storey English-style mansion outside the city, and a high-end car collection featuring brands such as Bentley and Aston Martin.

Prominent Russian war correspondents known as "Z-bloggers" have publicly condemned the corruption exposed within the defenae sector, especially as the war in Ukraine continues. One of them, Alexander Kots, acknowledged that 13 years is a long sentence but argued that corrupt  officials should face trial during wartime as "traitors to the Motherland."

Since 2016, Ivanov oversaw large logistics contracts at the defence ministry, including those tied to property, housing, and medical support.

He served under Sergei Shoigu, who was replaced as defence minister last year but remains influential as the secretary of Russia’s Security Council. Authorities have also arrested two of Shoigu’s other former deputies in separate cases. In April, a court sentenced Lieutenant-General Vadim Shamarin, the former deputy head of the army’s general staff, to seven years for accepting bribes worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The wave of prosecutions reflects what appears to be President Vladimir Putin’s effort to address corruption, inefficiency, and waste in Russia’s expansive military budget, which accounts for 32% of federal spending this year.

Ukraine’s new interceptor UAVs are starting to knock Russia’s long-range Shahed drones out of the sky

Russia’s Shahed drone swarms are pummeling Ukraine on a nightly basis, inflicting ever more death and destruction in cities that had managed to carve out some sense of normalcy amid wartime. Civilian alarm has grown. With traditional air defense stockpiles running low, the government is banking on newly created

The Kyiv IndependentKollen Post

The U.S. Defense Department (DOD) has halted shipments of some air defense missiles and other weapons previously promised to Kyiv out of concerns over the size of U.S. stockpiles, Politico reported on July 1, citing sources familiar with the matter.

The suspension comes as Ukraine faces a shortage of air defense munitions along with increasingly intense and deadly Russian bombardments. In June 2025, Russia launched 5,337 Shahed-type drones at Ukraine, shattering its previous monthly record.

Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby made the decision to pause the aid deliveries after conducting a review of U.S. munitions stocks, three sources told Politico. Colby was reportedly concerned about dwindling levels of artillery rounds, air defense missiles, and precision munitions.

Among the items being held back from Ukraine are Patriot air defense missiles, precision artillery rounds, Hellfire missiles, drones, and other missiles that Ukraine launches from F-16 fighter jets.

Colby made the decision in June, amid a surge in Russian mass aerial attacks against Ukraine. The White House later confirmed the pause.

The Pentagon's decision "was made to put America's interests first following a DOD review of our nation's military support and assistance to other countries across the globe," White House Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly said in a statement issued after Politico published the story.

"The strength of the United States Armed Forces remains unquestioned — just ask Iran," she said.

Since his inauguration in January, U.S. President Donald Trump has not approved any additional military aid packages for Ukraine. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also announced recently that the U.S. will reduce the total aid it sends to Ukraine in its upcoming defense budget.

At the NATO summit in The Hague in late June, Trump said he would "see" if the U.S. could supply Kyiv with additional missiles for its Patriot systems.

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The Kyiv IndependentDominic Culverwell

"They (Ukraine) do want to have the anti missiles, as they call them, the Patriots, and we're going to see if we can make some available," he said after meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky.

"They are very hard to get. We need them too. We are supplying them for Israel, and they are very effective."

But according to a source who spoke to Politico, plans to reduce and redirect air defense munitions and other weapons for Ukraine have been in the works for months. The administration is looking to redirect artillery shells, tank shells, and air defense systems to Israel or back to Washington.

"They have proposed repeatedly since March to pause the shipments," the person said.

Colby, the reported architect of the decision, has previously advocated for reducing U.S. military assistance to Ukraine to prioritize deterrence efforts in Asia.

Russia on June 29 launched the largest missile and drone attack against Ukraine since the start of its full-scale war.

Ukraine’s new interceptor UAVs are starting to knock Russia’s long-range Shahed drones out of the sky

Russia’s Shahed drone swarms are pummeling Ukraine on a nightly basis, inflicting ever more death and destruction in cities that had managed to carve out some sense of normalcy amid wartime. Civilian alarm has grown. With traditional air defense stockpiles running low, the government is banking on newly created

The Kyiv IndependentKollen Post

North Korea is already using Russia Pantsir S-1 air defense systems in Pyongyang, Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR), said in an interview with Hromadske Radio on July 1.

The arrival of Pantsir missiles is another sign that North Korea is improving its weapons technology and military might through cooperation with Russia. The two nations signed a defense treaty in June 2024, and North Korea has supplied arms and troops to Moscow in exchange for training and advanced military technology.

"I can tell you that, for example, the first Pantsir S-1 installations have already appeared in Pyongyang," Budanov told Hromadske Radio.

"They are already on combat duty there, guarding their capital. And the Russians are retraining Korean personnel, and soon the Koreans will be working autonomously on this technology."

The Pansir S-1 is the same air defense system Russia uses to guard its military-industrial facilities. It carries an estimated price tag of around $15 million.

North Korea is "currently significantly increasing its military power" through direct cooperation with Russia, Budanov said. It benefits from Russia's ongoing technology transfers and the "real combat experience" personnel gained by fighting alongside Russian troops against Ukraine.  

Budanov also said Ukraine expects "a significant increase" in the number of North Korean citizens in Russia. Some of these citizens will sign up for the Russian military, making it seem less like an official transfer of North Korean personnel and more like voluntary registration from invidivual citizens.

The day before Budanov's comments, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un publicly honored his country's soldiers who were killed fighting in Russia's war against Ukraine. The ceremony coincided with a visit by Russian Culture Minister Olga Lyubimova, illustrating the deepening military alliance between Moscow and Pyongyang continues.

Russia has also reportedly provided North Korea with advanced electronic warfare systems, helped the country build modern warships, and improved its KN-23 ballistic missiles.

In June, Budanov said that Moscow has agreed to assist Pyongyang in mass-producing Shahed-type attack drones.

Russia-Iran alliance wavers as Tehran suffers major blows

Tehran, Russia’s main ally in the Middle East, has been dealt a heavy blow as Israel dismantled its network of proxies and then struck targets in Iran. The recent Iranian-Israeli war, which ended with a ceasefire on June 24, showed that the regional balance of power has shifted in Israel’s favor. This could have a major impact on Russian-Iranian relations as Moscow will have to recalibrate its approach to the region. Russian-Iranian cooperation is likely to continue but Iran’s ability to help

The Kyiv IndependentOleg Sukhov

President Volodymyr Zelensky and German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul met in Kyiv on June 30, where the two leaders discussed Germany supplying additional IRIS-T air defense systems, joint weapons production, and strengthening sanctions against Russia, Zelensky said.

Wadephul earlier said Germany is working with its defense industry, European allies, and the U.S. to secure more air defense systems for Ukraine.

"We are going down every path available... The German defense industry is trying to expand its capacity. We're speaking with our European partners, and I believe we must also move forward with the United States," he said.

Zelensky met with executives of German defense companies alongside Wadephul during the visit to Ukraine's capital.

"We discussed sanctions pressure on Russia, the potential for supplying new IRIS-T systems, and joint weapons production — both in Ukraine and in Germany," Zelensky said in a post to social media.

Zelensky noted Germany signalled it believes that Ukraine's future is in NATO amid Russia's war against Ukraine.

"We will continue to develop relevant military hubs and increase the presence of German companies in Ukraine. We had an in-depth discussion on interceptor drones. I am grateful for the willingness to help," Zelensky said.

Earlier in the visit, Wadephul noted that he remains in close contact with German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius to assess whether existing systems from Germany's own stockpiles can be redirected to Ukraine.

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The Kyiv IndependentDominic Culverwell

Norway will send F-35 fighter jets to Poland in the fall to protect the Rzeszow-Yasenka airport, one of the key transportation hubs for NATO military aid to Ukraine, Norwegian Defense Ministry announced on June 30.

The news came as Russia has escalated attacks against Ukrainian cities over the past weeks, launching record 400-500 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) per night.

Norway is thus strengthening its contribution to NATO's air and missile defense, while the main goal of the mission is to support the protection of Polish airspace and a key logistics center for assistance to Ukraine, the statement read.

"This is a vital contribution. We are helping ensure that support to Ukraine reaches its destination, and that Ukraine can continue its fight for freedom," Norwegian Defense Minister Tore Sandvik said.

The Rzeszow-Jasionka airport is located less than 100 kilometers (62 miles) from the Ukrainian border and transports a significant percentage of Western materiel bound for the front lines in Ukraine. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that 90% of aid for Ukraine was going through the airport in Rzeszow as of Novermber 2024.

It is also a main stopover point for foreign leadership traveling to Kyiv on official visits.

In January, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius announced that Berlin will deploy the promised Patriot air defenses around the Polish airport to protect it.

Smashing previous monthly record, Russia launches 5,337 kamikaze drones against Ukraine during June

Russia launched a record 5,337 Shahed-type drones against Ukraine in June, according to data from the Ukrainian Air Force and Dragon Capital, smashing the previous record of 4,198 set in March. Russia’s bombardments, a fact of life after three years of full-scale war, have intensified dramatically in May

The Kyiv IndependentYuliia Taradiuk

Editor's note: The previously published footage, provided by an SBU source, was allegedly related to a different operation and was deleted after the mistake was identified.

Drones operated by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) struck the Kirovske military airfield in occupied Crimea overnight on June 28, the SBU told the Kyiv Independent.

The attack destroyed Mi-8, Mi-26 and Mi-28 attack helicopters, and a Pantsyr-S1 self-propelled anti-aircraft missile and gun system, the SBU claimed.

According to the SBU, Ukraine targeted Russian aviation, air defense systems, as well as ammunition, reconnaissance and attack drones storage facilities.

Secondary explosions were heard at the airfield during the night.

The Kyiv Independent could not verify these claims.

As Russia intensifies aerial attacks on Ukraine and the civilian death toll climbs, Ukraine has stepped up its drone attacks on Russian territory too.

Earlier on June 27, Ukrainian drones struck four Su-34 fighter jets at the Marinovka airfield in Russia's Volgograd Oblast, according to the military.

Preliminary reports indicate that two Russian fighter jets were destroyed in the June 27 attack, and the other two were damaged. Russia uses the aircraft to bomb Ukraine.

Since the start of its full-scale war in February 2022, Russia has lost 420 airplanes and 337 helicopters, Ukraine's General Staff said in its latest update on June 28. The Kyiv Independent could not verify these figures.

Ukraine war latest: Ukrainian drones reportedly strike 4 fighter jets in Russia

Key developments on June 27: * Ukraine war latest: Ukrainian drones reportedly strike 4 fighter jets in Russia * North Korea deployed 20% of Kim’s elite ‘personal reserve’ to fight against Ukraine in Russia, Umerov says * Pro-Palestinian activists reportedly destroy military equipment intended for Ukraine * Zelensky signs decree to synchronize Russia sanctions

The Kyiv IndependentThe Kyiv Independent news desk

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.

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 war latest: Russia’s advance in Sumy Oblast ‘halted’; Kyiv, Moscow carry out POW swap

Key developments on June 26: * “50,000 Russian troops pinned down” — Ukraine halts advance in Sumy Oblast, summer offensive “faltering,” Syrskyi says * Ukraine, Russia conduct new POW swap under Istanbul deal * North Korea likely to send more troops to Russia by August, South Korea says * Explosions reported in Moscow, Russia

The Kyiv IndependentThe Kyiv Independent news desk

Editor's note: This is a developing story and is being updated.

Explosions were reported in Moscow overnight on June 26, prompting airport closures, with Russia's Defense Ministry claiming 50 Ukrainian drones were downed across the country.

Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said emergency services were at the sites where two drones were downed.

According to the Shot Telegram channel, which appears to be close to Russian security forces, debris from a downed drone struck a residential building.

"Alarms went off everywhere," a local resident told the channel.

Ukraine's military regularly strikes military targets deep within Russia in an attempt to diminish Moscow's fighting power as it continues its war against Ukraine.

Russia's Defense Ministry later claimed 50 Ukrainian drones had been downed across the country, two of which were "flying towards Moscow."

The Kyiv Independent could not independently verify these claims.

Kaluga airport and Moscow's Vnukovo airport had flight restrictions imposed amid the drone attack, Artyom Korenyako, a spokesperson for Russia's state aviation agency Rosaviatsia, said early on June 26.

"The airport is temporarily not accepting or sending flights. Aircraft crews, air traffic controllers, and airport services must take all necessary measures to ensure flight safety," he said.

The restrictions were later lifted.

Putin insists the Russian economy is fine, but Kremlin officials say otherwise

In a rare public sign that all is not well in Russia, two high-ranking Moscow officials last week issued separate warnings about the state of the country’s economy. Russian Central Bank Governor Elvira Nabiullina and Economy Minister Maxim Reshetnikov both highlighted that amid the Kremlin’s full-scale war against Ukraine, the tools Moscow once relied on to maintain wartime growth are nearly exhausted. Almost immediately, Russian President Vladimir Putin on June 20 dismissed the concerns, clai

The Kyiv IndependentTim Zadorozhnyy

Ukrainian drones have forced at least 217 temporary airport closures across Russia since Jan. 1, independent Russian outlet Novaya Gazeta Europe reported on May 14, citing data from Russia's state aviation agency Rosaviatsia.

The figure already surpassed the combined total for all of 2023 and 2024, underscoring Kyiv's growing ability to put pressure on Russia, even in areas far from the border with Ukraine.

According to Serhii Bratchuk, spokesperson for the Ukrainian Defense Army's Southern Division, the surge in disruptions reflects a strategic shift in Ukraine's drone campaign.

"Moscow is the biggest aviation hub in the Russian Federation — flights go everywhere, not only across Russia, but worldwide," he told the Kyiv Independent last month.

"This is about the potential disintegration of Russian regions and the weakening of internal control."

Ukraine has also had remarkable success using first person view (FPV) drones — on June 1, Ukraine launched a game-changing drone attack on four key Russian military airfields, damaging 41 planes, including heavy bombers and rare A-50 spy planes.

Kyiv claimed it disabled 34% of Russia's strategic bomber fleet in what is seen as one of the most daring operations during Russia's full-scale war.

Ukraine war latest: US signals more Patriot missiles for Kyiv after Zelensky-Trump talks at NATO summit

Key developments on June 25: * Zelensky, Trump hold talks on NATO summit sidelines * ‘Something unknown’ hits key Russian drone facility in Taganrog, Ukrainian official says * Russia has launched over 28,000 Shahed drones at Ukraine since 2022, with nearly 10% fired in June alone, Zelensky says * Donetsk Oblast city “on

The Kyiv IndependentThe Kyiv Independent news desk

Washington will "see" whether it can supply Kyiv with additional missiles for its Patriot air defense systems, U.S. President Donald Trump said during the NATO summit in The Hague on June 25 as Russia escalates its air strikes against Ukraine.

"They (Ukraine) do want to have the anti missiles, as they call them, the Patriots, and we're going to see if we can make some available," Trump said.

"They are very hard to get. We need them too. We are supplying them for Israel, and they are very effective."

After the meeting with Trump earlier in the day, Zelensky said that the two discussed the purchase of American air defense systems to shield Ukrainian cities and critical infrastructure.

In recent weeks, Moscow has intensified its drones and missiles strikes. As NATO leaders gathered for the summit, Russia launched an attack on the city of Dnipro, killing at least 19 people and injuring more than 300 others.

"Ukraine is ready to buy this equipment and support American weapons manufacturers. Europe can help. We also discussed the potential for co-production of drones. We can strengthen each other," Zelensky added.

Previously, despite Kyiv's appeals, Trump has dismissed the request, accusing Ukraine's president of "always looking to purchase missiles" and falsely blaming Ukraine for provoking the war.

The Patriot is a high-precision, U.S.-made surface-to-air missile platform capable of intercepting aircraft, cruise missiles, and ballistic threats. Zelensky has repeatedly said Ukraine needs at least seven more systems to defend its most at-risk regions.

In early June, he confirmed that Trump's administration diverted 20,000 anti-drone missiles originally intended for Ukraine to American forces in the Middle East.

Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Moscow has launched 28,743 Shahed-type drones at Ukraine — with 2,736, or roughly 9.5%, fired in June 2025 alone, Zelensky said.

‘It’s possible’ — Trump on Putin’s territorial ambitions beyond Ukraine

“I consider him (Russian President Vladimir Putin) a person I think is misguided,” U.S. President Donald Trump said speaking at a NATO press conference in The Hague on June 25.

The Kyiv IndependentKateryna Denisova

Editor's note: This story was updated with comments made by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.

NATO member states have agreed to a new defense spending benchmark, committing to allocate 5% of their gross domestic product annually to defense and security-related expenditures by 2035, according to a joint statement released on June 25 by alliance leaders meeting in the Netherlands.

The decision marks a significant increase from the current 2% guideline and reflects the alliance's response to the push from the U.S. and growing security threats, particularly the long-term challenge posed by Russia.

"We remain united and steadfast in our resolve to protect our one billion citizens," the statement reads. "Allies commit to invest 5% of GDP annually on core defense requirements as well as defense and security related spending."

"The decision we make today makes NATO much stronger. It also makes NATO a much fairer alliance, with Europe and Canada stepping up," NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said during a briefing on June 25.

Unlike in previous years, this year's NATO statement does not include a direct condemnation of Russia's actions, unlike the communique issued during the 2024 NATO summit in Washington, which explicitly condemned Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

But the leaders reaffirmed support for Ukraine, stating that direct contributions to Ukraine's defense and industrial capacity will be counted toward the 5% total.

When asked by a journalist whether the current trajectory of military aid from allies could help Ukraine "not only survive but win the war," Rutte said he is "optimistic."

"You can safely assume that the trajectory in the first almost six months now is really north of last year's," he said. "By the end of the year, it will end up north over $50 billion, which was pledged in 2024. I'm optimistic about that, but I won't make a concrete prediction."

He emphasized the importance of sustained and long-term support.

"We have to make sure Ukraine can stay in the fight, that it has what it needs... But we're also working to secure peace deal or a long-term ceasefire. And then we have to make sure that Ukraine has what it needs to prevent (Russian President) Vladimir Putin from effort ever trying this again in the future,” Rutte said.

Trump says Zelensky is a ‘nice guy,’ will discuss ‘his difficulties’ during meeting at NATO summit

“Obviously we’ll be discussing his difficulties, he’s got a little difficulty,” U.S. President Donald Trump said.

The Kyiv IndependentAnna Fratsyvir

Rutte added that part of the strategy includes supporting Ukraine's defense industrial base, which has an estimated $35 billion in spare capacity.

Rutte emphasized that NATO's immediate priority is to "keep (Ukraine) in the fight," noting that support includes "training, delivering military equipment, but also various streams of money going into Ukraine" to help it defend itself and lay the groundwork for a future peace deal or long-term ceasefire.

Politico earlier reported that the narrowed focus of the NATO summit in The Hague was designed to appease U.S. President Donald Trump.

"(Trump) has to get credit for the 5% — that's why we're having the summit," one unnamed European defense official told Politico.

Under the new framework, at least 3.5% of GDP will be directed toward core defense needs, including NATO capability targets, with the remaining 1.5% covering civil preparedness, infrastructure protection, innovation, and the defense industrial base.

Allies will submit annual plans outlining a credible path to reach the targets, with a mid-term review scheduled for 2029.

Trump has consistently accused NATO members of underfunding their militaries, pushing for raising defense spending target to 5% of GDP.

In 2024, only 23 alliance members met the 2% target, according to NATO estimates. Poland was ahead of all members with 4.12% of GDP allocated to defense, followed by Estonia (3.43%) and the U.S. (3.38%).

Rutte previously said on June 17 that all NATO countries are on track to meet the 2% threshold in 2025.

With Trump disengaged and EU complacent, Ukrainian reforms lose momentum

Russia’s all-out war has accelerated Ukraine’s push to join the European Union and NATO, as well as its dependency on Western loans and aid. Before, these things would have been heavily preconditioned on Ukraine implementing crucial reforms. However, the war has also eased the pressure on Kyiv to carry out

The Kyiv IndependentOleg Sukhov

The U.K. has used interest generated from frozen Russian assets to purchase weapons for Ukraine, buying 350 air defense missiles worth £70 million ($87 million), The Guardian reported on June 25.

The move represents the U.K.'s first direct use of Russia-linked funds to buy weaponry for Kyiv.

The weapons purchase was funded through Britain's Extraordinary Revenue Acceleration (ERA) scheme, which captures interest from frozen Russian central bank assets.

According to The Guardian, the missiles, originally designed as air-to-air weapons, were converted by RAF engineers and MBDA UK in just three months to fire from ground-based systems.

Five additional Raven launcher systems will accompany the missiles to Ukraine, bringing the total to 13.

U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced the package ahead of NATO's annual summit.

"Russia, not Ukraine, should pay the price for Putin's barbaric and illegal war," he said.

The package is part of Britain's largest-ever annual military commitment to Ukraine of £4.5 billion ($5.6 billion), the Guardian reports.

It follows a £1.6 billion ($2.0 billion) deal in March for over 5,000 air defense missiles and a separate £350 million ($436 million) investment to increase drone deliveries tenfold.

The announcement comes as Starmer and President Volodymyr Zelensky agreed to work closely on military production between the UK and Ukraine. On June 24, Ukraine's Defense Minister Rustem Umerov announced that Britain will finance Ukrainian-designed drones manufactured in the UK.

European countries cannot fully confiscate the frozen Russian assets due to concerns about international law and financial stability. The European Central Bank warned that such a move could undermine confidence in the euro as a reserve currency, since most of the assets are euro-denominated.

Instead, only the interest generated from these funds is currently being used to back a $50 billion loan package for Ukraine, while the principal amount of 300 billion euros ($348 billion) remains frozen but not seized.

In June, Ukraine received another 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion) from the EU as part of the G7 loan program backed by frozen Russian assets, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal announced.

Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Moscow has launched 28,743 Shahed-type drones at Ukraine — with 2,736, or roughly 9.5%, fired in June 2025 alone, President Volodymyr Zelensky said during a speech to the Dutch Parliament in The Hague.

Speaking on June 24, he stressed that Russia would never have been able to carry out such  drone attacks without support from Iran, and Ukraine, in turn, could not have intercepted most of the drones without the help of its international partners.

Zelensky called for accountability and emphasized that rules must apply to all — including the Kremlin: "Putin pretends not to understand the rules that shape the modern world. And here, in The Hague, I want to say this very clearly to him: There is a rule — do not kill. There is a rule — do not treat people like beasts. There is a rule — do not destroy cities and villages. There is a rule — do not sponsor terror. There is a rule — do not steal children. And if you break these rules, you will be held accountable."

According to Zelensky, these principles — though difficult for Russia to grasp — form the foundation of international norms, from the UN Charter to Europe’s shared vision of life.

To achieve lasting peace, Zelensky outlined two key strategic priorities. First, he called for maximum isolation of Russia which includes full political isolation, comprehensive sanctions, and the termination of any cooperation that allows Russia to survive and continue waging war.

"Every loophole that allows them to keep going must be closed. We need a strong 18th EU sanctions package. We need tough, painful sanctions on Russian oil. Every reduction in Russia’s oil revenue helps bring peace closer," he said.

Investigation: How Russia prepares its strategic missile plant for ‘eternal war’

Key findings: * Despite international sanctions, Russia’s strategic missile plant was able to import complex machinery to dramatically increase missile production. * The Kyiv Independent has identified the equipment supplied to the plant, as well as the supply chains, mostly from China. * We located the plant’s new premises, built to house the

The Kyiv IndependentAlisa Yurchenko

Zelensky argued that the most effective step would be imposing a $30-per-barrel price cap on Russian oil exports.

“The world must reach this threshold — not just to help stop Russia’s war against us, but to prevent any future military operations that Russia might launch against Europe and the Alliance,” he said. “Military plans must become prohibitively expensive for Russia. We must fully block their tanker fleet and cut them off from international banking. That’s what works.”

Second priority, according to Zelensky, is the need for stability in defense support. "Russia must see that Ukraine will not be left alone, and that Europe will not back down."

President Donald Trump refused to give a clear commitment to NATO’s Article 5 — the alliance’s collective defense clause — as he departed for a pivotal summit in The Hague, raising fresh concerns about his stance on one of NATO’s core principles.

When pressed by reporters aboard Air Force One on whether he would uphold the mutual defense obligation, Trump replied, “It depends on your definition of Article 5,” adding, "There’s numerous definitions of Article 5. You know that, right? But I’m committed to being their friends, you know, I’ve become friends with many of those leaders, and I’m committed to helping them."

Although Article 5 is central to NATO’s security framework, Trump has previously expressed skepticism about honoring it, often criticizing member states for not contributing enough to shared defense efforts.

Asked to elaborate, he said, "I’m committed to saving lives. I care about life and safety." He added that he would explain his position in full once at the summit: "I’ll give you an exact definition when I get there — I just don’t want to do it from the back of a plane."

Trump’s remarks come as NATO faces what its leadership describes as its most significant threat in decades.

At a press briefing on June 23, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said Russia remains the primary danger to the alliance, citing its growing alignment with China, North Korea, Iran, and Belarus.

"Moscow continues to wage war against Ukraine, with support of North Korea, Iran, and China, as well as Belarus," Rutte said.

He added that NATO leaders plan to adopt a "historic" defense investment plan at the June 24–25 summit in The Hague, including a new 5% of GDP benchmark for defense spending and stronger backing for Ukraine.

"All leaders will take bold decisions to strengthen our collective defense, making NATO a stronger, fairer, and more lethal alliance," Rutte said. “This is a leap that is ambitious, historic, and fundamental to securing our future.”

While at the summit, Trump is also set to meet President Volodymyr Zelensky, the White House confirmed on June 24.

Their last meeting was in April at Pope Francis' funeral, amid concerns over the U.S. role in peace talks between Kyiv and Moscow. Details of the June 25 meeting are still being finalized, but the talks are expected in the "early afternoon," a source told AFP.

Investigation: How Russia prepares its strategic missile plant for ‘eternal war’

Key findings: * Despite international sanctions, Russia’s strategic missile plant was able to import complex machinery to dramatically increase missile production. * The Kyiv Independent has identified the equipment supplied to the plant, as well as the supply chains, mostly from China. * We located the plant’s new premises, built to house the

The Kyiv IndependentAlisa Yurchenko

Ukraine and the United Kingdom have reached an agreement to jointly produce drones, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov announced on June 24.

Britain will finance the procurement of Ukrainian-designed drones manufactured in the UK, he added.

The deal comes as Ukraine has rapidly developed its drone capabilities since 2022, evolving from modifying commercial aircraft to producing military UAVs, attack drones, and reconnaissance systems at scale.

The agreement was reached between President Volodymyr Zelensky and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Umerov said.

Under the three-year program, the UK will finance the procurement of a wide range of Ukrainian drones to be produced by British defense companies.

"This will enable British defense companies to rapidly design and produce state-of-the-art drones on a large scale," Umerov wrote on Facebook.

According to Umerov, all production will be directed to meet the needs of Ukraine's Defense Forces. After the war ends, the UK and Ukraine will share the produced drones between themselves.

The initiative will support the scaling of advanced technologies, increased drone production, and the integration of Ukrainian and British defense industries, Ukraine’s defense minister wrote.

Ukraine has ramped up domestic drone production over the recent years of its war with Russia, as well as the development of new missiles.

Various aerial, naval, and ground drones have been developed and often successfully used for reconnaissance, combat, and other tasks throughout the full-scale war with Russia.

In January 2025, Umerov announced that the United Kingdom would finance the production of air defense systems and long-range weapons in Ukraine.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said during a press briefing on June 23 that Russia remains the main threat to the alliance, citing Moscow's cooperation with China, North Korea, Iran, and Belarus.

"Moscow continues to wage war against Ukraine, with support of North Korea, Iran, and China, as well as Belarus," Rutte said.

The Secretary General told reporters that the alliance leaders are set to adopt a historic defense investment plan at the summit in The Hague on June 24-25, including a new benchmark of 5% of GDP for defense spending and a strengthened commitment to Ukraine.

"All leaders will take bold decisions to strengthen our collective defense, making NATO a stronger, fairer, and more lethal alliance," Rutte said at a press conference before the summit. “This is a leap that is ambitious, historic, and fundamental to securing our future.”

Rutte said the plan includes major increases in air defense systems, tanks, armored vehicles, and artillery, a response to the evolving threat landscape, particularly Russia's war against Ukraine.

"We see Russia's deadly terror from the skies over Ukraine every day. We must be able to defend ourselves from such attacks," Rutte added.

The Secretary General warned that NATO must act urgently to prepare for future threats, citing assessments that Russia could rebuild sufficient military capacity to challenge NATO within five years. "Our security environment has changed, and not for the better. The threats we face today demand that we do far more," he said.

Rutte emphasized that the new defense investment plan will be reviewed in 2029, with annual reporting to ensure credibility.

He stressed that NATO remains committed to supporting Kyiv and reaffirmed the alliance's long-standing position that "Ukraine's path to NATO membership is irreversible." According to Rutte, the allies have pledged over 35 billion euros ($40,6 billions) in military aid to Ukraine for the first half of 2025, up from 20 billion announced earlier this year.

President Volodymyr Zelensky is attending the summit and will hold multiple meetings with NATO leaders. However, NATO's Ukraine Council will not convene, a decision seen as part of efforts to keep the summit's focus narrow, a move aimed at appeasing U.S. President Donald Trump, according to Politico.

The summit, shortened to 24 hours, has only one major session on defense spending. European officials cited by Politico said the format was designed to deliver a clear win to Trump, who is expected to tout the 5% spending pledge as a personal success. The U.S. is reportedly exempting itself from the new benchmark.

While recent summits have centered on Russia's invasion of Ukraine, this year's joint communique may omit references to the war.

During the briefing, Rutte said that the final communique, agreed by NATO ambassadors, has "important language" about Ukraine, including defense spending up until 2035.

"This is a clear commitment by allies," Rutte said.

Pro-Russian ‘peace protestors’ set to descend on NATO summit

Dutch protesters who regularly call for an end to military aid to Ukraine will descend on The Hague next week to protest the upcoming NATO summit, which is set to take place on June 24-25. The group will protest against NATO alongside several other organizations and has urged supporters on

The Kyiv IndependentLinda Hourani