Exclusive

Ukraine’s 60-year-old Leopard tank switched from sniper mode—and Russian troops never saw it coming. They’re old. But Ukraine’s Leopard 1A5 tanks are back in the fight—because when you’re defending a place like Kostyantynivka, you use whatever still shoots straight.

Military

Kremlin concentrates 23% of its assaults in Ukraine on Sumy front to sell its victory and dodge US sanctions. Out of 695,000 Russian soldiers currently deployed in Ukraine, 52,000 are concentrated on the Sumy axis.

Frontline report: Drones become Ukraine’s top killer in modern warfare outpacing artillery in lethality. The shift toward drone-dominated warfare hasn’t eliminated artillery’s battlefield importance as Ukraine’s most effective units integrate both systems into coordinated kill chains.

Intelligence and technology

Ukraine’s defense gets $4 billion boost to accelerate mass production of drone interceptors. Ukrainian forces shot down dozens of Russian drones on 20 June using new domestically developed interceptors. With G7 support, Kyiv is ramping up production to counter Russia’s rapidly escalating drone warfare.

Ukraine’s engine may power Turkish Baykar drone in international sixth-gen fighter jet project. Kyiv’s partnership in the GCAP program and local production of drone engines shows its growing integration into global military aviation innovation.

Intelligence: Russia does not rely on Iran anymore, prepares to unleash “swarms of death” on Ukraine. Ukraine urgently needs more air defense and AI-powered Interceptor drones to counter the growing aerial threat.

Ukraine may receive state-of-art NATO technologies, capable of destroying Russian glide bombs and drone swarms. The glide or guided bombs have been one of the main weapons of war.

Expert: Ukraine only in first episode of war of drones. Ukraine must innovate its drones against drones tactics to stay ahead in the rapidly changing war.

Kim Jong Un announces “leap forward” in defense industry with its new largest 5-hectare plant to boost arms exports to Russia. Russia refuses ceasefire with Ukraine while Pyongyang ramps up defense manufacturing and military involvement.

International

Zelenskyy: Russia using prisoner exchanges to delay sanctions, weaken US-Ukraine ties. President Zelenskyy warns that Moscow is exploiting humanitarian gestures like POW swaps to create an illusion of diplomacy, aiming to distract the West.

Zelenskyy: Sanction loopholes allow Russia to continue producing its “Oreshnik” intercontinental ballistic missiles with Western tech. He calls for urgent action to block the supply chain behind the Kremlin’s nuclear ambitions.

Not just monastery: Kremlin uses Orthodox nuns in Estonia to spread imperial ideology. Abbess appointed by Patriarch Kirill accused of echoing Russian state propaganda on European religious persecution.

“Come see eyes of those whose children were killed”: Ukraine’s UN envoy urges Security Council to witness Russia’s terror firsthand. Ukraine’s envoy to the UN warned the Security Council that millions of lives, including his own family’s, are now hanging by a thread.

US special envoy for Ukraine meets Belarus leader, Russia’s key ally. Keith Kellogg became the highest-ranking American official to visit Belarus in years after the country became nearly totally isolated internationally since the violent suppression of mass protests following the 2020 disputed presidential election.

Trump says US shouldn’t match NATO 5% defense spending he demands from allies. The US president cited decades of US financial support that he claims “covered almost 100% of the costs” for the military alliance and singled out Spain and Canada for low NATO defense contributions.

Polish theater moves Ukrainian flag indoors following threats and attacks. The move follows an incident where a supporter of far-right politician physically tore down the flag and allegedly threatened the director.

US slashes independent news Voice of America staff to under 200 — gift to authoritarian regimes. Eliminating VOA allows “Moscow, Beijing, Tehran and extremist groups” to dominate global information without American counter-narratives.

Politico: Middle East tensions derail EU plan to slash Russian oil price cap aimed at squeezing war funding. The proposed reduction from $60 to $45 per barrel was originally included in the EU’s 18th sanctions package expected for adoption in June but abandoned after G7 countries agreed the timing was inappropriate as “the situation is too volatile.”

Humanitarian and social impact

Russia hits Ukraine’s energy grid, injures civilians and leaves deadly cluster bombs. Russian forces launched both drones and missiles on central Poltava Oblast, damaging energy infrastructure and residential buildings.

Russia tricks Central Asian workers into Ukraine war with fake job promises. Two Uzbek and Tajik migrants born in 1984 are among the latest foreign nationals killed fighting for Russia in Ukraine, Russian recruited with promises of quick money

Political and legal developments

Putin demands Ukraine recognizes annexed territories as Russian if Kyiv wants to prevent future conflict. In 2022, Russia annexed four Ukrainian regions, some parts of which are not even occupied fully, via sham referendums under military control, making them illegal under international law.

Ukraine calls Putin “mass murderer of his people” after he claims Russia owns all land where its soldiers step. Kyiv says Russia won’t stop unless the world makes it pay.

The idol, the butcher: Expanding gap in attitudes toward Stalin reflects Ukraine and Russia’s diverging identities. Attitudes toward Stalin have become a powerful symbol of the deep divide between the two countries.

Man detained in Finland for illegally crossing the border with Russia. Border guards in Southeast Finland arrested a Finnish man Friday following his suspected illegal crossing into Russia and back, marking another incident in the region’s series of recent border violations.

Read our earlier daily review here.

Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel made a significant statement in which she clearly distinguished Russia’s war against Ukraine from Israel’s strikes on Iran, Deutsche Welle reports.

According to her, Russia’s full-scale invasion constitutes a blatant violation of the international order, whereas Israel’s actions are of a different nature.

“I don’t fully agree that Israel is violating international law. When a country’s existence is being questioned by Iran or Hamas, it’s not so easy to respond strictly within the framework of international law,” the ex-German chancellor says.

Merkel emphasizes that in Israel’s case, it is about the right to self-defense in the face of threats to the state’s very existence. At the same time, she pointed out clearly that Ukraine posed no such threat.

“Ukraine never threatened Russia — and yet it was attacked,” adds Merkel, underscoring Russia’s breach of international law.

Earlier, Herman Pirchner, president of the American Foreign Policy Council, said a potential US strike on a major Iranian nuclear program may force Moscow to reconsider its approach to the war in Ukraine.

US strike on Iran could force Moscow to imagine what real strength feels like, says expert

Such a decision could impact Moscow’s calculus, as they have yet to see a firm response from the US President Donald Trump administration, as America has not yet responded strongly to any of the Russian attacks, which have only intensified amid peace efforts.

For Russia, it is important to sever America’s support for Ukraine and stop the aid. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reveals the Kremlin’s scheme, which cleverly uses prisoner exchanges as a tool to delay the negotiation process with Ukraine, Suspilne reports.

According to Zelenskyy, Russia aims to distract the US and other partners by showing diplomatic gestures, allowing it to postpone the introduction of new sanctions.

“If you look at the exchanges, which were already happening without agreements but were not so massive, we understand that, on a global scale, it was needed by the ‘Russians.’ For the ‘Russians,’ it was important to cut America off from Ukraine, to stop the aid,” explains the president.

He emphasizes that for Russia, it is important to hold several meetings with the Ukrainian side, preferably without US participation, to show Washington a “diplomatic process.”

“How can you end a meeting positively? With exchanges. For that, a corresponding number of exchanges is needed,” Zelenskyy adds. 

The Ukrainian president also warns that Moscow plans to “drag out the Istanbul talks — to delay sanctions and so on.” Ukraine faces a difficult choice: “to continue like this or to take another path.”

Earlier, Zelenskyy said Russia continues to manufacture its Oreshnik, nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile, involving dozens of companies, most of which remain unsanctioned. He highlighted this as a glaring loophole in the international pressure on Russia’s military-industrial complex.

This missile can be intercepted only with advanced systems such as THAAD or Arrow 3. 

Zelenskyy: Sanction loopholes allow Russia to continue producing its “Oreshnik” intercontinental ballistic missiles with Western tech

Russia continues to manufacture its Oreshnik, nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile, involving dozens of companies, most of which remain unsanctioned. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy highlights this as a glaring loophole in the international pressure on Russia’s military-industrial complex, UkrInform reports.

“Thirty-nine companies in Russia’s defense industry are involved in the production of the Oreshnik missile. What’s crucial: 21 of these 39 companies are not under any sanctions,” the president states.

According to Zelenskyy, these missiles cannot be produced without critical imported components, making comprehensive sanctions on all 39 companies urgently necessary.

“It’s completely unclear why these companies have not yet been sanctioned. Sanctions would definitely be effective, because as we’ve seen, Oreshnik is being produced slowly and with difficulty,” Zelenskyy claims.

He urges Ukraine’s partners to swiftly close this sanctions gap to limit the Kremlin’s ability to continue manufacturing strategic weapons systems that pose a threat not only to Ukraine but to the entire West.

On 20 June, during a massive aerial attack, Ukrainian forces shot down dozens of Russian drones due to new interceptors developed by Ukrainian companies. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has emphasized that this tool is no longer a rarity and is now actively used in the country’s defense, UkrInform reports. 

Four companies in Ukraine are working on interceptor production, two of which are showing significant success. Zelenskyy has announced that Ukraine has reached agreements with international partners, Germany and Canada, to fund large-scale production.

According to the president, the G7 summit approved an increase in funding from $2 billion to $4 billion. This will accelerate the launch of mass production of advanced interceptors.

In addition, Ukraine has already signed contracts for record quantities of artillery systems and various types of drones. Zelenskyy stressed that the war demands a simultaneous buildup of both artillery and drones.

Earlier, the Ukrainian defense intelligence agency stated that Russia stockpiled over 6,000 strike drones and another 6,000 decoys, and its daily production rate is increasing, from 170 drones per day today to 190 drones per day by the end of 2025. 

Crucially, Moscow no longer relies on Iran: it has established a closed-loop production cycle for drones on Russian territory.

Ukraine may join the development of a sixth-generation fighter jet through the international Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), Defense Express reports. 

Importantly, GCAP covers not only the aircraft itself but also supporting systems, including drones. The Turkish Baykar Kızılelma drone is considered an escort drone, a multi-purpose aerial vehicle capable of carrying up to 1,500 kg of weapons: air-to-ground missiles, air-to-air missiles, and bombs.

Particular attention is drawn to the engine for this unmanned aerial vehicle— the fourth prototype of the Kızılelma is equipped with a Ukrainian AI-322F engine from SE Ivchenko-Progress.

Previously, AI-25TLT engines were used. Additionally, Baykar is building a factory in Ukraine, where production of the Kızılelma is planned.

This cooperation opens new opportunities for Ukraine in modern military technologies, aviation industry development, and integration into leading global defense programs.

Earlier, a report emerged saying Ukraine may receive cutting-edge technologies from NATO by the end of 2025. The Alliance has completed testing systems designed to counter Russian guided bombs and strike drones like the Shahed and is considering its delivery to Ukraine. 

Ukraine may receive cutting-edge technologies from NATO by the end of 2025. The Alliance has completed testing systems designed to counter Russian guided bombs and strike drones like the Shahed and is considering its delivery to Ukraine. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stated that the Sumy axis has become one of the most intense battle zones, with 23% of all Russian attacks now concentrated there, UNIAN reports. 

According to him, Russia is pushing in this region to fabricate the illusion of success, which the Kremlin hopes to use as leverage to influence the US policy.

“The Russians want to ‘sell’ success in Sumy and Kharkiv. They desperately need victories on the front. Because without them, we believe President Trump is more likely to pressure them with sanctions,” Zelenskyy says.

The president reported that over 695,000 Russian soldiers are currently deployed in Ukraine, with additional forces massed along the Kursk and Belgorod axes, directly across from Ukraine’s Kharkiv and Sumy oblasts.

“That means another contingent on the Sumy axis, about 52,000 troops,” he continues. 

Russia is increasingly using guided aerial bombs and North Korean missiles in an attempt to break through Ukrainian defenses. Yet, Zelenskyy noted that Russian advances remain minimal.

“This week, they advanced 200 meters toward Sumy, but we pushed them back by 200 to 400 meters,” he claims.

Also, Zelenskyy emphasizes that Russia is focused on severing US-Ukrainian ties. To achieve this, Moscow is pretending to pursue peace, hoping to delay sanctions and undermine American support. The aid is especially needed for Kyiv amid Russia’s summer offensive in the south, Sumy, Kharkiv, Donetsk, and potentially Chernihiv oblasts. 

“They want to cut America off from Ukraine and stop the aid,” the Ukrainian president stresses.

Meanwhile, at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Vladimir Putin delivered his most aggressive rhetoric in months, claiming that Ukrainians and Russians are “one people” and that all of Ukraine belongs to Russia. His press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, officially confirmed that Russia does not want a ceasefire. 

The Kremlin is showing no intention of retreating, neither on the battlefield nor in negotiations. Russia’s position, Zelenskyy warns, makes it clear: the Kremlin isn’t seeking peace, only territorial expansion.

Russia has ramped up its production capabilities and can now launch up to 500 drones per day, including up to 300 strike drones such as the Geran-2 or Shahed-136 and Garpia-A1, and up to 200 decoy drones, Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence (HUR) told RBK-Ukraine.

According to HUR, Russia has already stockpiled over 6,000 strike drones and another 6,000 decoys, and its daily production rate is increasing, from 170 drones per day today to 190 drones per day by the end of 2025.

Crucially, Moscow no longer relies on Iran: it has established a closed-loop production cycle for drones on Russian territory.

Meanwhile, the Russian arsenal also includes more than 1,950 strategic missiles, including:

• Up to 500 Iskander-M ballistic missiles
• Up to 300 Iskander-K cruise missiles
• Up to 260 Kh-101 missiles (used by Tu-95, Tu-160 bombers)
• Up to 280 Kh-22/Kh-32 missiles (Tu-22M3 bombers)
• Over 400 Kalibr cruise missiles
• Up to 150 Kinzhal hypersonic missiles (MiG-31K)
• Up to 60 North Korean KN-23 missiles

The HUR reports that Russia manufactures up to 195 new missiles every month, posing a constant threat to Ukrainian infrastructure, defense, and civilians.

To counter this threat, Ukraine urgently needs more air defense systems, particularly the Patriot, which is among the few capable of intercepting ballistic missiles. However, even the most advanced air defenses may struggle against a mass swarm of drones launched simultaneously.

That’s why experts stress the need for autonomous AI-powered interceptor drones capable of operating independently from human control. This would allow for faster, scalable, and more resilient protection against UAV saturation attacks.

The Kremlin is using the nuns of Estonia’s Pühtitsa Convent of the Russian Orthodox Church as a tool of hybrid warfare against the West, according to Estonia’s Ministry of the Interior, The Telegraph reports. 

The convent, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Moscow Patriarchate, has refused to sever ties with Patriarch Kirill, citing canonical law as justification.

However, Estonian government official Martin Tulit states this is merely a cover.

“The convent should be seen not simply as a religious institution, but also as a symbol of the Russki Mir ideology on Estonian soil – an ideology promoted by the Russian state and the Moscow Patriarchate that blends religion, nationalism, and imperial nostalgia,” says Martin Tulit, a senior Estonian government official. 

The head of the convent, Abbess Filareta Kalatšova, was personally appointed by Patriarch Kirill in 2011. Since then, she has actively promoted narratives aligned with the Kremlin’s interpretation of Estonian and Western history.

The monastery spreads the idea that Orthodox believers are allegedly persecuted in Europe and labels Estonia’s new law, which requires churches to cut ties with aggressor states, a violation of religious freedom.

The Estonian Interior Ministry also dismissed claims that the law is intended to shut down the convent. Earlier, the agency said that the Moscow Patriarchate Orthodox Church, which is subordinate to Russia and the Kremlin, is the biggest lever of influence in Estonia.

Ukraine may receive cutting-edge technologies from NATO by the end of 2025. The Alliance has completed testing systems designed to counter Russian guided bombs and strike drones like the Shahed, reports Defense Express.

Western startups Alta Ares, Atreyd, and Tytan carried out the developments, which created a multilayered air defense system.

Alta Ares demonstrated a unique system for detecting and predicting the flight trajectory of guided bombs, while Atreyd and Tytan developed anti-air drones and swarms of interceptor drones.

The tests were conducted under the supervision of NATO’s Joint Command, as well as representatives from France and Ukraine.

“Decisions are needed urgently — this will save lives and strengthen our defense,” military experts emphasize.

In 2025, Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Oleksandr Syrskyi officially confirmed that electronic warfare (EW) systems were successfully used to disrupt Russian guided bombs. 

EW systems do not physically destroy the bombs, but disable their targeting by jamming the satellite navigation used for guidance. As a result, the bomb loses orientation and misses its target.

Russia has tried to counter this by upgrading its UMPK with advanced Kometa-M antennas, increasing the number of signal receivers from 4 to 12. However, these enhancements have not produced significant improvements in accuracy.

Ukraine is only in the first episode of the first season of the drone war, warns Mariia Berlinska, head of the Center for Aerial Reconnaissance Support, Texty reports. 

Meanwhile, Russian forces are focusing on eliminating Ukrainian drone operators at critical moments, when approaching or leaving positions. Moscow’s troops also set deadly drone ambushes at road intersections that explode as soon as our troops get close.

“UAV crews are everything to us. They cover the infantry. They cause up to 90% of enemy losses,” explains Mariia Berlinska.

She adds that “priority should be given to destroying what destroys you best.”

Countering Moscow’s attacks is complicated by the lack of a unified tactic, but one approach is drones against drones – Ukrainian ground robots damage enemy fiber optic cables, causing a loss of control over enemy drones. Also, “Maviks” drop grenades or nets on enemy drones, while FPV drones can crash into foes like kamikazes.

Berlinska emphasizes: “Before sending soldiers anywhere, you must always check everything with drones and destroy Russian unmanned aerial vehicles to avoid human losses.”

Earlier, The Defense Post published a top 100 global companies specializing in drone development for air, land, and sea applications. Three Ukrainian companies made it to the list. 

Russian President Vladimir Putin insisted that Kyiv must recognize the results of referendums held in four Ukrainian regions in autumn 2022 to avoid risks of conflict resumption in the future.

The Russian leader warned that rejecting these results “means there are chances for the resumption of armed conflict,” according to his interview with Sky News Arabia reported by RBC.

Beyond territorial recognition, Putin outlined additional requirements for what he termed long-term regional stability. These include Ukraine adopting neutral status by renouncing membership in foreign military alliances and abandoning nuclear weapons development, but as of now, Ukraine does not have an active nuclear weapons program. 

 “Ukraine deserves a better fate than being an instrument in the hands of external forces working against Russia,” Putin stated, reiterating Russian propaganda narrative that Ukraine is a proxy of Western geopolitical interests rather than an independent actor.

Earlier, Russian President urged Ukraine to accept Moscow’s demands from previous Istanbul peace talks, warning that Ukraine’s situation will worsen if negotiations are delayed.

During Istanbul peace talks on 16 May, Russian presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky reportedly told the Ukrainian delegation that Russia is prepared to fight for “a year, two, three—however long it takes,” invoking Russia’s historical 21-year war with Sweden to emphasize its willingness for prolonged conflict.

Despite Russia’s claim of not wanting war, Medinsky warned that some participants might lose more loved ones and that Russia is ready to fight indefinitely.

During the 2 June negotiations in Istanbul, Ukraine and Russia exchanged position papers outlining their respective visions for ending the war.

Russian demands include: 

• Ukrainian military withdrawal from four occupied regions
• written guarantees from Western leaders to halt “NATO’s eastward expansion”, effectively excluding Ukraine, Georgia, and other former Soviet states from membership
• Ukraine adopting a neutral status and limitations on Ukraine’s armed forces
• partial lifting of Western sanctions
• resolution of frozen Russian assets abroad
• protections for Russian speakers in Ukraine
• holding of Ukrainian elections under terms favorable to Moscow. 

Ukraine rejected these demands, insisting on its sovereign right to choose alliances and strong Western security guarantees.

In contrast, Ukraine presented its own ceasefire proposals, including: 

• complete cessation of hostilities 
• return of deported children and prisoner exchanges
• security assurances
• rejection of any forced neutrality or restrictions on its military capabilities and alliances, including NATO membership
• maintaining Ukrainian sovereignty. 

The country has begun construction of its biggest military plant, covering more than 5 hectares. According to leader Kim Jong Un, this will enable a “leap forward in the defense industry” and allow production of modern, high-tech machinery, NK Pro reports. 

Analysts emphasize that the new facility could become a tool for significantly increasing North Korea’s military equipment exports, especially to Russia. This will strengthen the strategic partnership between the two countries and impact the global arms market.

The factory will produce domestically made Ryonha machine tools, which can replace imported counterparts and provide greater self-sufficiency for North Korea’s defense industry.

Construction started shortly after Kim Jong Un visited the site last month. State media released an artistic rendering of the future plant, which will surpass in size the main production workshop of Huichon Ryonha in Chagang Province.

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

The 3.5 km by 1.5 km facility includes a 40-hectare mock city divided into four sections for urban warfare training. Most structures are simple, single-story buildings, with a handful of two-story models.

Ukraine’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Andrii Melnyk, has called the UN Security Council representatives to visit Ukraine to speak with Russian war victims and look into the eyes of mothers who have lost their children, UkrInform reports. 

On 20 June, Melnyk urged the UN Security Council to apply every single option it has to put an end to Russia’s war against Ukraine. 

“This war is being waged in bedrooms, in kitchens, on children’s playgrounds… This madness must stop,” Melnyk emphasized. 

In an emotional appeal, Melnyk said he was speaking not only as Ukraine’s representative, a victim of Russia’s war of extermination, but also as a citizen whose family in Kyiv is hanging by a thread.

He shared how his mother-in-law sleeps in the bathroom to shield herself from missile attacks, just like millions of other Ukrainians.

Melnyk underscored that Russia’s actions constitute terror against the civilian population, driven by Moscow’s inability to achieve victory on the battlefield.

The diplomat sharply criticized statements by Russia’s UN envoy Nebenzya, who denies targeting civilians. With biting sarcasm, Melnyk asked whether it might be “aliens, Martians, or the Tooth Fairy” who are dropping bombs instead of coins.

Recently, drones have overtaken artillery as the leading cause of Russian casualties in Ukraine. However, the king of the battlefield has not been replaced, as Ukrainians have completely innovated how drones function in modern war. 

In May, drones were responsible for over 75% of Russian battlefield casualties, compared to an estimated 20% by artillery and 5% from small arms. Ukraine struck more than 89,000 targets with drones in May, which includes manpower, equipment, and vehicles, a 7.2% increase from 83,000 in April. 

Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi confirmed that drones have now caught up with artillery in terms of hit percentage. Much of this is driven by the widespread adoption of fiber-optic drones with a twenty-kilometer range, which are immune to jamming and increasingly available across the front. These figures underline a new reality: drones are no longer a secondary force but the main source of pain for Russian troops.

By contrast, artillery, once the dominant killer, now causes just a fifth of Russian injuries. Artillery still fires vast volumes, but its effectiveness is declining. The wear and tear on barrels, many of which have fired well beyond their service life, is making precision increasingly difficult. 

At the same time, Russia has hardened many of its positions, reducing the lethality of inaccurate or delayed strikes. While artillery crews are well-trained, they rely on stable spotting networks and undisturbed logistics, both of which have come under pressure. Recent numbers show that artillery still hits targets, but in terms of lethal effect, its effectiveness is declining. 

The explanation lies in the trajectories of these systems. Artillery is degrading while drones are improving. Drone operators are becoming better trained, coordination with unit-level tactics is improving, and technology is always evolving. Many modern drones are not just flying grenades; they can operate in contested environments, evade electronic warfare, and hunt in swarms, with some even featuring integrated autonomous targeting software. 

Some drones are equipped with thermobaric charges for higher lethality, while others use fiber-optic guidance systems that render electronic warfare useless. Direct strike FPV’s are often paired with reconnaissance drones, turning the process almost into a continuous production line of kamikaze strikes. This increase in usage and tactics is matched by coordination, with notably Ukrainian drone units now operating with leaderboards tracking confirmed kills, pushing crews to innovate faster.

Still, artillery remains an essential part of the Ukrainian system. Its function on the modern battlefield has shifted but not disappeared. Mortars and howitzers are unmatched when it comes to area denial and suppressive fire. These are tasks drones do poorly, especially in bad weather conditions or when continuous fire is necessary. 

A drone may kill a soldier in a trench, but a battery of Mortars can prevent a platoon from moving through that trench in the first place, or allow a Ukrainian assault group to advance to the position uncontested. In high-intensity combined arms warfare, the need to suppress, disrupt, or channel enemy movement is still best handled by traditional artillery. Mortars, in particular, remain indispensable in close-range engagements where portability and fast reaction matter more than pinpoint accuracy or larger explosions.

That is why drones have not replaced anything; they have supplemented and, in some contexts, outperformed conventional systems. The most effective Ukrainian units, like Magyar’s Birds, are those that combine the two. Drones scout enemy positions, drop munitions, and then feed coordinates to mortar and artillery crews. Or, drones disable vehicles, which are then finished off by artillery once stationary.

Even low-cost FPV drones now serve as spotters, finishers, or gap fillers for artillery teams, targeting vehicles that artillery damaged but did not destroy, or chasing down retreating troops. In some sectors, Ukrainian teams are now using drones and mortars together, creating a kill chain that is fast, inexpensive, and difficult to counter. The combination of both systems is where the real advantage lies for the Ukrainians.

Overall, the drone surge is reshaping how Ukraine fights. It is not about one system replacing another but about new layers being added to the battlefield. Drones now inflict the most pain, but artillery still shapes the battlefield. The Ukrainian military has managed to merge both systems into a flexible and deadly toolkit. As long as drone production continues to scale and artillery remains operational, Ukraine will retain the edge in tactical innovation, and Russia will keep paying the price.

In our regular frontline report, we pair up with the military blogger Reporting from Ukraine to keep you informed about what is happening on the battlefield in the Russo-Ukrainian war.

The difference in attitudes toward Stalin serves as an X-ray of how far Ukraine and Russia have diverged, sociologists say.

Ukraine and Russia now have radically different attitudes toward the Soviet dictator, and this divide continues to grow. New sociological research published by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) and Russia’s Levada Center has released the evidence for this.

According to a poll conducted in April 2025, Stalin once again ranked first in Russia’s list of “the greatest figures of all time,” scoring even higher than in previous years.

“Joseph Stalin, a national hero for Russians, has again taken first place with an even better result than last time,” KIIS notes.

Sociologists emphasize that support for Stalin’s image in Russia is rising, while in Ukraine it is rapidly declining. In 2023, 63% of respondents in Russia viewed the dictator positively, compared to just 4% in Ukraine. This gap is only widening over the years.

“This chart clearly shows how far the two countries have diverged. Murderers have become national heroes in Russia,” Ukrainian sociologists point out.

He orchestrated genocide, killed millions, yet for the Russians, he remains an idol. This divide in collective memory reveals not only historical differences but also fundamental value gaps between the two neighboring states.

Recently, the Netherlands recognized the 1944 Soviet deportation of Crimean Tatars under Stalin as an act of genocide. They were transported roughly 3,200 kilometers to remote areas in the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic and other parts of Central Asia, with thousands dying during the journey due to starvation.

US Special Envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg met with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in Minsk on 21 June, marking the most senior American diplomatic engagement with Belarus in recent years.

The meeting took place at the Palace of Independence, with propaganda media showing the two officials shaking hands and embracing. Lukashenko told Kellogg his visit had generated significant international attention, according to the presidential administration’s account.

During their encounter, Lukashenko emphasized the need for direct communication.

“I very much hope that our conversation will be very sincere and open. Otherwise, what’s the point of meeting,” he stated, adding that attempts at deception would prevent meaningful results.

The Belarusian leader assured Kellogg of his safety during the visit and indicated no escalation would occur while he remained in the country.

Kellogg reportedly expressed gratitude for the hospitality and highlighted the precarious global situation, stating that current crises could escalate rapidly without wise and fair approaches.

The delegations met at Minsk’s Palace of Independence and discussed global developments, regional matters, and bilateral relations between Belarus and the United States.

Reuters previously reported, citing sources, that Kellogg privately characterized the Belarus visit as a potential step toward restarting peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia as they have stalled recently despite the attempts of Trump administration to broker ceasefire.

One US official also told Reuters that the Trump administration has internally explored ways to reduce Moscow’s influence over Minsk, though Western diplomats remain skeptical about such efforts given Belarus’s strong economic and political ties to Russia.

The last senior US official to visit Belarus was Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in 2020, with only lower-level diplomats traveling there since, including a February 2025 visit focused on prisoner releases. 

US President Donald Trump declared that America should not be held to the same defense spending standards he expects from NATO allies, according to his remarks made to journalists on 20 June.

When pressed about his previous calls for NATO members to spend 5% of GDP on defense, Trump drew a clear distinction between American and allied obligations.

“I don’t think we should, but I think they [NATO countries] should,” he stated, arguing that the US has “supported NATO for so long” and previously “covered almost 100% of the costs.”

The president specifically targeted Spain and Canada for their defense contributions. Spain announced this week it would not commit to the 5% spending target, prompting Trump to say that “NATO will have to deal with Spain” and describing the country as “very low payer.”

“Spain has to pay what others have to pay,” Trump added.

However, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez explicitly rejected the 5% target in communications with NATO head Rutte, arguing such spending levels contradict principles of general welfare.

Trump was equally critical of Canada, which he claimed “paid the least” among allies, suggesting Canadian officials reasoned that paying was unnecessary since “the United States protects us for free.”

Earlier, the Alliance’s Secretary General Mark Rutte has proposed a framework requiring allies to spend 3.5% of GDP on core defense by 2032, plus an additional 1.5% on related areas like cybersecurity and defense infrastructure.

Several Eastern European nations have already embraced higher spending levels. 

Lithuania plans to allocate between 5 and 6% of GDP to defense from 2025 through 2030, doubling its current spending, while Estonia will increase its spending from 3.7% to 5%. Both countries emphasize that this increase is not solely due to US pressure but is existential for maintaining real war-fighting capabilities against the threat posed by Russia.

Poland also plans to reach 4.7% this year, currently NATO’s highest rate.

The Juliusz Słowacki Theater in Krakow, Poland, relocated its Ukrainian flag from the building’s exterior to inside the venue after facing mounting physical threats, according to the theater’s Facebook page.

Director Krzysztof Głuchowski announced the decision with what he described as “great sorrow,” citing safety considerations for staff.

“I am doing this with pain and shame, but in the face of increasing attacks on the theater, in the face of threats to punish us, in the interests of staff safety, their health and lives, and in the face of potential threats to destroy property, I cannot make any other decision,” Głuchowski stated.

The flag had been displayed on the theater’s facade since February 2022 as a symbol of Polish solidarity with Ukraine. Głuchowski explained that the flag represented support for Ukrainians “who are giving their blood and lives in the fight for freedom and independence and who are also fighting and dying for us and all of free Europe.”

The theater has now positioned the Ukrainian flag alongside the Polish flag in the building’s interior. Głuchowski characterized the demands to remove the Ukrainian flag as “an attack on freedom and solidarity,” though he did not identify the specific sources of the threats.

The decision follows a recent incident in which a supporter of far-right Polish deputy Grzegorz Braun physically removed the Ukrainian flag from the Juliusz Słowacki theater. The same individual allegedly threatened the theater director while demanding the flag’s removal.

Hundreds of federal employees at Voice of America received termination notices on 20 June, reducing the news organization’s staff to fewer than 200 workers from approximately 1,400 at the start of 2025.

The layoffs place affected journalists and support staff on paid leave until their official termination date of 1 September, according to the New York Times.

In March, Trump criticized Voice of America for allegedly spreading what he characterized as “anti-American” and partisan “propaganda,” referring to the organization as “the voice of radical America.”

The executive order effectively mandated the dismantling of the news agency and placed nearly all Voice of America reporters on paid leave, halting news operations for the first time since the organization’s 1942 founding.

A federal judge ordered the Trump administration in April to restore Voice of America and other government-funded news agencies so they could “serve as a consistently reliable and authoritative source of news” globally. However, government officials appealed the decision. On 1 May, the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia temporarily halted previous court rulings that had sought to lift the freeze on funds in order to consider emergency requests from the Justice Department.

Kari Lake, a senior adviser at the US Agency for Global Media, which oversees Voice of America, informed Congress earlier this month of plans to eliminate most positions at the news organization. Her correspondence identified fewer than 20 employees who must remain at the media organization under laws passed by Congress to establish and fund it. 

Lake defended her actions, describing Voice of America as “a bloated, unaccountable bureaucracy” and attributing the termination of 639 employees at her agency to efforts to eliminate “dysfunction, bias and waste.”

She stated: “I’m proud to carry out President Trump’s executive order and deliver results that put America first.”

Patsy Widakuswara, a former Voice of America White House bureau chief who received a termination notice, stated that Lake’s decision “spells the death of 83 years of independent journalism that upholds US ideals of democracy and freedom around the world.” Widakuswara is leading a lawsuit against Lake and the US Agency for Global Media.

She called on Congress to intervene and support Voice of America, which was established to counter Nazi propaganda and has reported from countries that restrict independent journalism and free speech.

“Moscow, Beijing, Tehran and extremist groups are flooding the global information space with anti-America propaganda,” Widakuswara said. “Do not cede this ground by silencing America’s voice.”

A Finnish man was detained on suspicion of illegally crossing the state border in Parikkala, the Finnish Border Guard announced on 20 June.

The Southeast Finland Border Guard received an alert from technical surveillance equipment near the state border in Parikkala’s Pitkäpohja area on 20 June. A border patrol detained the Finnish man on suspicion of a state border crime, according to the Border Guard statement.

“The man is suspected of illegally crossing the state border in terrain from Finland to Russia and back to Finland,” the Border Guard reported.

An investigation has been launched into the incident.

The Southeast Finland regional border delegate contacted the Russian Vyborg regional border delegate regarding the case. The Southeast Finland Border Guard continues investigating the incident and will not provide further information.

This marks the latest in a series of recent border incidents. On 17 June, the Eastern Finland Border Guard in North Karelia detained a foreigner suspected of illegally crossing the state border from Russia to Finland.

Finland closed border crossing points with Russia at the end of last year due to artificial migration pressure and authorized border guards to block asylum seekers from that country. In January 2025, the Southeast Finland Border Guard detected a border crossing in the Karhusuo area of Imatra, where a minor border violator remained in Russia as of early February.

The recent incident occurred as Finland maintains heightened border security measures along its eastern frontier with Russia.

Read also:

• Latvia bans Russians from buying property, calling it hybrid warfare threat
• Russia tricks Central Asian workers into Ukraine war with fake job promises
• Politico: Middle East tensions derail EU plan to slash Russian oil price cap aimed at squeezing war funding

Russia is increasingly recruiting citizens from Central Asian countries, particularly Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, to participate in combat operations against Ukraine, according to Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate (DIU).

The recruitment targets primarily labor migrants who arrive in Russia seeking employment opportunities. Russian army representatives deceive these individuals by promising “quick earnings” through short-term contracts, the DIU reported on 21 June.

Intelligence data indicates that most such “volunteers” die in the war. Among recently eliminated mercenaries from Uzbekistan and Tajikistan were Umarov Sirozhiddin Sabirdzhanovich, born in 1984, and Kholbuvozoda Muhammad Fayzullo, also born in 1984.

The mobilized migrants are formed into separate units that are predominantly deployed to the most dangerous sections of the front, according to the intelligence directorate.

“Even if they survive service on the front, such combatants cannot return to normal life: in their countries of origin, criminal prosecution awaits them for participation in foreign state armed formations with the prospect of long-term imprisonment,” Ukrainian intelligence emphasized.

The practice represents Russia’s expanding recruitment efforts beyond its borders as it seeks to maintain military operations while avoiding broader domestic mobilization that could prove politically costly.

Read also:

• Politico: Middle East tensions derail EU plan to slash Russian oil price cap aimed at squeezing war funding
• Latvia bans Russians from buying property, calling it hybrid warfare threat
• ISW: Putin’s victory plan hinges on Western fatigue and Ukrainian collapse

The European Union shelved proposals to lower the price cap on Russian oil exports from $60 to $45 per barrel, citing concerns that escalating conflict between Israel and Iran could drive up global oil prices and undermine the effectiveness of the sanctions mechanism.

Two diplomats confirmed to POLITICO that the plan, originally scheduled for discussion among EU foreign ministers on Monday in Brussels, is no longer viable given current market volatility.

“The idea of lowering the price cap is probably not going to fly because of the international situation in the Middle East and the volatility,” one diplomat told POLITICO.

At the recent G7 summit in Canada, member countries reached consensus on postponing the decision. “At the G7 meeting this week, it was agreed by all the countries they would prefer not to take the decision right now,” the diplomat explained, noting that while oil prices were previously close to the current cap, recent fluctuations have made timing problematic.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen acknowledged the complexity of the situation at the G7 summit, stating that existing measures “had little effect” previously. However, she noted that with recent oil price increases, “the cap in place does serve its function,” indicating there is currently “little pressure on lowering the oil price cap.”

US blocked efforts to lower price cap on Russian oil

The current price ceiling mechanism was established by G7 countries in December 2022, setting the maximum price for Russian crude oil at $60 per barrel. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy criticized this initial limit as “weak,” arguing that such pricing remained “quite comfortable for the terrorist state’s budget.”

The sanctions framework was expanded in February 2023 to include petroleum products, with caps set at $100 per barrel for premium products like diesel fuel and $45 per barrel for discounted products such as fuel oil. These price ceilings have remained unchanged since their introduction.

In January 2025, Nordic and Baltic countries—Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia—called on the European Commission to further reduce the Russian oil price cap, highlighting the need for more aggressive economic pressure on Moscow.

Earlier, Reuters reported that most G7 countries had been prepared to independently lower the price ceiling on Russian oil, even if US President Donald Trump opposed the measure. However, the current geopolitical volatility has shifted calculations.

Russian forces conducted a massive combined attack on Ukraine, targeting energy infrastructure and civilian areas, with the most damage reported in Poltava and Kherson oblasts.

The attack on 21 June involved 272 drones and 8 missiles against Ukraine, with Ukrainian defenders neutralizing 260 Russian aerial targets, according to the Air Force of the Armes Forces of Ukraine.

Russia targets energy infrastructure in Poltava

The missile and drone attack on Poltava resulted in direct hits and falling debris on energy facilities and open territory, according to acting head of Poltava Oblast Military Administration Volodymyr Kohut.

One person sustained moderate injuries in the strikes, while rescue teams continue working to address the aftermath.

Both private homes and apartment buildings were damaged, with windows blown out and window frames destroyed. The shelling also damaged residents’ vehicles throughout the area.

Poltava Oblast police warned that cluster munition elements have been discovered across the targeted area following the overnight bombardment. These metallic spheres, measuring approximately 10 centimeters in diameter, pose lethal risks to both adults and children due to their resemblance to toys or balls.

Civilians suffer from daily attacks on Kherson close to frontline

In Kherson Oblast, Russian forces targeted 20 settlements over a 24-hour period, according to regional administration head Oleksandr Prokudin.

The Kherson attacks damaged two high-rise buildings, 14 private houses, utility structures, a garage, and civilian vehicles. Seven people were wounded in the regional strikes.

Among the casualties was an 85-year-old woman injured during shelling of Kherson’s Central district. The woman suffered a concussion, blast injuries, closed traumatic brain injury, and leg trauma, requiring hospitalization.

Exclusive

Ukraine’s 60-year-old Leopard tank switched from sniper mode, and Russian troops never saw it coming. They’re old. But Ukraine’s Leopard 1A5 tanks are back in the fight—because when you’re defending a place like Kostyantynivka, you use whatever still shoots straight.

Russia legally steals 20,000 homes in razed Mariupol — then charges homeless victims for rent. Survivors of Putin’s most brutal siege now face a deadlier trap: a rigged paperwork leaving them “homeless bums” whose stolen homes are sold to Moscow buyers.

Ukraine says it’s fighting corruption. But Deputy PM Chernyshov left the country—and hasn’t come back. Last week, Oleksiy Chernyshov left Ukraine on “official business.” Since then, two of his former aides have been arrested. He hasn’t come back.

Military

As Kyiv buries dead after biggest Russian attack of war, Kremlin says: “We’re advancing and will keep going”. Putin demands Ukraine stop receiving weapons while importing drones and missiles from Tehran and Pyongyang.

Russian soldier ate his comrade — Moscow’s troops spiral into madness in Ukraine’s trenches. A soldier called “Brelok” killed and ate his fellow Russian, then died himself — just “something to think about,” his commander says.

ISW: Putin’s victory plan hinges on Western fatigue and Ukrainian collapse. The think tank outlines Moscow’s unchanged core goals: a pro-Kremlin Ukraine and weakened NATO.

Frontline report: Iran’s war machine smashed — generals dead, Shaheds burned, missile launchers reduced to rubble.

Russia reportedly hides its own war dead in Ukraine’s body swaps. Kyiv says Moscow is slipping its own soldiers into exchanges meant for fallen Ukrainians, complete with uniforms, dog tags, and ID papers, possibly to dodge compensation to Russian families.

Intelligence and technology

Raytheon’s production lines overheat as Europe lines up for 1,000 Patriot missiles and Ukraine pleads for speed. Joint production and faster transfer talks gain urgency as Russia refines its missile arsenal.

Ukrainian air-defense drones evolve rapidly to counter Russia’s growing Shahed swarm threat.

Three Ukrainian companies make top 100 list of unmanned systems innovators. Ukraine’s TAF Drones, Ukrspecsystems, and Airlogix secure prestigious spots on the world stage, showcasing rapid growth and cutting-edge technology.

International

Argentina uncovers suspected Russian spy network linked to disinformation efforts. The identified group allegedly developed content to sway political narratives favorable to Russia.

Le Monde: Obama held back on Ukraine, Biden hesitated, now Trump embraces Putin. As Trump aligns with Moscow, European capitals brace for a new era of geopolitical uncertainty and strategic detachment.

Russia shields Iran’s nuclear ambitions, Zelenskyy warns. Ukraine’s president calls Moscow’s alignment with Tehran and Pyongyang a dangerous signal of rising global threats.

Zelenskyy’s top man Yermak is “bipartisan irritator,” US insiders warn Politico. The Ukrainian President Office chief’s abrasive style and vague agendas are testing US support for Ukraine at a fragile moment, sources told Politico.

US strike on Iran could force Moscow to imagine what real strength feels like, says expert. The Kremlin respects only power — and it’s watching the Middle East war especially closely.

Humanitarian and social impact

Inside occupied Crimea: torture, disappearances, and total suppression of dissent. A Freedom House report sheds light on systematic abuses in Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories.

He endured what most wouldn’t survive: Ukraine returns its 60-year old warrior from Russian captivity. He spent years in a Russian cell and still made it back.

Iran’s missiles kill 7-year-old Ukrainian girl seeking leukemia treatment in Israel. Nastia Buryk from Odesa died alongside four family members as an Iranian missile struck their apartment.

Rescuers among the injured as Russia again targets civilians in Odesa and Kharkiv. A collapsing structure wounded three firefighters in Odesa during intense operations to save residents.

Russia kills Ukrainian civilians on unprecedented scale since Trump’s peace efforts, while West debates sanctions in slow motion. With no pressure, Russia turns every negotiation into a smokescreen.

Political and legal developments

Putin declares all of Ukraine Russian as Trump claims Kremlin wants peace. Russia shows its aim is subjugation, not negotiation.

Netherlands becomes seventh nation to recognize soviet-era Crimean Tatar deportation as genocide. The Dutch House of Representatives declared the Soviet Union’s 1944 deportation of Crimean Tatars constituted genocide, joining six other nations in formally recognizing Stalin’s forced removal of over 190,000 people from the peninsula.

Latvia bans Russians from buying property, calling it hybrid warfare threat. Latvia banned property sales to Russian and Belarusian citizens after parliament declared such transactions constitute “hybrid warfare” instruments, passing the measure in its conclusive reading 19 June.

Ukraine’s anti-corruption star Denys Bihus confirms intelligence work after MP leak. Ukraine’s top investigative journalist says he helped intelligence services — but denies it compromised his reporting or gave him special treatment.

Read our earlier daily review here.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has killed a million Russians and marches “two million feet” to the slaughter. Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha has delivered a scathing rebuke to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent claim that “wherever the Russian soldier steps — that land is ours.”

Sybiha responded on the social media platform X, calling Putin “a mass murderer of his own people” who has already sent a million Russian soldiers to their deaths in his war against Ukraine.

“Putin does not care about Russian soldiers or their feet torn apart by Ukrainian drones. One million soldiers. Two million feet,” the Ukrainian foreign minister claimed. 

He added that Putin’s latest remarks demonstrate total contempt for peace initiatives from the West and the United States. 

“While the United States and the rest of the world have called for an immediate end to the killing, Russia’s top war criminal discusses plans to seize more Ukrainian territory and kill more Ukrainians,” he stressed. 

According to Sybiha, the Kremlin’s aggression is an attempt to distract Russians from the catastrophe of 25 years of Putin’s rule, a regime that has dragged the country into international isolation. 

Sybiha called for a strong international response to bring Moscow back to its senses. 

“The only way to force Russia into peace is to deprive it of its sense of impunity. Increase support for Ukraine’s defense and hit the Russian economy hard with devastating sanctions. Designate Russia as a terrorist state. Isolate it fully,” said the Ukrainian foreign minister. 

Putin’s speech at the St. Petersburg Economic Forum marked yet another return to his imperial narrative — the denial of Ukraine’s right to exist as a sovereign nation.

On 20 June, Freedom House called for democratic governments to prioritize the rights and dignity of civilians living under Russian occupation in Ukraine, particularly in Crimea, where repression, forced assimilation, and abuse continue to escalate.

Freedom House presented its first-ever Alfred Moses Liberty Award on 20 May to Crimean Tatar human rights defender Server Mustafayev. A cofounder of the Crimean Solidarity movement, Mustafayev supported victims of political persecution in Crimea after Russia’s 2014 occupation and annexation. Russian authorities imprisoned him in 2020 on terrorism charges widely considered fabricated. He is currently serving a 14-year sentence in Russia.

In a 2023 letter published by Freedom House, Mustafayev described the situation in occupied Crimea:

“The Russian Federation actively, without wasting time, destroyed all dissent, activism, journalism, and justice in Crimea. […] Dozens of people disappeared, hundreds were arrested, thousands were forcedly expelled from their native home (Crimea), homes they returned to after the genocide and deportation of 1944.”

Suppression of identity and indoctrination of children

The report highlights Russia’s ongoing campaign to forcibly Russify occupied territories. In Crimea, this includes cultural suppression and indoctrination of Ukrainian children through militarized camps. These practices, according to Freedom House, threaten to leave generational scars.

The 2025 Freedom in the World report gave Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories a score of −1 out of 100, indicating near-total denial of civil liberties and political rights.

Despite systemic persecution, many human rights defenders continue their work. Freedom House emphasized the importance of resistance efforts, even under extreme conditions where individuals risk arrest for small acts such as posting a Ukrainian song or wearing national colors.

People-centered diplomacy essential for peace

Freedom House argued that any peace deal must not merely focus on land but prioritize the people affected. It warned that recognizing Russian sovereignty over occupied Ukrainian territories would violate the core principle of international law that borders cannot be changed by force.

Freedom House noted that Moscow has consistently undermined peace negotiations with escalating attacks and a lack of genuine engagement. The organization believes only strong military and diplomatic pressure, including enhanced sanctions, might force Russia into serious negotiations.

Calls for global action and support

To support those under occupation, Freedom House proposed several measures:

• Nonrecognition of Russia’s claim to Ukrainian territories, akin to the West’s stance during the Soviet occupation of the Baltics.
• Support for activists, including sanctions on Russian officials and direct aid via Ukrainian partners.
• Aid for families of political prisoners, who face severe financial and legal burdens.
• Amplification of Ukrainian advocacy by international NGOs and governments.
• Documentation of abuses, including torture, disappearances, and destruction of cultural heritage.
• Cultural preservation, particularly of Crimean Tatar language and history, through education and partnerships.

“However the war or peace negotiations unfold,” Freedom House stressed the importance of upholding sovereignty, rule of law, and human rights. 

They returned from hell. On 20 June, a new group of severely wounded and seriously ill Ukrainian defenders was released from Russian captivity.

Four exchange waves took place between 9 and 14 June, with another one on 19 June. Most of those returned had been held by Russia since 2022, many of them defenders of Mariupol.

According to the Coordination Headquarters, the freed prisoners include soldiers from the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Navy, the National Guard, the Territorial Defense Forces, the Air Assault Forces, the Drone Force, and the State Border Guard Service. All are either seriously wounded or suffer from chronic illnesses.

“Epilepsy, hypertension, ischemic heart disease, vision impairment, musculoskeletal issues, chronic gastrointestinal conditions, and hernias. Many suffer from extreme weight loss,” the Ukrainian official said in a statement.

The released defenders are being transferred to medical facilities for diagnostics, treatment, and rehabilitation. They will also have their documents restored and receive back pay for the entire period of captivity.

Ukraine’s Human Rights Commissioner, Dmytro Lubinets, noted that the oldest of the released is 60 years old. Some of the families had been appealing to his office for years, even sending letters to Moscow.

“Among them are those whose relatives contacted the Ombudsman’s Office. Our institution was engaged in defending their rights,” Lubinets said.

President Zelenskyy confirmed the return of defenders from Mariupol, Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Kharkiv, and Chernihiv oblasts.

Earlier, the Ukrainian authorities said Russia slipped the bodies of its dead soldiers into Ukraine’s swap convoys. Kyiv has received over 6,060 bodies from Moscow under the Istanbul agreements on the exchange of war dead, but many of them are not Ukrainian.

At the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Russian ruler Vladimir Putin openly voiced his imperial doctrine: Russia claims as its own any territory entered by its troops, UNIAN reports. 

“There’s an old rule: wherever the foot of a Russian soldier steps, that is ours,” Putin said in response to a question about where the Russian army might stop in Ukraine.

He then called Ukrainians and Russians “one people” and stressing that, in that sense, “all of Ukraine is ours.”

Previously, Russia has listed its long-standing demands to Ukraine:

• to recognize Crimea as part of Russia,
• to acknowledge the annexation of the occupied parts of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson oblasts,
• and to withdraw Ukrainian forces from these territories, even though large areas of them remain under Ukrainian control.

Speaking at the forum, Putin insisted that Ukraine must become a non-aligned, non-nuclear, and neutral state, in other words, defenseless and exposed.

These statements confirm the Kremlin’s refusal to seek a just peace and expose the true goal of the war: Ukraine’s complete subjugation.

When Russian infantry seized a position east of Pokrovsk, a fortress city in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk Oblast, one of the Ukrainian army’s German-made Leopard 1A5s left its hideout to blast the Russians with a 105-millimeter shell fired at point-blank range.

Frustrated in their attempts to directly attack Pokrovsk, Russian forces are trying to flank the city—by rolling through the town of Kostyantynivka, 40 km to the northeast. 

On Wednesday, a substantial Russian force—around a dozen up-armored BMPs and other vehicles—split into two sections and rolled northeast from the village of Novoolenivka, heading for the village of Yablunivka, the next stop on the road to Kostyantynivka.

They didn’t get very far. The Ukrainian 36th Marine Brigade and 12th Azov Brigade spotted the approaching vehicles—and hit them with drones and potentially other munitions. When the smoke cleared, half or more of the vehicles were on fire.

Explore further

“No Russian tank would survive”: German Leopard 2A4 withstands 10 FPV drone strikes in Ukraine

But some Russians managed to gain a lodgement around Yablunivka on or just before Thursday. We know this because the Ukrainian 5th Heavy Mechanized Brigade spotted the Russians with a drone—and deployed a Leopard 1A5 to take them out.

The up-armored tank engaged the Russians from just meters away. “Clear work, accurate fire and cold calculation—the enemy is demoralized, the positions are burned!” the 5th Heavy Mechanized Brigade crowed.

It was a rare tank fight in a war increasingly fought by infantry and drones. And it was an even rarer close tank fight for Ukraine’s Leopard 1A5s. The tanks were built in the 1960s, upgraded in the 1980s, donated to Ukraine by a German-Dutch-Danish consortium four decades later and are now set to become the Ukrainian military’s most numerous Western-made tank.

The 40-ton, four-person Leopard 1A5 boasts a reliable 105-millimeter main gun and accurate fire controls, but its armor is thin compared to other tanks: just 70 millimeters thick at its thickest. That’s a third the protection a contemporary T-72 enjoys.

Still, “it is too early to write off this tank as scrap metal,” insisted the Ukrainian army’s 508th Separate Repair and Restoration Battalion, which retrieves, repairs and returns to the front line all manner of damaged armored vehicles. “It just so happened that it first met the opponent it was designed to fight 60 years later and it’s a completely different tank now, to be fair.”

The European consortium has pledged 170 Leopard 1A5s to Ukraine, drawing the old vehicles from surplus Belgian, Danish and German stocks and refurbishing them for onward transfer. The Ukrainian army further upgrades the tanks with add-on reactive armor and anti-drone cages.

The extra armor weighs down and slightly slows the otherwise nimble Leopard 1A5—but that’s a small price to pay. “Drones are the biggest threat to tanks nowadays so we had to take necessary steps even though the extra weight slightly impaired mobility,” the 508th SRRB noted.

Of the hundred or so Leopard 1A5s the Germans, Dutch and Danes have delivered since late 2023, the Russians have hit 18 of them, destroying 13.

Minimal losses

The 508th SRRB considers that an acceptable rate of loss—and credits the crews of the three or so army and national guard brigades that operate the tanks. “There are reasons to believe that they are being used properly,” the restoration battalion stated.

But the close fight outside Yablunivka was unusual. The Leopard 1A5 works best as a “mobile sniper tank,” the 508th SRRB asserted.

“A well-trained crew can fire 10 rounds per minute while its Russian opponents fire six to 10 rounds. Add a modern fire control system that allows accurate fire from a distance of 4 km during the day and about 3 km at night and you get a real hunter capable of taking down prey that doesn’t even know it’s being hunted.”

Given the growing threat from tiny drones that are everywhere all the time along the front line of Russia’s 40-month wider war on Ukraine, tank crews on both sides tend to hide their vehicles in dugouts or urban areas, rolling out only to fire a few rounds at distant targets.

It’s a new “era of the cautious tank,” according to David Kirichenko, an analyst with the Center for European Policy Analysis in Washington, D.C.

The Leopard 1A5 is good at this kind of combat. “After taking the shot that may disclose the tank’s position, a Leopard can quickly roll back to cover,” the 508th SRRB explained. “It is true the armor of the first Leopard is really weak, but it doesn’t matter if the enemy even has no time to see it.”

While suited to quick fire missions from concealed positions, the Leopard 1A5 isn’t necessarily appropriate for other tasks that heavier tanks might perform: direct assaults on defended positions and close combat with enemy armor, for instance.

“It is safe to say that the concept of a mobile sniper tank is quite successful and effective, although not very versatile,” the 508th SRRB concluded.

But the situation around Kostyantynivka is urgent, despite the Ukrainians’ recent successes defending the approaches to the town. 

“Ukrainian units prevented any deterioration of tactical positions” in recent days, the Ukrainian Center for Defense Strategies noted. But “the enemy continues to build up forces for further attacks.”

Explore further

Russia keeps burning through its last tanks — so why isn’t Ukraine winning?

Kremlin officially confirms: Russia does not want an end to the fire. Moscow refuses to agree to a full ceasefire on the front lines as it plans to continue its offensive, Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin’s spokesperson, told Sky News.

“Now we have a strategic advantage. Why should we lose it? We are not going to lose it. We are going further. We’re advancing and we’ll continue to advance,” Peskov said. 

Moscow has already stated that it cannot agree to a truce as long as Ukraine continues to receive military aid from Western partners, rearm, and regroup its forces.

“But America is not saying that ‘we’ll quit any supplies’. Britain is not saying that as well. France is not saying that as well. This is the problem,” Peskov emphasized.

When asked whether Russia could make similar commitments to halt support from Iran, China, or North Korea, Peskov ignored the question.

The Kremlin’s position once again demonstrates that Putin is not seeking peace, but rather trying to consolidate territorial gains and maintain pressure on Ukraine and the West.

Earlier, Russia conducted its biggest attack of the full-scale war on Kyiv, launching 500 weapons simultaneously, and killing 28 civilians. Moscow began its terror campaign against the population in 2022, burning 90% of Mariupol and Bakhmut and committing atrocities during the attacks on Bucha in Kyiv Oblast.

He ate his comrade, then died. Ukraine’s military intelligence (HUR) has intercepted another disturbing Russian radio transmission, revealing shocking details of cannibalism and mental collapse within the ranks of Russia’s occupying forces.

According to HUR, a commander of the Russian 68th Motorized Rifle Division reported that a soldier with the callsign Foma, previously listed as missing in action, was murdered and eaten over a period of two weeks by his fellow serviceperson known as Brelok.

Later, Brelok himself was also found dead.

“They say he was killed in action. Well, he ate his buddy, so… just something to think about,” the commander remarked in the intercepted exchange.

Both soldiers served in the 52nd Separate Reconnaissance Battalion of Russia’s 68th Division, operating near the villages of Zapadne and Lyman Pershyi in Ukraine’s Kupiansk sector.

Ukraine’s intelligence services described the incident as more than an isolated atrocity. It’s a symbol of moral and psychological disintegration within the Russian army.

“Cannibalism is yet another sign of the deep moral and psychological collapse of Russia’s occupation forces. These troops have lost even the most basic respect for human life, including their own,” the HUR states. 

This incident, grim as it is, reflects a wider pattern of escalating chaos, trauma, and degradation in Russian units facing mounting losses, isolation, and lack of leadership on the front lines.

Mariupol residents line up with “HOMELESS BUMS” signs, begging Vladimir Putin for help on camera. Three years after Russia “liberated” their city.

The irony cuts deep. Russian propagandists claimed they brought liberation to Mariupol when they seized the southeastern Ukrainian city in May 2022 after a devastating three-month siege. More than 8,000 civilians died in the bombardment, according to Human Rights Watch, though the real figure is likely much higher.

Russia achieved its “objective” and returned what “belongs to them,” as propagandists love to emphasize. But the survivors now accuse their liberators of theft.

Russian TV cameras focus on newly erected apartment buildings, presenting an image of normalcy. Zoom out, and the broader picture reveals the burnt and bombed schools, hospitals, and homes that surround these showcase developments—a city of ruins with fresh paint on select corners.

This angle on Mariupol would not show President Putin in favorable light, the hardened leader of Russia for over 20 years, so the Russians are fed with pompous news of renovations, reconstructions and opportunities.

The residents who survived the siege tell a different story. In video after video, they hold signs reading “HOMELESS BUMS” and “RETURN OUR HOMES,” accusing Russian authorities of seizing their properties and transferring valuable land to Russian developers at prices locals cannot afford.

Property rights vanish as occupation authorities declare homes “ownerless” and transfer them to state control for resale to newly-arriving Russians. The very people Russia claimed to liberate now beg their liberators to stop stealing from them.

Russian independent news agency Astra spoke to residents who feel betrayed and abandoned by a government that ignores their complaints. These are their stories.

Russia simply ignores appeals for justice

The most recent video appeals coincided with the so-called “birthday” of the “DNR,” a Russian puppet state, on 11 May, when Mariupol residents voiced their frustration, stating they have no “festive mood” as the occupying authorities continue to seize their homes and property and focus on building mortgage housing for incoming Russians.

“To our great regret, the residents of Mariupol have found themselves in the role of the captured and enslaved,” one local woman emphasized in a video appeal.

The woman stated that the “DNR” Constitution was written with reference to the Constitution of Russia, however, it also includes a lot of regulations, decrees and other bylaws that “not only contradict both Constitutions but grossly violate them.”

“The ‘DNR’ authorities have taken away and continue to take away our apartments and houses. Almost all small businesses have been raided. Multiple appeals to law enforcement agencies have not yielded any results,” she added.

Residents of two apartment buildings on Kuprina Street addressed the Russian parliament directly, declaring: “Over the past three years, everything that has happened in Mariupol is a raider seizure of our property.”

Desperate for solutions, residents have organized protests, filed lawsuits, and submitted collective appeals to various Russian officials. According to Astra, 453 people signed one appeal to Alexander Bastrykin, head of Russia’s Investigative Committee. Residents went even to the extreme measures writing to Russian President, Prime Minister and Human Rights Commissioner — all to no avail.

According to Radio Liberty Ukraine, such appeals are recorded several times a month, but Russian authorities and state media consistently ignore them. When seeking assistance from Russian officials, one woman was reportedly told:

“Russian Federation laws don’t apply to you, you have DNR laws. Go to Kyiv and make your claims there. Russia doesn’t owe you anything.”

The reality of life in the puppet republic seems less idyllic than propaganda portrays. People in the freshly seized areas live in an unrecognized state, overseen and supported by Russia but not fully integrated into the country, while they remain legally part of Ukraine.

Your house survives bombing. Bureaucracy finishes the job.

The systematic appropriation of property operates through multiple interconnected legal mechanisms designed to ensure displacement appears administrative rather than punitive.

The foundation was laid immediately after occupation when, on 8 July 2022, authorities declared invalid all real estate documents issued by Ukrainian notaries and government offices between 11 May 2014 and 19 February 2022. This single decree stripped property rights from anyone who had purchased, inherited, or transferred property during Ukraine’s period of control — essentially invalidating eight years of legal ownership.

A resident from Uzbekistan told Radio Liberty Ukraine how this affected her family:

“My husband and I bought a house in 2015, and we also ended up without a house, according to their laws. Not only can we not get there with our Ukrainian passports, but because the house was purchased in 2015, this agreement is now considered invalid.”

Building on this foundation, occupation authorities compile lists of properties they designate as “ownerless” and publish them publicly.

From that moment, property owners have exactly 30 days to appear in person at the local administration, prove they are alive, and demonstrate continued ownership of their homes. Miss that window, and the property transfers permanently to municipal control through what authorities term “nationalization.”

The catch: these apartments aren’t actually ownerless. Their owners are Ukrainian citizens who fled the war or heirs of deceased Mariupol residents—people who cannot safely return.

The scale reveals the system’s true purpose. At the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, “DNR Prime Minister” Evgeny Solntsev boasted of identifying “20-30 thousand ownerless apartments and private houses” in Mariupol alone. This represents a staggering portion of the city’s housing stock, considering only about a quarter of the original 425,000 residents remains.

“Our land has somehow passed into municipal ownership,” one resident told Astra. “Our Azovstalskaya street was renamed to ‘Tulsky Avenue,’ without considering the opinion of Mariupol residents, thus leaving us without registration, as well as opening the road for themselves for mortgage construction on the site of our demolished houses!”

This manipulation serves a dual purpose: it provides legal cover for property seizures while creating additional barriers for any future attempts to reclaim homes. When the fundamental identifying information for a property changes, proving historical ownership becomes exponentially more difficult.

To keep your home, risk your life—and you have 30 days

The 30-day requirement might seem reasonable until examining the barriers preventing compliance. For displaced residents, returning to Mariupol requires an arduous journey through Moscow, where Russian security services conduct what one former resident described as “the harshest filtration”—intensive questioning combined with thorough examination of social media accounts and personal histories, with demands to obtain a Russian passport on top of it all. Any pro-Ukrainian content means jail.

Elena Popova, a former English teacher now living in Britain, explained the impossibility of her situation: “My entire social media feed is patriotic, anti-Putin, and I have no chance.”

She had tried to protect her two-room apartment in the Primorsky district by arranging an electronic power of attorney through the Russian Embassy in London, paying 220 pounds sterling ($297), but the re-registration process remains incomplete and she cannot safely return.

Even for those without obvious political content, the journey carries enormous risks and costs approximately 450 euros per person—nearly 2,000 euros for a family of four. For people who were left with nothing due to the war, such expenses are prohibitive.

The bureaucratic maze deepens with document requirements. Since 16 October 2022, Russian registration authorities stopped accepting applications from residents holding Ukrainian passports. More recently, since mid-April 2025, authorities began rejecting power of attorney arrangements, demanding only personal presence of property owners. This effectively eliminates any possibility for displaced residents to maintain their property rights through representatives.

The “ownerless” system was already comprehensive, but the self-proclaimed chairman of the pro-Russian “Donetsk People’s Republic” Denis Pushilin proposed expanding it further through Law No. 141. This legislation would allow authorities to confiscate properties from people who obtained Russian citizenship and housing documents but currently reside in any of the 47 nations on Russia’s “unfriendly” list, including Ukraine itself.

This expansion would affect an estimated 100,000 Mariupol residents currently living abroad, plus similar numbers residing in Ukrainian-controlled territories. The proposed law represents a significant escalation because it would strip property rights from people who actually complied with occupation authorities’ requirements but made the “mistake” of living in the wrong countries.

As displaced residents noted in their collective appeals to Russian authorities, “most of this housing is not ownerless. People simply cannot return to Mariupol now for objective reasons. Some due to health reasons, some due to lack of finances.” Many elderly residents “are simply unable to overcome the journey, which now, taking into account downtime and checks at borders, on average takes about 5 days in a sitting position.”

Prime real estate, perfect for seizure

The pattern of property seizures also reveals strategic geographic targeting. Authorities particularly focus on the prestigious Primorsky district, near the sea and parks, where “there were always expensive apartments.” These prime locations offer the greatest potential for profitable redevelopment, suggesting economic rather than administrative motivations behind the “ownerless” designations.

The “House with Clocks,” a Stalin-era building considered a Mariupol landmark, exemplifies the situation. Tatyana, the former head of the building’s board, shared that the structure was damaged on 16 March 2022—the same day a Russian bomb destroyed the Mariupol Drama Theater.

Despite Tatyana’s efforts to preserve the building, which she argued had minimal structural damage, it was demolished and replaced with a new seven-story complex. By early 2024, all apartments had been sold—none to original residents.

“[Local authorities] said not to panic, to wait – ‘and you will get an apartment in the same place,'” Tatyana explained to Astra. “But as a result, they tell us that since the house was demolished, we’ve lost our property rights.”

She noted with particular bitterness that the historically significant building “was built by German prisoners as a symbol of victory over fascism” and represented cultural heritage now lost. Russia meanwhile claims it fights “fascism” in Ukraine.

Similar forced demolitions occurred throughout the city, often with explicit threats. Residents of apartment building #77 on Metallurgov Avenue reported being forcibly evicted after their partially repaired building was suddenly slated for demolition in April 2023, despite earlier restoration work and promises it would be repaired.

“They didn’t show any documentation—the developer just needed the land for mortgage construction. People were thrown out,” resident Anna told Astra. She claims residents were threatened with the words: “If you don’t move out, we’ll demolish the house with you in it.”

War compensation designed to price out locals

Occupation authorities frame these seizures as necessary administrative measures, claiming they’re simply managing genuinely abandoned properties. However, the evidence suggests a deliberate strategy to permanently alter Mariupol’s demographic composition.

Russians paint a beautiful picture of offering monetary compensation for people affected by the war, however the mechanism is designed in a way to permanently price out original residents while subsidizing luxury housing for Russian buyers.

Residents whose homes were destroyed receive 45,000 rubles ($574) per square meter, with a maximum allocation of 33 square meters per person—yielding roughly 1.4 million rubles total ($17 862). This figure might sound substantial until compared to the cost of replacement housing in the same locations.

New apartments built on the sites of destroyed homes start at 5 million rubles ($63 795) for a one-room unit, while two-room apartments cost 8.5 million rubles ($108 451). The mortgage down payment alone requires 3 million rubles ($38 277)—more than double the maximum compensation any resident can receive.

Anna, who lost her three-room apartment, illustrates this cruel arithmetic. Despite having invested $30,000 in renovations before the war, because only her husband was registered at the address, the family receives compensation for one person—1.5 million rubles.

“What can we buy with that? A doghouse? In our house, a square meter costs 100-130 thousand. A two-room apartment costs 9 million rubles,” she said.

Maxim, a former worker at the Ilyich Plant, expressed similar frustration: “A one-room apartment will cost around 5 million. And they’re offering us 1.3 million. Is this compensation for my three-room apartment? This is mockery.”

The compensation gap becomes even more insurmountable when considering local earning capacity. Official salaries in Mariupol range from 20,000 to 22,000 rubles monthly—barely enough for basic survival, let alone mortgage payments on million-ruble properties. Maxim’s salary at the plant was 21,000 rubles, typical for the few jobs available to locals.

The mortgage system itself creates additional barriers, as banks require substantial monthly incomes to qualify for loans, but local salaries make such qualifications impossible. Moreover, “in Mariupol there’s hardly any work. They don’t hire locals for construction,” residents report, excluding them from employment in rebuilding their own city.

“It would be better if they [the Russians] finished us off completely, so we wouldn’t have to see and feel how they turned us into rightless homeless people,” one resident commented in despair.

Housing built for Russians, not locals

While local residents struggle with inadequate compensation, evidence suggests the new housing targets a very different demographic—Russians from other regions who are promised administrative jobs and move to occupied territories for benefits and social advancement.

The “Leningrad Quarter” residential complex, built on the site of demolished homes, markets itself with a website translated into English, Georgian, and Latvian—languages irrelevant to displaced Mariupol residents but useful for attracting international Russian buyers.

“Our housing is listed on many Russian websites—both in St. Petersburg and in other cities. Apparently, Russians are buying,” observed Olha, whose building was demolished for the development. Properties throughout the new Mariupol appear on real estate platforms across Russia, suggesting a coordinated effort to attract outside buyers.

The financial infrastructure supports this interpretation. Promsvyazbank, the primary lender for Mariupol reconstruction, has issued over 200 loans totaling $12.7 million for apartment purchases in the city. However, these “preferential mortgages” remain priced far above local affordability while being attractive to Russian buyers with higher incomes.

This system creates a perverse economic cycle: the more valuable the destroyed property, the greater the profit potential. Consequently, authorities have focused new development on the most desirable locations—beachfront areas, the historic city center, and neighborhoods with sea views. Original residents from these prime locations face the largest gaps between compensation and replacement costs.

One resident bitterly said the compensation “can buy perhaps only a doghouse or a place in the cemetery.”

When local residents do receive replacement housing, they’re systematically relocated away from valuable areas. Those lucky enough to obtain new apartments through waiting lists receive them “on the outskirts” rather than in their original neighborhoods. The economic mechanism thus achieves geographic segregation without explicitly discriminatory policies.

In the aforementioned House with Clocks near the beach that was demolished and replaced with a seven-story complex marketed as luxury housing, all apartments had been sold—none to former residents of the original building. The new development’s website promotes its proximity to the Drama Theater and describes the “majestic style of Stalinist architecture” while pricing units far beyond local reach.

Oksana’s tragedy compounds the housing crisis with personal loss. She lost both her husband and home during the Russian invasion, and as the property owner was her deceased husband, she still cannot obtain inheritance rights to apply for compensation. Now alone with four children, she faces eviction from a rented house that was recently sold.  The occupying authorities offered her a place in a dormitory instead.

“The dormitory offered by the administration doesn’t have conditions for three children of different genders and an infant. And renting an apartment is very expensive, I don’t have such funds!” she said.

“Mariupol has fallen into a terrible fairy tale”

The systematic displacement of Mariupol residents through property seizures represents more than wartime destruction—it constitutes a deliberate demographic transformation disguised as administrative necessity.

The process is not just about property; it is part of a broader strategy to “Russify” Mariupol and other occupied areas. This includes pressuring Ukrainians to accept Russian passports, renaming streets, building new military facilities, and replacing the local population with individuals loyal to Russia. The confiscation of property is also accompanied by widespread reports of corruption, fraud, and profiteering.

However, what happens in Mariupol matters far beyond Ukraine’s borders.

This property seizure system creates a replicable blueprint for any future territorial occupation. The mechanisms—declaring documents invalid, imposing impossible compliance requirements, targeting prime real estate, pricing out locals through inadequate compensation—can be deployed anywhere. International observers are watching whether this systematic theft faces consequences or becomes a normalized tool of territorial conquest.

The pattern also reveals how modern occupations operate through bureaucratic warfare rather than explicit ethnic cleansing. By creating administrative barriers instead of outright prohibitions, occupying forces can claim legitimacy while achieving the same demographic outcomes that would trigger international intervention if implemented through direct force.

These appeals for justice continue despite systematic official indifference. Most recently, residents of the destroyed building at 101 Nakhimov Avenue recorded yet another video appeal, accusing local authorities of arbitrariness and deliberate ignorance of their rights.

According to the former residents, there was not enough space in the new building constructed on the site of their old home for all displaced owners.

“It seems that city officials erased this house from the face of the earth along with the apartment owners,” they stated in their video.

The displaced residents claim that the decision to transfer the site to developers was made behind closed doors, without genuine consideration of property owners’ opinions, leaving them “still wandering from apartment to apartment” while officials have already reported successful “resettlement”—essentially erasing them from all programs and lists as if the problem were solved. They have filed official complaints with the prosecutor’s office and demand construction be frozen until their rights are restored.

Meanwhile, their properties enrich Russian developers and new settlers in a city that bears their name but no longer welcomes their presence.

“Mariupol has fallen into a terrible fairy tale where there are no laws, no country, only a gang of thieves that squeezes even the last ruins from the dispossessed,” commented Mariupol resident who survived the siege and remains in the city.

The world lines up for Patriot air defense systems. Euractiv reports that the demand for the systems has reached historic levels, pushing American defense giant Raytheon, the world’s second-largest arms manufacturer, to significantly increase its European production.

In recent years, orders for Patriot systems have surged as European countries strengthen their defenses and replenish platforms sent to Ukraine. In response, Raytheon is exploring deeper industrial partnerships within the EU to meet demand.

Ukraine strikes first at Russian launchers which carry 800-kg explosive missiles prepared to hit Kyiv after Operation Spiderweb

This means the producer could double its Patriot missile production by 2028 or 2030. 

Despite some European discussions around moving away from US-made defense products, the Patriot system remains unrivaled in popularity. Recent large-scale orders from countries like Germany and Switzerland are contributing to delivery queues stretching years ahead.

European customers have already placed orders for over 1,000 additional Patriot interceptor missiles. Raytheon currently operates Patriot maintenance centers in Europe and co-produces NASAMS air defense systems with Norwegian defense firm Kongsberg.

However, the production boom isn’t without obstacles. Raytheon faces challenges sourcing critical components, especially for the GEM-T variant of Patriot missiles and their warheads.

Still, the company has resumed production of Stinger anti-tank systems due to overwhelming demand, and will continue even as a new short-range missile, NGSRI, enters service.

Raytheon is also eyeing long-term business opportunities in Ukraine, where officials are seeking faster deliveries and exploring joint production ventures with the US defense company.

The key question in negotiations remains how to get systems to Ukraine as quickly as possible.

Thousands of Russian suicide drones advance. Russian Shahed drone attacks have intensified in recent weeks, with Moscow increasing both the volume and changing tactics of its aerial assaults, making Ukraine’s defense more challenging, reports Defense Express.

Russian strikes are now more concentrated, with Shahed drones flying at higher altitudes, beyond the reach of conventional small arms fire. Additionally, Russia has ramped up production of Shahed drones to about 2,700 units per month. Decoy drones have become almost indistinguishable from combat ones.

Ukrainian air-defense drones have already proven effective against Russian unmanned aerial vehicles, which conduct reconnaissance. Ukraine can produce these drones en masse—they are significantly cheaper than Shaheds, which cost around $193,000 each, though more expensive than typical FPV drones.

Analysts emphasize that air-defense drones require upgrades to better counter Shaheds: installing night-vision cameras and new control systems to reduce operator skill dependence.

Improving targeting systems is critical, potentially using radio-command guidance, semi-active lasers, acoustic sensors, or visual detection.

Challenges remain around activation time, flight duration, speed, altitude, and weather conditions, as Shaheds can attack even in rain, snow, or fog.

A key advancement is shifting to a remote, rather than contact-based, target destruction system.

As a result, upgraded Shahed interceptors will be more complex and costly than FPV drones but remain far more affordable than traditional surface-to-air missiles.

Read also: 

• Three Ukrainian companies make top 100 list of unmanned systems innovators
• How to annihilate 500 drones in one night when gunpowder runs low — Ukraine finds revolutionary way

Ukrainian companies are among the world’s top 100 in drone development. Analysts from The Defense Post have published a list of the top 100 global companies specializing in drone development for air, land, and sea applications.

Ukrainian companies TAF Drones, Ukrspecsystems, and Airlogix made the list, highlighting Ukraine’s innovation, influence, and leadership in the global defense industry.

The Defense Post described this list as a distinctive recognition based on an independent evaluation of unmanned systems manufacturers, taking into account revenue, research and development investments, growth dynamics, and technological prospects.

Importantly, the ranking excludes companies with more than 50% state ownership, as well as those connected to the Russian government or subject to sanctions, Militarnyi reports.

Among the leaders is the Turkish company Aselsan, owned by the Turkish Armed Forces fund but operating with high independence in drone development and international trade.

Ukrainian company TAF Drones ranked 22nd. It specializes in FPV drones, reconnaissance UAVs, and electronic warfare systems. In 2024, it planned to produce 350,000 drones.

Ukrspecsystems, a manufacturer of military drones and electronics, took the 65th position.

Airlogix ranked 84th with its unmanned aviation system, HOR, designed for reconnaissance and artillery spotting. The UAV flies for 2–2.5 hours, has a range of 150 km, and supports communication at distances of 30–40 km.

On 18 June, the Argentine government publicly accused five Russian nationals residing in the country of being involved in a covert influence operation directed by Moscow. Officials claim the group was part of a broader strategy orchestrated by the Kremlin to sway public opinion abroad, La Nación reported.

Suspicious activities traced to Russian citizens linked to Moscow

Argentina’s Presidential spokesperson Manuel Adorni announced that the Secretariat of State Intelligence (SIDE) had uncovered a group of Russian citizens living in Argentina suspected of conducting activities in support of Russia’s geopolitical interests. He stated that their work involved close coordination with Argentine collaborators.

According to the report, these individuals belonged to an entity known as La Compañía, which he described as connected to the Russian government. He associated this group with Lakhta – the infamous Russian “troll factory,” a previously known operation reportedly led by the late oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin, who died in August 2023 after his failed mutiny against the Russian government.

Disinformation campaigns targeting Argentine public discourse

Adorni elaborated that the goal of La Compañía was to “form a group of people loyal to Russian interests” to implement disinformation and influence operations aimed at the Argentine state. The activities included producing and spreading online content, influencing local NGOs, conducting focus groups with Argentine citizens, and collecting political information deemed useful to Russia.

He named Lev Konstantinovich (Konstantinovich is a patronymic and hardly ever a last name. Other sources mention his surname as Andriashvili. – Ed.), a Russian citizen living in Argentina, as the individual in charge of financing the project and fostering ties with local collaborators. His wife, Irina Iakovenko, was also mentioned as part of the network.

Adorni did not clarify whether the identified individuals had been arrested or remained in Argentina at the time of the announcement.

A major scandal is unfolding within the Ukrainian government. Under normal circumstances, it might be framed as a political crisis — but amid martial law and suspended elections, politics in Ukraine has largely ground to a halt. What remains is power without electoral accountability.

At the center of the growing controversy is Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for National Unity Oleksiy Chernyshov, who has been abroad for over a week and has yet to return. His absence coincides with a widening criminal investigation that has already ensnared several of his former subordinates.

Journalist raises alarm over Chernyshov’s disappearance

Mykhailo Tkach, an investigative journalist with Ukrainska Pravda, was the first to draw public attention to Chernyshov’s absence. His reporting has tracked a network of arrests involving individuals who previously worked under Chernyshov — first in government, then at Naftogaz, Ukraine’s powerful state-owned oil and gas company.

“NABU and SAPO have detained two of Chernyshov’s close associates — Maksym Horbatiuk and Vasyl Volodin. Both worked with him in the Ministry and later at Naftogaz. Horbatiuk was detained at the border as he attempted to go on vacation. Chernyshov remains abroad, reportedly on an official trip,” Tkach reported.

What are NABU and SAPO?

The investigation is being led by two key Ukrainian anti-corruption bodies:

• NABU (National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine) is an independent law enforcement agency responsible for investigating high-level corruption among state officials and public institutions.
• SAPO (Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office) works alongside NABU, overseeing legal procedures and prosecutions related to their investigations.

Together, these agencies form the backbone of Ukraine’s efforts to combat elite corruption — a mission made even more urgent during wartime, when oversight is weakened.

What is Naftogaz?

Naftogaz of Ukraine is the country’s largest and most strategically important state-owned enterprise. It manages the production, transport, and distribution of oil and natural gas, and plays a central role in Ukraine’s economy and national security — especially amid wartime infrastructure attacks and energy shortages.

Chernyshov was appointed CEO of Naftogaz in November 2022, and later took on an additional cabinet role in government.

A new ministry with familiar faces

In December 2024, Ukraine created the Ministry of National Unity by reorganizing the Ministry for Reintegration of Temporarily Occupied Territories. Chernyshov was appointed to lead it while retaining his position at Naftogaz.

Although rebranded, the ministry retained much of its original staff and leadership — including individuals now under investigation.

The Ministry’s formal mandate includes overseeing the rights and support of over 700,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) and 7 million Ukrainian refugees. In practice, however, its activities remain vague and poorly documented.

“Some MPs now joke that Chernyshov has become an IDP himself — one of the very people his ministry is supposed to help. Others note that the man tasked with encouraging Ukrainians to return appears reluctant to return himself,” Tkach observed.

High-level arrests and a multi-million dollar construction scheme

On 13 June, NABU and SAPO revealed a large-scale corruption scheme in the construction sector, allegedly involving officials closely associated with Chernyshov.

The charges include:

• Abuse of official position
• Receiving and facilitating large-scale bribes
• Deliberate undervaluation of state-owned assets during wartime.

Kyiv land deals and massive state losses

Prosecutors allege that:

• A developer, in coordination with ministry insiders, illegally acquired land in Kyiv for a residential development.
• Senior officials ensured the land was transferred to a state enterprise under their influence.
• That enterprise signed investment contracts with a pre-approved construction company.
• The value of the land and existing buildings was intentionally underestimated by nearly five times, dramatically reducing the share of housing the state would receive.

As a result, the state stood to lose over ₴1 billion — equivalent to approximately $25 million— in public assets.

“To reward their role in the scheme, top officials and their associates allegedly received significant discounts on apartments in newly built complexes,” prosecutors stated.

Officials travel freely, while ordinary men are barred

The scandal has reignited public anger over Ukraine’s wartime travel restrictions. Ukrainian men aged 18 to 60 are banned from leaving the country under martial law, except in rare cases. In contrast, high-ranking officials — even those under investigation — can travel freely, often citing “official duties.”

The Ministry of National Unity told Suspilne that Chernyshov is on a planned EU business trip, and that it is proceeding “in normal working mode.” His meetings, they said, are being documented on his official social media pages.

Timed departures raise suspicions

Soon after Chernyshov left Ukraine, Maksym Horbatiuk, a longtime associate, tried to cross into Poland and was detained. He had previously served as an unpaid adviser in Chernyshov’s ministry and later became a commercial director at a Naftogaz subsidiary.

Another former aide, Vasyl Volodin, was also arrested. He had served as State Secretary during Chernyshov’s ministry tenure and was later appointed to the Naftogaz board.

Authorities reportedly acted quickly out of concern the men would flee or destroy evidence. Their arrests appear to have been both urgent and strategic.

“The timing suggests law enforcement acted quickly, once Chernyshov was out of the country. From abroad, he is reportedly watching anti-corruption court hearings about his former subordinates — and likely hearing a lot about himself,” Tkach wrote.

Key questions remain unanswered

Was Chernyshov tipped off before his departure?
Was Horbatiuk fleeing or simply vacationing?
Would Volodin have escaped if not detained?

These questions remain unanswered — but the timing, proximity of roles, and overlapping appointments suggest a tightly knit circle of influence that is now unraveling under pressure.

Update

On 21 June, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal told parliament that he had authorized Chernyshov’s foreign trip through the end of the week (June 16–22). The statement came during a government Q&A session in the Verkhovna Rada.

A dramatic UN vote back on 24 February exposed a widening rift between the United States and Europe over Russia’s war in Ukraine, with US President Donald Trump aligning with Moscow and leaving key allies blindsided, according to Le Monde columnist Sylvie Kauffmann. 

A decade of hesitation: From Crimea to full-scale war

According to the Le Monde article, the fracture did not begin with Trump. In 2014, during Russia’s seizure of Crimea, then-President Barack Obama reportedly sent a message to Kyiv discouraging resistance, offering no military support. Ukrainian soldiers surrendered without a fight. In 2023, Obama defended his actions, arguing that Crimea’s Russian-speaking majority made a different response impractical. 

In 2022, President Joe Biden attempted to prevent a full-scale invasion, sending warnings to both European allies and Ukraine. Vice President Kamala Harris privately warned Zelenskyy at the Munich Security Conference on 19 February. According to Bob Woodward’s 2024 book War, Zelenskyy responded with frustration: “If I acknowledge it… will you impose sanctions?” Harris said punishment would come only after the crime.

Trump’s return and the clash at the UN

With Trump back in office in January 2025, the United States took a starkly different stance. On 21 February, US chargé d’affaires Dorothy Shea informed French and British ambassadors that the US was asking Ukraine to withdraw its draft UN resolution condemning Russian aggression. Instead, the US proposed its own resolution focused on “peace rather than war.” Shea confirmed that this had been discussed with Russia in advance.

Biden, Obama, Trump: Different presidents, same Russian reset trap

The reaction from European diplomats was one of betrayal. In crisis talks, they rallied to defend Ukraine’s draft and split responsibilities: Britain would lead at the Security Council, France at the General Assembly. The French introduced amendments emphasizing territorial integrity—rejected by the US—but Ukraine’s version passed, while the US abstained on its own resolution. 

At the Security Council, the US voted alongside Russia and China. The five European members abstained. 

Zelenskyy ambushed in Washington

On 28 February, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy faced a confrontational meeting with Trump and Vice President JD Vance. According to European sources cited by Le Monde, the exchange was heated, with Trump accusing Ukraine of starting the war and calling Zelenskyy a dictator. Days earlier, Macron and Starmer had met Trump with the aim of calming tensions.

Biden’s regrets and limits

Despite his support for military aid to Ukraine post-2022, Biden was reportedly frustrated with the Obama administration’s failures. “They f**cked up in 2014,” he told a friend, as cited in Woodward’s book. Yet even Biden was constrained.

According to an official cited by Le Monde, Biden’s fear of nuclear escalation led advisors to avoid presenting options that might provoke Russia. This hesitation disheartened Ukrainian officials and alienated committed Europeans. 

Biden calls Trump’s Ukraine policy modern-day appeasement of Russia

The transatlantic “divorce” finalized

Le Monde says that the 24 February 2025 UN vote “sealed the divorce” of the US and Europe. From Obama’s caution, to Biden’s hesitations, to Trump’s overt realignment with Russia, Ukraine has been left to Europe. The US no longer sees Ukraine as vital, while Europe faces an existential threat. A new era in Western diplomacy has begun—and it may be one without America.

Russian President Vladimir Putin continues to pursue a long-term strategy of grinding attritional warfare in Ukraine, according to a 19 June assessment by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW). Speaking at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), Putin reiterated claims of Russian advances along the entire frontline and warned of worsening terms if Ukraine rejects Russian “peace” proposals. “The West has failed to convince Russian President Vladimir Putin to reevaluate his theory of victory in Ukraine in the past year,” ISW says.

During a session with foreign journalists at SPIEF on 19 June, Putin stated that Russian troops have a “strategic advantage” and are “still advancing” daily, even if progress is slower on some days. He contrasted the current situation with the March 2022 Istanbul peace talks, arguing that Russia’s demands have since grown stronger. Putin warned that Ukraine’s refusal to negotiate on Russia’s terms could lead to more severe consequences.

ISW: Putin’s economic forum now a tool to spread wartime optimism

He claimed that Russia remains prepared to achieve its objectives through military force if diplomacy fails.

ISW highlights strategic assumptions and risks

ISW assessed that Putin’s strategy hinges on the belief that Ukrainian forces will fail to regain lost ground and that Russian manpower and materiel advantages will outlast Ukraine’s resources and Western support. However, ISW notes that Russia is incurring disproportionately high losses for marginal gains, calling such a strategy unsustainable in the medium to long term.

Economic challenges and defense industry limitations are likely to impede Moscow’s ability to continue the war indefinitely. While higher oil revenues from rising prices — partly due to Israeli strikes against Iran — may help fund the war, this benefit is conditional on global oil trends and potential sanctions.

Putin adapts reflexive control campaign

ISW observed that Putin used the SPIEF platform to escalate Russia’s reflexive control campaign aimed at deterring Western military aid and NATO rearmament. He argued that NATO poses no real threat to Russia and claimed that Russia is capable of managing all potential dangers. Nevertheless, he warned that Germany’s potential delivery of Taurus missiles to Ukraine would damage bilateral ties — a marked shift from earlier Kremlin assertions that Western weapons would have no battlefield impact.

Putin also claimed that the idea of Russia planning to attack NATO were “nonsense,” despite recent Russian threats targeting the Baltic States and Finland.

Threats to supply adversaries and shift narrative

At SPIEF, Putin warned that Russia might begin supplying long-range weapons to unspecified Western enemies if Ukraine uses Western-supplied arms to strike Russian territory — a direct threat not present in his latest 2025 comments but previously made in June 2024. ISW notes that this reflects the Kremlin’s evolving messaging, adapted for different audiences.

Putin again attacks Zelenskyy’s legitimacy

Putin declared on 19 June that he would not sign any peace agreement with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, repeating the false claim that Zelenskyy’s term has expired without legal basis for extension. He stated that Russia will only sign agreements with “legitimate” authorities, and further alleged that if the president is illegitimate, then so is the entire Ukrainian government. These claims contradict Ukrainian law, which allows for martial law to delay elections while national security is threatened.

Kremlin doubles down on old narratives

According to ISW, Putin used his appearance with Western journalists to recycle standard Kremlin narratives — including blaming the West for starting the war and violating the Minsk agreements. Kremlin spokesman Peskov said on 18 June that Putin sought to “accurately” present Russia’s viewpoint to international audiences. ISW assessed that this outreach aims to influence ongoing Western debates on future military aid to Ukraine.

Today, there are interesting updates from the Middle East. Here, in a war Tehran once promised would reshape the region, the only thing reshaped is Iran’s own military, flattened, blinded, and humiliated in a matter of days.

Israeli F-35s own the skies above Tehran

In the opening hours of the Israeli operation against Iran, it became immediately clear that Iran’s air defense network was utterly insufficient to repel an attack from a modern and well-prepared adversary.

Iran’s regime claimed to have downed four such jets, yet the evidence provided was quickly debunked as embarrassingly obvious Photoshop manipulations. In reality, Israeli aircraft rapidly dominated western Iranian airspace, freely operating even over Tehran itself, an unprecedented humiliation.

The Iranian Air Force was also quickly neutralized with Israeli planes striking Iranian jets directly on their runways and systematically targeting radar installations, leaving Iran’s air force unable to respond or put up resistance against Israeli airpower.

Scorched before fired

Following this crippling operation, Iran attempted to retaliate with ballistic missiles.

However, even this modest success was short-lived. On the second day of the operation, Israeli aircraft rapidly identified and destroyed approximately one-third of Iran’s missile launchers, dramatically reducing the volume of subsequent missile attacks.

Iran’s missile arsenal is buried in two days

Further worsening Iran’s trouble, Israel took swift and decisive action to neutralize Iran’s vaunted underground missile stockpiles.

Consequently, despite the vast stores of missiles presumably remaining intact underground, Iran now lacks timely access to these weapons, rendering them irrelevant to the current conflict.

Iran’s drones meet the Iron Dome wall

Iran’s widely touted Shahed drones, famous for their use by Russia against Ukraine, proved astonishingly ineffective against Israeli defenses.

Israel’s dense and layered air defense network, featuring the Iron Dome supplemented by advanced missile defenses, fighter cover, and helicopter support, intercepted these drones with ease.

Moreover, American and Jordanian support further bolstered Israeli defenses. Israeli electronic warfare experts had previously studied Shahed drones extensively, even deploying to Ukraine for hands-on experience in 2023. As a result, Iranian drone assaults were swiftly neutralized long before even reaching Israel.

20 Iranian generals gone before sunrise

The Israeli operation also delivered a devastating blow to Iranian military leadership: over 20 high-ranking commanders, including senior officers of the Iranian armed forces and the elite Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, were killed within the first hours.

Israel then meticulously targeted and eliminated their replacements as soon as they were appointed, paralyzing Iran’s ability to respond effectively.

Iran’s regime teeters between collapse and surrender

Facing catastrophic losses and a rapidly deteriorating strategic position, Iran’s regime quickly spiraled into panic mode.

Tehran’s statements that they are ready to stop the attacks after Israel stops indicate not just willingness but a call to resume negotiations, proposing a mutual ceasefire.

Tehran’s leaders recognize that while escalating further might inflict limited additional damage upon Israel, it would also prompt devastating counterstrikes capable of collapsing their regime.

Tehran fights to avoid its fall

Yet, the regime must also demonstrate some military resolve domestically, or risk losing its internal legitimacy entirely, a scenario equally threatening to its grip on power.

The US initially signaled openness to renewed diplomacy, but President Trump subsequently hardened his stance, explicitly rejecting any further negotiations with Iran.

In our regular frontline report, we pair up with the military blogger Reporting from Ukraine to keep you informed about what is happening on the battlefield in the Russo-Ukrainian war.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned that Russia’s alignment with Iran, including its public defense of Tehran’s government and nuclear ambitions, highlights the urgent need for tougher global sanctions against Moscow.

Zelenskyy links Russia-Iran ties to global inaction

In his evening video address on 19 June, Zelenskyy described the aftermath of a recent Russian deadly missile strike that destroyed a residential apartment block’s section in Kyiv.

“The missile went through every floor, all the way down to the basement,” he said, adding that 23 civilians were killed and rescue operations lasted nearly 40 hours.

In total, Russia’s 17 June air attack, referred to by Zelenskyy, killed 30 people died and injured 172 across Ukraine.

“Deliberate terror”

Zelenskyy emphasized that the strike had no military objective and called it “deliberate terror.” He linked this kind of violence to previous Russia’s aggression in places like Chechnya and Syria.

“The same thing Russia’s army under Putin has done everywhere, from Chechnya to Syria. This is the only thing Putin and his Russia truly know how to do well – kill and destroy,” he said.

The Ukrainian President denounced not just the attack, but what he described as Moscow’s growing alignment with aggressive regimes like Iran and North Korea.

Russia’s alliances with Iran and North Korea draw fire

Zelenskyy accused Moscow of trying to “save Iran’s nuclear program,” claiming there could be “no other possible explanation” for recent Russian actions and statements. He argued that when one of Russia’s partners loses the ability to “export war,” Moscow suffers and intervenes. He condemned this behavior as “cynicism at its worst” and warned that “aggressive regimes must not be allowed to unite and become partners.”

He cited the use of Iranian-designed Shahed drones and North Korean missiles as evidence of Russia’s reliance on authoritarian allies.

“It is a clear sign that global solidarity and global pressure are not strong enough,” Zelenskyy said.

Call for stronger international response

The Ukrainian leader called for significantly tougher sanctions on Moscow and increased cooperation, particularly in technology, among countries “defending life.”

He referred to recent agreements at the G7 summit in Canada and upcoming discussions within the “Coalition of the Willing” as avenues to deepen such collaboration.

The Dutch House of Representatives voted on 19 June to recognize the 1944 Soviet deportation of Crimean Tatars as genocide, according to the parliament’s press service.

The motion stated that “various countries have recognized the mass expulsion of Crimean Tatars in 1944 by the Soviet Union as genocide.” The House declared the 1944 mass deportation of Crimean Tatars meets modern standards for genocide classification.

The parliamentary document also addressed contemporary persecution. Since Russia’s 2014 occupation of Crimea, “many Crimean Tatars have been unjustifiably imprisoned, subjected to torture by the Russian Federation, or have disappeared,” the motion noted. It concluded that “Russia has most likely continued the policy of genocide against Crimean Tatars.”

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha thanked the Dutch parliament for the decision. “This is a powerful gesture of solidarity with the Crimean Tatar people, who continue to face persecution during Russia’s temporary occupation of Ukrainian Crimea,” Sybiha wrote.

The minister identified the Netherlands as the seventh country to recognize the Crimean Tatar deportation as genocide and called on other nations to follow suit. “Recognition of this historical injustice is crucial not only for establishing truth and justice, but also for preventing future atrocities,” Sybiha said.

The 1944 deportation occurred after Soviet forces liberated Crimea from German occupation. Bolshevik authorities returning to the peninsula branded all Crimean Tatars living there as “traitors.” Stalin personally ordered the ethnic cleansing, which took place from 18-21 May 1944. Soviet forces removed over 190,000 Tatars from Crimean territory during this period, though some data indicates 430,000 were deported.

Ukraine’s parliament recognized the Crimean Tatar deportation as genocide on 12 November 2015, and established 18 May as the Day of Remembrance for Victims of the Genocide of the Crimean Tatar People.

Read also:

• Czech Senate unanimously recognizes deportation of Crimean Tatars as genocide
• Poland recognizes Russian deportation of Crimean Tatars in 1944 as genocide
• Activists report mass repressions in Crimea against pro-Ukrainian supporters and Crimean Tatars

Latvia’s parliament has prohibited Russian and Belarusian citizens from purchasing real estate in the country, passing the legislation in its final third reading on 19 June.

The ban extends to companies with more than 25 % ownership by citizens of these countries, according to Latvian Public Media. The law includes specific exemptions for inheritance from relatives and allows permanent residents of Latvia to buy a single dwelling for personal use. Previously completed transactions remain unaffected by the new restrictions.

Parliament classified real estate deals with Russian and Belarusian citizens as threats to national security. The legislation states that property purchases in other countries constitute “one of the instruments of non-military influence and elements of hybrid warfare.” The law also asserts that the presence of Russian citizens has been used by Moscow as a pretext for initiating wars.

The measure represents Latvia’s latest step in restricting economic ties with Russia and Belarus amid ongoing regional tensions. The legislation specifically targets individual ownership while preserving certain humanitarian considerations through its inheritance and permanent residency provisions.

Latvia has implemented several new restrictions targeting Russian and Belarusian citizens in 2025, citing national security concerns. The most significant recent bans include: ban on working in critical infrastructure, restrictions on border crossings, ban on state officials, traveling to Russia and Belarus, entry bans near strategic sites.

Read also:

• Russia reportedly hides its own war dead in Ukraine’s body swaps
• Zelenskyy’s top man Yermak is “bipartisan irritator,” US insiders warn Politico
• Russia kills Ukrainian civilians on unprecedented scale since Trump’s peace efforts, while West debates sanctions in slow motion

A Ukrainian family who fled to Israel seeking life-saving treatment for a child with cancer were killed when an Iranian missile struck their apartment in Bat Yam, a city near Tel-Aviv, on 13 June. The victims included 7-year-old Nastia Buryk, her mother, grandmother, and two cousins.

Medical escape from Ukraine ends in tragedy

Nastia Buryk, originally from Odesa, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in August 2022, shortly after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Her mother, Maria Pashkurova, had shared the heartbreaking news publicly:

“Since that day, I have been living in a parallel reality, where the main thing is to save. To breathe. To not give up.”

Nastia initially received chemotherapy in Ukraine, but after a relapse, her family sought more advanced care. They relocated to Israel in December 2022 with the help of donations, hoping to access treatment unavailable during wartime in Ukraine. Nastia underwent a bone marrow transplant in Israel, but the procedure failed. Facing mounting medical bills, her father Artem—who joined Ukraine’s 95th Airborne Assault Brigade—continued raising funds from the frontline.

By spring 2025, Maria pursued an experimental treatment in Israel to reactivate the failed transplant. Her mother Olena and two nephews—9-year-old Kostiantyn and 13-year-old Illia—joined her in Israel, where the boys enrolled in school.

Rescuers among the injured as Russia again targets civilians in Odesa and Kharkiv

Iranian missile hits Bat Yam residential building

On 13 June, just a day after Israel launched Operation Rising Lion, targeting Iran’s nuclear and missile infrastructure, Iran began daily retaliatory strikes. One of its missiles struck the family’s apartment in Bat Yam on the first night of the Iranian assault. According to Ynet News, all five members of the Ukrainian family were killed.

In addition to the Ukrainian family, four other people reportedly died in the Bat Yam missile strike, and more than 100 people were injured in the blast.

Russia slips the bodies of its dead soldiers into Ukraine’s swap convoys. Kyiv has received over 6,060 bodies from Moscow under the Istanbul agreements on the exchange of war dead, but many of them are not Ukrainian. Instead, Moscow is mixing in the remains of its own fallen troops, says Artur Dobroserdov, Ukraine’s Commissioner for Missing Persons, ArmyInform reports. 

Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko has called the practice a stark reminder of how little human life means to the Russian state.

“Or maybe it’s just a way to avoid paying death benefits,” Klymenko claims.

The bodies are often severely mutilated, complicating identification. The process typically lasts for 13–14 months or more. If a body is visually intact, Ukraine sometimes accesses databases to identify Russian soldiers and return them to Moscow. 

One particularly egregious example was Body No. 192/25, which arrived in Russian military fatigues and carried a full set of Russian documents, including a military ID, internal passport, soldier’s service ticket, and a tag marked: VS ROSSII MT-146004.

Ukrainian officials later confirmed the remains were those of Aleksandr Viktorovych Bugayev, a soldier from the 1st Battalion of Russia’s 39th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade. He had gone missing near Novomykhailivka, Donetsk Oblast, in late March. His family had been searching for him for months.

Ukraine returns the bodies of Russian soldiers back to Russia.

Andrii Yermak, head of Ukraine’s presidential office and one of the country’s most powerful officials, is drawing bipartisan frustration in Washington, further straining Ukraine’s diplomatic standing with its most crucial ally as the war with Russia rages on, according to Politico.

Yermak’s strained relations with Washington insiders

Politico reports that senior Trump administration officials and even former Biden administration figures have grown weary of Yermak’s conduct. The Ukrainian presidential aide, who frequently visits Washington as an intermediary for President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has reportedly irritated both Republicans and Democrats with his abrasive tone, lack of knowledge about US politics, and what some perceive as an unclear diplomatic agenda.

Fourteen sources — including congressional aides, former US and Ukrainian officials — told Politico of Yermak’s increasingly problematic image in Washington. One person labeled him a “bipartisan irritator.” Others expressed concern that he might not be accurately relaying US positions back to Kyiv, further undermining the already fragile diplomatic rapport.

Hegseth confirms US diverted Ukraine’s anti-drone systems to Middle East

A failed trip and missed opportunities

Yermak’s early June 2025 visit to Washington, according to five people familiar with it, was marked by scheduling issues and canceled meetings. The Trump administration appeared particularly unwilling to engage. Secretary of State Marco Rubio canceled a scheduled meeting, although the two reportedly crossed paths at the White House. Trump’s Chief of Staff Susie Wiles is said to have kept Yermak waiting before ultimately canceling their session. Vice President JD Vance’s office did not respond to a meeting request.

A White House official contradicted claims made by Yermak’s spokesperson, who said the meetings with Rubio and Wiles did take place. The official confirmed that Wiles had not met with Yermak.

Trump diplomacy’s new low: Rubio congratulates Russians on Russia Day

The tensions beneath the surface

Despite a closed-door Senate briefing and meetings with General Keith Kellogg and Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau, Yermak left Washington “extremely frustrated,” one source told Politico. Another described the visit as “a disaster from the Ukrainian perspective.”

Sources say Yermak, a former movie producer, continues to struggle with Washington’s political mechanics nearly six years after assuming his role. According to one source, he mistakenly believed that Ukraine’s critical minerals agreement could win it security guarantees from Trump — a notion dismissed as “ludicrous.”

In private conversations, Yermak has reportedly accused senior Trump officials, including the Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, of being Russian assets — further worsening already tense relations.

Mixed reception in past US administrations

Even during the Biden presidency, frustrations with Yermak existed, Politico says. Although the administration made efforts to work closely with him, former Secretary of State Antony Blinken and ex-US Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink reportedly requested that Yermak not be present in some meetings with Zelenskyy — requests that Zelenskyy rejected, according to a former Ukrainian security official and a former minister.

One source told Politico that Yermak’s continued involvement could encourage Republican voices pushing to cut off US aid to Ukraine.

“All the people here who want to withdraw and abandon Ukraine are thrilled to have Yermak around,” the source said.

A large-scale Russian drone assault overnight on 20 June struck Odesa and Kharkiv, damaging residential buildings, infrastructure, and injuring at least 16 people across both cities, local authorities and the Emergency Service reported. Ukrainian air defense neutralized 70 of 86 launched drones, according to the Air Force.

Odesa: Homes ablaze, 600 evacuated, train station damaged

Odesa mayor Hennadii Trukhanov, the State Emergency Service, and Odesa Oblast Military Administration head Oleh Kiper reported that the Russian drone attacks ignited more than ten fires across the city, with the most intense occurring at a four-story residential building. That structure was fully engulfed in flames, and emergency workers rescued three people and evacuated six more.

During the rescue operation, parts of the burning building collapsed, injuring three firefighters who were hospitalized in stable condition. In total, nine people were injured in this incident alone.

Fires were also recorded in five other residential homes and three vehicles. On the coastline, a drone crash caused a blaze that damaged recreational infrastructure. A higher education institution’s building and a gas pipeline were also struck.

Ukrainian railway operator Ukrzaliznytsia confirmed that the railway infrastructure at Odesa’s central station was damaged. The contact network and rail-bed structure were hit. Repair crews are already working at the site, and train traffic continues without delays.

Kharkiv: Double drone strike leaves three injured, homes damaged

Kharkiv experienced two separate drone attacks overnight, according to mayor Ihor Terekhov and Oblast Military Administration head Oleh Synehubov. The first strike occurred late on 19 June in the Shevchenkivskyi district. A drone hit an uninhabited new building, causing the roof to catch fire. Another impact hit a residential courtyard, damaging windows and around 50 vehicles.

The second attack targeted the Osnovianskyi district, damaging at least five detached houses and a utility structure. Fires broke out, and parts of the energy grid were affected.

According to the Kharkiv City Council’s emergency department director Bohdan Hladkykh, a 10-square-meter structure burned following the drone impact. Windows were shattered in multiple homes.

The State Emergency Service later confirmed fires at four sites across Kharkiv, including a six-story unfinished building, a utility structure, and three civilian business hangars.

Syniehubov says six drones targeted Kharkiv city, with a total of 15 Shahed-type drone strikes recorded across the region.

Air defense response: Most drones downed

The Ukrainian Air Force reported that Russia launched 86 drones from multiple directions including Millerovo, Kursk, Orel, Bryansk, Primorsko-Akhtarsk in Russia, and Chauda in occupied Crimea. These included Shahed-type one-way attack drones and decoy UAVs.

Ukrainian defenses reportedly downed 70 drones—34 with kinetic weapons and 36 suppressed via electronic warfare. Despite the success rate, drone debris and remaining impacts caused destruction in at least eight locations, with falling wreckage noted in eleven areas, according to the report.

Ukrainian First Deputy Foreign Minister Serhii Kyslytsia says Russia has successfully used the Istanbul negotiations to stall the adoption of new US sanctions, Suspilne reports. 

According to the official, this diplomatic maneuvering came as the Middle East crisis pushed global oil prices sharply higher.

“Sanctions must be strengthened and designed to make it impossible for Russia to finance its war,” Kyslytsia emphasizes. 

He also stresses the need to target Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” and lower the oil price cap. Additional sanctions should also hit Russia’s financial sector, specifically by cutting more Russian banks off from the SWIFT system.

Another critical issue, he notes, is the presence of foreign components in Russian weapons used against Ukraine. While the impact of sanctions is often delayed, Kyslytsia warns that a stop-and-go approach to sanctions only benefits the Kremlin.

“The fact that sanctions are adopted slowly and in waves does not help us,” he states.

Kyslytsia also points to the fallout from Israel’s strike on Iran, which sent oil prices soaring by 13–14% in the first few hours, a windfall for Moscow’s war economy.

“Whether this will have a lasting impact remains unclear. Everything now depends on de-escalation in the Middle East,” he adds. 

Meanwhile, Ukraine is facing the broader geopolitical challenge posed not only by Russia but also by its key international backers, Iran, China, and North Korea.

Ukraine’s military confrontation remains primarily with Russian forces on the frontlines. However, these allied states provide critical economic, military, and diplomatic support to Moscow, indirectly intensifying the war. 

A potential US strike on a major Iranian nuclear facility may force Moscow to reconsider its approach to the war in Ukraine, says Herman Pirchner, president of the American Foreign Policy Council (AFPC), UkrInform reports. 

Pirchner emphasizes that such a decision could impact Moscow’s calculus, as they have yet to see a firm response from the Trump administration. 

According to the expert, if Washington demonstrates resolve in the Middle East, the Kremlin may begin to worry that “a similar response could eventually be applied to Russia’s war against Ukraine.”

Pirchner also expresses confidence that a new sanctions bill targeting Russia, one with significantly tougher measures, will eventually be passed by the US Congress. He notes that over 80 senators already support the legislation. The main hurdle, he says, lies in the House of Representatives, where progress depends on Speaker Mike Johnson.

“I believe that if the bill passes the Senate, it will pass the House as well,” Pirchner continues.

Despite uncertainty in US foreign policy and reluctance from parts of Europe, Pirchner remains optimistic: Ukraine still has enough weaponry to hold the line. But the true turning point, he suggests, may come when internal instability begins to erode Russia from within.