A lion has attacked collaborator Oleg Zubkov at the Taigan Safari Park he founded in Russian-occupied Crimea, the Crimean Wind Telegram channel reported on June 22.
Zubkov is a businessman who renounced his Ukrainian citizenship and began cooperating with the Russian authorities following Moscow's illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014
He also smuggled animals from zoos in the partially occupied Zaporizhzhia and Kherson oblasts after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
During an evening feeding, Zubkov was attacked by a lion which tore his trachea, neck, and chest muscles with its claws. He managed to leave the lion's enclosure but then lost consciousness.
As a result of the attack, Zubkov lost a significant amount of blood and was transported by helicopter to a hospital in Simferopol, Crimea.
Zubkov regained consciousness on June 23 after surgery, and his condition is described as stable.
This is not the first time lions at the Taigan Safari Park have attacked its staff. In 2024, three lions killed Leokadia Perevalova while she was cleaning an enclosure. Perevalova had worked at the park for 17 years.
Ukraine has returned the remains of three Russians who were handed over to Kyiv as part of an exchange of fallen soldiers' bodies, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko told Interfax Ukraine on June 23.
Ukraine has said the practice of passing off the bodies of Russian soldiers as Ukrainian is part of an attempt to obscure the scale of its military losses from the Russian public, and at least 20 such incidents have been recorded during recent repatriations conducted under the Istanbul agreements.
Russia did not comment on the discovery made by the Ukrainian side, while Klymenko said during a press conference on June 23 that it could be done to "sow chaos" during the identification of the soldiers' bodies.
Personal badges, chevrons, documents, military uniforms elements, and footwear typical of the Russian Armed Forces were found during the bodies examination transferred by Russia to Ukraine, Ukraine's Interior Ministry said.
According to Klymenko, the bodies were transferred to Russia after confirmation that they belong to Russians. The other 17 bodies have not yet been handed over to Moscow, as examinations continues.
"We are waiting for the DNA of relatives. Therefore, we want the relatives (of Russians) to submit their DNA so that we can confirm," Klymenko told Interfax Ukraine. "I gave an order to prohibit the release of these bodies to the Russians until there is a 100% confirmation."
The Interior Ministry's experts conduct up to 10,000 examinations per month to identify individuals, and one fragment of remains can be examined up to five times, Klymenko said.
"The bodies of our heroes come back extremely mutilated. There are objective reasons for this, such as an ongoing war and widespread use of weapons. At the same time, we have recorded cases when the remains of one person were returned during different stages of repatriation, which complicates our work," Klymenko said.
The June 2 negotiations in Istanbul resulted in the most expansive prisoner and body exchange agreement of the full-scale war, although no ceasefire was reached.
Ukraine received a total of 6,057 bodies of its fallen soldiers as part of the phased exchange. Russia, according to Kremlin aide and negotiator Vladimir Medinsky, took back 78.
Explaining the difference between the two numbers, President Volodymyr Zelensky on June 20 said that the bodies of the vast majority of Russian soldiers currently killed on the battlefield remain in Russian hands.
"They were advancing, and their dead remained in the territory where they were," he said.
Russia accused Kyiv on June 7 of rejecting a proposed body return, publishing footage allegedly showing Ukrainian corpses stored in refrigeration units. Ukraine dismissed the claims, saying the footage was filmed on Russian territory, not at a designated handover site.
Kyiv has consistently called for an "all-for-all" exchange of prisoners of war, but Moscow has so far refused to agree to a comprehensive swap.
President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in the U.K. on June 23 to conduct several meetings with "a primary goal" of deepening defense cooperation, presidential spokesperson Serhii Nykyforov said in comments reported by Ukrinform.
Zelensky's visit comes just a few hours after yet another Russian attack on Kyiv, which killed at least seven and injured almost 30 people. A residential buliding was partially destroyed in a direct ballistic missile hit.
In the U.K., Zelensky is to meet with King Charles III, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, as well as with the speakers of both houses of parliament, Lindsay Hoyle and John McFall, according to Nykyforov.
Zelensky is also scheduled to meet with Ukrainian military personnel undergoing training in the U.K. and representatives of think tanks.
This year, the U.K. has allocated 4.5 billion pounds ($5.8 billion) for military assistance to Ukraine, marking its largest annual commitment so far.
London remains one of Kyiv's most steadfast military partners, providing long-range missiles, armored vehicles, training, and political support against Russian aggression.
Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces (USF) announced on June 20 the establishment of a new command group that will unite the branch with other top drone units in the country's military.
Drones have become one of the defining tools of the full-scale war, used extensively by both Ukraine and Russia for surveillance, long-range strikes, and tactical battlefield firepower.
The new formation will unite all military units of the USF with the Drone Line, a project launched by President Volodymyr Zelensky in February this year to coordinate and expand five of the country's strongest drone units.
The new command umbrella was created to "improve the efficiency of management, transform the Forces, and adapt to the requirements of modern warfare," according to the statement.
The units will operate within a single chain of command, with a defined structure and a common vision of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) tactics in order to harmonize approaches, establish joint work, and use unmanned systems more effectively in combat, the USF said.
The Unmanned Systems Forces were created as a separate branch of Ukraine's military in June 2024.
At that time, Ukraine's strongest existing drone units served in other branches of the defense forces, including the Ground Forces, National Guard, and the Security Service of Ukraine.
The newly-created group will be led by Major Robert Brovdi, better known by his callsign Magyar, whom Zelensky appointed as the commander of the USF in early June.
Brovdi had previously served as commander of the eponymous Magyar's Birds Unmanned Systems Brigade, a founding member of the Drone Line initiative and one of the most consistently high-performing drone units in the Ukrainian military.
A world-first phenomenon, Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces works to improve the country's drone operations, creating drone-specific units, ramping up training, increasing drone production, and advancing innovation.
Following in Ukraine's footsteps, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the creation of his country's own individual drone branch on June 12.
Colonel Vadym Sukharevskyi, previously deputy commander-in-chief of Ukraine's Armed Forces, was named the first commander of the USF on June 10, 2024.
Brovdi replaced Sukharevskyi, who was dismissed on June 3.
According to military personnel who spoke anonymously to Ukrainian news outlet Suspilne, Sukharevskyi's relationship with Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi was tense from the beginning of the USF's formation.
Sukharevskyi's appointment was a decision by president Zelensky, not Syrskyi, sources said.
People close to both Syrskyi and Sukharevskyi also claimed the two men avoided face-to-face interactions.
Editor's Note: This story was updated with comments from Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said "all of Ukraine" belonged to Russia in a speech on June 20 at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, amid increasingly aggressive official statements about Moscow's final territorial ambitions in Ukraine.
Putin's claim was based on the false narrative often pushed both by himself as leader and by Russian propaganda that Russians and Ukrainians are "one people."
The narrative has long figured prominently in Putin's rhetoric, often brought up as justification for its aggression in Ukraine.
In July 2021, just half a year before the full-scale invasion, the Russian leader stoked fears of a larger attack when he wrote and published an essay on the "historical unity of Russians and Ukrainians."
In response to the speech in St Petersburg, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha condemned Putin’s comments as "cynical," saying it showed “complete disregard for U.S. peace efforts."
"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 wrote in a post on X.
Putin made several other statements at the forum, some contradictory, about Moscow's aims in the war going forward.
"Wherever the foot of a Russian soldier steps is Russian land," Putin said, directly implying Russia's intention to continue occupying more than just the five Ukrainian regions that Moscow has illegally laid claim to: Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson oblasts, as well as the Autonomous Republic of Crimea.
Sybiha said that "Russian soldier's foot" brings only "death, destruction, and devastation." He accused Putin of indifference toward his own troops, calling him “a mass murderer of his own people.”
"He already disposed one million Russian soldiers in a senseless bloodbath in Ukraine without achieving a single strategic goal. One million soldiers. Two million feet," the minister said.
"And, while Putin is busy sending Russian feet to invade other countries, he is bringing Russians inside the country to their knees economically."
As per the "peace memorandum" presented by the Russian delegation at the last round of peace talks in Istanbul on June 2, Moscow demands Kyiv recognize the oblasts as Russian and hand over all territory not yet controlled by Russian forces into occupation, including the regional capitals of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.
Asked whether Russia aimed to seize the regional center of Sumy in Ukraine's northeast, Putin said that while such a mission has not been assigned, he wouldn't rule it out.
Russian ground attacks into Sumy Oblast have intensified along the northeastern border in the past weeks, having first crossed the border after Ukraine's withdrawal from most of its positions in Kursk Oblast in March.
Russian troops have moved 10-12 kilometers (6-8 miles) deep into the region, according to Putin.
"The city of Sumy is next, the regional center. We don't have a task to take Sumy, but I don't rule it out," Putin said.
Sybiha urged the West to ramp up military aid to Ukraine, tighten sanctions against Russia, designate Moscow a terrorist state, and "isolate it fully."
"His cynical statements serve only one purpose: to divert public attention away from the complete failure of his quarter-century rule," the minister added.
Since March, Russia has reportedly taken control of about 200 square kilometers (80 square miles) in northern Sumy Oblast, including roughly a dozen small villages, according to open-source conflict mapping projects.
As of May 31, mandatory evacuations had been ordered for 213 settlements.
In May, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his military to create a so-called "security buffer zone" along the border with Ukraine, while Zelensky said on May 28 that Moscow had massed 50,000 troops near Sumy.
In a separate interview with Bild on June 12, Zelensky dismissed Moscow's claims of significant territorial gains as "a Russian narrative" aimed at shaping global perceptions. He stressed that Ukrainian forces have managed to hold off a renewed offensive for nearly three weeks.
When asked if Moscow requires the complete capitulation of Kyiv and the Ukrainian leadership, Putin denied this, saying that Russia instead demands the "recognition of the realities on the ground."
The statement follows a consistent line from Russian officials since the return of U.S. President Donald Trump brought new momentum to the idea of a quick negotiated peace in Ukraine.
Projecting a winning position on the battlefield and gaining confidence from Trump's frequent anti-Ukrainian rhetoric and refusal to approve further military aid to Kyiv, Moscow has stuck to maximalist demands, refusing the joint U.S.-Ukraine proposal of a 30-day unconditional ceasefire along the front line.
On June 18, in an interview to CNN, Russian ambassador to the U.K. Andrei Kelin said that while Russian forces were advancing on the battlefield and taking more Ukrainian, there was no incentive to stop, and that Kyiv must either accept Moscow's peace terms now or "surrender" after losing much more.
The European Union has postponed a move to lower the existing price cap on Russian oil, after concerns that the Iran-Israel conflict could lead to higher prices, Politico reported on June 20, citing unnamed diplomatic sources.
The price cap, introduced in December 2022 as a measure to limit the Kremlin's ability to finance its war against Ukraine, prohibits Western companies from shipping, insuring, or otherwise servicing Russian oil sold above $60 per barrel.
Ukraine has been calling on Western partners to lower the price cap on Russian oil from $60 to $30 per barrel. Meanwhile, two diplomats told Politico that the escalation of the conflict between Iran and Israel would make it impossible to impose new restrictions.
"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," said one diplomat on the condition of anonymity.
The issue of reducing the price cap on Russian oil was discussed during the Group of Seven (G7) summit, which was held June 15-17 in Canada. However, the participants failed to reach a consensus.
"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 added. "The prices were quite close to the cap; but now the prices are going up and down, the situation is too volatile for the moment."
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said during the G7 summit that the existing measures on Russian oil exports "had little effect," while noting that oil prices had risen in recent days, so "the cap in place does serve its function. "
Global oil prices spiked on June 13, after Israeli strikes on Iran triggered a long-range war between the two countries that has continued for over a week.
Brent and Nymex crude prices surged more than 10% before stabilizing around 7.5% higher, with Brent at $74.50 a barrel and Nymex at $73.20 as of June 20, the BBC reported.
The spike threatens to undermine Western efforts to restrict the wartime revenue of the Russian state, which depend heavily on oil exports.
EU High Representative Kaja Kallas previously urged the European Union to pursue lowering the oil price cap on Russian oil, even without U.S. support, warning that Middle East tensions could otherwise drive prices up and boost Russia's revenues.
President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree on June 20, imposing sanctions on 56 individuals and 55 Russian, Chinese, and Belarusian companies involved in the production of Russian drones and sanctions circumvention.
Ukraine introduced new restrictions as Russia has escalated drone attacks against Ukrainian cities over the past weeks, launching record 400-500 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) per night.
Individuals and legal entities subject to Ukrainian sanctions cannot do business and trade in Ukraine, cannot withdraw their capital from the country. In the meantime, their assets are blocked, as well as their access to public and defense procurement, and entry into the territory of Ukraine, among other restrictions.
The new package of sanctions targets individuals and entities involved in the development and production of Russian drones such as Geran, Orlan-10, SuperCam, and first-person-view (FPV) drones, according to a decree published on the Presidential Office's website.
The Belarusian Precision Electromechanics Plant and six Chinese enterprises located in Hong Kong and in the provinces of Shandong and Shenzhen are among the sanctioned entities.
The sanctions list includes equipment suppliers to Alabuga Machinery, a Russian manufacturer of machine tools and gears, and individuals who import components for the sanctioned Kronshtadt JSC, a drone producer that developed Banderol UAVs with jet engines.
Russia has repeatedly targeted Ukrainian cities with waves of attack drones, often striking energy infrastructure and residential buildings overnight. Ukraine's defense forces use a mix of electronic warfare, air defense systems, and drone-on-drone interception to repel the assaults.
Drones have become one of the defining tools of the full-scale war, used extensively by both Ukraine and Russia for surveillance, long-range strikes, and tactical battlefield advantage.
President Volodymyr Zelensky on June 10 imposed sanctions on 48 individuals and nine organizations associated with the deportation of Ukrainian children, according to a decision of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council (NSDC).
Ukraine has documented over 19,500 cases of children who were forcibly taken to Russia, Belarus, or occupied territories since the beginning of the full-scale invasion in February 2022.
The sanctions list includes Sergey Havrilchuk, director of the "Regional Center for Preparation for Military Service and Military-Patriotic Education" in the Russian-occupied Crimea, as well as the head of the regional headquarters of Yunarmiya ("Youth Army"), the state-sponsored youth organization that combines ideological indoctrination with military training for children and teenagers.
Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR) said Havrilchuk was involved in organizing the abduction and illegal deportation of Ukrainian children from the Russian-occupied territories under the guise of "rehabilitation, recreation, and education," and promotes the ideological re-education and militarization of children in Crimea.
Ukraine has also imposed sanctions against Irina Ageeva, the children's ombudsman in Russia's Kaluga Oblast. Ageeva supports and implements the policy of deportation of Ukrainian children, particularly by disseminating information about children taken to Russia, granting them Russian citizenship, and placement in families on the Russian social network Vkontakte, according to HUR.
The list also featured nine Russian organizations, including the Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution "Artek International Children's Center." Before the illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014, "Artek" was a Ukrainian children's camp, but after the occupation of the peninsula, Russia took control of it.
The camp is now involved in the mass abduction, illegal deportation, and forced displacement of Ukrainian children, organizing "rehabilitation, recreation, and education" and spreading information about the "peacekeeping and humanitarian" goals of Russia, according to HUR.
Previously, Zelensky announced on May 25 that three new sanction packages had came into effect, targeting propagandists, criminal networks, and Russian financiers.
The State Duma, the lower chamber of Russia's parliament, passed a bill on June 10 to create a new messaging app, the so-called "national messenger," the Duma's press service reported, as the Kremlin tries to reduce its dependency on WhatsApp and Telegram
The new app "combines the features of a messenger and the functions of government services," a statement read.
The news comes as Russia tries to reduce citizens' access to foreign messengers and other online services in favor of domestic applications.
The new online platform is needed to increase "the availability of governmental services" and "strengthen the protection of information exchanged among users," according to the bill.
The new application will be integrated into Russian state and municipal databases, and private information can be transferred with the user's consent, particularly for "identification, signing contracts, paying for services or goods."
Documents submitted through the "national messenger" will be equated to paper originals. The system will also allow users to certify documents with their electronic signatures.
The Russian messenger will include all "educational services and chats that educational institutions of all levels currently use."
The Russian government will choose a company to develop the application.
In March 2022, the Russian government blocked Facebook and Instagram. Two years later, Russia's communications regulator, Roskomnadzor, announced the blocking of Viber and Signal apps.
The Russian government is also considering blocking WhatsApp, an app owned by Meta, a company labeled as an "extremist organization" in Russia.
In July 2024, Russia's communications regulator, Roskomnadzor, began throttling YouTube speeds, initially blaming technical issues caused by wear and tear on Google's servers. Google dismissed the claim, while Russian lawmaker Alexander Khinshtein later confirmed the slowdowns were intentional.
Russia helped significantly improve North Korea's KN-23 ballistic missiles, also known as Hwasong-11, after receiving the first inaccurate batch from Pyongyang, Kyrylo Budanov, Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) chief, said in an interview with The War Zone published on June 9.
North Korea has supplied Russia with ammunition, ballistic missiles, and soldiers since the beginning of the full-scale invasion.
KN-23 ballistic missiles initially flew with a deviation of a few kilometers and around half fired at Ukraine by Russia malfunctioned and exploded in mid-air, Reuters reported in May 2024, citing Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office.
But now they are hitting their targets, Budanov said, without specifying what exactly was changed in the North Korean missiles.
"The KN-23 missiles that were delivered in the very beginning, now it's an absolutely different missile in (terms) of their technical characteristics. The accuracy has increased many times," Budanov said.
"This is the result of the common work of Russian and North Korean specialists. Also, there is the modernization of long-range air-to-air missiles, particular technologies on submarines, and unfortunately, ballistic missiles, which can carry nuclear payloads," he added.
According to Budanov, Russia has also agreed to help North Korea begin domestic production of Shahed-type kamikaze drones.
Pyongyang has ratcheted up its support for Russia following Russian President Vladimir Putin's signing of a mutual defense pact with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in June 2024.
According to a May 29 report by the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT), Pyongyang shipped to Russia up to 9 million artillery shells and at least 100 ballistic missiles in 2024 alone.
North Korea's involvement in the war expanded in fall 2024, when it deployed thousands of troops to Russia's western border to help fend off a large-scale Ukrainian incursion.
The move followed the signing of a defense treaty between the two countries in June 2024, obligating both to provide military aid if either is attacked.
North Korea acknowledged its role in the war only in April 2025. A month later, North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un said the country's participation was part of a "sacred mission," aligning Pyongyang's narrative with Moscow's.
The 18th package of European Union sanctions against Russia will include additional restrictions on energy, banking, oil, and other areas, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced on June 10.
After the 17th package of sanctions against Russia came into effect on May 20, Ukraine's allies announced that the next package of restrictions was already in the works, after Moscow repeatedly refused to accept a ceasefire.
Russian troops also continue to advance slowly along the front line, approaching Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk Oblast and moving deeper into Sumy Oblast.
"Russia's goal is not peace," von der Leyen said. "Strength is the only language that Russia will understand."
The EU has proposed for the first time a ban on transactions involving the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines, as well as a reduction in the oil price cap from $60 to $45 per barrel, as one-third of Russia's government revenue still comes from oil exports, according to von der Leyen.
Von der Leyen added that the amendments to the oil price cap are a Group of Seven (G7) coalition measure, so it will be discussed at the G7 summit to be held on June 15-17 in Kananaskis County, located in the western province of Alberta, Canada.
The EU will also add 77 more shadow fleet vessels to comply with the cap to prevent Russia from circumventing sanctions and propose imposing a ban on imports of petroleum products made from Russian oil.
Another part of the sanctions will be aimed at the Russian banking sector, with the EU wanting to add 22 more Russian banks to the list of those who can no longer use the SWIFT international system.
The EU also proposes to extend the ban on transactions to financial operators in third countries that finance trade with Russia, bypassing sanctions, and to impose limitations on the Russian Direct Investment Fund, its subsidiaries, and investment projects.
Further EU restrictive measures will include a ban on exports worth more than 2.5 billion euros ($2.8 billion), which must deprive the Russian economy of critical technologies and industrial goods, von der Leyen said.
Machinery, metals, plastics, and chemicals used as raw materials for industry, as well as dual-use goods involved in the production of weapons and drones, will be affected, according to von der Leyen.
The European Commission President also emphasized that the EU wants its sanctions to be more effective. Thus, the EU would list another 22 Russian and foreign companies, including those from China and Belarus, providing direct or indirect support to Russia's military and industrial complex. These additions will bring the total number of sanctioned companies to over 800.
EU countries will start debating the proposal this week.
Ukraine's Western allies are not imposing new sanctions on Russia in part because of Kyiv's refusal to lower the mobilization age to 18, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with Valasz Online published on June 10.
Yet, some partners, including the U.S., still criticize Kyiv for setting the age threshold too high.
"I do not believe that we should mobilize people from the age of 18, as the leaders of other countries have thought," Zelensky said.
"However, when it comes to sanctions, as Western partners list the reasons why they did not decide to impose them, they include that Ukraine did not mobilize people aged 18 and above," he added.
Zelensky said that it is not so much the number of people as the "weapons and technology" that are important, as proved by the recent Operation Spiderweb, during which Ukraine reportedly hit 41 Russian military aircraft with first-person-view (FPV) drones hidden in trucks in Russia
He added that "money and exerting pressure" were also crucial for forcing Russia to end its war.
"The sanctions would target the money that the Russians are using to finance the war," Zelensky said.
Personnel shortages have dogged Ukraine throughout its fight against Russia. Although Ukraine adopted a major bill reforming the draft in April, mobilization slowed down in autumn, leaving front-line units depleted.
Russian forces significantly outnumber Ukrainian units and have been able to advance at record rates in eastern Ukraine while absorbing heavy losses.
Russia produces as much ammunition in three months as NATO does in a year, posing serious risks for the alliance, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said on June 9 at Chatham House in London.
"The capabilities of (Vladimir) Putin's war machine are speeding up, not slowing down," Rutte said. "Russia is reconstituting its forces with Chinese technology and producing more weapons faster than we thought."
Rutte's statement comes amid mounting tensions between the alliance and Russia and an increasingly uncertain U.S. commitment to European security.
According to Rutte, Russia is restoring its military potential with the help of China, Iran, and North Korea. This year, the Russian industrial complex is expected to roll out 1,500 tanks, 3,000 armored vehicles, and 200 Iskander missiles, NATO chief said.
"Russia could be ready to use military force against NATO within five years," Rutte said. "Let's not kid ourselves."
"We are all on the eastern flank now. The new generation of Russian missiles travels at the speed of sound. The distance between European capitals is only a matter of minutes. There is no longer east or west. There is just NATO," he added.
When asked whether a long-term truce in Ukraine's war against Russia would allow the latter to stockpile even more weapons and increase the risks to NATO, Rutte said: "That's a statement of fact."
"Our assumption at the moment is that even whilst the war against Ukraine is continuing, they (Russian forces) are still able to increase stockpiles slightly, but that's debatable," Rutte added.
Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 prompted European countries to hike defense spending in order to revive their military capabilities, which atrophied after decades of disarmament following the Cold War.
The matter gained more urgency after signals that the U.S., the most powerful military in NATO, plans to scale down its presence in Europe as President Donald Trump shifts strategic focus to the Asia-Pacific region.
Ukrainian foreign intelligence chief Oleh Ivashchenko recently warned that Russia will be able to replenish its forces between two and four years after the war in Ukraine, allowing it to launch aggression against Europe.
Ukraine has reinvented the Trojan Horse tactic during Operation Spiderweb inside Russia, NATO Admiral Pierre Vandier said in an interview with AFP on June 9.
Kyiv's operation, conducted overnight on June 1, involved hiding first-person view (FPV) drones in trucks deep inside Russia before the attack. The operation damaged 41 aircraft, including Tu-95 and Tu-22M3 bombers — two of Russia's primary platforms for missile attacks against Ukraine, according to the Ukrainian military. It caused approximately $7 billion in damage and disabled one-third of Russia's cruise missile bombers, according to a source in the Security Service of Ukraine.
"What the Ukrainians did in Russia was a Trojan Horse — and the Trojan Horse was thousands of years ago," Vandier, NATO's supreme allied commander transformation, said. "Today, we see this kind of tactic being reinvented by technical and industrial creativity."
Vandier said that NATO needs to act quickly to master new technologies in time, considering the looming Russian threat. But the admiral added that while drones are indispensable in modern warfare, they are not omnipotent.
"No one in the military sphere will tell you that we can do without what we'll call traditional equipment," Vandier said. "However, we are certain we need new equipment to complement it."
"Today, you won't cross the Atlantic with a 10-meter-long (33-foot-long) drone. You won't easily locate submarines with such tools," he added.
"If they accompany your large platforms, you'll be able to achieve much better results at much lower costs."
Ukraine has pioneered drone technology during Russia's full-scale war, introducing various ground-, air-, and sea-based models for combat and reconnaissance missions.
Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said on May 30 that Ukrainian soldiers hit and destroyed in May more than 89,000 Russian targets using drones of various types.
Ukraine is working to scale up domestic production. Kyiv has also developed long-range missile-drone hybrids, including the Palianytsia and Peklo models, which use turbojet engines as cruise missile alternatives.
By the end of 2024, Ukraine had developed a total of 324 new types of weapons, according to the Ministry of Strategic Industries.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has questioned Russia's ability to attack NATO countries, as it is not "even capable of defeating Ukraine," he said in an interview with French TV channel LCI on June 8.
"The Russians are too weak for that," Orban said. "They're not even capable of defeating Ukraine, so they're incapable of really attacking NATO."
Over three years into its full-scale war, Russia has failed to achieve Ukraine's surrender or at least the complete occupation of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, which was reportedly among the Kremlin's demands in Russia's first peace proposal in 2022.
Russian troops have recently intensified their offensive, moving deeper into Sumy Oblast, as well as closing in on Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.
Russian propaganda has for years insisted that NATO and its further expansion pose a threat to Moscow. The Kremlin has also claimed that Ukraine's ambition to join NATO was a major trigger for its invasion, although in 2014, when Moscow annexed Crimea and started the war in the Donbas region, Ukraine's chances and desires of joining the alliance were low.
Orban, widely regarded as the European Union's most pro-Russian leader, said that it is not in the interests of the EU, including Hungary, to have "a direct conflict with Russia" or "a threat of war," so Ukraine must not join NATO.
"Europe must be strengthened in the long term, and there must be a strategic agreement with Russia," Orban said, adding that sanctions against Russia are "destroying Hungary and the whole of Europe."
Under the Orban regime, Hungary has become widely regarded as the most Kremlin-friendly state in the EU.
Budapest has been blocking the opening of EU accession negotiation clusters with Kyiv and signaled further obstruction in recent weeks after Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) said it had uncovered a Hungarian spy network in western Ukraine.
Orban also encouraged Hungarians to vote in a non-binding national poll on Ukraine's EU bid that the government launched in early March. The poll has garnered criticism for low turnout and manipulative questions, written to encourage citizens to reject Ukraine's accession.
A Russian court has sentenced two Ukrainian soldiers of the Azov Brigade to more than 20 years in prison for allegedly killing civilians in the city of Mariupol in Ukraine's Donetsk Oblast, Russia's Investigative Committee announced on June 9 on Telegram.
Russia has held a number of sham trials with Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) over the past years, focusing in particular on Azov fighters captured during the war. Azov has been demonized by Russian propaganda for years.
Russian authorities accuse sniper Ruslan Orlov and paramedic Artem Novikov of shooting three civilians in Mariupol in April 2022. The Russian court sentenced Orlov to 26 years in a strict regime colony, and Novikov to 24 years.
Ukraine has not yet commented on the Russian Investigative Committee's statement.
Russia's months-long siege of Mariupol between February and May 2022 reduced the port city to a landscape of rubble and killed thousands.
In the meantime, the Azovstal Steel Plant in Mariupol became a symbol of Ukrainian resistance at the onset of the all-out war, as Ukrainian soldiers valiantly defended the plant under the Russian siege.
On May 16, 2022, Azovstal defenders were ordered to surrender to the encircling Russian forces after nearly two months of constant bombardment of the besieged plant.
The evacuation from Azovstal ended on May 20, 2022, with Ukrainian soldiers transferred to a penal colony in Russian-occupied Olenivka, Donetsk Oblast, now infamous as the site of the mass killing of Azov fighters.
On July 28, an explosion killed 54 Ukrainian prisoners of war and injured over 150 at the Olenivka penal colony. Many of them were members of Azov.
A former head of one of the key departments in the Logistics Forces of Ukraine's Armed Forces is suspected of illicit enrichment worth Hr 12 million ($290,000) and illegal possession of weapons, the State Investigation Bureau (DBR) and the National Agency on Corruption Prevention announced on June 9.
Ukraine's military has seen several corruption scandals since the start of Russia's full-scale war, related to illicit enrichment, money laundering, bribery, and misconduct of the command.
The agencies did not disclose the suspect's name, who faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted.
During 2023-2024, the ex-head of the department purchased 14 land plots in Kyiv Oblast, an apartment, a Toyota Tundra, a Skoda Octavia, a Hyundai Tucson, and domestic government bonds issued by Ukraine's Finance Ministry, according to the National Agency on Corruption Prevention.
Meanwhile, the suspect and his family had no financial means to purchase these assets, the agency's statement reads.
While searching the suspect's house, law enforcement officers also found weapons and ammunition stored illegally.
The preventative measures for the suspect are now being considered.
Ukraine's Logistics Forces, established in 2018, are in charge of providing supplies and technical maintenance for the Ukrainian troops on the front line. This branch of the armed forces is also responsible for adapting the Ukrainian army to NATO standards, particularly in the field of logistics.
Mykhailo Drapatyi has been appointed Commander of the Joint Forces after submitting his resignation as Ground Forces Commander, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on June 3.
Drapatyi resigned from his previous role on June 1 following a deadly Russian missile strike that killed at least 12 Ukrainian soldiers at a training camp in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast earlier that day.
He was then summoned to a meeting with Zelensky on June 3.
"I explained to the president the reasons for my decision (to resign). The president heard me, supported me, and suggested that we focus on the main issues — the war, the front line, and victory," Drapatyi wrote on Telegram.
The commander also emphasized the need to change the culture of commanders' attitudes toward their soldiers, the performance of their duties, and the value of the life of every Ukrainian soldier.
"I received a task from the president. I am staying in the ranks, on the front line. Where I have to be, where I can do the most," Drapatyi said.
During his evening address, Zelensky said that Drapatyi would be appointed Commander of the Joint Forces and focus "exclusively on combat issues."
The Russian strike in question hit the 239th Polygon, a Ground Forces training ground north of the city of Dnipro, on June 1. Drapatyi, confirming the location and when announcing his resignation, said the victims were mostly young recruits who "should have learned, lived, and fought — not died."
The attack killed 12 people and injured more than 60 others, according to the Ground Forces press office.
The Ground Forces said that if the investigation finds negligence or misconduct contributed to the casualties, those responsible will face strict accountability.
Russian missile attacks on Ukrainian training sites have intensified in recent months. The 239th Polygon was also struck by an Iskander missile in March.
Russia had previously attacked Ukrainian training grounds several times when Ukrainian soldiers were lining up to be awarded for their service.
The attacks, which resulted in heavy casualties, provoked criticism of the top military leadership, which allowed negligence at military facilities.
A trilateral meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, U.S. President Donald Trump, and Russian President Vladimir Putin is unlikely to be organized in the near future, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on June 3, Russian-state media outlet TASS reported.
The Kremlin's statement comes a day after the White House said that Trump would not rule out participating in this format of talks.
"Frankly speaking, it is unlikely that (it will happen) soon," Peskov said in response to a question about whether the three leaders would meet in the near future.
Peskov added that Putin had already expressed his readiness for a high-level meeting, but that it must result from agreements reached at "the technical and expert stages."
Putin had previously said he was ready to meet with Zelensky. However, when the Ukrainian leader invited him to hold the highest-level talks in Turkey on May 16, Putin did not attend.
Consequently, Ukraine and Russia held their first direct talks since 2022, but at a lower level than planned, without the participation of the countries' leaders.
The Russian and Ukrainian delegations held the second round of talks in Istanbul on June 2, failing to reach a ceasefire. But the parties agreed to a new prisoner exchange, as well as the repatriation of 6,000 bodies of fallen Ukrainian soldiers.
Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Serhii Kyslytsia, a member of the Ukrainian delegation to Istanbul, said that during the talks, Russia did not agree to a ceasefire and refused to hold a meeting between Putin and Zelensky.
The number of Russian citizens who support peace talks and an end to the war in Ukraine has reached a record high since the start of the full-scale invasion, according to a poll by the independent Russian pollster Levada Center published on June 2.
Some 64% of the respondents favored peace talks, representing a 6% increase since March. Meanwhile, the number of people who supported the war's continuation decreased from 34% in March to 28% in May.
Compared to previous survey results, in May 2023, 48% of respondents believed that the war should continue. In May 2024, this figure dropped to 43%.
The news comes after the second round of direct peace talks between Ukraine and Russia occurred in Istanbul. The parties agreed on a new prisoner exchange, as well as the repatriation of 6,000 bodies of fallen Ukrainian soldiers. No agreement on a ceasefire was reached.
The share of supporters of peaceful negotiations is higher among women (73%), people under 24 (77%), residents of villages and towns with populations under 100,000 (67% each), as well as those who believe that the country is going in the wrong direction (76%) and those who disapprove of Russian President Vladimir Putin's presidential performance (77%).
The share of those who support continuing the war is higher among men (39%), respondents aged 55 and older (35%), residents of Moscow (40%), those who believe that things in the country are going in the right direction (32%), and those who approve of the activities of the current president (30%).
A majority of respondents (73%) believe that Russia and Ukraine should address the hostilities' root causes and only then agree on a ceasefire. On the contrary, some 18% think that the parties will first reach a truce and ceasefire and then resolve all other issues.
Only 3% of Russians believe Russia is an obstacle to peace. At the same time, 14% of respondents believe that the U.S. is to blame, while 36% each see Ukraine and European countries as major obstacles in peace negotiations.
The center conducted the survey from May 22 to 28, involving 1,613 people aged 18 and older in 50 regions of Russia.
Ukraine hit 41 Russian military aircraft during Operation Spiderweb, Ukraine's General Staff said on June 3.
"After processing additional information from various sources and verifying it, which took some time, we inform you that the total losses of the occupiers amounted to 41 military aircraft, including strategic bombers and other types of combat aircraft," it said in a statement posted on social media.
It gave no further details on the type of aircraft hit or the extent of the damage caused to them.
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) operation, dubbed "Spiderweb," allegedly destroyed or damaged A-50, Tu-95, and Tu-22 M3 planes parked at the Belaya, Diaghilev, Olenya, and Ivanovo air bases on June 1.
Kyiv has claimed it had disabled 34% of Russia's strategic bomber fleet in what is seen as one of the most daring operations during the full-scale war. The strike reportedly involved 117 drones launched from trucks hidden across Russian territory.
Ukraine has pioneered drone technology during Russia's full-scale war, introducing various ground-, air-, and sea-based models for combat and reconnaissance missions.
Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said on May 30 that Ukrainian soldiers hit and destroyed in May more than 89,000 Russian targets using drones of various types.
Ukraine is working to scale up domestic production. Kyiv has also developed long-range missile-drone hybrids, including the Palianytsia and Peklo models, which use turbojet engines as cruise missile alternatives.
By the end of 2024, Ukraine had developed a total of 324 new types of weapons, according to the Ministry of Strategic Industries.
The Russian delegation handed Ukraine a so-called "peace memorandum" with its proposals for a ceasefire during the second round of peace talks in Istanbul, Russian-state media outlet TASS reported on June 2, publishing the alleged document.
The Russian memorandum began circulating online following the talks between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul, during which the parties again failed to reach a ceasefire.
Among Russia's key demands, according to the document, is the official recognition of Russia's annexation of Crimea, as well as the annexation of Ukraine's Kherson, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Luhansk oblasts, none of which Moscow controls in full.
Russia demanded the complete withdrawal of all troops from Kherson, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Luhansk oblasts, followed by a demobilization in Ukraine.
Moscow's other demands include that Ukraine sticks to its neutral status, abandoning its aspirations to join NATO and other possible military alliances, a ban on the redeployment of Ukrainian troops, and an official end to Western arms supplies and intelligence sharing with Ukraine.
According to the document, Ukraine must abandon its claims for compensation for damages, guarantee amnesty for "political prisoners," make Russian the official language of Ukraine.
No foreign troops to be deployed in Ukraine, according to the document, which effectively goes against the European porposal for a potential peacekeeping force in the country following the end of an active phase of the war.
During the talks in Istanbul, the Ukrainian delegation also presented a peace proposal, which included a prisoner swap in an all-for-all format, the reutrn of Ukrainian children abducted by Russia, as well as the release of all civilians held in Russian captivity.
According to the Ukrainian proposal seen by the Kyiv Independent, Kyiv would retain its right to join the EU and NATO. Ukraine also highlighted the need for security guarantees to avoid further Russian invasion.
In the meantime, frozen Russian assets must be used to rebuild Ukraine and pay reparations, while some of the sanctions against Russia may be lifted if a ceasefire is achieved.
Ukraine aims to return up to 1,200 prisoners of war (POWs) in the next exchange with Russia following the second round of talks in Istanbul, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on June 2 during an online press conference attended by the Kyiv Independent.
Ukraine and Russia held direct talks in Turkey earlier in the day, agreeing on a new prisoner swap, which will reportedly include young people between the ages of 18 and 25, as well as people with serious injuries.
Zelensky said the next exchange is expected to be in a 1,000-for-1,000 format, with the possibility of increasing the number to 1,200 people on each side. The president added that future swap could also involve imprisoned journalists and political prisoners held in Russia.
"It is very important that the Russians allow the lists to be checked in advance, unlike last time," Zelensky said.
Ukraine and Russia held a 1,000-for-1,000 prisoner exchange from May 23 to 25 after previously agreeing to the exchange at peace talks on May 16. Aside from yielding a prisoner exchange, the peace negotiations in Istanbul were largely inconclusive.
Apart from Ukrainian prisoners of war, the exchange list also reportedly included Anatolii Taranenko, a Ukrainian service member accused of collaborating with Russia.
Taranenko's alleged inclusion in the exchange exacerbated criticism that Ukraine failed to secure the release of any Azov fighters and many civilians who had been held captive by Russia for years in what was the largest prisoner swap of the full-scale war.
Andrii Yusov, deputy head of the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War (POW), said that Kyiv could not influence who Russia decided to release in the recent swap.
Russia has proposed to Ukraine a temporary ceasefire for two or three days in certain areas of the front line to collect the bodies of the fallen soldiers, Vladimir Medinsky, Russian President Vladimir Putin's aide and head of the country's delegation to Istanbul, said during a press conference on June 2.
Medinsky's statement comes hours after the conclusion of the second round of the peace talks between Ukraine and Russia in Istanbul.
Ukraine has not yet reacted to the Russian proposal. According to a source in the President's Office, who spoke on condition of anonymity, Russia declined a ceasefire proposed by Ukraine.
According to Medinsky, Russia will also transfer 6,000 bodies of Ukrainian soldiers and officers.
"We identified all (the bodies) that we could, conducted DNA tests, found out who they were. Next week, we will transfer these bodies to the Ukrainian side in an organized way by special trains so that they can bury them humanely," Medinsky said.
Medinsky added that Ukraine and Russia also agreed to exchange severely wounded people and those under 25. The total number of people involved in the exchange could reach 1,000, he added.
A representative of the Russian delegation also showed a list handed over by Ukraine during the talks. The list included 339 names of children abducted by Russia and whom Ukraine wants to return to their homes.
Medinsky denied Kyiv's accusations, claiming that Russia did not abduct the children.
Since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, Ukraine has identified over 19,500 children who were forcibly deported to Russia, Belarus, or Russian-occupied territories. To date, only around 1,300 have been returned to Ukrainian-controlled areas, according to official data.
The abduction of Ukrainian children has drawn international condemnation. In March 2023, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Children's Rights Commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova, accusing them of overseeing the forced deportations.
Earlier this month, the European Parliament passed a resolution labeling Russia's actions a "genocidal strategy" aimed at erasing Ukrainian identity, and demanded the unconditional return of all abducted minors.
Editor's note: This story has been updated with statements by Ukraine's Defense Minister Rustem Umerov and Russian President Vladimir Putin's advisor Vladimir Medinsky after the second round of peace talks between Ukraine and Russia in Istanbul.
Russia and Ukraine are preparing to hold a new prisoner of war (POW) exchange mediated by Turkey, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on June 2 at the Bucharest Nine (B9) summit.
The development comes after the second round of peace talks between Kyiv and Moscow in Istanbul on the same day.
Ukraine's Defense Minister and head of the Ukrainian delegation in Istanbul, Rustem Umerov, later confirmed that Russia and Ukraine had agreed to an exchange with priority given to seriously injured and younger soldiers, Suspilne reported.
Vladimir Medinsky, Russian President Vladimir Putin's aide and head of Russia's delegation to Istanbul, clarified that the exchange would apply to people under 25. The total number of people involved in the exchange could be as many as 1,000, he added.
As a result of the previous talks in Istanbul in May, Kyiv and Moscow carried out the largest prisoner swap during Russia's war in Ukraine, exchanging 1,000 people from each side.
"If Russia turns the Istanbul meetings into empty talk, new sanctions will have to be imposed not only by Europe but also at the level of the G7, including the U.S. and all those who want them," Zelensky said.
According to the president, sanctions should remain an important lever of influence on Russia, as it continues the war in Ukraine.
"Sanctions against Russia are necessary because they will significantly reduce tanker use and trade opportunities. Lower oil prices could hit the Russian economy. Without pressure, Putin will continue to manipulate everyone who wants to end the war," Zelensky added.
During the talks in Istanbul, the Ukrainian delegation presented a peace proposal expressing its readiness to make concessions regarding Russian sanctions if a full ceasefire is achieved. According to the proposal, some of the restrictions could be lifted gradually, provided that there is a mechanism for their renewal if necessary.
The Ukrainian proposal also includes a prisoner swap in an all-for-all format, bringing back Ukrainian children abducted by Russia, as well as the release of all civilians held in Russian captivity.
While ceasefire agreements and peace talks have remained elusive since the start of the full-scale invasion, regular prisoner swaps have remained one of the few areas of ongoing cooperation between the two countries.
Ukraine has long advocated for an "all-for-all" exchange, but Russia has so far rejected the proposal.
At least 8,000 Ukrainian service members are held captive by Russia, Iryna Vereshchuk, president's office deputy head, said on May 1, citing data from Ukraine's Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of POWs.
Kyiv does not release the figures for how many Russian POWs are currently in Ukrainian custody.
Some of the sanctions against Russia could be lifted following a potential full ceasefire, according to Ukraine's official proposal, seen by the Kyiv Independent on June 2.
Yet, the condition proposed by Ukraine is that sanctions are automatically renewed if the ceasefire agreement is broken.
Russia and Ukraine held a second round of talks in Istanbul on June 2. Kyiv presented a peace proposal that included potential easing of restrictions on Moscow, among other clauses.
During the talks in Istanbul, the Ukrainian delegation offered Moscow a complete ceasefire, an all-for-all exchange of prisoners of war (POWs), the return of children abducted by Russia, and the release of all civilians from Russian captivity.
According to the proposal, Ukraine retains its aspirations to join the EU and NATO. Kyiv also highlighted the need for security guarantees to avoid another Russian invasion.
In the meantime, frozen Russian assets must be used to rebuild Ukraine and pay reparations, the proposal seen by the Kyiv Independent read.
Contrary, the head of the Russian delegation said that a ceasefire is possible only following Ukraine's withdrawal from four of the country's regions — Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson — none of which Russia controls in full.
The West has imposed heavy sanctions on Russia since the beginning of the full-scale invasion in 2022. In spite of these measures, Moscow retains its ability to wage war, gradually advancing in several sectors of the front line and increasing its defense production.
U.S. President Donald Trump's stance on U.S. sanctions against Russia has been unclear. Trump has repeatedly threatened additional economic measures against Moscow but said he does not plan to take the step at the moment after his phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
A bipartisan group of U.S. senators has said they are ready to vote on a bill on sanctions against Russia if peace talks over the war in Ukraine do not progress soon. The bill, introduced to the Senate in early April, would impose new penalties on Russia and slap 500% tariffs on imports from countries that buy Russian oil, petroleum products, natural gas, or uranium.
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