“We’ve got a global front that matters to America.” State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce delivered that message during a 2 July briefing, as the Pentagon confirmed suspension of critical weapons shipments to Ukraine, including Patriot air defense missiles that protect civilians from constant Russian bombardment. 

Bruce also noted that Washington expects European partners to “chime in” more substantially because of “the fronts that we’re always dealing with around the world.”

For Ukraine, the timing couldn’t be more alarming. Officials in Kyiv are scrambling to understand why US shipments already staged in Poland were abruptly halted, requesting clarification and a phone call between President Zelenskyy and President Trump.

The decision also sparked concern in Europe. French President Emmanuel Macron held his first phone conversation with Vladimir Putin since 2022 this week—a two-hour discussion that yielded no breakthrough but may reflect growing anxiety about America’s shifting priorities.

Dr. Frank Ledwidge, a senior lecturer in War Studies at Portsmouth University in the UK, told Euromaidan Press that these developments mark the inevitable consequence of Europe’s long reliance on US military support.

But while European governments may now face a geopolitical reckoning, it is Ukrainians who are paying the real price, dying under Russian missiles, bombs, and drones. Euromaidan Press set out to examine whether Europe can finally deliver on its promises to “stand with Ukraine” and provide the air defense systems needed to help the country survive.

US halts Ukraine aid without warning

The weapons suspension caught even senior officials off guard—Congress members, State Department officials, and European allies learned about it from news reports, according to Politico. 

Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby appears to have driven the decision largely alone. He led an internal review that found US arsenals of artillery rounds, air defense missiles, and precision munitions had dropped to concerning levels. But here’s what didn’t happen: coordination with the rest of the government.

Who got blindsided? The State Department learned from media reports. The US embassy in Kyiv wasn’t consulted. Ukraine envoy Keith Kellogg’s team had no advance notice, Politico reports. 

Amid the chaos, the halted weapons represent Ukraine’s survival kit: Patriot interceptor missiles, 155mm artillery shells, HIMARS rockets, Stinger missiles, and Hellfire missiles. More than two dozen Patriot PAC-3 missiles and over 90 AIM air-to-air missiles were among weapons recalled from Poland, according to the Wall Street Journal. 

For Ledwidge, this decision reflects America’s strategic rebalancing rather than vindictiveness toward Ukraine.

 “The overriding strategic priority for the United States Armed Forces is the Western Pacific,” he notes. “The most effective systems that the Americans currently have are the ones most needed in Ukraine, but they would be very much in demand in the South China Sea and in any Taiwan contingency.”

But the Pacific isn’t America’s only concern. The US has already redirected 20,000 air defense missiles from Ukraine to Middle East operations against Iranian targets and Houthi forces in Yemen—part of what State Department spokeswoman Bruce called America’s “global front.” 

Europe’s air defenses fall short

White House Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly defended the suspension: “The strength of the United States Armed Forces remains unquestioned—just ask Iran.” She referenced recent US military operations against Iranian nuclear sites.

But does the decision contradict that claim? If American military strength were truly unquestioned, why suspend weapons to a critical ally during wartime?

Ledwidge sees a fundamental paradox. “The West has been projecting this idea of strength when, in fact, much of that strength is illusory. The American armed forces do look like a very large and powerful force, and they are. However, they are very broad but in some ways not very deep.”

This depth problem extends across the Atlantic.

The United Kingdom exemplifies this weakness: “We have no Patriots, some ship-based equivalent missiles but no land-based launchers, and no missile defense system at all in Britain.”

The production constraints are stark. Only 20-30 Patriot missiles can be manufactured monthly, while far more are consumed in Ukraine and Middle East operations.

“These systems take a very long time to develop and build up large stocks,” Ledwidge notes, highlighting the gap between political promises and industrial reality.

Trump pushes NATO to pay up

Europe’s predicament stems from decades of what NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte embarrassingly called relying on America as “Daddy.” Trump’s “America First” policy has shattered this arrangement.

The doctrine prioritizes American interests and capabilities above alliance commitments, demanding that allies shoulder greater responsibility for their own security rather than relying on US guarantees.

At the recent NATO summit in The Hague, Trump pushed European nations to spend 5% of GDP on defense, which is a target that doubles most current commitments.

Geography explains European divisions. Eastern European nations—Poland, the Baltic states, Finland—have taken Russian threats seriously. Poland began rearming a decade ago. 

“Only now are we seeing the weapons coming through,” Ledwidge notes, highlighting the long lead times for military modernization.

By contrast, southwestern European countries remain hesitant to embrace substantial defense spending increases. Why should they worry? “Spain and its leaders don’t really face Russia as a problem,” Ledwidge observes.

While Poland builds serious deterrent capabilities and the Baltic states invest heavily despite their small size, major Western European powers continue to prioritize social spending over military readiness.

Here’s the catch: “For the last 30 years, we’ve been paying heavily for social security and other priorities while America has underwritten our defenses. This is why Britain doesn’t have any serious air and missile defense system—why should we when the Americans will defend us?”

The comfortable arrangement is over. European leaders now show what Ledwidge describes as “rather fearful expressions.” Even Macron’s outreach to Putin represents choosing “from a few very poor options available to him” as France lacks military leverage to dictate terms to Russia.

Can decades of underinvestment be reversed quickly?

Russia’s allies deliver, Europe stalls

While Europe struggles with defense spending commitments and America suspends weapons shipments, Russia has built a robust support network.

North Korea plans to send an additional 25,000 to 30,000 troops to assist Russia, tripling its military commitment from the original 11,000 soldiers deployed in November 2024 to Russia’s Kursk Oblast. Over 6,000 North Korean troops have already been killed, wounded, or gone missing in heavy frontline fighting.

Additionally, North Korea has supplied Russia with millions of artillery shells, along with missiles, long-range rocket systems, self-propelled howitzers, and short-range missile systems.

China’s role proves more substantial despite official denials. Chinese manufacturers supply Russia with 80% of critical electronics for Russian drones, according to Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service. Beijing provides machine tools, special chemicals, gunpowder, and components directly to 20 Russian military factories.

“They use so-called shell companies, change names, do everything to avoid being subject to export control,” Ukrainian intelligence explains.

The production numbers tell the story.

Iran adds another layer through its January strategic partnership with Russia, covering defense cooperation and intelligence sharing. The country is most known for providing Russian forces with Shahed-136 attack drones, which Russia has since been able to manufacture independently. 

Compare this coordination to Western hesitation. While Russia receives troops, workers, and industrial components from allies, Ukraine’s Western partners debate long-range strike permissions for months and suspend aid deliveries.

Europe lacks “escalation dominance”—European powers cannot “dictate the levels of force and coercion” necessary to shape outcomes on their terms, Ledwidge believes.

Can Europe replace lost US missiles?

Think of Ukraine’s air defense like a castle’s defenses. Multiple walls protect against different threats.

The first wall: Shoulder-fired MANPADS that soldiers carry. Can Europe replace these? Yes. Poland’s Piorun and France’s Mistral systems work fine as substitutes.

The second wall: Short-range systems protecting tactical areas. Again, European alternatives exist, though in smaller quantities.

The critical third wall: Medium-range coverage that protects entire regions. Here’s where problems start. Ukraine relies heavily on American Patriots, NASAMS, and HAWK interceptors. Germany’s IRIS-T and the French-Italian SAMP-T offer similar capabilities, but “there aren’t as many launchers as there are Patriots,” Ledwidge explains.

The final wall: Long-range interceptors that stop ballistic missiles. This is where Europe falls short completely.

But Ukraine has already shown creativity under pressure. Necessity forced Ukrainian engineers to create hybrid “Franken-Buk” systems—mounting American AIM-7 missiles on old Soviet launchers when original Soviet missiles ran out.

Here’s the real problem: The dependency extends beyond ground systems to fighter aircraft. Ukraine’s F-16s use American AIM-9 and AIM-120 missiles. European nations possess limited stocks of compatible air-to-air munitions.

For HIMARS systems? “Europeans simply can’t backfill those—they’re an American form of munition,” Ledwidge notes.

Ukraine could potentially maintain basic air defense using European systems. But the country would lose much capability against Russia’s most dangerous weapons—ballistic missiles and long-range cruise missiles that require Patriot-level systems.

The timing couldn’t be worse. Russian engineers have systematically upgraded Shahed drones. Newer variants fly at 2,800 meters altitude and reach 550-600 km/h—too high for machine guns, too fast for helicopters. 

Modern Shaheds carry 12-channel navigation systems that resist electronic jamming. Their 90-kilogram (198 lbs) warheads also double earlier destruction potential.

These technological advances create a perfect storm: just as Ukraine loses access to American interceptors, Russian weapons become harder to counter with existing European alternatives.

What’s next for Ukraine’s air defenses?

Ledwidge sees little optimism about European defense commitments. Recent promises of 150 billion euros for EU defense funds and 650 billion in loan facilities “will never be taken up because there isn’t sufficient commitment, particularly from Southern Europe.”

The €150 billion comes from the EU’s newly established Security Action for Europe (SAFE) regulation, approved in May 2025. It provides loans to member states for joint arms procurement and defense technology development. The €650 billion represents loosened fiscal rules allowing countries to increase national defense budgets substantially over the coming years under the ReArm Europe program.

Why does he believe these funds won’t materialize? Sophisticated weapons systems require enormous financial investments and years of development time. The gap between political declarations and actual capability generation reflects deeper structural problems in European decision-making.

His prediction extends beyond the current crisis: “There will be an even bigger panic when the Americans actually start withdrawing troops.”

For Ukraine, that panic has already begun. As Washington delays critical decisions and European rearmament remains mostly on paper, the country continues to fight under daily missile fire, often without the systems it urgently needs. Kyiv is still awaiting a response to its $30–50 billion weapons purchase proposal, a last-ditch effort to secure enough air defense and ammunition to survive the coming months.

While Europe debates fiscal frameworks and timelines, Ukraine is left asking a more immediate question: can its allies deliver real support now—before it’s too late?

Russia just became the first nation to formally recognize the Taliban government in Afghanistan—nearly four years after the group seized power again. 

The recognition came as Russia accepted credentials from Afghanistan’s new ambassador, a move that the Russian Foreign Ministry stated would “give impetus to the development of productive bilateral cooperation between our countries in various fields.”

“We value this courageous step taken by Russia, and, God willing, it will serve as an example for others as well,” said Afghanistan’s Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi.

Russia seeks trade and economic opportunities from Taliban

The Russian Foreign Ministry outlined concrete benefits: cooperation in security, counter-terrorism, and combating drug crime. More importantly, Moscow sees “significant trade and economic opportunities” in energy, transport, agriculture, and infrastructure.

This isn’t sudden diplomacy. Russia has been quietly building economic ties with the Taliban for years. Since 2022, Afghanistan has imported gas, oil, and wheat from Russia. 

Russia’s approach required reversing its previous position, as the Taliban had been designated a terrorist movement in Russia since 2003 until the ban was lifted in April this year.

Will other countries recognize Taliban?

Several nations have already moved partway. China, the United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, and Pakistan appointed ambassadors to Kabul—steps toward recognition without full diplomatic acknowledgment, according to Reuters.

But Western governments remain firmly opposed. Their position centers on one issue: women’s rights. The Taliban has banned girls and women from high schools and universities. Women cannot move freely without male guardians. Western diplomats say broader recognition won’t happen until these policies change.

The Taliban justifies these restrictions under its interpretation of Islamic law. That creates a fundamental standoff with Western expectations.

The decision also comes as Russia faces security challenges from militant groups operating across the region. President Vladimir Putin described the Taliban last year as an ally in fighting terrorism, a characterization that gained relevance following the March 2024 attack on a Moscow concert hall that killed 149 people, which US officials attributed to the Afghan branch of Islamic State.

Western isolation strategy crumbles

Russia’s recognition carries particular weight given Moscow’s bloody history in Afghanistan. Soviet forces invaded in 1979, fought for a decade against the Mujahideen insurgents, and withdrew in 1989 after losing approximately 15,000 soldiers. Putin is now embracing the group that emerged from that conflict’s aftermath.

Meanwhile, the US has frozen billions in Afghanistan’s central bank assets and maintains sanctions on Taliban leaders. Russia’s move could encourage other countries to break ranks, potentially undermining the Western isolation strategy.

For the Taliban, this represents their biggest diplomatic victory since taking power. They’ve broken the wall of non-recognition that has defined their international status for nearly four years.

Ukraine and Russia conducted another prisoner exchange on 4 July, with both countries releasing military personnel under 25 years old, wounded and seriously ill defenders, and civilians.

How many prisoners came home this time? Ukrainian officials aren’t saying yet, but say they’ll announce the exact numbers once all exchange phases wrap up.

The released Ukrainians included some of the war’s youngest defenders—soldiers barely out of their teens alongside seasoned veterans. The youngest freed defender was just 20 years old. The oldest: 59.

Who exactly came back? Soldiers from Ukraine’s Armed Forces, National Guard, border guards, and transport security services. But this exchange also freed civilians—people caught up in Russia’s detention system who weren’t combatants at all.

Soldiers who spent three years in captivity finally home

Among those walking free were defenders of Mariupol, the port city that became synonymous with Ukrainian resistance. These soldiers had been in Russian custody since 2022, when the city finally fell after months of siege.

How long had most been held? More than three years, according to the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War. The released fighters had defended positions across Ukraine’s eastern and southern fronts—Donetsk, Kharkiv, Luhansk, and Kherson.

Russia creates fake diplomatic progress

The freed Ukrainians will undergo medical screening and receive rehabilitation support, both physical and psychological. They’ll also get back pay covering their entire time in captivity.

Will the Istanbul approach continue? Both sides appear committed to the framework, which has produced more regular exchanges than previous negotiation attempts. The focus on categories rather than raw numbers seems to have broken through earlier deadlocks.

Meanwhile, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of weaponizing prisoner exchanges to create fake diplomatic progress that delays new sanctions and weakens US support for Ukraine.

He warns Moscow uses these swaps and prolonged talks like those in Istanbul to buy time while continuing military operations, exploiting a major sanctions loophole that lets Russia keep producing nuclear-capable “Oreshnik” intercontinental ballistic missiles through unsanctioned companies. 

Ben Burgess came to Ukraine believing the country deserved freedom. He died fighting for it.

The 33-year-old former British Army soldier was killed 20 June while operating drones in Andriivka, a contested village in northern Sumy Oblast just three miles from Russia’s border, where Russian forces are actively advancing. Local reports confirmed his death during combat operations with the 78th Air Assault Regiment.

How did a Portsmouth native end up flying military drones in Ukraine’s most dangerous zones?

Burgess, known by his call sign “Budgie,” volunteered in 2022 when Russia’s full-scale invasion began. He started with artillery units in Zaporizhzhia before moving to medical evacuations in Donetsk—work that meant retrieving wounded soldiers under fire, the Telegraph reports.

But drones became his specialty. First-person-view (FPV) drones, specifically—the kind that require split-second decisions and nerves most people don’t possess.

“He was among the best pilots we had,” said his fellow soldier “Azrael,” one of the last foreign fighters in their regiment. “He came to Ukraine because he truly believed in its freedom. And he died fighting for that.”

I’ve lost many friends in this war—he’s my biggest loss

Forty people gathered at Kyiv’s main crematorium 30 June to say goodbye, according to Kyiv Post. Mourners laid sunflowers and roses on his coffin as Ukraine’s national anthem played. Later, they planted a flag in his honor at Maidan Square among hundreds of other memorials.

The messages left on his flag tell the story: “Thank you for protecting.” “Love you brother, until we meet again.” “Ben was a true Cossack.”

Burgess left behind a girlfriend in Odesa but no children. For his friend Azrael, the loss cuts deeper than professional respect.

“We were the last two foreign fighters in our regiment,” he said. “He was my family here. I’ve lost many friends in this war—he’s my biggest loss.”

A Foreign Office spokesman confirmed Britain is supporting Burgess’s family and coordinating with Ukrainian authorities.

Vladimir Putin appears to have abandoned his narrowed military objectives in favor of conquering all of Ukraine, according to recent statements and battlefield developments.

 “All of Ukraine is ours,” he told an economic forum in St. Petersburg last week. “Wherever the Russian soldier treads is ours.”

The declaration came as Russian forces attempted to push into Sumy, a region Putin never bothered to annex in 2022. Why the shift?

After failing to capture Kyiv in 2022, he pulled back and focused on four eastern and southern regions: Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia. He annexed them in September 2022, signaling narrower, more achievable goals.

His original strategy isn’t working, the Telegraph reports. Nearly three years later, he still doesn’t fully control even one of those regions.

Russia claims full control of Luhansk after three years

However, Russian forces claimed Monday they captured the final sliver of Luhansk Oblast after controlling 99% of it for years. If confirmed, Luhansk becomes the first Ukrainian region to fall completely since Putin seized Crimea in 2014. However, so far there has been no independent verification from the Russian Defense Ministry or Ukrainian authorities. 

But three years to capture one region? That’s not the lightning campaign Putin promised.

Ukraine rejects penetration of Russian forces into Dnipropetrovsk Oblast

Multiple Russian Telegram channels also claimed forces seized their first village in Dnipropetrovsk oblast, bordering Donetsk Oblast.

Ukraine’s General Staff disputed this, saying a small Russian reconnaissance group penetrated Dachne village, took photos with a Russian flag, then died.

“The invaders managed to take photos with the Russian tricolor, but this was their last activity: Ukrainian soldiers destroyed the occupiers,” military officials stated.

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ISW: Russian forces advance to Dnipropetrovsk Oblast border

Ukrainian military officials said information about establishing a bridgehead in Dnipropetrovsk region does not correspond to reality, and that Ukrainian units continue to contain pressure from Russian forces attempting to cross the administrative border between Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk regions without success.

Still, the attempt matters. In over a decade of war, Ukraine never had to defend Dnipropetrovsk from ground invasion. The flat terrain and sparse settlements could allow swift Russian advances—if they can establish a foothold.

Tens of thousands of Russian troops are also massing around Sumy and Kharkiv, which are bordering Russia on the northeast. Both regions were early war targets Putin failed to capture.

Meanwhile, North Korea plans to significantly increase its military support for Russia in the war against Ukraine by sending an additional 25,000 to 30,000 troops, tripling its current deployment of about 11,000 soldiers initially sent in November 2024. 

North Korean troops were involved in helping Russian soldiers to push back Ukrainian forces which occupied a part of Russia’s Kursk Oblast, which borders Sumy. As of 2025, Russia regained control over most of the region.

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Putin believes he captures “historical Russian cities”

Angelica Evans from the Institute for the Study of War traced Putin’s expanded ambitions to his May visit to Kursk. There, he ordered creation of a “buffer zone” along Ukraine’s border.

“That was a light way to introduce that into the information space,” Evans told The Telegraph. “First, it’s a buffer zone, it’s just 30km to protect Russians. Then you’re not that far from major regional cities, so why not take those?”

The logic follows Putin’s historical claims. If these are “historic Russian cities,” why not seize them?

The expanded operations coincide with increased strikes on civilian targets. Recent attacks killed 18 people in a Kyiv apartment building and 17 passengers on a civilian train in Dnipropetrovsk region.

Evans suggested these strikes serve multiple purposes:

“A lot of these strikes are about undermining Ukrainian morale and for some of these settlements, that are closer to the frontline, an effort to convince people to leave and to make it easier in the future to seize these places.”

Peace talks dead in the water

Meanwhile, peace negotiations have stalled following two rounds of direct talks in May and June that yielded only agreements on prisoner exchanges and repatriation of the dead. Putin has stated that talks are “nowhere close” to success after efforts by Donald Trump failed to progress.

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Ukraine and Russia to exchange prisoners of war this weekend — only result of Istanbul peace talks

During Istanbul peace talks in May, Russian officials reportedly warned Ukraine that Moscow could sustain its war effort for 21 years. Vladimir Medinsky, who led the Russian delegation, said Moscow wanted peace but would fight “however long it takes” and threatened to annex Sumy and Kharkiv if Ukraine rejected Putin’s demands.

Keith Kellogg, Trump’s special envoy for Russia and Ukraine, blamed Russia for derailing negotiations.

“Russian claims that it is the US and Ukraine stalling peace talks are unfounded,” Kellogg said. “We urge an immediate ceasefire and a move to trilateral talks to end the war. Russia cannot continue to stall for time while it bombs civilian targets in Ukraine.”

Russia is expanding its military training infrastructure to include motorcycle programs as part of efforts to formalize new assault tactics developed during the war in Ukraine, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

The Russian Ministry of Defense published footage on 27 and 28 June showing officials visiting the Novosibirsk Higher Military Command School and a new military training ground in Krasnodar Krai, highlighting the creation of motorcycle training programs at these facilities.

Defense Minister Andrei Belousov ordered Ground Forces Commander Andrei Mordvichev to equip training facilities with motorcycles and All-terrain vehicles (ATVs) for what they’re calling “modern tactics.”

Russia has already modernized over 200 training centers based on what they’ve learned in Ukraine. The Krasnodar training ground now features dedicated tracks for motorcycles, ATVs, and quad bikes.

Who’s behind this tactical shift?

Ground Forces Commander Andrei Mordvichev appears to be the architect. Russian sources claim he pioneered motorcycle and ATV use in late 2024 during pushes toward Pokrovsk in Donetsk Oblast. By June 2025, his forces had developed formal operating procedures—now being rolled out across other front sectors.

But here’s the current reality: most Russian soldiers still get their motorcycles from volunteers or buy them personally. Mordvichev wants to change that through centralized procurement and stockpiling.

How many motorcycles is Russia buying?

The numbers vary dramatically depending on the source. Russian military channels report the country purchased over 40,000 Chinese-made motorcycles in 2024, with forces receiving 20,000 so far.

Future plans? One military source claims Russia wants 120,000 motorcycles, 30,000 ATVs, and 12,000 buggies by year’s end. Another source suggests an even more ambitious target: up to 200,000 motorcycles and 60,000 other light vehicles in 2025.

Do motorcycle assaults actually work?

Here’s where Russian confidence meets battlefield reality. A former Storm Z instructor painted a grim picture on 30 June: motorcycles and ATVs are sitting ducks for Ukrainian FPV drones. Worse, motorcycle assaults create higher killed-to-wounded ratios than traditional infantry attacks.

The instructor identified a potential solution—coordinating motorcycle units with heavy air support, drone coverage, and electronic warfare. But that level of coordination remains theoretical.

What’s the current impact? According to the Institute for the Study of War, motorcycles have marginally improved Russian forces’ ability to navigate contested areas and evade some drone strikes. The catch: Russia’s advance rate hasn’t meaningfully accelerated despite integrating these faster vehicles.

The Pentagon decided to halt shipments of certain air defense missiles and precision munitions to Ukraine right as Russia unleashes its heaviest bombardments on Ukrainian civilians in months.

The decision came from Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby after a stark internal review, Politico reports. Three sources familiar with the move say US arsenals of artillery rounds, air defense missiles, and precision munitions have dropped to concerning levels. The initial call was made in early June, but implementation waited until now.

Which weapons are affected? The list reads like Ukraine’s shopping list for survival:

• Patriot interceptor missiles
• 155mm artillery shells
• HIMARS rockets
• Stinger missiles
• Hellfire missiles 

PBS correspondent Nick Schifrin reported the Pentagon also halted AIM-7 air-to-air missiles and GMLRS rockets for Ukraine’s most effective long-range systems.

The timing couldn’t be worse. Ukraine faces some of Russia’s largest missile and drone barrages targeting civilians in Kyiv and beyond. Each intercepted Russian missile requires an American-made interceptor that now won’t be replaced.

Why did this happen? A Pentagon insider reveals the agency has been sorting munitions by criticality since February, partly because of heavy weapons use in Yemen operations. An action memo sat on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s desk for months during personnel turnover. The plan: redirect artillery shells, tank rounds, and air defense systems back to the US homeland or Israel.

But wasn’t Trump just promising more Patriots? He was. After meeting Zelenskyy at the NATO summit, Trump said Ukraine could get additional Patriot systems.

“They do want to have the anti-missile missiles, as they call them, and we’re going to see if we can make some available,” he told reporters. “They’re very hard to get.”

The White House defended the suspension through Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly.

“This decision was made to put America’s interests first following a DOD review of our nation’s military support and assistance to other countries across the globe. The strength of the United States Armed Forces remains unquestioned — just ask Iran,” Kelly said.

Congressional allies aren’t buying it. Rep. Marcy Kaptur, who co-chairs the Congressional Ukrainian Caucus, warned that halting shipments “will surely result in the imminent death of many Ukrainian military and civilians.” She called Patriot systems “the centerpiece of Ukraine’s defenses” that “save lives every day.”

Is this legal? The suspension echoes Trump’s 2019 freeze of $214 million in Ukraine aid. The Government Accountability Office ruled that move violated the Impoundment Control Act—policy disagreements aren’t grounds to block congressionally appropriated funds. If the current freeze follows the same pattern, it risks the same legal violations.

How critical are these weapons? Tom Karako from the Center for Strategic and International Studies put it simply: “Air defense won’t win a war for you—but the absence of it will lose one fast.”

The suspended weapons come from two funding streams established under Biden. Some represent drawdowns from current US stockpiles, with Congress providing money to replenish them. Others come through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, where the US funds direct purchases from American defense firms.

Can Ukraine buy replacements? Zelenskyy says Ukraine stands ready to purchase a “large aid package” from the United States, estimated between $30 to $50 billion. Kyiv has submitted its wish list and awaits Washington’s response.

The question now: Will those interceptors arrive before Russia’s next barrage?

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Ukraine submits multibillion-dollar  weapons purchase list to US as Trump halts new aid for months

Russian forces hit a hospital in Kherson and destroyed a mail depot in Donetsk Oblast during widespread drone attacks that injured at least 14 civilians across three regions.

Ukraine’s air defenses shot down 79 of 118 incoming threats on the night of 2 July. Russian forces launched 4 S-300 missiles and 114 Iranian-designed Shahed drones, according to Ukraine’s Air Forces. Enemy drones found their targets at 14 locations.

Kherson: Artillery hits hospital late in the evening

Russian gunners targeted Kherson Regional Hospital during evening hours when patients would be sleeping. The 11 p.m. artillery strike wounded eight people—five patients recovering from other conditions, plus three nurses on duty.

A 44-year-old hospital worker took shrapnel to the chest and needed surgery. Two other medical staff, ages 54 and 44, were treated and released. Four patients remain hospitalized: men aged 58 and 60, women aged 64 and 57. All suffered blast injuries and shrapnel wounds.

The building tells the story. More than 100 windows blown out. Patient wards destroyed. Facade cracked from the explosion.

Oleksandr Prokudin, who runs Kherson’s regional administration, reported 10 people wounded across the area in 24 hours. Russian forces hit apartment buildings, private homes, farms, and vehicles throughout the day.

Donetsk Oblast: Mail service disrupted in Sloviansk

Shahed drones leveled Nova Poshta’s sorting facility in Sloviansk, eliminating 300 packages but sparing 5,000 others. No workers died as the terminal was likely empty during night operations.

“We are restructuring package sorting and logistics, but delays in shipments from Sloviansk are possible,” Nova Poshta announced. The company will pay compensation to affected customers.

Here’s the broader impact: Sloviansk serves as a logistics hub for eastern Ukraine. Disrupting mail delivery affects everything from medicine shipments to family communications.

Kharkiv: Drones torch agricultural targets

Russian operators steered drones into farm buildings in two villages near the front line. Warehouse fires erupted in Borivske and Volska Balakliia after direct hits on agricultural enterprises.

Why target farms? Ukraine feeds much of the world. Destroying grain storage and farming equipment creates food shortages months later.

Three people were injured in the agricultural strikes, according to preliminary reports.

In Kharkiv city itself, a drone hit an abandoned building that caught fire across 300 square meters. The blast damaged a car repair shop, apartment building, and bus stop nearby. No casualties reported there.

Russia continues targeting civilian infrastructure, such as hospitals, postal services, and farms, rather than military positions. The strategy appears designed to make daily life unbearable for Ukrainian civilians.

A Russian nurse approached the wounded Ukrainian prisoner of war lying in his hospital bed and told him not to worry. “When you get home, you can remove it or get a tattoo over it,” she said.

At first, the soldier had no idea what she was talking about until he lifted his head from the pillow and looked at his stomach. There, burned into his skin, were the words “Glory to Russia.”

On 28 June, United24 released a YouTube interview with the soldier himself. Andrii, a paratrooper from Ukraine’s 79th Air Assault Brigade, was exchanged in May as a result of Istanbul negotiations that did not, however, yield a ceasefire.

Ukrainian serviceman, who was captured following severe combat injuries, described systematic torture during more than 15 months in Russian captivity and detailed how a Russian surgeon branded the inscription onto his body using medical equipment during surgery.

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He asked Russian captors to “finish him off”

Andrii’s unit faced relentless Russian assaults in eastern Ukraine. His position had been reduced to rubble—”not even tree stumps” remained, he said. They held one dugout with an entrance barely two meters wide, repelling two or three attacks daily. Then came the grenade that changed everything.

“I heard the sound of a grenade pin being pulled. It landed right next to me,” he shared. “I knew that that was it. There was an explosion, then silence and darkness.”

He woke up paralyzed from the waist down, convinced his legs were gone. When he reached down, they were still there but completely numb. Russian soldiers were already dragging him from the dugout. They seemed surprised he survived—no pulse, no breathing, no heartbeat when they first checked. The blast also shredded his buttock and caused severe internal injuries that would require multiple surgeries. But he was alive, barely, and now their prisoner.

Unable to walk, he was carried on a stretcher to Russian positions. That’s when his 15 months of captivity began and when he repeatedly asked his captors to “finish me off” rather than face what lay ahead.

Andrii said that Russian forces brought him to a hospital after interrogation and torture that included electric shocks applied directly to his open wounds. Medical staff operated on him while he was unconscious, and he only discovered the marking a week later when transferred to a regular hospital room.

“I had no idea what she was talking about. I lifted my head from a pillow just to look at my stomach. And there it was. ‘Glory to Russia,'” he said in the interview. “As far as I know, it was burned to my skin with a medical cautery tool.”

When asked who performed the procedure, he identified the surgeon who had operated on him. “It was the surgeon who operated on me. The very first one,” he stated.

Ukrainian doctors are now working to eraze what the Russian surgeon left behind. The “Unburnt” national program provides free treatment for war-related injuries and has begun procedures to remove the inscription.

The process started with polynucleotide injections to stimulate tissue regeneration. Maksym Turkevych, the program’s director, expects the multi-stage treatment will leave only minimal traces visible within months.

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Doctors began removing “Glory to Russia” words carved on Ukrainian POW body

But this case raises bigger questions about what’s happening to Ukrainian prisoners.

Systematic torture in Russian captivity

The soldier’s account aligns with documented patterns of abuse against Ukrainian prisoners of war. According to Ukraine’s Security Service, over 96,000 criminal proceedings have been opened under Article 438 of the Criminal Code since the full-scale invasion began in 2022, representing war crimes cases.

Andrii described repeated torture sessions that included electric shocks applied to wounds, beatings with filled water bottles, and use of devices called “tapik” – old phones with electrical wires that deliver increasing levels of electric current based on numbers dialed.

“They ripped off the bandage and started electrocuting me right there, directly into the wound,” he said. “That went on for about 40 minutes.”

Why does Russia do this systematic torture of POWs? The pattern suggests coordinated policy rather than isolated incidents. Prisoners held in different facilities report identical torture methods and injuries.

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What kept him alive?

The soldier lost 16 kilograms (35 lbs) during captivity—dropping from 90 (198 lbs) to 74 (163 lbs) kilograms. He spent months in overcrowded prison cells designed for six people but holding twelve.

Guards forced prisoners to memorize the Russian national anthem. Those who failed faced severe beatings.

“The guards would come in and ask us to recite the Russian national anthem. That was mandatory everywhere in hospitals, in prisons,” he said. “Those who didn’t know it, they got beaten severely. Beaten until they couldn’t get up.”

What sustained him? A promise to his nine-year-old daughter.

“I promised her that no matter what condition I’d be in, even without arms, without legs, I’d still come back,” he said. “Every single day, I kept telling myself, I will come back.”

Andrii was exchanged on 22 May 2025 after spending months in a Russian prison colony. He described the moment of crossing back into Ukrainian territory as overwhelming relief after prolonged uncertainty.

“We could finally smoke, drink some water, take photos. That’s when it really started to feel easier, like a huge weight lifted,” he said.

His reunion with his nine-year-old daughter proved particularly emotional. The child initially did not recognize her father, who had lost so much weight. 

“At first, she didn’t recognize me, but I recognized her right away. She’s grown so much. She looks older now,” he explained.

He wants to return to fighting

Andrii wants to return to military service. That depends on upcoming surgeries and whether doctors clear him for combat duties, such as carrying heavy loads and wearing body armor.

His photos that went viral and his testimony represent evidence of systematic Russian war crimes, especially in captivity. While Ukrainian prosecutors are collecting and building these cases, the challenge, however, lies in holding perpetrators accountable while the war continues and they remain safely in Russia.

For now, Ukrainian doctors work to erase what Russian surgeons burned into Andrii’s skin. The inscription will fade. The evidence of what happened will not.

In June 2025, Ukraine also opened its first mental health facility specifically for released prisoners of war and torture survivors. The Saint Leo the Great Mental Health Center in Lviv has specialized therapy spaces and art spaces designed to help people recover from captivity trauma.

The facility expects to serve around 1,000 patients annually. Rather than resembling a hospital, the 17 patient rooms look like residential spaces. There’s an art therapy building with pottery workshops and studios where survivors can weave, sing, or make music.

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Three years after Russian forces captured Mariupol, something strange is happening on social media. Pro-Russia influencers are posting glossy videos of a rebuilt city where life looks normal again.

But what’s actually happening on the ground?

The BBC tracked down more than half a dozen people—some still trapped in the occupied city, others who recently escaped—to find out. Their accounts reveal a city where appearance and reality couldn’t be further apart.

Most of Mariupol still in ruins

“What they’re showing on Russian TV are fairy tales for fools,” said John, a Ukrainian still living in occupied Mariupol. The BBC changed his name to protect him from Russian authorities. “Most of Mariupol still lies in ruins.”

According to residents, Russian authorities have focused reconstruction efforts on main thoroughfares where cameras document progress. However, areas beyond these showcase routes remain largely destroyed. Many residents continue living in severely damaged apartments with compromised structural integrity.

“Rubble and emptiness. Many people still live in half-destroyed apartments with their walls barely standing,” John said.

Russians don’t separate out dead bodies from rubble

Olha Onyshko, 66, escaped Mariupol late last year and now lives in Ternopil, western Ukraine. She watched this reconstruction theater firsthand. The cleanup process was particularly grim.

“They cleared the debris, but they didn’t even separate out the dead bodies. They were just loaded onto trucks with the rubble and carried out of the city,” she shared.

Can you even drink the water in Mariupol?

The city faces critical infrastructure challenges, particularly with water supply. The Siverskyi Donets–Donbas Canal, which previously supplied the city, was damaged during fighting.

Residents report intermittent water service, with supply flowing for one to two days before stopping for three-day periods. When available, the water appears yellow and requires boiling before consumption.

Some residents say the water looks like Coca-Cola.

Serhii Orlov, Mariupol’s deputy mayor in exile, ran the numbers. “Only one reservoir was left supplying water to Mariupol. For the current population, that would’ve lasted about a year and a half. Since occupation has lasted longer than that, it means there is no drinking water at all.”

Power outages also occur frequently, while residents report high food prices and limited access to essential medications. Diabetics struggle to obtain insulin, which has become prohibitively expensive when available.

The BBC contacted Mariupol’s Russian administration about these shortages. No response.

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What are Russian occupiers teaching the children?

Beyond physical hardships, residents express particular concern about education policies imposed by Russian authorities. School curricula now teach that multiple Ukrainian regions, including Donetsk, Luhansk, Kharkiv, and others, belong to Russia. Only Crimea is occupied fully, while other regions are occupied partially or not at all. 

Special lessons called “Conversations about Important Things” present Russia’s 2022 invasion as “liberating” Russian-speaking populations from Nazis.

“Teachers who refuse to take these lessons are intimidated or fired. It’s like they are reprogramming the minds of our children,” another resident explained.

Resistance in Russian occupation

Despite risks, some Ukrainians maintain resistance activities within the occupied territory. These groups collect intelligence on Russian military movements and equipment, transmitting information to Ukrainian forces through secure channels. Resistance members also conduct small-scale sabotage operations, including attacks on railway infrastructure.

The work carries significant personal risk. One former resistance member fled after noticing a Russian soldier showing his photograph to local merchants. Daily life requires constant vigilance, with residents regularly deleting phone messages and avoiding calls to Ukraine due to surveillance concerns.

“Every day you delete your messages because your phone can be checked at checkpoints,” James says. “You’re afraid to call your friends in Ukraine in case your phone is being tapped.”

His neighbor was arrested right off the street after someone reported he was allegedly passing information to the Ukrainian military. “Your life is like a movie—constant tension, fear, distrust.”

“We want liberation” from Russian occupation

As diplomatic discussions continue about potential territorial concessions that Russia insists on, resistance members have a clear message.

“Giving away territory for a ‘deal with Russia’ will be a betrayal,” John says. “Dozens risk their lives every day to pass information to Ukraine, not so that some diplomat in a suit will sign a paper that will ‘hand us over.'”

His final words: “We don’t want ‘peace at any cost.’ We want liberation.”

A Russian soldier who executed Ukrainian prisoners of war in Kharkiv Oblast now sits in a Ukrainian jail cell. He alone was captured after Ukrainian forces wiped out his entire unit.

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) announced charges against 36-year-old Sergey Tuzhilov, a rifleman from Russia’s 69th motorized rifle division. The case reveals the systematic nature of Russian war crimes—and occasionally, battlefield justice.

What happened in Vovchansk?

Tuzhilov participated in fighting near Vovchansk in June 2024. During an assault on a local factory, he and another Russian soldier captured three Ukrainian troops. Then they executed them.

The evidence is specific. According to the SBU investigation, Tuzhilov “personally fired a shot from his service automatic rifle into the back of the head of a bound Ukrainian soldier.” He also selected execution sites for two other prisoners and stood guard during the killings.

Before the executions? The Russians tortured their captives by tying them to posts.

How was he caught?

Ukrainian forces destroyed Tuzhilov’s unit in subsequent fighting. He was the only survivor—and became a prisoner himself. The SBU gathered evidence while he sat in custody, building a case that could send him to prison for life.

Who is Tuzhilov? A career criminal turned soldier. The SBU says he has two prior convictions for robbery and drug trafficking before joining Russia’s military.

Tuzhilov faces charges under multiple articles of Ukrainian criminal law, including war crimes committed by conspiracy and cruel treatment of prisoners combined with premeditated murder. If convicted, he faces life imprisonment.

The bigger picture of POW executions 

This case represents one thread in a much larger pattern. The Office of the Prosecutor General reports Russian forces have killed at least 268 Ukrainian prisoners of war since the full-scale invasion began in 2022.

The numbers tell a grim story. In 2022, prosecutors documented 57 execution cases. That jumped to 149 cases in 2024. This year? Already 51 cases in just six months.

Why the increase? The pattern suggests Russian forces kill prisoners to avoid detention logistics and break Ukrainian morale.

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Two men from Cameroon sit in Ukrainian custody, telling a story that’s becoming disturbingly familiar. They came to Russia for work and tourism and ended up on the front lines.

Metugena Una-na Jean Pafe thought he was getting a job at a shampoo factory. Anatol Frank needed dental work and planned an 18-day trip to Moscow in 2024. Both claim they traveled to Russia for civilian purposes but were forced into military service against their will, according to video by the 20th separate unmanned systems regiment K-2.

“I wanted to leave the airport, but they [Russians] called me,” Pafe told his Ukrainian captors. “They checked my passport and took me to an office.This was all under coercion.”

Frank’s experience followed a similar pattern. Moscow’s migration service took his fingerprints and jaw impressions, then told him what to do. When he refused, they blocked his departure.

Both men ended up signing military contracts worth 1.1 million rubles (over $14,000). Why sign? Ukrainian forces note this amount represents substantial money in Cameroon, even though it’s less than Russia offers its own citizens.

The military training moved them across Russia. Pafe spent two weeks in Moscow, one week in Rostov, then a month in occupied Luhansk. Frank also trained in Rostov before deployment.

How long did their combat service last? Not long.

Pafe’s bunker came under fire almost immediately. Six days after reaching the front, Ukrainian forces captured him. Frank got lost on his first mission, unable to understand orders in Russian. He wandered for three days in the rain, at one point hiding under a bush, before following voices that led to Ukrainian troops.

“While I was walking, there were drones above. It rained for three days,” Frank recounted.

During Frank’s nighttime evacuation, a Russian drone wounded two Ukrainian soldiers and Frank himself.

Both prisoners say they never killed anyone. They acknowledge Russia as the aggressor and want to return to Cameroon, where they have families. One prisoner has two sons waiting at home.

Are they alone? Far from it.

The regiment indicates this represents part of a broader pattern of foreign recruitment, with the prisoners claiming that Chinese, Zimbabwean, and Bangladeshi nationals are also present on the Siversk front, Donetsk Oblast.

Ukrainian forces previously also captured a Yemeni fighter. In early April, they captured Chinese nationals fighting for Russia—the first known case of Chinese military personnel in the war. President Zelenskyy says Ukrainian intelligence counts at least 155 Chinese citizens in Russian ranks.

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Russia also deploys North Korean soldiers, particularly in Kursk Oblast, adding another layer to its international recruitment.

How widespread is this recruitment? An investigation by Important Stories found foreign mercenaries from at least 48 countries fighting for Russia. Moscow recruited over 1,500 foreigners between April 2023 and May 2024 in the capital alone. Most come from South and East Asia, with Nepal providing the largest contingent.

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Besides Nepal, fighters arrive from India and African nations including the Republic of Togo. Such recruitment cases became more frequent at the end of last year.

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Russia is also luring young African women with promises of vocational training and jobs in Europe, then trapping them in drone factories to build weapons for the war in Ukraine. Women from Uganda, Mali, Cameroon, Sierra Leone, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and South Sudan arrive at Russia’s Alabuga facility expecting education or legitimate work, but instead face grueling assembly-line shifts building Shahed attack drones under constant surveillance.

They work long hours exposed to harmful chemicals, endure racism and punitive management, while their wages are withheld and communications monitored, with some reports suggesting sexual exploitation as well.

The Russian Ministry of Defense finances this operation through fraudulent recruitment via social media and embassies, effectively turning vulnerable women into forced laborers for Moscow’s war machine. 

The International Legion of the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine just announced production of “Legit”—a tracked robot that can haul supplies or launch grenades. 

The machine itself is compact but versatile. Attach a trailer and it becomes a pack mule, ferrying ammunition and food to troops. Swap that for a combat module and you get two grenade launchers ready to support assault teams or hit enemy bunkers.

There’s a third option: load it with explosives and send it toward enemy positions as a one-way weapon.

But why build robots when Ukraine already has drones? Ground systems solve different problems. They can carry 500 kilograms (1102 lbs)—far more than aerial drones. They work when skies are contested. And they keep soldiers away from minefields and enemy fire.

The Ministry of Defense recently approved another ground drone called “Muraha” [Ant] that proves the point. It hauls heavy loads across long distances while shrugging off electronic warfare jamming through multiple control channels.

Can these robots change battlefield dynamics? Early evidence suggests yes. Both systems target the same persistent problem: getting supplies and firepower to troops without exposing human operators to enemy fire.

For example, in April 2025, Ukrainian military engineers successfully used an Ardal ground drone to evacuate three severely wounded soldiers who had been stranded for a month near Russian positions, after all conventional evacuation attempts failed due to intense fighting and dangerous terrain.

Ukraine is walking away from a treaty that prohibits anti-personnel mines. Why abandon an agreement designed to protect civilians?

Because Russia never signed it—and has been laying mines across Ukrainian territory for over two years.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed the withdrawal decree on June 29. Parliament must still approve the move, but the message is clear: Ukraine needs every defensive tool available.

What exactly is Ukraine leaving behind?

The Ottawa Convention banned anti-personnel landmines worldwide. Since 1999, it has drawn 164 countries committed to destroying their mine stockpiles and clearing contaminated land, as mines can cause severe injuries and deaths among civilians.

Ukraine joined in 2005, dutifully following the rules for nearly two decades. The country destroyed its mines and cleared old minefields.

But here’s the problem: Russia, China, and the United States never signed on. Neither did India or Pakistan. The world’s major military powers kept their mines.

Why break the promise now?

“Ukraine found itself in an unequal and unfair situation,” the Foreign Ministry stated. The treaty limits Ukraine’s right to self-defense under UN Charter Article 51.

When Ukraine joined in 2005, Russian tanks weren’t rolling toward Kyiv. The full-scale invasion changed everything.

“We are convinced that this step is both necessary and proportionate to the level of threats, as it concerns the survival and preservation of Ukraine as a sovereign, independent, and free state,” the Ministry stated.

Zelenskyy put it bluntly: Russia uses mines “extremely cynically,” not just against Ukraine but wherever it fights. Chemical weapons, ballistic missiles, landmines—Moscow deploys whatever kills.

What’s Ukraine supposed to do? Fight by rules Russia ignores?

“Anti-personnel mines are an instrument that very often has no alternative for defense,” Zelenskyy explained. Especially for countries sharing borders with Russia.

Who else is rethinking the ban?

Ukraine isn’t alone in this calculation. Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Poland, and Finland have all decided to leave the treaty.

Notice the pattern? Every country borders Russia or sits within striking distance. The Baltic states remember Soviet occupation. Poland knows Russian history. Finland fought Stalin’s army.

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This decision was also driven by Russia’s increasing military threat to NATO’s eastern flank with some reports claiming Russia might attack NATO within the next five years.

Each of these countries concluded the same thing: when facing Russia, defensive options matter more than international agreements Moscow never joined.

Slovakia’s foreign minister dropped a diplomatic bombshell 29 June, proposing that Russia be forgiven for its actions in Ukraine to achieve peace. Juraj Blanár told Slovak television the West and Russia might need to “forgive each other for everything that happened.”

Speaking on Slovakia’s STVR television broadcast, Blanár argued that the war has no military solution and called for a return to respecting international law while seeking dialogue with the Russian Federation, according to reports by Aktuality and Dennik.

“We must find a way to cooperate with Russia,” he said.

Here’s the contradiction: Blanár simultaneously announced Slovakia would beef up its military warehouses, stating that while the country opposes war preparation, it cannot afford to deter opponents with inadequate defense capabilities.

“We cannot simply watch as we go to deter an opponent with empty warehouses,” he explained.

Why the mixed signals? Blanár fears escalation.

“We don’t want a war to arise between Russia and NATO, because that would be World War III. We want the conflict to be settled peacefully.”

However, Blanár’s position faced immediate criticism from both Slovak and Ukrainian officials. Deputy Chairman of Slovakia’s Foreign Parliamentary Committee Tomáš Valášek warned that opening negotiations with Russia would not end the war, arguing that Moscow has no genuine interest in peace.

 “As long as Russia is successful on the battlefield, it will continue to kill, rape and abduct children,” Valášek said, referencing international arrest warrants against Putin.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha also fired back within hours:

“It’s naive to expect a criminal to stop if their crime is forgiven instead of punished. Russia will hit your other cheek as well. And those who have lost no one in this war have no right to make such statements,” Sybiha wrote.

On the night of 30 June, a Russian massive drone assault on Ukraine injured eight civilians in eastern Kharkiv Oblast and caused structural damage in multiple Ukrainian regions.

The assault primarily concentrated on Ukraine’s eastern regions, with Donetsk, Kharkiv, and Dnipropetrovsk Oblasts bearing the brunt of the offensive.

Ukrainian air defense systems successfully intercepted 74 of the 107 incoming drones, representing a 69% success rate against the coordinated attack, according to the country’s Air Forces.

Russia launches dozens or hundreds of drones simultaneously from multiple directions, overwhelming Ukrainian air defenses that can track only a limited number of targets at once, making interception much harder.

Additionally, Russia has begun deploying wooden decoy drones that generate false radar signatures, tricking Ukrainian systems into wasting expensive munitions on fake targets.

Russia injures eight people in Kharkiv Oblast

The most significant civilian casualties occurred in Kharkiv Oblast, where a drone struck a vehicle service station, injuring eight people, including one child, in the city of Pisochyn, according to the State Emergency Service.

Additional drone attacks in the region targeted infrastructure in Derhachi, where fires erupted at both a private enterprise warehouse and an agricultural facility, though these incidents resulted in no reported casualties.

Rural areas also faced bombardment, with the village of Kurortne in Chuhuiv district experiencing damage to a sanatorium cafeteria building, which subsequently caught fire following the Russian strike.

Agricultural infrastructure damaged in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast

Dnipropetrovsk region also faced overnight attacks, with Russian forces deploying drones against agricultural infrastructure in Synelnykivskyi district. Regional Military Administration head Serhii Lysak reported that air defenses shot down four UAVs over the region, but strikes still occurred.

“In Synelnykivskyi district, an agricultural enterprise was damaged, tractors were destroyed. A fire occurred,” Lysak stated on Telegram.

Russian forces also conducted artillery bombardment and FPV drone attacks against Nikopol district, targeting four communities and damaging a private house and gas pipeline, though no casualties were reported.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Defense ministry denies miscalculation

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

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

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

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

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

Ukraine needs concrete support

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

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

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

Military units from Germany, Britain, the Netherlands, and Italy successfully completed a large-scale river crossing operation on 28 June as part of ongoing joint military exercises in Germany.

The operation, dubbed the “Great Crossing,” took place at Kalkar, Germany, where forces transported troops and heavy equipment across the Rhine River using specially constructed ferry systems, according to dpa news agency.

The German Bundeswehr reports that approximately 1,200 soldiers and 500 units of military equipment are participating in the two-week training exercise, which began earlier this month and will conclude by the end of next week.

The core of the operation centered on the German-British 130th Bridge-Building Battalion from Minden, which was reinforced by Dutch and Italian company units.

According to military officials, the crossing required several days of detailed preparation and reconnaissance work before forces could construct the ferry crossing points using their own engineering systems.

The exercises will continue with a second major crossing planned over the Weser River near Hamelin in Lower Saxony in the coming days. The Bundeswehr issued safety advisories to civilian observers, instructing them to maintain safe distances from military vehicles during the operations.

The German exercises coincide with broader NATO training activities across Europe. Poland is currently preparing its own multinational military exercises with NATO partners, specifically designed as a response to large-scale Russian-Belarusian military maneuvers known as “West,” which have historically signaled heightened military activity near NATO’s eastern borders and preceded major escalations, such as the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Finland recently concluded hosting the trilateral Arctic Trident exercises from 16-27 June, marking the first time the Nordic country has hosted such operations involving air forces from three major NATO nations since joining the alliance in 2023. 

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

The intelligence agency reports that Russian forces have exhausted much of their 1970s-era tank inventory and are now turning to even older models to maintain their armored capabilities. This shift represents a significant departure from Russia’s initial reliance on more modern systems like the T-90M and T-72B3M main battle tanks.

The restoration work is centered primarily at the 103rd Armored Repair Plant in Atamanovka, Trans-Baikal Territory of Siberia. Ukrainian intelligence documented the transfer of 21 T-62 tanks from the eastern region to western part on 27 June.

The condition of these reactivated vehicles presents significant challenges. According to the intelligence report, most tanks have been stored outdoors for decades without proper maintenance, resulting in unsatisfactory technical condition.

Despite these limitations, Russia continues deploying the aging armor due to what Ukrainian intelligence characterizes as an acute shortage of modern battle tanks. 

The T-62, originally designed in the early 1960s, represents a significant technological step backward from contemporary main battle tanks, lacking modern fire control systems, armor protection, and battlefield management capabilities that define current-generation vehicles.

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

The Pope participated in a pilgrimage led by His Beatitude Sviatoslav, the head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church on 28 June, according to Vatican News. Following the service, Leo XIV published a statement of support in Ukrainian on social media platforms.

“The faith of your people is now being put to a difficult test. Believing does not mean having all the answers, but trusting that God is with us and gives us His grace, that He will speak the final word, and that life will triumph over death,” the Pope added.

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy responded by thanking the Pope for his sympathy and made a specific request for Vatican assistance. He called on Leo XIV to help secure the return of Ukrainians held in Russian captivity, including both adults and children detained against their will.

On 26 April, the Vatican also became the site of a significant meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US President Donald Trump. During the funeral of Pope Francis, the two leaders met privately for about 15 minutes inside St. Peter’s Basilica.

Both sides described the discussion as positive and potentially historic, focusing on issues such as a ceasefire, civilian protection, and the possibility of a lasting peace.

This encounter was notable as it followed a previously contentious Oval Office meeting earlier in the year after which US-Ukraine relations worsened.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz ruled out telephoning Russian President Vladimir Putin in the foreseeable future, citing a pattern of escalated attacks following diplomatic outreach attempts, according to an interview with Süddeutsche Zeitung.

Merz pointed to two examples where diplomatic engagement with Putin appeared to coincide with intensified Russian military actions, Süddeutsche Zeitung reports.

He referenced Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s visit to Moscow in July 2024, which was followed by heavy bombardments of Kyiv including the Okhmatdyt children’s hospital.

Similarly, after Olaf Scholz’s phone conversation with Putin in November 2024, Russian forces launched a massive attack on Ukraine and also bombed a children’s hospital.

“If this is the result of such phone calls, I would refrain from them for a long time,” Merz told the German newspaper.

This represents a shift from Merz’s position in May, when he had not excluded the possibility of direct negotiations with Putin. At that time, Western leaders including Merz were assessing whether Russia might agree to a ceasefire suggested for a discussion during Istanbul talks. The German chancellor had indicated he would be “ready to do a lot” if it would help end the war.

Regarding US President Donald Trump’s approach to Russia, Merz suggested he has observed changes in the American leader’s stance. The German chancellor characterized Trump as showing “growing skepticism” and becoming “more critical” toward Moscow.

Merz described this as part of an ongoing process, noting that Europe maintains a unified assessment of the war.

“I believe that President Trump is approaching this assessment,” he said.

The White House recommended terminating US funding for nearly two dozen programs that conduct war crimes and accountability work globally, including the crimes committed by Russia against Ukraine, according to Reuters.

The recommendation from the White House Office of Management and Budget does not constitute a final decision to eliminate the programs, as the State Department retains the option to file an appeal by 11 July. However, two American officials who spoke with Reuters expressed skepticism that Secretary of State Marco Rubio would advocate for continued funding for most programs.

One source indicated that Rubio could potentially make arguments in favor of preserving funding specifically for war crimes investigations in Ukraine.

According to three sources, the White House recommended cutting funding for Global Rights Compliance, a program that assists in collecting evidence of sexual violence and torture during the Russo-Ukrainian war. Another program facing recommended termination is Legal Action Worldwide, a legal aid group that handles cases against Russian military personnel.

A $18 million State Department grant for Ukraine’s Prosecutor General’s Office, implemented by Georgetown University’s International Criminal Justice Initiative, is also recommended for termination.

Other programs facing termination include accountability work on Myanmar’s army atrocities against Rohingya minorities and persecution of Christians and other minorities by Syria’s ousted former president Bashar al-Assad.

Ukraine has opened more than 140,000 war crime cases since Russia’s February 2022 full-scale invasion. Russia consistently denies war crimes have been committed by its forces in the war. While the programs do not directly impact Ukraine’s frontline defense efforts, supporters argue they represent the best opportunity to document reported battlefield atrocities in Europe’s largest conflict since World War Two.

Program that tracks deported Ukrainian children also lost funding, faces closure

Another US Yale-led research program, The Ukraine Conflict Observatory, that tracks the deportation of over 30,000 Ukrainian children by Russia, is facing imminent shutdown after the Trump administration cut its funding, leaving it with only about two weeks of resources as of June 2025.

The program, launched in May 2022 with State Department support, has been instrumental in documenting war crimes, aiding six ICC indictments including those related to child abductions, and compiling a unique database on forced deportations, reeducation camps, and identity erasure of Ukrainian children.

Despite temporary funding reinstatements and congressional efforts to restore support, the observatory plans to lay off staff by 1 July, creating a significant intelligence gap since no other entity tracks these abductions at comparable scale or detail.

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced his country’s willingness to engage in a third round of negotiations with Ukraine, while also acknowledging fundamental disagreements between the two sides.

Speaking after the Eurasian Economic Union summit in Minsk, Belarus, Putin characterized the Russian and Ukrainian memorandums on ending the war as “absolutely opposite” and suggested this divergence was expected, arguing that negotiations exist specifically to find common ground between conflicting positions.

The Russian president declined to elaborate on specific details of the proposed talks.

“I wouldn’t want to go into details, because I consider it inappropriate, even harmful to preempt the negotiations themselves,” Putin stated.

According to Putin, recent prisoner exchanges and the return of deceased soldiers’ remains have established a foundation for continued diplomatic contact. He indicated both sides had previously agreed to proceed with a third negotiating round following the completion of these humanitarian measures.

Earlier, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan also revealed that US President Donald Trump has expressed willingness to participate in potential Ukraine-Russia leadership meetings, contingent on Putin’s attendance.

Putin emphasized that logistical details including timing and final venue selection still require coordination between the parties. According to the Russian president, negotiating teams are “in constant contact, constantly calling each other” to advance preparations.

He also suggested the upcoming talks should focus on reconciling the opposing memorandums each side has prepared.

Russian demands for ending the war 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 from Russia
• resolution of frozen Russian assets abroad
• protections for Russian speakers in Ukraine
• holding of Ukrainian presidential elections because Moscow doesn’t recognize Zelenskyy as a legitimate leader

Ukraine rejected these conditions, 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. 

Additionally, 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.

“And it’s hard, I can barely look at these photos. It’s very difficult for me right now,” Valeriia said.

Her iPhone still suggests photo memories of Mariia—images too painful to view of a girl who will never grow up, whose drawings will remain forever unfinished.

The waiting continues in a different form now—waiting for sleep that won’t come, for appetite that has vanished, for acceptance of a reality too cruel to comprehend.

“I haven’t even accepted the fact yet, I haven’t even realized it yet. Doctors give me various sedatives because I can’t sleep, I can’t eat.”

The girl had recently experimented with independence, dyeing and cutting her own hair in a crooked, endearing way that made her sister smile.

“She always looked up to me. It was very nice,” Valeriia recalled, her voice breaking as she described their bond. “A few weeks ago she bought paint and dyed her hair herself and cut it very funny, crooked. She was very funny. And very beautiful. Cheerful. Sincere.”

Born in 2014, Mariia knew no world without war, yet she was a curious, bright child and pursued drawing since early childhood.

 “She was talented, loved to draw, she was radiant, her eyes shone, she was bright, positive, and responsible,” said Maryna, her art teacher.

The sisters were preparing for a summer adventure together—a Plast scout camp in the western Carpathian Mountains that would never come now.

Russia kills mother and daughter in their home

For three days, Ukrainian rescuers were clearing the rubble and uncovering bodies of people at the site where a Russian missile demolished an ordinary apartment building in Kyiv on 23 June. Among them were a mother and her daughter.

According to Suspilne news, approximately 100 people gathered near the damaged building to pay respects to 11-year-old Mariia and her mother Svitlana on 26 June, bringing flowers and children’s toys. Mariia’s father Andrii and older sister Valeriia attended the ceremony. They weren’t home when the Russian missile struck. 

The morning of 23 June began for Valeriia with a phone call that shattered everything. At 5 a.m., she received word from their aunt who lived nearby and rushed to find her father already waiting by the ruins.

“Where they were digging, there were my child and wife. I was at work,” Andrii said, his words heavy with disbelief. “It seems to me that this is just a dream.”

The first entrance where the family lived was completely destroyed down to the basement. Valeriia and Andrii waited 11 hours at the scene, hoping to see their loved ones alive but to no avail. 

 “It was hell. We waited 11 hours and I sincerely prayed that they would be alive,” Valeriia shared.

Their mother Svitlana was described by those who knew her as a woman who balanced demanding work responsibilities with unwavering dedication to her children’s wellbeing and dreams.

“Mom always invested a lot in work and in us,” her surviving daughter Valeriia remembered.

On 26 June, the State Emergency Service confirmed the conclusion of rescue efforts that resulted in the recovery of nine victims and 13 injured people.

“Coalition of killers”: Missile Russia used was likely North Korean

The overnight 22-23 June attack marked one of the largest recent air raids on Kyiv, according to Ukraine’s Air Force. Russian forces deployed 159 Shahed drones and 16 ballistic and cruise missiles, likely exported from North Korea, targeting the capital and surrounding oblasts. 

One Russian ballistic missile struck the residential building, where Mariia and Svitlana lived, with such force that it penetrated to the basement, with the explosion damaging cars 200-300 meters from the impact site. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky attributed such attacks to what he termed a “coalition of killers” comprising Russia, Iran, and North Korea.

“Everyone in countries bordering Russia, Iran, and North Korea should ask themselves whether they could protect lives if this coalition of killers survives and continues spreading terror,” he stated.

Yurii Ihnat, head of the Air Force Communications Department, explained on Radio NV that despite the missile being intercepted, the falling debris still caused substantial destruction of the building.

“Of course, if it had been a direct hit, there would have been significantly worse, greater consequences,” he stated, urging citizens to use shelters always.

The deadly gamble of ignoring air raid sirens in wartime Ukraine

After more than three years of full-scale war, air raid sirens have become as routine as city noise for many Ukrainians, sounding tens of thousands of times since the full-scale invasion began.

This constant exposure has led to alarm fatigue and a psychological adaptation where some people develop a fatalistic belief that survival depends more on luck than seeking shelter.

The mental toll of prolonged conflict, marked by anxiety, depression, and war weariness, can leave people emotionally exhausted and less responsive to repeated warnings, especially when combined with practical barriers like locked or inaccessible shelters.

While shelters and metro stations in cities like Kyiv can provide life-saving protection from missile strikes and debris—unlike in frontline areas where attacks happen too quickly—factors such as the time of day, family circumstances, shelter accessibility, and simple hope that “it won’t hit here” influence split-second decisions.

For little Mariia and her mom Svitlana, like many civilians caught in nighttime attacks, the decision not to seek shelter likely reflected this complex reality of wartime life. 

The Netherlands will fund German defense giant Rheinmetall’s production of 20 Ermine tactical vehicles destined for Ukrainian forces. The deliveries are scheduled for 2026.

The contract, signed during the NATO summit in The Hague on 24 June, represents the first order for the tactical platform, making Ukraine the first country worldwide to receive the Ermine system.

Rheinmetall Defence Nederland developed the vehicles primarily for frontline evacuation missions, with the light tactical systems designed to provide rapid, maneuverable transport for wounded personnel in combat zones. 

The manufacturer describes the Ermine as a “lightweight tactical system that combines the robustness of a diesel unit with many advantages of an electric drive.”

Key Ermine vehicle characteristics:

• Hybrid diesel-electric drivetrain with “Silent Move & Silent Watch” capabilities
• Four modular configurations: 4×4 quad, 4×4/6×6 buggy, or Unmanned Ground Vehicle
• Range up to 1,200 kilometers (745 miles) with one-tonne payload capacity
• electrical powertrain allows nearly silent operation: 50km (31 miles) quiet travel off-road, 100km (62 miles) on roads
• Built-in charging points for soldier equipment in the field

“The system offers its users significant tactical advantages in avoiding enemy reconnaissance,” according to Rheinmetall.

The vehicle supply forms part of a broader Dutch military aid package to Ukraine valued at approximately €175 million ($205 million). This package includes 100 drone-detection radars to help identify incoming drones and 20 medical evacuation vehicles. Of the €175 million, €80 million ($93 million) is allocated for drone support through an international drone coalition. 

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán released results from a nationwide survey indicating alleged overwhelming opposition to Ukraine joining the European Union.

The Voks 2025 survey allegedly found that 95% of respondents opposed Ukraine’s EU membership, while only 5% voted in favor, Telex reports.

Despite the large participation numbers (2.28 million total participants), only 29% of Hungary’s eligible voters participated in the consultation, leaving more than 5 million adult Hungarian citizens without expressing an opinion.

Questions over survey methodology and legitimacy

The survey results carry no legal binding power and function solely as a political instrument, according to Telex. Concerns about the reliability of participation numbers and response data have emerged, with evidence showing individuals could submit multiple votes through different email addresses in online questionnaires.

Government spokesperson Gergely Gulyás addressed these concerns by stating that printed ballots are verified by notaries and cannot be manipulated, while online voting is also authenticated by notaries.

However, Gulyás could not confirm whether the system filters out cases where someone voted both on paper and online. He attempted to minimize this issue by noting that online votes represent only about 10% of the total 2 million ballots.

Propaganda campaign portrays Ukraine as security threat

The Hungarian government deployed extensive resources to maximize participation in Voks 2025.

The consultation was promoted through:

• nationwide billboard campaigns
• advertised during soccer matches on public television
• sent to vaccination information email lists
• promoted in free newspapers for pensioners
• government ministries encouraged their employees to participate through circular letters.
• Even military personnel received encouragement to complete the government political initiative.

The campaign messaging portrayed Ukraine as a security threat, claiming EU membership would flood Hungary with infectious diseases, Ukrainian criminals, and poor-quality food products.

Government communications warned that the additional pension would disappear, cheap energy would be lost, and Hungary would lose EU agricultural subsidies while being forced into war.

“There is no solution on the battlefield, only destruction and death, ceasefire and peace are needed. We don’t want to die for Ukraine, we don’t want our sons to come back in coffins. We don’t want an Afghanistan next door,” Orbán declared at a Patriots rally in France.

The campaign notably shifted from Orbán’s initial economic arguments in March to more emotional appeals featuring artificial intelligence-generated videos showing bloodied Hungarian soldiers and rooms filled with coffins.

Hungary obstructs EU support for Ukraine

Orbán announced the survey following an emergency EU leaders’ summit in Brussels where Hungary stood as the sole member state refusing to endorse a joint statement supporting military aid to Ukraine. The timing coincides with ongoing EU discussions about Ukraine’s accession conditions, additional sanctions packages, and European defense policy.

The European Union is also considering suspending Hungary’s voting rights due to Orbán’s persistent obstruction of support for Ukraine, including vetoing the release of €6 billion in funds meant to reimburse EU countries providing military aid to Kyiv and blocking EU sanctions against Russia.

Ukrainian officials view this referendum on Ukraine’s EU membership as a political maneuver to distract Hungarian voters from domestic economic difficulties such as rising inflation and prices

Since 2010, Orbán’s administration has conducted multiple national consultations on various policy issues, ranging from migration to LGBTQ+ rights. These consultations involve mailing questionnaires to all eligible voters, typically offering simple response options such as “yes” or “no.”

Opposition groups and civil society organizations have criticized these consultations as propaganda mechanisms. While the results lack legal authority, the government uses them to reinforce its positions on disputed policy matters.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan revealed that US President Donald Trump expressed willingness to participate in high-level peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia, contingent on Vladimir Putin’s attendance.

Speaking to journalists during his return flight from the NATO summit in The Hague, Erdogan provided direct quotes from his conversation with Trump, the Turkish CNN service reports.

“He [Trump] said: ‘If Russian leader Vladimir Putin comes to Istanbul or Ankara to solve the problem, I will come to Istanbul or Ankara.’ We will hold the necessary meetings and, hopefully, meet as soon as possible,” Erdogan shared.

The Turkish president also emphasized his country’s unwavering commitment to ending the war, stating:

“We say with absolute determination that ‘This war must end.’ The region can no longer bear this.”

The Turkish leader described the previous Istanbul discussions as having “opened the door to peace” and committed to continued mediation efforts.

“Our ultimate goal is to hold a meeting at the leaders’ level in our country and build the desired peace,” he stated.

Erdogan described productive discussions with the US president covering bilateral relations, NATO partnership, and regional issues.

“We will work to bring the parties together again,” Erdogan pledged. “Even if it requires digging a well with a needle for a solution, we will do it.”

During the 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 (some parts of which are not even occupied fully) – Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia oblasts.
• 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
• direct talks between Zelenskyy and Putin
• maintaining Ukrainian sovereignty. 

Russian forces continue their daily terror attacks on the frontline regions, causing civilian casualties and damaging or destroying homes, schools, and hospitals.

On the night of 26 June, Russia launched deployed 41 Shahed strike drones and other unmanned aircraft, with Ukrainian air defenses intercepting 24 of them, according to Ukraine’s Air Forces.

Eight drones were destroyed by conventional weapons, while 16 others were either lost through location tracking or neutralized using electronic warfare systems. Despite the defensive efforts, enemy drones struck seven locations across Ukraine.

Russia hits residential building in Donetsk Oblast

The most severe incident occurred at 2:00 a.m. on 26 June in Bilozerske, Donetsk Oblast, where a Russian Geran-2 drone struck a five-story residential building, according to the Donetsk Oblast prosecutor’s office. The impact ignited a fire and wounded five civilians, including a teenager.

Medical personnel diagnosed the casualties with blast injuries, bruises, shrapnel wounds, closed fractures and abrasions, and all received medical treatment.

The attack damaged three apartment buildings and seven vehicles in the settlement.

Shelling in frontline Kherson never stops

In Kherson, Russian forces shelled the Dniprovskyi district, injuring a 64-year-old woman whose condition medical officials characterized as light, according to the regional military administration.

Separate morning shelling in Kherson’s Korabelny district damaged a city council building, educational institutions and medical facilities.

Kherson also experiences “drone safari” when the Russians hunt and attack civilians using drones that drop grenades, bombs, and antipersonnel landmines.

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Russian drones terrorize Kherson civilians with “human safari”

Death toll from Dnipro attack climbs again

Meanwhile, casualty figures continued rising from a 24 June Russian missile attack on Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. The head of the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast military administration announced that fatalities from the strikes had increased to 22 people, with 20 deaths in Dnipro city and two additional deaths in Samar.

The attack targeted infrastructure, educational and medical institutions, administrative buildings, emergency services facilities and a passenger train carrying over 500 people in Dnipro.

Dnipro mayor Borys Filatov described the assault as “probably one of the most brazen strikes” on the city during the full-scale war.

On 26 June, Russian forces also conducted sustained attacks on the Nikopol district of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, employing heavy artillery, FPV drones, and aerial munitions dropped from unmanned aircraft.

The attacks ignited a fire at a local cafe and caused damage to critical infrastructure, an industrial facility, three private residences, two farm buildings, and a vehicle. Explosions were also reported in the Dniprovskyi district, where damage occurred at a recreational area.

Despite the extensive property damage across both districts, authorities confirmed no civilian casualties resulted from the overnight attacks.

Ukraine established its first mental health facility in the western city of Lviv dedicated to supporting released prisoners of war (POWs) and torture survivors after the Russian captivity, according to Lviv Mayor Andrii Sadovyi. 

The Saint Leo the Great Mental Health Center opened on 24 June with an aim to provide psychological and rehabilitation services to individuals who experienced captivity, torture, and psychological trauma during the war with Russia, according to the Lviv city administration.

The facility includes 17 patient accommodation rooms designed to resemble residential spaces rather than hospital environments.

Infrastructure includes:

• outpatient and inpatient care areas
• individual and group therapy spaces
• 30 beds for extended rehabilitation programs
• a separate building for art therapy with a pottery workshop on the ground floor and an art studio on the second floor.

 “If someone wants to weave, sing, or engage in music, we will adapt. The main thing is to give a person freedom and an environment where they can recover,” Mayor Sadovyi stated.

The facility expects to serve approximately 1,000 patients annually, targeting individuals returning from captivity, those recovering from losses, and people managing trauma from wartime experiences.

As of May 2025, the Coordination Headquarters for Prisoners of War Affairs reported that Ukraine has returned 5,757 citizens since the full-scale war began, with an additional 536 Ukrainians returning through non-exchange mechanisms.

However, following recent Istanbul peace talks between Ukraine and Russia in June 2025, over a thousand more prisoners were exchanged, especially those who are severely ill or wounded and under the age of 25. 

The Flanders government (a region of Belgium) provided complete funding for the center through a 1.5 million euro ($1.7 million) grant, according to city officials.

The Deputy Head of the President’s Office Iryna Mudra characterized the center as part of Ukraine’s humanitarian infrastructure development.

“Restoring justice is not only about judicial processes. It is also the state’s ability to respond to the pain of every person who suffered from aggression,” she stated.

The United Kingdom has committed to providing Ukraine with 350 ASRAAM air defense missiles worth £70 million ($95 million), funded through interest generated from seized Russian assets.

“Russia, not Ukraine, should pay the price”

 “Russia, not Ukraine, should pay the price for Putin’s barbaric and illegal war, so it is only right we use the proceeds from seized Russian assets to ensure Ukraine has the air defense it needs,” Starmer stated.

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the UK has frozen over £25 billion ($34 billion) worth of Russian assets, including funds belonging to individuals and entities designated under the sanctions regime. These assets remain frozen, but the UK government has implemented the Extraordinary Revenue Acceleration (ERA) scheme, which allows the interest accrued on these frozen funds to be used for specific purposes, such as financing military aid to Ukraine.

British missiles will protect Ukrainian cities from attacks

ASRAAM air defense missiles, originally designed for air-to-air use, were rapidly adapted by British engineers to be launched from the ground via the UK-developed RAVEN mobile air defense system, which is already deployed in Ukraine. The delivery will expand Ukraine’s mobile air defense capability, helping protect against Russian missile and drone attacks on civilians. 

By June 2025, Ukraine has received and operationally deployed eight Raven systems in its air defense units, with an additional five systems confirmed for future delivery.

UK Defense Secretary John Healey also warned that diverting global focus to the Israel-Iran conflict serves Putin’s interests.

“It is crucial that we continue to focus on Ukraine,” Healey told a panel discussion at the summit. He noted that defending Ukraine remains a bipartisan issue in Britain with strong public support.

Britain develops defense amid Russia threat

The announcement comes as Britain has begun preparing for possible Russian attacks, citing increasing cases of sabotage.

Earlier, the UK has also announced plans to join NATO’s nuclear mission using F-35A fighters with nuclear capabilities. This marks the first time since the Cold War that the Royal Air Force will have a nuclear role, complementing the UK’s independent submarine-based nuclear deterrent.

On 23 June, Ukraine and the United Kingdom also launched their first joint military-industrial drone production program. This three-year “mega-project” involves Britain financing the procurement of Ukrainian-designed drones that will be produced on British soil, with all drones manufactured during the ongoing war directed to support Ukraine’s Defense Forces, however, after the war ends, the drones will be shared between the two countries.

Ukraine could manufacture over 8 million drones of various types per year but faces a critical financing gap that prevents reaching this capacity, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced at a defense industry conference in The Hague during the NATO summit in the Netherlands.

According to Zelenskyy, Ukraine’s defense production potential has reached $35 billion and encompasses almost 1,000 product categories ranging from artillery and traditional armored vehicles to modern drones and missiles. However, approximately 40% of this potential lacks proper financing, creating a significant production shortfall.

Zelenskyy emphasized that the conflict extends beyond a bilateral confrontation with Russia.

“The source of this war and the long-term threat to Europe is Russia,” Zelenskyy stated. “But in reality, we are not just facing Russia alone. We are facing a network of state and non-state actors.” 

This network encompasses Russia, North Korea, Iran‘s current regime, Chinese companies, and what he described as “countless schemes around the world” that help produce weapons against Ukraine and Europe.

The Ukrainian president warned that Russia is planning new military operations on NATO territory and stressed the urgency of stopping the current war.

“There are no signs that Putin wants to stop this war,” Zelenskyy said. “Perhaps he connects his own political survival with the ability to continue killing: as long as he kills, he lives. Our intelligence confirms this.”

Earlier, Zelenskyy warned in a Sky News interview that Russia could attack a NATO member within the next five years as a way to test the alliance’s unity and resolve. 

He believes that while Russian President Vladimir Putin is not ready for immediate action, by 2030 Russia could have significantly greater military capabilities, especially if sanctions are lifted and the Russian army is rebuilt. Zelenskyy emphasized that Ukraine is currently constraining Russia’s military preparations by engaging its forces on the battlefield.

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Sky News: Russia could attack NATO within five years, Zelenskyy believes

Zelenskyy called on European countries to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP and allocate at least 0.25% of GDP specifically to support Ukraine’s military needs.

The president issued a detailed appeal against supply chains enabling Russia’s weapons manufacturing.

“Today there is no significant Russian weapon that would be produced without components, equipment, or materials from other countries, unfortunately, including from Europe and NATO countries,” Zelenskyy said.

He noted that such components appear in every Russian missile, most drones, and combat vehicles, sourcing from China, Taiwan, European countries, and the United States.

Ukraine expressed openness to various cooperation formats in the defense sector, including transferring Ukrainian experience and developments to countries providing the most assistance.

On 23 June, Ukraine and the United Kingdom launched their first joint military-industrial drone production program. This three-year “mega-project” involves Britain financing the procurement of Ukrainian-designed drones that will be produced on British soil, with all drones manufactured during the ongoing war directed to support Ukraine’s Defense Forces. After the conflict ends, the drones will be shared between the two countries.

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Ukraine and Britain launch first joint drone production program to strengthen both nations’ defense

Meanwhile, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen highlighted Ukraine’s rapid development of advanced defense manufacturing during the war.

“That’s why we have a NATO innovation office working in Kyiv – we are learning from Ukraine,” von der Leyen stated. She noted that Russia is also studying and adopting Ukrainian defense innovations.

Trump expressed anticipation for meeting his “European friends” at the summit and reiterated his goal of reaching a “deal” with Russia to end the war in Ukraine. While the US president still has hopes to negotiate peace with Russia, the previous peace talks in Istanbul showed little progress.

Earlier, anonymous sources told Politico that Zelenskyy was excluded from the NATO main sessions due to the US administration’s reluctance to emphasize the ongoing war that Trump had promised to resolve “quickly.”

President Trump’s attention is currently focused more on the conflict between Israel and Iran rather than on Ukraine. Notably, when Putin offered to mediate between Iran and Israel, Trump responded that Russia should first address its own issues, specifically resolving the war with Ukraine.

The death toll from a Russian missile strike on Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk Oblast on 24 June has climbed to 21 civilians, while nearly 300 people were injured.

Russian missile strike hit civilian infrastructure, damaging a passenger train carrying over 500 people, along with 19 schools, 10 kindergartens, cultural venues, and medical facilities.

The assault killed 19 people in Dnipro and two in the city of Samar, while injuring nearly 300 others across the region.

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Russian missile terror reaches Ukrainian civilians on train. The attack on Dnipro leaves people dead, injured [updated]

Historic chamber music hall damaged

The blast wave from the massive missile strike shattered over 40 stained glass windows at the city’s organ and chamber music hall, according to director and artistic director Anton Cherneta, according to Suspilne Dnipro. 

Cherneta reported damage to two large stained glass panels and approximately 40 smaller ones throughout the building, though the venue’s main organ survived the attack. Cherneta said benefactors would help restore the damaged elements.

“This [attack] won’t stop us. The organ and chamber music hall continues its work, this weekend we’re finishing the concert season. We’re holding the artistic front. We have no right to give up. There will be new projects in this magnificent building,” said Cherneta.

Windows of kindergarten shattered

Educational facilities throughout the city also suffered significant damage, including a children’s development center where staff and visitors took shelter during the bombardment.

Viktoriia, who leads modeling and clothing construction classes at the center, was working with her assistant Aliona when the attack began. They were joined by several other staff members and a grandmother with her six-year-old grandson when explosions erupted nearby.

“We were working when I saw a message about ballistic missiles and suggested going to the corridor. The explosions sounded and we just lay on the floor, hidden under chairs. The little boy was very scared and screamed: ‘We’re all going to die now!'” Viktoriia and Aliona recounted.

A nearby municipal kindergarten also sustained damage during the strike. Acting director and teacher Nataliia said some children were playing outside while others prepared for classes when the air raid alarm sounded. All 10 staff members moved nine children aged 5-6 into shelter during the attack.

“The children were very frightened, some were crying,” said teacher Liudmila. “When we were in the shelter, I wrote to parents: don’t worry, the children are in shelter.”

The kindergarten has switched to remote operations after the strike shattered nearly all its windows.

Dnipro’s mayor called it possibly “the most brazen strike” on the Dnipro city since the full-scale war began, prompting officials to declare 25 June a day of mourning.

Ukrainian drones struck a Russian military factory that produces combat aircraft, causing explosions and damaging a nearby football stadium on the night of 25 June. 

The most significant strike occurred in Russia’s Taganrog, where drones hit the Forte Arena football stadium and surrounding area.

According to Acting head of Rostov Oblast Yuri Slyusar, the incident caused a building roof to catch fire over 30 square meters and destroyed a wall.

Taganrog Mayor Svetlana Kambulova reported that the fire was quickly extinguished and no casualties occurred, though windows were damaged at a local school and two residential buildings.

Ukrainian sources identified the primary target as the Atlant Aero UAV factory, claiming the strike caused an explosion and subsequent fire at the facility.

According to Andrii Kovalenko, head of Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation, the factory serves as a key component in Russia’s military-industrial complex, producing combat drones including space-capable variants, drone components, specialized equipment, and control systems.

Kovalenko further stated that the facility participates in manufacturing Orion drones, electronic warfare systems, and digital integration technology for strike FPV drones and loitering munitions.

On the night of 25 June, Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles struck targets across five Russian regions and occupied Crimea, with Russia’s Ministry of Defense claiming to have intercepted 22 Ukrainian drones.

Russian forces conducted a large-scale aerial assault on Ukrainian territory during the night of 25 June, deploying 71 drones of various types against multiple regions, according to Ukraine’s Air Force. The attacks resulted in civilian casualties and significant damage to residential areas across three oblasts.

Military officials reported neutralizing 52 of the 71 attacking drones across eastern, northern, and southern regions of the country.

Defense forces destroyed 32 drones through direct engagement, while electronic warfare systems suppressed or caused the loss of an additional 20 unmanned aircraft.

Russian attack injures nine civilians in Kharkiv 

The eastern city of Kharkiv experienced explosions during the overnight assault, with Russian strike drones targeting civilian enterprises and residential areas, according to Head of Kharkiv Regional Military Administration Oleh Syniehubov.

Drone strikes hit a civilian enterprise in the city’s Kyiv district, while the Shevchenkivskyi district saw a three-story residential building catch fire. Additional fires erupted in two residential buildings, though one of the affected structures remained unoccupied.

In the Kharkiv Oblast city of Kupiansk, a guided aerial bomb strike damaged a nine-story residential building and injured five civilians, who are receiving medical treatment.

Regional officials reported that during the previous 24-hour period, Russian attacks affected Kharkiv city and five settlements throughout the oblasts, resulting in nine civilian injuries.

Zaporizhzhia experiences 469 strikes in last 24 hours

Russian forces launched four separate strikes against the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia after midnight, targeting private residential sectors and causing injuries to two civilians, according to Regional Military Administration head Ivan Fedorov. The missile attacks damaged nine houses, outbuildings, and vehicles in the targeted areas.

Zaporizhzhia city is located close to the frontline and some parts of the region are occupied.

Medical officials reported that two men, aged 31 and 35, sustained injuries during the assault. One victim required hospitalization and remains in moderate condition. In total, five civilians were wounded in the region.

Zaporizhzhia Oblast under Ukrainian control experienced intense bombardment throughout the day, with occupying forces conducting 469 strikes against 13 settlements. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced a new defense cooperation agreement during Zelenskyy’s brief visit to London on 23 June, establishing the first joint military-industrial production partnership between the two nations.

The initiative centers on collaborative drone manufacturing, with Britain committing to finance the procurement of Ukrainian-designed unmanned aircraft that will be produced on British soil.

According to Ukraine’s Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, this arrangement will span the first three years of what officials describe as a “mega-project.”

“I am very proud that today we can announce an agreement on joint industrial military production – the first of its kind for Ukraine and Great Britain,” Starmer stated during the announcement.

The production model establishes a wartime-peacetime division of resources. While the conflict continues, all manufactured drones will support Ukraine’s Defense Forces. Following the war’s conclusion, Britain and Ukraine will divide the produced aircraft between themselves.

British defense companies will gain the capacity to design and manufacture advanced unmanned systems at scale under this framework. The partnership aims to integrate the defense industries of both countries while expanding production capabilities and advancing drone technology, according to Ukrainian officials.

“There is a good result from today’s meeting – an additional decision on joint production. I think it will be very strong and will strengthen both countries,” according to Zelenskyy’s press service.

This defense partnership builds on the comprehensive agreement signed in Kyiv on 16 January, when Starmer and Zelenskyy established a century-long partnership framework.

That 14-article agreement covers: 

• defense capabilities
• NATO membership consensus-building
• energy cooperation
• justice sector collaboration
• measures against foreign information manipulation.

The timing of the London meeting preceded the NATO summit opening in The Hague on 24 June, where both leaders planned to participate.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that Russia could launch an attack on a NATO country within five years to test the alliance’s resolve.

In an interview with chief presenter of Sky News Mark Austin, Zelenskyy said Vladimir Putin might use such an attack as a strategic probe of NATO’s unity.

When pressed on whether Russia could strike within months, Zelenskyy stated he did not believe Putin “is ready” for immediate action. However, he expressed concern about Russia’s future military capabilities, saying that “starting from 2030, Putin can have significantly greater capabilities.”

The Ukrainian leader argued that his country is currently constraining Russia’s military preparations.

“Today, Ukraine is holding him up, he has no time to drill the army,” Zelenskyy said, adding that Russian soldiers are “all getting annihilated and wiped out at the battlefield.” He suggested Putin requires “a pause, he needs sanctions to be lifted, he needs a drilled army.”

NATO defense spending increase “very slow”

Zelenskyy criticized NATO’s defense spending timeline as insufficient for the threat level. Plans for NATO members to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP by 2035 are “very slow,” according to the Ukrainian president.

The spending target breaks down into 3.5% of GDP for direct defense and 1.5% for related areas including infrastructure and cybersecurity. This 5% level matches Cold War-era NATO investment levels.

This increase in defense spending is initiated by Trump, who, however, claims the US itself should not be held to the same standard, citing America’s long-standing support and covering nearly all NATO costs.

Trump criticized countries like Spain and Canada for low defense contributions, with Spain refusing to commit to the 5% target and Canada allegedly relying on US protection without adequate spending.

Some Eastern European countries, including Lithuania, Estonia, and Poland, are already increasing defense budgets significantly, emphasizing the existential threat posed by Russia, as they are located close to it.

Additionally, on potential peace negotiations, Zelenskyy expressed support for both ceasefire talks and peace discussions. However, he avoided committing to territorial concessions, suggesting instead that military pressure and sanctions would compel Putin to negotiate.

The Ukrainian leader highlighted gaps in international sanctions enforcement as Russia continues accessing “components for missiles and drones” from various countries, including the UK.

Previous warnings of Russia’s potential NATO attack in 2030

Earlier, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte also indicated Russians could potentially attack NATO within five years, though he assured there was no immediate threat and promised a “devastating response” to any such attack.

Rutte emphasized three priorities for NATO:

• continued support for Ukraine
• increased defense spending
• development of defense industry capabilities to ensure effective protection

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius highlighted that Russia currently produces more weapons and ammunition in a few months than all EU countries combined produce in a year, and that by the end of the decade, Putin could strengthen Russia’s military to a level capable of striking NATO.

He emphasized ongoing hybrid threats to Germany, including infrastructure attacks, maritime activities, social media disinformation, and political influence operations.

Russian strike on Dnipropetrovsk Oblast hit close to a Ukrainian Railways passenger train traveling between southeastern cities of Odesa and Zaporizhzhia.

Initial social media reports suggested a direct missile hit on the train. However, Ukrainian Railways clarified that the impact occurred near the train rather than a direct strike.

Social media footage revealed blown-out windows in the passenger cars, scattered luggage and people trying to evacuate the train. 

Emergency response teams and medical personnel reached the incident site promptly. The railway company reported that there are injured among passengers while emphasizing that medical care was being provided. All passengers were evacuated to protective shelters as air raid alerts remained active across the region. No deaths occurred among either passengers or railway staff.

The train damage was part of a broader Russian attack on civilian infrastructure in eastern Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, that also damaged a dormitory, gymnasium, metro station and administrative building.

Dnipro Mayor Boris Filatov reported 19 educational facilities affected along with a municipal hospital and polyclinic. Significant destruction also occurred in residential areas throughout the city.

The Dnipro assault killed one person and left over 20 people injured, with two teenagers among the casualties requiring hospital treatment for moderate injuries. In the city of Samar in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, the Russian strike killed two and wounded nine people.

[update] The death toll from the Russian strike on Dnipro has climbed to seven fatalities, with approximately 70 people wounded including ten children. Five victims remain in critical condition as medical teams provide intensive care.

Authorities noted that the number of those impacted by the assault keeps rising.

US Special Envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg revealed he discussed the Russo-Ukrainian war directly with Belarusian self-proclaimed president Alexander Lukashenko during their 21 June meeting in Minsk, marking a significant diplomatic engagement given Belarus’s role as a key Russian ally in the war.

According to Kellogg, he told Lukashenko how President Trump “is pushing hard to stop the war and end the killing” during their discussions. The special envoy emphasized that “President Trump continues to foster peace through strength” in his approach to the conflict.

Some US officials view Kellogg’s visit as a potential step toward restarting stalled peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia, though skepticism remains about reducing Moscow’s influence over Minsk due to Belarus’s strong ties with Russia.

Reuters had previously reported that sources described Kellogg’s trip as potentially helping to restart peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia after they have stalled in recent weeks.

The primary focus, however, appeared to be securing the prisoner release. Belarus released 14 political prisoners, including prominent opposition figures, journalists, and activists, following direct intervention by US President Donald Trump.

Among those freed was Sergei Tikhanovsky, a leading figure in Belarus’s 2020 pro-democracy protests, who was reunited with his wife, opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, after five years of imprisonment.

Belarus’s permanent representative to the UN, Valentin Rybakov, who participated in the 21 June meeting, also shared that Belarus and the United States are exploring the possibility of fully normalizing relations.

According to Rybakov, discussions include restoring full embassy operations in both countries, mutual visits, and other diplomatic exchanges. Belarus is also seeking the lifting of US sanctions, which Minsk considers “absolutely illegal.”

Russian forces launched 97 strike drones on Ukraine during the night of 24 June, resulting in civilian casualties and infrastructure damage across multiple regions.

The Air Forces reported that their air defenses intercepted 78 drones out of 97, with 63 of them destroyed by fire weapons while 15 were either locationally lost or suppressed through electronic warfare systems. The remaining 19 drones struck targets in six locations across the country’s eastern, southern, and northern regions.

Attack on Sumy: Russia kills people in their sleep 

The most severe casualties occurred in Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy Oblast, where three people died after Russian drones targeted the Verkhniosyrovatska community around midnight, according to the head of the Sumy Regional Military Administration, Oleh Hryhorov.

Among the dead were a 5-year-old boy, a 52-year-old man, and an 84-year-old woman, regional prosecutors confirmed. Six others sustained injuries, including two 17-year-old girls and a 12-year-old boy. Emergency workers retrieved bodies from the rubble of destroyed buildings.

“The strike took the lives of people from different families. They all lived on the same street. They went to sleep in their homes. But Russian drones interrupted their sleep — forever,” Hryhorov stated.

The attack destroyed seven residential buildings and damaged 22 houses along with six vehicles. Three additional people were pulled from debris, with one person hospitalized in critical condition. Regional authorities reported 18 people were wounded across Sumy Oblast during the 24-hour period.

Russia injures civilians, damages homes in Kharkiv

In Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv, enemy drones struck three locations during the overnight assault, according to Mayor Ihor Terekhov. Seven Shahed-type drones targeted the city, with one failing to detonate upon impact.

The strikes injured four people, including a 15-year-old girl who sought medical attention. 

Infrastructure damage in Kharkiv included 17 private homes, a hospital, a civilian enterprise, six automobiles, electrical networks, utility buildings, and a garage. Additionally, a 65-year-old woman was wounded in Ivashky village within the broader Kharkiv Oblast.

Ukraine formally presented the United States with a comprehensive list of military equipment it seeks to purchase, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced during a press briefing on 21 June.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy Yuliia Svyrydenko and Presidential Chief of Staff Andrii Yermak delivered the weapons package list to US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent during meetings in Canada, which covered both a mineral resources agreement and Ukraine’s defense procurement needs, Suspilne News reports.

“They handed Bessent the weapons package we need. We will await feedback,” Zelenskyy stated, describing the submission as involving “a very large sum.”

The requested equipment includes Patriot air defense systems to protect its critical civilian infrastructure, such as electrical grids, residential areas, hospitals, and schools, from increasingly intense Russian missile and drone attacks.

Zelenskyy emphasized Ukraine’s financial commitment to the purchase, saying the country is “ready to find the money for this entire package.”

Zelenskyy outlined his diplomatic objectives, stating:

“We need greater certainty and stronger pressure from the world on Putin – this is necessary for diplomacy.” 

In April 2025, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy announced Ukraine’s readiness to spend $30 to $50 billion to purchase a comprehensive US defense package, primarily focused on vital air defense systems like the Patriot batteries, which he views as essential not only for ongoing protection during the war but also as a long-term security guarantee.

Zelenskyy emphasized that Ukraine is not seeking free assistance but is prepared to pay for the equipment, offering flexible payment options, including direct payments or through funds tied to agreements on rare mineral resources.

The minerals deal involves the creation of a joint investment fund in April 2025 to support Ukraine’s post-war reconstruction through revenues generated from future extraction of critical minerals, oil, and gas, with the US ensuring it is first in line to access these resources before Ukraine offers them to other countries.

However, plans for discussing the matter of buying weapons with Trump during the G7 summit in Canada were disrupted when the US president departed the event early. Trump is also avoiding a meeting with Zelenskyy at the upcoming NATO summit in The Hague, focusing instead on other priorities like increasing defense spending and the Middle East tensions. 

The most recent US aid package of $500 million was announced in January under the Biden administration, with Ukraine reportedly receiving 90% of previously allocated weapons by March.

Ukraine will not participate in a leaders-level NATO Council meeting at next week’s summit in The Hague, reflecting the United States’ reluctance to emphasize the ongoing war that Trump had promised to resolve “quickly.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been invited only to 24 June’s opening dinner and will not take part in the summit’s main sessions, unnamed sources told Politico.

The exclusion represents “another concession” to the US, which wants to avoid highlighting the ongoing war that Trump pledged to end during his presidential campaign.

The decision contrasts with NATO’s official summit program, which shows a Ukraine-NATO Council working dinner scheduled for 24 June but at the foreign minister level, chaired by the alliance’s Deputy Secretary General rather than heads of state.

Trump also avoided meeting Zelenskyy at the recent G7 summit, signaling a cooling of direct US support for Ukraine at these high-profile events.

Zelenskyy’s attendance uncertain

President Zelenskyy said 21 June that he remained undecided about attending the summit, despite receiving an invitation from NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. NATO officials have confirmed that “Ukraine will be with us in The Hague,” though the extent of Ukrainian participation now appears limited.

Earlier, Dutch Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans revealed that he is actively working to secure Zelenskyy’s participation in the NATO summit scheduled for 24-25 June in The Hague. He said that the Netherlands welcomes him at every meeting, exploring alternative formats for his involvement. Brekelmans also reaffirmed that Ukraine’s path to NATO membership remains irreversible despite skepticism.

Europe defense spending increase takes priority

The restricted Ukrainian presence aligns with the Trump administration’s broader approach to the summit, which sources describe as focused primarily on securing increased defense spending commitments from European allies.

The 32-nation alliance plans to pledge dramatically higher defense expenditures, reaching 5% of gross domestic product split between 3.5 percent for direct military needs and 1.5% for broader defense-related efforts, according to Politico’s sources. This represents a significant jump from the current 2% target established in 2014.

“They would never have agreed to 5% without Trump,” an administration official told the outlet anonymously. “So he sees this as a major victory.”

Trump intends to deliver a speech on 25 June following the summit’s conclusion to highlight the new spending commitments and his role in achieving them. The focus on defense budgets reflects the president’s longstanding demands for European allies to shoulder more responsibility for their own security.

Ukraine’s Armed Forces have inflicted over $10 billion in damages on Russian territory through targeted drone strikes between January and May 2025, according to Commander-in-Chief General Oleksandr Syrskyi.

Ukrainian “DeepStrike” drone operations caused direct damages at $1.3 billion from destroyed oil refining facilities, energy infrastructure, logistics networks, and transport systems, Suspilne reports.

The larger portion of claimed losses—$9.5 billion—represents indirect economic impact from enterprise shutdowns, transportation network disruptions, and blocked logistics chains following the strikes.

Ukrainian officials assess the cost-effectiveness of their DeepStrike operations at a ratio of 1 to 15, meaning each dollar spent generates approximately $15 in Russian losses, according to military calculations. The program utilizes drones capable of autonomous operation across long distances while maintaining precision targeting capabilities.

Syrskyi indicated the deep-strike operations will continue with expanded scope.

“We will increase the scale and depth,” he told journalists, emphasizing that Ukrainian forces target “purely military objects” rather than civilians.

Ukraine dominates in FPV drones, Russia — fiber-optic drones

Syrskyi also acknowledged that while Ukraine maintains superiority in FPV (first-person view) drone quantities, Russia gained ground in fiber-optic controlled drones, which are connected to their operators via cable. 

“Unfortunately, they have an advantage here both in quantity and in the range of their application,” Syrskyi stated. “We have examples where fiber-optic drones fly distances up to 40 km (24 miles). We are currently catching up in this process.”

Syrskyi noted that Ukraine also develops its own fiber-optic capabilities, producing drones equipped with 20-km (12 miles) cables.

This cable-based connection makes fiber-optic drones immune to electronic warfare tactics such as jamming and signal interception, which commonly disrupt or take control of FPV drones.

However, fiber-optic drones require reinforced frames and upgraded motors to handle the weight and drag of the cable spool, and their maneuverability is somewhat limited due to the risk of the cable snagging on obstacles.

Fourteen political prisoners who were held in Belarus captivity were freed following a meeting between Belarus’s authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko and US President Donald Trump’s special envoy Keith Kellogg.

The group included prominent opposition figures, journalists, and activists who had been imprisoned on charges ranging from organizing mass riots to extremist activities.

Trump administration secures release after Kellogg meets Lukashenko

The prisoner release came at the direct request of US President Donald Trump, according to Lukashenko’s spokesperson Natalia Eismont. John Cole, Kellogg’s deputy, also attributed the success to Trump’s “strong leadership.”

The breakthrough followed a six-and-a-half-hour meeting on 21 June between Lukashenko and Keith Kellogg, Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine, who became the highest-ranking American official to visit Belarus in years.

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. 

The negotiations in Minsk covered American and European sanctions against Belarus, conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, and Belarus’s relations with Russia and China, according to Eismont.

Reuters had previously reported that sources described Kellogg’s trip as potentially helping to restart peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia after they have stalled in recent weeks, though the primary focus appeared to be securing the prisoner release.

Opposition couple reunites after five-year separation

The most prominent figure among those freed was Sergei Tikhanovsky, whose release reunited him with his wife Svetlana after five years of imprisonment. The couple’s story became central to Belarus’s 2020 pro-democracy movement, which emerged from the largest anti-government protests in the country’s history.

The 2020 protests were triggered by a presidential election in which Lukashenko sought a sixth term. After official results declared Lukashenko the winner, the opposition and much of the public rejected the results as falsified, with Svetlana Tikhanovskaya claiming she had actually won 60-70% of the vote. The protests were met with violent crackdowns, mass arrests, torture, and documented abuse by human rights organizations.

Sergei Tikhanovsky, a YouTuber and video blogger, had become well-known for criticizing Lukashenko’s regime through grassroots activism. In May 2020, he announced his intention to run for president but was arrested days later in what was widely viewed as a politically motivated move to prevent his candidacy.

When authorities barred Sergei from running, Svetlana decided to campaign in his place. Despite Lukashenko’s dismissive remarks about a woman leading the country, she quickly became the main opposition candidate and symbol of the pro-democracy movement. Following the contested election and amid threats to her safety, she was forced into exile in Lithuania but continued leading the opposition from abroad.

Sergei was subsequently convicted on charges including organizing mass riots and sentenced to 18 years in a strict-regime colony.

Lukashenko’s spokesperson said his release was decided “for humanitarian reasons, to reunite the family,” though she described him as among those “convicted of extremist and terrorist activities.”

“Sergei is free. Next to me and the children. What our family has dreamed of for these 5 years and what we have all worked toward since his arrest has happened. Sergei’s release is a step toward the liberation of all political prisoners and all of Belarus,” Tikhanovskaya said.

Other released prisoners include journalists and activists, most — foreign nationals

Among 14 freed prisoners, six were Belarusians and others were foreign nationals — two Japanese citizens, three Polish citizens, two Latvian citizens, and citizens of Estonia, Sweden, and the US. The prisoners were met by Tikhanovskaya and her advisor Franak Viachorka, in Lithuania, an EU and NATO country located close to Belarus.

One of the released was Igor Korney, a journalist for the Belarusian broadcasting service of Radio Free Europe, imprisoned for his independent journalism work criticizing the government. 

An Italian teacher Natalia Dulina was detained in 2022 for her participation in protests against the regime and set free in 2025.  

According to Nasha Niva publication, other freed individuals include Belarusian activist Akihiro Gayevsky-Hanada, a Swedish-Belarusian citizen Galina Krasnyanskaya charged for supporting Ukraine in its fight against Russia, and Kirill Balakhonov, who was convicted in the “Union of Belarusian National Shield” case.

In 2022, Belarusian security forces arrested five young men for forming and participating in the “Union of Belarusian National Shield,” which authorities classified as an “extremist organization.” The group’s social media presence emerged after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began. Members opposed Russian aggression against Ukraine, supported anti-government protests in Belarus, and backed the Kastus Kalinouski volunteer regiment, whose fighters defend Ukraine.

“You are free. I know it’s hard to get used to,” Tikhanovskaya told the released prisoners. “And then — whoever has the strength — we join in and continue working, because thousands of people are still there [in captivity].”

Russian forces conducted widespread attacks across Ukraine during the night of 22 June, launching 47 drones and three missiles that resulted in civilian casualties and significant property damage.

Ukrainian air defenses shot down 18 drones with conventional weapons while electronic warfare systems neutralized another 10, according to the Air Force.

The deadliest attack occurred in Sloviansk, Donetsk Oblast, where a Russian airstrike destroyed a private residential house. Emergency workers recovered the body of a 17-year-old boy from the rubble, according to Donetsk Regional Military Administration head Vadym Filashkin.

The same strike wounded three additional people and damaged at least 32 private houses, two administrative buildings, four multi-story buildings, one industrial facility, and three vehicles.

In nearby Kramatorsk, Russian forces partially destroyed a four-story apartment building. Rescuers freed a man born in 1955 from the debris and evacuated a woman and girl born in 2010 from a blocked fourth-floor apartment, according to the State Emergency Service. Officials said people may still be trapped under the rubble as rescue operations continue.

In Odesa Oblast, Russian attacks sparked fires at an emergency medical station, a garage with a vehicle inside, and a nearby residential building. Local fire brigades and rescue teams extinguished the blazes without reported casualties.

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. 

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.”

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.