Dmytro Zhmailo, a Ukrainian expert and the Executive Director of the Ukrainian Center for Security and Cooperation, says Kyiv troops managed to stop the first wave of the Russian offensive. Currently, Moscow is trying to fulfill its main objective — the complete capture of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, UNIAN reports.

He notes that the second wave of Russian forces’ so-called summer offensive has just been launched. Although the Russians have had some successes in certain areas, the Ukrainian Armed Forces were able to repel the first wave of the offensive.

Zhmailo explains that the main reason for Russia’s advance near the Kostiantynivka settlement in Donetsk Oblast is the large concentration of Moscow’s units. About 100,000 troops from the overall 700,000-strong Russian grouping are concentrated there. Currently, the Russians are receiving reinforcements for the start of the second wave of the offensive.

However, according to him, the battle for Kostiantynivka has not yet begun. The city’s administration and police are still operating, although there is an ongoing humanitarian crisis with issues in water and electricity supply. Ukrainian troops hold positions in Chasiv Yar and on the outskirts of Toretsk, holding back the Russian occupiers’ rapid advance.

Moscow troops are focusing their most significant efforts along the Pokrovsk–Kostiantynivka highway, trying to “breakthrough” villages to get closer to the city. In the northern part of the region, activity has increased in the Lyman direction, with the prospect of reaching Sviatohirsk and squeezing the non-occupied territories of Donetsk.

About six people were killed and 30 others injured in Russian attacks across Ukraine over the past 24 hours, regional officials reported on 14 July.

The Russian military regularly attacks Ukrainian oblasts with various types of weapons. Russia’s leadership denies that the Russian army has been conducting targeted attacks on the civilian infrastructure of Ukrainian cities and villages, killing civilians and destroying hospitals, schools, kindergartens, energy and water supply facilities.

Russian forces launched 136 Shahed-type strike drones and various decoy drones from multiple directions, along with four S-300/400 surface-to-air missiles from Kursk Oblast, Ukraine’s air defense reported. Air defense units shot down 61 Russian drones across northern, eastern, and central oblasts, while 47 decoy drones were lost or suppressed by electronic warfare systems.

The heaviest casualties occurred in Sumy Oblast, where three people died and 10 were wounded in what authorities described as intensive bombardment involving more than 90 attacks across 32 settlements. Two men, aged 50 and 55, were killed in drone and guided bomb strikes on the Shostka community while on the street during the attack, according to regional governor Volodymyr Artyukh.

“They were on the street during the attack and died on the spot from injuries received,” Artyukh said.

The strikes in Shostka destroyed civilian infrastructure and damaged approximately 30 multi-story buildings, private houses, and non-residential structures.

In Donetsk Oblast, two civilians were killed in the village of Bokove, and seven others were injured in Russian strikes across the oblast, Governor Vadym Filashkin said. 

Dnipropetrovsk Oblast saw three people injured, including two children, in overnight drone attacks on 14 July, according to regional governor Serhiy Lysak.

“Three people were injured in Dniprovskyi district. All were hospitalized. Two 13-year-old girls are in moderate condition. A 51-year-old man is in serious condition,” Lysak said in Telegram.

The attacks ignited three houses, two garages, four outbuildings, and forest areas, while destroying seven vehicles and damaging four others.

In Zaporizhzhia Oblast, a 77-year-old woman was injured in a Russian attack, Governor Ivan Fedorov said.

Kherson Oblast recorded one death and six injured as Russian shelling targeted residential areas and social infrastructure, according to Governor Oleksandr Prokudin.

Russian forces also struck nine settlements in Kharkiv Oblast, injuring three people, Governor Oleh Syniehubov said.

Ukraine’s human rights commissioner Dmytro Lubinets claimed the United Nations had finally accused Russia of the Olenivka prison massacre that killed Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs). The problem? No such UN report exists.

Lubinets posted the news 30 June with obvious satisfaction. “Finally, things are called by their proper names!” he wrote, linking to what he said was a UN investigation proving Russia planned and executed the attack on the correctional colony.

Mysterious international center investigated Olenivka massacre

Journalists at Slidstvo.Info followed Lubinets’ link and found something odd. The source was the Centre for Human Rights in Armed Conflict—an organization that explicitly denies any UN connection. Right on their website: “We are not affiliated with the United Nations or any other intergovernmental or governmental organization.”

The website was created on 22 May 2025, and contains only the single investigation about Olenivka with no other publications or detailed organizational information.

“We conduct thorough investigations into violations of international human rights and humanitarian law during armed conflicts, with a current focus on Ukraine and Gaza, to help establish the truth and bring perpetrators to justice,” the organization’s description on the website states.

Who runs the Centre? Nobody knows. No headquarters, no leadership names, no country of operation listed.

When Slidstvo.Info contacted Lubinets’ office, his team quickly backtracked. “Unfortunately, the Ombudsman’s Secretariat did not conduct proper verification,” they admitted, removing the post and promising “enhanced control over published information.”

The Centre itself later confirmed none of its report authors worked for the UN. They described themselves as “international experts who prefer not to reveal their identities” operating without a permanent headquarters and claiming none of its experts are located in Ukraine or Russia.

UN finds Russia responsible, but avoids public blame

The incident highlights confusion surrounding the actual status of UN investigations into the July 2022 Olenivka attack. According to Associated Press reporting, an internal UN analysis does conclude that Russia was responsible for planning and carrying out the attack, but this 100-page document was never intended for public release and does not constitute an official UN accusation.

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AP: UN investigation finds Olenivka attack planned by Russia

The UN analysis examined 70 open-source images, 20 statements from Russian officials, 16 interviews with survivors broadcast on Russian television, and conducted detailed interviews with 55 released prisoners of war. The analysis determined the missile flew from east to west, contradicting Russian claims that Ukraine struck the facility with HIMARS missiles.

However, the UN dissolved its official investigation mission five months after the tragedy because Russia refused to guarantee expert safety. 

Can Ukraine get justice for Olenivka? Currently, only Ukrainian prosecutors are investigating. No active international probe exists among the tens of thousands of war crimes cases.

Meanwhile, the mysterious Centre for Human Rights in Armed Conflict says it plans to publish reports on civilian casualties in Mariupol and Ukrainian military deaths since the full-scale war began —though their credibility remains questionable after the Olenivka controversy.

Ukrainian soldier Valerii Zelenskyy, 57, has died less than a month after returning from Russian captivity, Suspilne reports.

He spent more than three years in Russian captivity. Upon returning to Ukraine, he received medical care. But his condition deteriorated rapidly, and he was eventually admitted to intensive care.

Doctors initially suspected pancreatic issues and began active treatment. Eventually, he underwent surgery, during which it became apparent that his internal organs were “falling apart.” He died on 16 June, which is less than a month after returning home.

“The first feeling is endless pain, because your beloved person is gone. He was simply tortured to death,” his daughter Valeria says.

She describes her father as a natural leader and an athlete. Before the all-out war, he had worked in the police, but later joined the military. While serving in the 53rd Separate Mechanized Brigade, he was promoted to sergeant major.

When mass hostilities began, her father’s unit supported the defenders of Mariupol, including delivering weapons to them.

“When the assault started, they asked for volunteers. Eight of forty men stepped forward — my father was one of them. He was a sapper and had to mine a bridge,” she recalls.

In eastern Ukraine, Russian forces captured Valerii. The family only learned about his capture several days later. At the time, they were hiding in a basement in Sievierodonetsk in Luhansk Oblast under heavy shelling and had no quick mobile communication.

Upon his return, Valerii was filled with joy. Not only did he meet with his two granddaughters, whom he dreamed of raising, but he also discovered that a grandson had been born in his absence. When asked by doctors about suicidal thoughts, he replied that he had many reasons to live: “My children are waiting. The world is waiting. I have a whole life to live.”

“He came back without any muscles, too much time had passed. You have to understand, those men are literally on the brink of life and death in captivity,” his daughter says.

He told her, “Three of us died from torture. When I felt like I might not make it, I asked God: Please, just let me see the eyes of my beloved.”

According to his medical report, Valerii had suffered nearly every type of torture. He returned from Russian captivity with multiple injuries. One of his shoulders and an arm were no longer functional.

Anton, a fighter from Ukraine’s 58th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade named after Hetman Ivan Vyhovskyi, known as Shket, has spent a year holding the line on some of the fiercest frontlines in Donetsk Oblast.

Over the last 12 months, he’s faced a wide range of Russian occupiers, from mobilized conscripts to convicts, Yakuts, and even Koreans.

“It was hell,” the soldier recalls.

The toughest position he held was a half-destroyed customs checkpoint that came under daily assaults, twice a day for 17 days straight, by Russian assault groups, including a unit made up of former inmates.

“When we checked their documents, it was clear — they were convicts recruited in Butyrka prison. They were given the cheapest body armor. Their commander didn’t even have a helmet. Command sent them straight to die,” Shket says. 

Shket explains that each Russian group has its own characteristics.

“Yakuts are a bit more stubborn, but they charge in just the same, without thinking. The Koreans, though — they’re young, resilient, and actually well-trained. But we can and must destroy them. It’s either us or them. There’s no third option,” the Ukrainian soldiers reveal. 

Despite his injuries, Anton remains resolute.

“I’m always ready to return as soon as I can. We should take example not from those who talk, but from those who act, even when it’s terrifying,” he adds. 

Currently undergoing treatment in a military hospital, first for a severe concussion and more recently for a new injury, Shket was wounded again after stepping on a Russian explosive device while returning to the front to relieve his comrades after heavy rotations.

Ukrainian forces launched massive strikes on Russian military infrastructure and logistical hubs in Russian-occupied Luhansk, Donetsk, and Crimea overnight on 30 June into 1 July, using drones and missiles to hit high-value targets.

Oil depot in Luhansk hit during drone barrage

Loud explosions rocked occupied Luhansk overnight on 1 July, triggering large fires reportedly caused by Ukrainian drone strikes. According to Russian occupation authorities and Russian propaganda media cited by Liga, around 20 drones were spotted over Luhansk, prompting the introduction of a “caution regime” in several cities in the region, including Khrustalnyi (formerly Krasnyi Luch), Lutuhyne, Dovzhanask (formerly Sverdlovsk), Sukodolsk, and Bilokurakyne.

Andrii Kovalenko, head of Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation, stated that Ukrainian forces struck Russian logistics facilities in Luhansk.

Ukrainian Telegram channel Exilenova+ published video footage of the strike, showing night-time explosions and flames rising from what they identified as the city’s only major oil depot, located in its southern outskirts.

In one video, locals filming the strike mention that four drones directly hit the facility. Another video shared on the channel shows two distinct clusters of fires and the sound of a drone flyby, with sounds of small arms fire as the Russian forces attempted to shoot it down.

Missile strike levels Russian military HQ in Donetsk

Earlier on the evening of 30 June, Ukrainian missiles hit a Russian military target in occupied Donetsk. Kovalenko referred to the strike as “jewelry work” and described the site as “very juicy.”

Ukrainian Telegram channel Supernova+ shared footage of the attack, with one of the clips showing two consecutive explosions, and others a large fire. The channel claimed that Ukraine used Storm Shadow/SCALP-EG cruise missiles to strike the headquarters of Russia’s 8th Combined Arms Army, located at the Donetsk Institute of Non-Ferrous Metals (DonIsSM). The Dnipro-based outlet Harbuz also attributed the attack to Storm Shadow missiles.

Some Ukrainian sources, including the Telegram page Kiberboroshno, alleged that the facility was involved in Russian drone and electronic warfare systems development. Russian channels attempted to downplay the strike by claiming no military personnel had been stationed in the building recently.

One video captured the immediate aftermath, showing several floors collapsed down to the basement. On-site rescuers speaking to people filming — presumed to be from Russia’s FSB security agency — described the scene using Russian military casualty codes — “300” for wounded and “200” for dead — confirming the presence of both.

Supernova+ commented that “the building was hit down to the basement… they’re carrying out ‘200s’ in packs.”

Meanwhile, local propaganda outlets confirmed the city had been targeted by Storm Shadow missiles and reported additional fires at the Sokol market. Unconfirmed reports suggested hits also occurred at a metallurgical plant and in the railway zone.

One of the Supernova-shared videos shows multiple strikes in Yasynuvata, Donetsk’s northern suburb, hosting a railway hub and multiple industrial facilities.

Drone strikes in Crimea knock out air defense and fighter jet

Ukraine’s Main Directorate of Intelligence (HUR) released exclusive footage showing its UJ-26 Bober drones targeting Russian military systems in occupied Crimea. The video captures strikes on several key air defense assets, including the Pantsir-S1 SAM system, Niobiy-SV radar, Pechora-3 coastal radar, and Protivnik-GE radar. A Russian Su-30 fighter jet was also damaged or destroyed on the runway at the Saky airbase.

HUR commented:

“Reliable weapons in the hands of Ukrainian special forces are turning the enemy’s critical military assets into worthless junk.”

The attacks reflect a broader Ukrainian strategy of targeting critical Russian military and logistical infrastructure in occupied territories amid the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine. 

Exclusive

Why Ukraine must bet it all on Putin’s greatest weakness—Crimea. Ukraine’s strikes are turning Crimea from Russia’s “unsinkable aircraft carrier” into a sinking ship that could drag Putin’s regime down with it.

Russia killed her mom and little sister. Now her iPhone keeps showing them smiling.. The photo shows Mariia’s proud face after cutting her own hair.

These spiky Russian vans look like a joke—until the drones hit. What looks like a construction site mishap is actually Russia’s “porcupine van”—a spiked vehicle built to deflect Ukrainian drones on the battlefield.

Ukraine quietly won the NATO summit where everyone was waiting for drama. Ukraine got everything it realistically could from NATO — and somehow, that was enough.

Military

Watch: Ukraine’s FPV drones strike Russia’s prized S-400 air defense occupied Crimea. For the attack, Ukraine’s military intelligence unit used FPV copters, likely launched from a naval drone.

Four Su-34 warplanes reduced to ashes as Ukrainian special forces hit deep behind Russian lines again. Explosions ripped through the airfield with Russia’s most lethal bombers.

Frontline report: Ukraine set a forest trap in Sumy — a Russian battalion vanished inside. Ukrainian forces killed battalion commander Andrey Yartsev and overran his command post, forcing dozens of Russian soldiers to surrender.

Russia couldn’t win in close combat—so it set city ablaze with weapons that fuse to body and refuse to extinguish. Protocol III prohibits attacks with this substance near civilian concentrations, but that didn’t stop Moscow troops in Luhansk Oblast.

Russia concentrates 111,000 troops for breakthrough in this hottest sector of Ukraine’s front. Syrskyi warns that behind the offensive lies a political motive.

Intelligence and technology

Drone wipes out Kim Jong Un’s rocket system in Ukraine strike (video). Initially confirmed in Russian service only in April 2025, the vehicle was located and neutralized in Donetsk Oblast.

FT: Taiwan deploys Ukraine-inspired “overkill” suicide drones against China threat. Taiwan has completed combat trials of suicide drones modeled on Ukraine’s anti-tank weapons, with plans to acquire 25,000 units equipped with the same AI systems Ukrainian forces use to destroy Russian armor, the Financial Times reports.

Czech firms secretly shipped machine tools to Russia — even during war, investigation finds. Tools from top manufacturers entered Russia even in 2024, data shows, according to The Insider.

Ukrainian interceptor drone climbs to 11 km—higher than Everest and as high as airliners (video). A video released online shows it soaring above Kherson Oblast skies.

Canada may co-build weapons with Ukraine—and it could boost its economy. New partnerships could help Ukraine scale drone manufacturing while strengthening Canada’s defense economy.

International

North Korean forces may soon fight inside Ukraine, says Seoul. South Korea warns Pyongyang is preparing for deployment of forces into Ukrainian territory as early as July.

Germany passes law blocking family visas for 388,000 refugees. Germany’s parliament has approved legislation preventing families of 388,000 migrants with subsidiary protection status from entering the country, as Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt cited overstretched integration capacity in education, housing and childcare.

Pro-Palestinian activists cause $ 1.1 mn damage to Ukraine-bound military vehicles in Belgium. One hundred fifty pro-Palestinian activists stormed a Belgian military equipment facility after mistakenly believing the company was supplying weapons to Israel, according to Belgian media reports.

Ukraine has done its part for accession talks start, now it’s EU’s turn, Leyen says. Hungary alone holds up talks despite Kyiv’s compliance and Brussels’ green light.

Humanitarian and social impact

Russia targets Ukrainian air base. Ukraine downs almost all of 363 drones and 8 missiles. Four civilians were injured in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, while the death toll from the previous attack rose to 21.

Political and legal developments

America First policies threaten Russian war crimes in Ukraine documentation efforts. International organizations, collecting evidence of sexual violence and torture by the Russians in Ukraine, face losing American funding under new Trump’s White House recommendations.

“West keeps trying to bury Russia, but they will die themselves soon,” says Putin in new speech. While offering peace talks, the Kremlin leader lashes out at the West.

Putin: Russia ready for third round of peace talks despite “absolutely opposite” terms on ending war. The Russian leader also emphasized that recent massive prisoner exchanges and body returns had established a foundation for continued talks.

“Only Russia is friend of Russia,” says Russian general amid Trump’s peace efforts. Behind public praise, Russian leadership treats Trump’s peace overtures as unreliable, and continues the war with full force.

Half of Ukrainians believe country moving towards democracy, 41% – towards authoritarianism – poll shows. Trust in President Volodymyr Zelenskyy determines how Ukrainians view their country’s political direction, with 82% of his critics seeing authoritarianism compared to 76% of supporters who perceive democratic development.

Read our earlier daily review here

Russia used overwhelming artillery superiority and white phosphorus munitions to seize control over Sievierodonetsk in Luhansk Oblast in 2022, said a Ukrainian 3rd Special Operations Forces Regiment soldier, known by the callsign Vorobey in the latest interview, ArmyInform reports. 

White phosphorus ignites spontaneously upon contact with air. When released it burns fiercely at temperatures around 815°C. It sticks to skin and clothing, causing thermal and chemical burns that can penetrate down to the bone. Its extinguishing is extremely difficult because it continues to burn as long as it is exposed to oxygen.

“They knew that in close combat, they’re much weaker,” explained Vorobey, explaining the Russian tactics.

Instead, Russian forces relied on artillery and armored vehicles to level everything in their path.

“The first line of buildings, when it starts to collapse, you have to fall back a little. They just dumped phosphorus on us, burning everything,” he recalled. 

At the beginning of the battle, when the bridges were still intact, Ukrainian operators would “fly in” on light armored vehicles and clear the streets. Later, when the connections were destroyed, they had to cross the river on rafts and hold the industrial zone.

Vorobey is confident that Ukrainian defenders were capable of holding out longer. 

“We had everything. We had water, food, and ammo. We could have held ‘Sever’ for another month,” he said.

However, due to intense pressure on the flanks, Ukrainian forces had to withdraw to preserve their personnel.

Currently, Russia’s reliance on massed artillery has sharply declined due to Ukrainian countermeasures and Russia’s own shift toward drone warfare. Drones now play a central role in Russian tactics, with artillery use becoming more precise and less frequent.

Top Ukrainian drone commander warns ceasefire would only pause war with Russia

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.