On June 18 at 6:00 p.m. local time, eight civilians were reported injured, including two men in Komyshany and Romashkovo, and six others in Bilozerka, Beryslav, Antonivka, and the regional capital Kherson. One more person has been injured since then.
Civilian infrastructure, including private homes and residential buildings, was also damaged in the attacks. A gas pipeline, emergency medical clinic, and fire department were also damaged, according to the latest reports.
Kherson Oblast is located in southern Ukraine, just north of Russian-occupied Crimea, and has been relentless targeted by Russian forces throughout the war.
Ukrainian forces liberated the city of Kherson, the regional capital, in November 2022.
Russian troops continue to occupy large parts of the region and regularly launch attacks on civilian areas using artillery, guided bombs, and drones.
Russia wants to end the war in Ukraine "as soon as possible," preferably through peaceful means, and is ready to continue negotiations — provided that Kyiv and its Western allies are willing to engage, President Vladimir Putin said.
Speaking during a roundtable with top editors of major international news agencies late on June 18, Putin added that he is ready to meet with President Volodymyr Zelensky and "Russia does not care who represents Ukraine in negotiations, but insists that any final agreement must bear the signature of legitimate authorities."
The Kremlin has long sought to portray Zelensky as "illegitimate" in an attempt to discredit Kyiv. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Feb. 18 that Putin, who has ruled Russia for over 20 years, is ready for talks with Zelensky, but "legal aspects related to his legitimacy" must be considered.
Ukraine's allies had generally ignored this propaganda narrative until U.S. President Donald Trump appeared to echo the Kremlin's lines claiming that Zelensky was a "modestly successful comedian" turned "dictator" who "refused to have elections."
Ukraine has not held elections during Russia’s full-scale invasion because they are legally prohibited under martial law, which was declared on Feb. 24, 2022, just hours after the war began. Ukrainian law also mandates that elections must be safe, equal, and uninterrupted—conditions that are impossible to meet amid ongoing Russian attacks on civilians and critical infrastructure.
Putin also told U.S. President Donald Trump on June 14 that Moscow is ready to hold a new round of peace talks with Kyiv after June 22, following the completion of prisoner and fallen soldier exchanges.
Asked if he would be willing to speak with Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Putin said that “if the Federal Chancellor wants to call and talk, I have already said this many times — we do not refuse any contacts."
"And we are always open to this… They stopped, let them resume. We are open to them,” Putin said, adding that he, however, questions Germany’s role as a mediator in the Russia-Ukraine war: "I do doubt if Germany can contribute more than the United States as a mediator in our negotiations with Ukraine. A mediator must be neutral. And when we see German tanks and Leopard battle tanks on the battlefield… and now the Federal Republic is considering supplying Taurus missiles for attacks on Russian territory… — here, of course, big questions arise."
Russian President Vladimir Putin is facing renewed pressure from hardliners to formally declare war on Ukraine, with critics inside the Kremlin warning what he calls his "special military operation" no longer goes far enough.
Anger intensified following Ukraine’s June 1 drone strike, dubbed Operation Spiderweb, which targeted four Russian air bases deep inside the country and reportedly damaged at least 20 Russian nuclear bombers. "Shock and outrage" is how one senior official described to the Telegraph the mood in the Kremlin, while another called the attack "a personal tragedy."
Russia has apparently redeployed dozens of long-range bombers to more remote bases within the country following the strike, Russian independent media outlet Agentstvo reported on June 11, citing OSINT analyst AviVector.
Despite the escalation, the Kremlin has so far avoided any dramatic shift in strategy. "This did not catalyse a political discussion or a change in the format of military operations," a former Kremlin official told the Telegraph. Another source close to the Russian Defense Ministry said, "Could the president declare war on Kyiv? Right now, unlikely. As cynical as it may sound, the leadership is satisfied with the current situation."
Hardliners argue that only a formal war declaration would permit true escalation—full-scale mobilization, regular missile strikes, and potentially the use of tactical nuclear weapons. One analyst told the Telegraph that a formal war declaration would give the Russian government sweeping authority to shift the country fully onto a wartime footing.
However, despite record levels of defense spending, the Kremlin has avoided taking that step—seeking instead to preserve the illusion of control and protect the broader population from the immediate impact of the war.
The Kremlin is projected to allocate 6.3 percent of its GDP to defense this year — the highest level since the Cold War — yet still far below what would typically indicate a country fully mobilized for war. By contrast, Ukraine spent 34 percent of its GDP on defense last year, while British military spending surpassed 50 percent of GDP during the Second World War.
"Mobilization undermines economic stability," said one current government employee. According to him, those in Putin’s inner circle have convinced the president that large-scale mobilization could trigger the collapse of the war effort. "And why is it needed now? We have Kalibr missiles, we have volunteers. Their resources are not yet exhausted," he was quoted as saying.
Former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink announced on June 18 that she is running for Congress from Michigan's 7th district, pledging to oppose U.S. President Donald Trump.
"I've dedicated my life to protecting democracy and fighting for freedom. It's why we stood up to (Russian President Vladimir) Putin and why I spoke out against Trump," Brink wrote on X.
"My next mission: fighting for what's right here at home."
Brink resigned from her post on April 10, and in a May 16 op-ed in the Detroit Free Press, publicly confirmed her departure was driven by disagreement with the Trump administration's stance on Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine.
"I just came home to Michigan from three years in the toughest job of my life," she wrote. "I could no longer in good faith carry out the administration's policy and felt it was my duty to step down."
Brink accused the Trump administration of pressuring Ukraine rather than holding Russia accountable, calling that approach "dangerous and immoral."
"I cannot stand by while a country is invaded, a democracy bombarded, and children killed with impunity," she wrote. "Peace at any price is not peace at all — it is appeasement."
Elections for the representative of Michigan's 7th district will take place in November 2026.
Trump, who began his second term in January, pledged to end the war within 100 days. That deadline has passed with no deal. He has alternated between blaming both sides for the conflict and claiming a breakthrough is still possible.
Despite repeatedly expressing frustration with Putin, the U.S. president has continued to avoid placing additional sanctions on Moscow, even as the Kremlin refuses to agree to a ceasefire.
Brink's relationship with Ukraine's leadership frayed in April after the U.S. Embassy issued what was seen as a muted response to a deadly Russian missile strike on Kryvyi Rih that killed 20 civilians.
"Horrified that tonight a ballistic missile struck near a playground and restaurant in Kryvyi Rih," Brink posted on X following a Russian missile attack. "This is why the war must end."
"Unfortunately, the response from the U.S. Embassy is surprisingly disappointing — such a strong country, such a strong people, and yet such a weak reaction," he wrote on April 5.
Julie S. Davis, the new U.S. Charge d'Affaires to Ukraine, arrived in Kyiv on May 5.
During a targeted operation, Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) killed Mykhailo Hrytsai, a senior collaborator with Russian occupation authorities in Berdiansk, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, a HUR source told the Kyiv Independent on June 18.
According to the source, Hrytsai was directly involved in organizing repressions against the local Ukrainian population and establishing torture chambers for prisoners of war.
The collaborator was shot dead in the city using a silenced PM pistol, the source said.
Hrytsai served as the Russian-installed deputy mayor responsible for infrastructure, housing, utilities, and the energy sector. The source also said he facilitated the illegal seizure of municipal and state property in Berdiansk.
"There are still plenty of such targets — collaborators, accomplices of the enemy — in the occupied territories of Ukraine," the source said.
"We will definitely get to each and every one of them and put an end to their criminal activities by any means necessary: with or without a silencer, quietly or loudly, but always effectively."
A native of Poltava Oblast, Hrytsai had previously participated in Ukrainian political life. He was an assistant to a member of parliament and headed the Berdiansk branch of the Socialist Ukraine party before siding with Russian occupation forces.
Berdiansk, a port city on the Azov Sea, has been under Russian control since the early days of the full-scale invasion in 2022. It remains a critical logistics hub for Russian forces, facilitating the transport of looted Ukrainian grain and other resources.
On Feb. 20, another targeted strike in Berdiansk killed Yevgeny Bogdanov, the deputy head of the Russian-installed administration, according to Ukrainian military intelligence.
Ukraine is preparing to evacuate its citizens from Israel and Iran as hostilities between the two countries intensify, the Foreign Ministry told Ukrainian media outlet NV on June 18.
The move comes as Israel on June 13 launched widespread air strikes against Iran, targeting nuclear facilities and the country's military leadership. Iran responded with missile strikes on Tel Aviv and other cities, killing multiple civilians, including five Ukrainian citizens on June 14.
As of the morning of June 18, 293 Ukrainians in Israel and 85 in Iran have requested evacuation, the ministry said. Ten additional foreign nationals with permanent residency in Ukraine have also asked for assistance to evacuate from Iran.
Ukraine's embassy in Israel has received over 400 calls on its hotline as citizens seek updates on possible evacuation routes. The ministry told NV it is developing evacuation plans, including potential flights organized in cooperation with international partners.
On June 13, Kyiv expressed concern over the security situation in the Middle East, describing Tehran as a "source of problems" in the region and beyond.
Iran is a key supplier of weapons to Russia, including Shahed-type drones and ballistic missiles used in attacks on Ukrainian cities. Israel, which hosts a significant Russian-speaking population, has not joined Western sanctions against Moscow.
Tensions in the region grow as U.S. President Donald Trump is also considering launching U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear targets, Axios reported on June 17.
On Truth Social, Trump demanded Iran's "unconditional surrender" and threatened Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, while boasting about American control of Iranian airspace.
Trump has also floated Russian President Vladimir Putin as a possible mediator in the conflict.
Putin held separate calls with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on June 13, condemning Israeli strikes and offering to mediate.
Israel has not publicly responded to Russia's proposal, but Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on June 17 that Tel Aviv appeared unwilling to accept Russian mediation.
Iran's Health Ministry claimed on June 18 that 585 people had been killed by Israeli strikes, with Tehran alleging that 90% of the casualties are civilians.
Russia on June 18 warned the world is "millimetres away from catastrophe" due to Israeli strikes on Iran's nuclear infrastructure, just four months after one of its own drones struck the Chornobyl nuclear site in Ukraine.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova accused Israel of escalating the risk of a nuclear incident in the Middle East, despite Russia's own record of repeatedly placing nuclear facilities at risk during its full-scale invasion, and threatening the use of nuclear weapons.
On Feb. 14, Russian forces struck the Chornobyl nuclear facility with a Shahed drone, hitting the protective sarcophagus that encases Reactor No. 4, site of the 1986 nuclear disaster.
Damage was limited, and no radiation leakage occurred, but the act was widely condemned as a deliberate provocation timed to coincide with the Munich Security Conference.
President Volodymyr Zelensky called the attack on the Chornobyl plant "a terrorist threat to the whole world." Ukrainian officials and nuclear security experts said the strike was unlikely to cause significant radioactive contamination but served as a warning of Russia's willingness to weaponize fear of nuclear disaster.
Russia has also intensified strikes near other nuclear facilities in Ukraine, including infrastructure connected to the occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, which Moscow's forces have used as a military base since early in the war.
Analysts view the attacks as part of a broader campaign of intimidation aimed at pressuring Kyiv and its allies into a settlement.
Zakharova's comments follow growing international concern over the rising tensions between Israel and Iran. Russia has positioned itself as a potential mediator in the conflict, though European leaders have dismissed the Kremlin's neutrality due to its deepening military ties with Tehran and ongoing aggression in Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin "cannot be trusted" to mediate peace in the Middle East while launching mass strikes on Ukrainian cities, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on June 17. Her remarks came after a Russian missile attack killed at least 28 civilians in Kyiv and injured over 130.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Israel has so far rejected Moscow's mediation offer. U.S. President Donald Trump said over the weekend that Putin had expressed willingness to help mediate.
Russia continues to receive military support from Iran, including drones and missiles used in attacks across Ukraine.
The Slovak police sought to detain ex-Defense Minister Jaroslav Nad over alleged misconduct during the donation of ammunition to Ukraine in 2022, the Slovak newspaper Dennik N reported on June 18, citing two undisclosed sources.
According to his social media, Nad is currently vacationing in Canada. The Slovak police reportedly also seek to detain a former Defense Ministry official and have detained an ex-head of the Konstrukta Defense state company in a move denounced by Nad's opposition Democrats party as politically motivated.
The police operation reportedly concerns 120 mm rounds that Slovakia donated to Ukraine at the onset of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022. The Slovak Defense Ministry allegedly initially sold the obsolete ammunition to a private company, only to later purchase it through Konstrukta Defense for a higher price for swift deliveries to the war-torn nation.
Nad was the defense minister between 2020 and 2023, during which time Slovakia decisively supported Ukraine against Russian aggression and provided substantial military aid.
Bratislava's foreign policy radically shifted after the election victory of left-nationalist Robert Fico in September 2023, who halted military aid from Slovak military stocks, adopted more hostile rhetoric toward Kyiv, and sought close energy ties with Russia.
Nad dismissed the allegations as a "theater," portraying it as the government's attempt to distract the public from internal problems.
"Today's theater didn't shock or upset me in the slightest," Nad said on Facebook.
"I'll keep reminding myself of how proud I am of the support we gave to Ukraine. I'd make the same decision again — without hesitation."
Fico has long criticized Western military aid to Ukraine and the defense assistance provided to Kyiv under the previous Slovak government. In a separate case last year, Slovak Defense Minister Robert Kalinak denounced last year a decision to send MiG-29 jets to Ukraine as "treason."
Australia has, for the first time, imposed sanctions on Russia's so-called "shadow fleet" of oil tankers, targeting 60 vessels used to circumvent international sanctions and sustain the Kremlin's war effort in Ukraine, the Australian government said on June 18.
The move aligns Canberra with similar measures introduced by the United Kingdom, Canada, and the European Union.
Australia's Foreign Ministry said the sanctioned vessels operate under "deceptive practices, including flag-hopping, disabling tracking systems and operating with inadequate insurance," enabling illicit Russian oil trade that undermines international sanctions.
"Russia uses these vessels to circumvent international sanctions and sustain its illegal and immoral war against Ukraine," the ministry said in a statement.
With this move, Australia has now sanctioned more than 1,400 Russian individuals and entities since Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, the government said.
The step comes amid the continued operation of Russia's shadow fleet. According to a recent study by the Kyiv School of Economics (KSE), Russia currently operates 435 tankers outside the control of Western regulators to evade sanctions such as the G7-EU price cap on Russian oil.
These vessels are typically un- or underinsured and pose a rising environmental risk due to their age and operational opacity.
KSE estimates that as of April 2024, 83% of Russia's crude oil and 46% of its petroleum product exports were shipped using shadow fleet tankers. The study warns that this undermines the effectiveness of Western sanctions and increases the likelihood of maritime disasters, as many of these ships fall outside international safety and insurance standards.
The EU formally adopted its 17th sanctions package against Russia in May, sanctioning nearly 200 vessels tied to the shadow fleet. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the new measures also target hybrid threats and human rights violations, with more sanctions under consideration.
Some EU member states and observers have criticized the package for lacking stronger provisions to disrupt Russia's sanction evasion schemes.
Now, the EU seeks to approve its 18th sanctions package, which will add 77 more shadow fleet vessels to comply with the cap to prevent Russia from circumventing sanctions and propose imposing a ban on imports of petroleum products made from Russian oil.
The United States has signaled reluctance to pursue additional sanctions despite Moscow's continued aggression in Ukraine and rejection of ceasefire proposals supported by Western allies.
An invitation for Ukraine to become a member of NATO "is not on the agenda" of the upcoming summit in The Hague, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys said in an interview with the Baltic News Service published on June 18.
"This issue is certainly not on the NATO agenda and nobody has formulated an expectation that there will be an invitation in The Hague, nor have we heard that from the Ukrainians themselves," Budrys said in comments quoted by the LRT broadcaster.
"There is no such expectation that there will be breakthrough decisions, neither before the Washington summit nor now before the Hague summit – it is not on the agenda."
The comments, coming less than a week before the summit, hint at a shifting rhetoric within the alliance regarding Ukraine's potential membership after U.S. President Donald Trump took office.
The new Trump administration has spoken out against Kyiv's accession, and the U.S. president even echoed the false Russian narratives that its efforts to join NATO helped instigate Russia's full-scale invasion.
Unlike during the previous summits, the final communique may reportedly completely omit the topic of Ukraine's membership, as NATO members seek to avoid a conflict with Trump. The gathering was also preceded by rumors that Ukraine may not be invited due to U.S. opposition, but the invitation was extended in the end.
In spite of these tensions, Budrys said that the summit should keep its focus on Ukraine, stressing that the war-torn country is part of the Euro-Atlantic security space.
Ukraine applied for NATO membership in September 2022, months after the outbreak of the full-scale Russian invasion. The alliance has signaled support for Kyiv's accession efforts in previous years, even declaring at the Washington summit in 2024 that Ukraine's path to membership is "irreversible" — but stopping short of a formal invite.
Kyiv's swift entry seems increasingly unlikely amid opposition from the U.S. and several other members, even though NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte recently reaffirmed that a political commitment to Ukraine's membership stands. Ukraine would need support from all 32 members to join.
It remains uncertain whether The Hague summit will lead to any breakthroughs regarding Ukraine. Following signals that U.S. President Donald Trump may not attend the event, the Guardian reported that President Volodymyr Zelensky may skip the summit as well.
President Volodymyr Zelensky may reconsider attending the NATO summit in The Hague, as questions remain over U.S. President Donald Trump's participation, the Guardian reported on June 17, citing unnamed Ukrainian officials.
According to the Guardian, some in Kyiv are unsure if Zelensky's presence at the June 24-25 summit would be worthwhile without a confirmed meeting with Trump, whom they had hoped to engage directly in efforts to pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin into accepting a ceasefire.
Earlier, Zelensky had traveled to the G7 summit in Canada, hoping to meet one-on-one with Trump and push for stronger sanctions against Russia. Trump left the summit early, citing the crisis in the Middle East, and no bilateral meeting or joint G7 statement took place.
One official told the Guardian that Ukraine is in a "permanent hazard" of becoming a victim of "Trump's short attention span," adding that Russia has exploited this uncertainty by fresh aerial attacks. The source added that there had been "all sorts of promises for this summit," including U.S. arms.
The Russian attack on Ukraine that occurred during the G7 summit killed at least 24 civilians and injured 134 in Kyiv. Trump has not responded to the attack as of the day after.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has reportedly said Trump had previously promised to attend the NATO gathering, though no official confirmation has been issued from Washington.
Despite the setback, Zelensky said the G7 meeting had concrete results for Ukraine. In a Telegram post on June 17, he thanked partners for increased military aid, new sanctions on Russia, and the decision to allocate frozen Russian assets for Ukraine’s reconstruction.
"It is important that our partners are ready not only to support our defense now, but also to rebuild Ukraine together after the war ends," he said.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced a support package that includes 2 billion Canadian dollars ($1.5 billion) in military assistance and another $1.6 billion in reconstruction loans. The aid includes drones, armored vehicles, ammunition, and sanctions to disrupt Russia's energy revenues.
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer also unveiled new sanctions targeting Russia's military-industrial complex and 20 oil tankers from Russia's "shadow fleet."
Zelensky later told G7 leaders that "diplomacy is now in a state of crisis" and called on allies to press Trump to "use his real influence" to help end the war.
Ukraine has been invited to the NATO summit, and Zelensky previously called the invitation "important" during a June 2 press briefing. At the time, he did not confirm whether he would attend in person.
Ukraine's Foreign Ministry on June 18 brushed off Moscow's demands for Kyiv to destroy or dismantle Western-supplied weapons as a condition for a ceasefire, saying it shows disregard for U.S. peace efforts.
"Russian officials make new absurd demands almost every day. Total inadequacy," Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi said on X.
"Moscow shows complete disregard for the United States' efforts to end the war."
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko raised the demand in an interview with the state-run newspaper Izvestia earlier this week.
"All these surpluses must be destroyed. All international algorithms are known. They must be reduced, disposed of, and guaranteed," Grushko said.
The Kremlin has previously demanded a complete halt on Western military aid to Ukraine as a key condition for a truce. Kyiv and its European partners have rejected this, instead urging increased military assistance to the war-torn country.
The demand reflects Moscow's growing list of maximalist conditions presented in its so-called "peace memorandum" during negotiations with Ukraine in Istanbul on June 2.
While the recent peace talks ended with an agreement on major prisoner exchanges and repatriation of fallen soldiers, they have failed to achieve a breakthrough in the peace talks.
U.S. President Donald Trump, who initially pledged to broker peace in Ukraine within 24 hours of taking office, has become increasingly disengaged in the effort. He has also been reluctant to apply pressure on Moscow to push it to a ceasefire deal despite repeatedly threatening additional sanctions.
Ukraine's parliament passed a reform of the Asset Recovery and Management Agency (ARMA) on June 18, a key step toward European integration and a condition listed in the EU's Ukraine Facility plan.
The legislation passed with the support of 253 lawmakers "after months of obstructions... unblocking 600 million euros ($690 million) in EU funds," lawmaker Yaroslav Zhelezniak said.
The ARMA is Ukraine's national agency tasked with locating, recovering, and managing assets seized in criminal proceedings, namely during corruption cases.
Proposed reforms include stricter integrity and qualification standards for leadership candidates and merit-based hiring through open competitions involving civil society. They also call for independent external audits, clear deadlines for appointing asset managers, and the use of certified professionals held legally accountable for mismanagement.
The Ukraine Facility, an EU program providing Ukraine with 50 billion euros ($58 billion) in multi-year financial support contingent on reforms, set the end of March as the deadline for the ARMA's reform.
Anti-corruption experts, lawmakers, and Transparency International in Ukraine have backed the reforms, but discussions have dragged on for months since several versions of the bill were introduced in December 2024 and January.
The ARMA has long criticized the proposed legislation, arguing it had already carried out substantial and "transformative" reforms since 2023.
Transparency International reacted by saying that the ARMA's "public communication suggests that the agency’s primary concern is not the introduction of meaningful reforms, but ensuring that its current leadership can continue operating as it has."
Ukraine has embarked on extensive reforms as part of its efforts to join the EU and other Western structures, though Russia's full-scale invasion has presented fresh challenges to this effort.
Ukraine's parliament on June 17 approved President Volodymyr Zelensky's nomination of 35-year-old Ruslan Kravchenko as the country's new prosecutor general, making him the youngest person to ever hold the post.
Kravchenko, a former military prosecutor and most recently head of Ukraine's tax service, replaces Andrii Kostin, who stepped down in October 2024 following a scandal involving fraudulent disability claims by dozens of prosecutors in Khmelnytskyi Oblast.
Lawmakers supported Kravchenko's appointment with 273 votes in favor, according to Yaroslav Zheleznyak, an MP from the Holos party.
A native of Sievierodonetsk in eastern Ukraine, Kravchenko served as a military prosecutor in Crimea before leaving the peninsula after Russia's annexation in 2014. He was one of the prosecutors in the case of fugitive President Viktor Yanukovych.
Kravchenko will now lead the Prosecutor General's Office amid war, reforms, and heightened scrutiny of law enforcement bodies' work. His predecessor, Kostin, resigned after the media revealed that at least 50 prosecutors had allegedly received disability status fraudulently — a scandal that sparked widespread criticism.
The Prosecutor General's Office has played a central role in documenting Russian war crimes and enforcing anti-corruption efforts, especially since Russia's full-scale invasion began in February 2022.
Violent clashes broke out on June 17 outside the Holy Spirit Cathedral in Chernivtsi, a city in southwestern Ukraine, as hundreds of people attempted to force their way into the church following a long-running dispute over its religious affiliation, Suspilne reported.
The unrest reflects Ukraine's broader struggle to sever ties with the Russian-affiliated Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP) amid the ongoing war, which was extensively used by Moscow as a propaganda tool.
According to public broadcaster Suspilne, the crowd gathered to assert control over the church, which had recently voted to switch allegiance from the UOC-MP to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) — an autocephalous (autonomous) Ukrainian church not affiliated with Moscow.
The police were reportedly deployed to prevent escalation but were eventually overwhelmed as protesters breached the church fence and entered the grounds. Officers deployed tear gas, and medics reported treating around 30 people for injuries.
The confrontation came after local authorities re-registered the Holy Spirit Cathedral and two other major parishes in Chernivtsi under the jurisdiction of the OCU earlier this year. Bishop Feognost of the OCU confirmed to Suspilne that the day marked the first Ukrainian-language prayer service in the cathedral, a significant symbol of the national church’s growing influence.
The dispute stems from decades of tension between Orthodox churches in Ukraine and has intensified since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022. The UOC-MP, while claiming to have severed ties with Moscow, remains legally subordinate to the Russian Orthodox Church, which is seen as a close ally of the Kremlin.
Ukrainian lawmakers passed legislation in August 2024 banning religious organizations with ties to Russia. The law, signed by President Volodymyr Zelensky, gave such organizations nine months to cut all legal and institutional connections with Moscow. Over 100 UOC-MP clergymen have been investigated for suspected collaboration with Russian forces, with dozens facing criminal charges.
Local media say the scene outside the cathedral grew tense as both UOC-MP and OCU supporters gathered. Some attempted to tear down gates while chanting "shame!" and others blocked roads, disrupting traffic. The police temporarily restricted access to the site and launched an investigation.
Suspilne reported that Metropolitan Meletii of the UOC-MP later entered the cathedral after the gates were forced open. Worshippers not aligned with the OCU began a service inside, prompting further clashes. Fire extinguishers were reportedly used inside the building to push back demonstrators.
Chernivtsi Mayor Roman Klichuk initially welcomed the transition of the church to the OCU as a "historic day" for Ukraine's national church, but later deleted the post from his social media page, Suspilne said.
The Moscow-linked church claims it is the victim of religious persecution and insists that it operates lawfully. Critics argue its claims of independence are symbolic and that it remains deeply tied to Russia's religious and political structures.
While Orthodox Christianity remains freely practiced and the most widespread religion in Ukraine, the government and a growing number of citizens view the UOC-MP as a potential security threat.
Ukraine's parliament on June 18 supported a bill allowing Ukrainian citizens to hold passports of foreign countries, lawmaker Yaroslav Zhelezniak said.
The draft law, backed by 243 lawmakers in the second and final reading, outlines conditions for holding multiple citizenship and simplifies procedures for foreigners wanting to obtain Ukrainian passports.
The legislation must receive a presidential signature before entering force, largely a formality as President Volodymyr Zelensky himself submitted the bill last August.
Until now, the status of multiple citizenship has not been recognized by Ukrainian law.
The bill also establishes new grounds for losing citizenship, such as receiving a Russian passport or serving in the Russian Armed Forces.
The government will determine the list of countries whose citizens will be able to obtain Ukrainian passports in a simplified way, taking into account issues like EU membership or imposed sanctions in connection with Russian aggression.
Multiple citizenship will be recognized for foreigners from the listed countries who apply for Ukrainian citizenship, or if Ukrainian citizens apply for citizenship in these countries. It will also be recognized for Ukrainian spouses of foreign citizens and other specified cases.
Deputy Foreign Minister Serhii Kyslytsia said the law is not applicable to Russian citizens or citizens of countries that do not recognize Ukraine's territorial integrity.
Even before the full-scale invasion, the Ukrainian diaspora has been widespread around the world, with particularly large communities in the EU, the U.S., and Canada. The war drew millions more from their home, and 6.8 million Ukrainian refugees and asylum-seekers remain abroad as of 2025, according to U.N. data.
Among others, the bill is seen as part of Ukraine's effort to strengthen ties with Ukrainians living abroad. Zelensky said the document should allow ethnic Ukrainians born abroad to obtain citizenship.
The U.S. Embassy in Kyiv on June 18 condemned Russia's massive missile and drone attack on Kyiv that killed at least 23 people and injured more than 130 a day earlier, saying it "runs counter" to U.S. President Donald Trump's peace efforts.
"Today, with all of Ukraine, we join a day of mourning in Kyiv for the victims of Russia's June 17 attack," the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine said in a statement. "We extend deepest condolences to the victims' families. This senseless attack runs counter to President Trump's call to stop the killing and end the war."
The nine-hour overnight attack, which began late June 16, has become one of the largest aerial assaults on the Ukrainian capital since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022.
Ukrainian officials said Russia launched 472 aerial weapons, including nearly 280 Shahed-type attack drones and cruise and ballistic missiles. Ukraine's air defense downed 428 targets, but several struck residential areas, including a nine-story apartment building in Kyiv's Solomianskyi district.
Among the dead was a U.S. citizen, State Department Press Secretary Tammy Bruce confirmed at a briefing on June 17.
"We are aware of last night's attack on Kyiv, which resulted in numerous casualties, including the tragic death of a U.S. citizen," Bruce said. "We condemn those strikes and extend our deepest condolences to the victims and to the families of all those affected."
President Volodymyr Zelensky called it "one of the most horrifying attacks on Kyiv" and urged stronger international support to help Ukraine defend itself.
Despite the scale of the attack, Trump appeared to be unaware of the strike when questioned by reporters aboard Air Force One early on June 17.
"When was that? When?" Trump responded when a reporter asked for his reaction. Told that the drone and missile attack had occurred "very recently," Trump said: "Just now? You mean as I’m walking back to see you, that’s when it took place? Sounds like it. I’ll have to look at it."
As of a day later, the White House had still not issued an official response to the strike.
The June 17 attack caused extensive damage across the capital. Civilian infrastructure hit included kindergartens, a university dormitory, residential neighborhoods, and industrial sites.
Fahrenheit, a Ukrainian manufacturer of military and civilian clothing, reported that its Kyiv factory was damaged and operations were suspended. Ukrposhta, the national postal service, lost two branches. Ukrainian Railways said a grain-carrying train was struck, disrupting transit.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said unexploded cluster munitions were found in the city — a type of weapon banned by some countries due to the danger they pose to civilians. June 18 was declared a day of mourning in Kyiv.
Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called the timing of the attack, as G7 leaders gathered in Canada, a deliberate message from the Kremlin. Moscow has escalated strikes on Ukrainian cities in recent weeks, targeting residential areas and critical infrastructure.
Ukraine has urged Western allies to respond by reinforcing air defense capabilities and tightening economic pressure on Russia.
Russian attacks across Ukraine killed at least six civilians and injured at least 49, including a teenage boy, over the past day, regional authorities reported on June 18.
Russian forces launched 58 Shahed-type attack drones and decoys against Ukraine overnight, targeting mainly the Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts, the Air Force said.
Ukrainian defenses shot down 12 drones, while 18 disappeared from radars or were intercepted by electronic warfare systems, according to the statement.
In Chernihiv Oblast, a Russian drone attack against a village in the Snovsk community on June 17 injured a 68-year-old woman, Governor Viacheslav Chaus reported.
A Russian attack against Nikopol in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast on June 17 killed a 63-year-old man, Governor Serhii Lysak reported. Two more people were injured, and an educational institution and houses were damaged.
Russian attacks across Donetsk Oblast killed a civilian in Myrnohrad and injured eight others in the region, according to Governor Vadym Filashkin.
In Kharkiv Oblast, three people were injured in Russian attacks, including a 69-year-old woman and a 15-year-old boy in Izium and a 52-year-old man in Ripky, Governor Oleh Syniehubov reported.
Russian attacks against Kherson Oblast killed two people and injured 34, according to the regional governor, Oleksandr Prokudin.
In Sumy Oblast, one person was killed and another injured in a Russian drone attack against the Bilopillia community, and another man was killed during an air strike against the Yunakivka community, the regional administration reported.
Russia launched missile and drone attacks against Zaporizhzhia, damaging multiple residential and non-residential buildings but inflicting no casualties, Governor Ivan Fedorov said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin "cannot be trusted" to mediate peace in the Middle East while continuing to launch brutal attacks against civilians, EU High Representative Kaja Kallas said on June 17, following a mass Russian strike on Kyiv that killed at least 21 people and injured over 130.
"Clearly, President Putin is not somebody who can talk about peace while we see actions like this,” Kallas said during a briefing in Brussels. "He's not a mediator that can really be considered. Russia cannot be a mediator if they don't really believe in peace."
Russia has sought to position itself as a potential mediator in the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on June 17 that Israel appeared unwilling to accept Russia’s offer of mediation.
President Donald Trump said on June 15 that Putin had expressed willingness to help mediate between Tel Aviv and Tehran — an idea already dismissed by France. EU leaders have also questioned Moscow’s neutrality given its deep military ties with Iran, which has supplied Russia with drones and missiles used in attacks on Ukraine.
Kallas also pointed to Iran's role in enabling Russia's attacks. "Iran has helped Russia do these attacks… their cooperation is working in this regard," she said.
Kallas urged the European Union to press forward with lowering the oil price cap on Russian oil, even without U.S. support, warning that Middle East tensions could otherwise drive prices up and boost Russia's revenues.
"The whole idea of the oil price cap is to lower the prices," Kallas said. "We shouldn't end up in a situation where the crisis in the Middle East increases oil prices and makes Russia earn more… that would mean they can fund their war machine on a bigger scale."
Her warning comes after global oil prices soared on June 13, following an Israeli strike on Iran that raised fears of a broader regional conflict. Brent and Nymex crude prices surged more than 10% before stabilizing around 7.5% higher, with Brent at $74.50 a barrel and Nymex at $73.20, the BBC reported.
The spike threatens to undermine Western efforts to restrict Russia’s wartime revenues, which heavily depend on oil exports.
Earlier, Kallas said the EU can act independently to lower the oil price ceiling, noting that most Russian crude flows through European-controlled waters.
"Even if the Americans are not on board, we can still do it and have an impact," she said.
Her remarks come as the EU works on its 18th sanctions package targeting Russia's energy, banking, and defense sectors. The 17th package entered into force on May 20. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has said new measures will further target Russia's war-sustaining supply chains.
Kallas spoke hours after one of Russia's deadliest attacks on Kyiv since the start of its full-scale invasion. The nearly nine-hour assault saw Moscow fire 472 aerial weapons, including over 280 Shahed drones and multiple cruise and ballistic missiles.
Ukraine's Air Force reported intercepting 428 targets, but several missiles hit residential buildings, including a nine-story apartment block in Solomianskyi district, where 16 people were killed.
President Volodymyr Zelensky called the assault "one of the most horrifying attacks on Kyiv" and again called on Western leaders to act decisively.
Russia has lost 1,007,160 troops in Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces reported on June 18.
The number includes 1,040 casualties that Russian forces suffered just over the past day.
According to the report, Russia has also lost 10,947 tanks, 22,845 armored fighting vehicles, 52,312 vehicles and fuel tanks, 29,265 artillery systems, 1,420 multiple launch rocket systems, 1,187 air defense systems, 416 airplanes, 337 helicopters, 41,165 drones, 3,369 cruise missiles, 28 ships and boats, and one submarine.
U.S. Special Envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg will meet Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in the coming days, Reuters reported on June 17, citing four sources familiar with the matter.
Kellogg will meet Lukashenko in a visit to Belarus as peace talks to bring an end to Russia's war against Ukraine remain inconclusive, Reuters reported.
In February, U.S. Deputy Assistant State Secretary Christopher W. Smith visited Belarus alongside two other U.S. officials to conduct a prisoner swap in a similar unannounced visit.
Lukashenko has been in power since 1994 and has been accused of staging fraudulent elections in Belarus. The leader declared a seventh consecutive presidential election victory in January.
Kellogg has given the impression that the meeting could help reinitiate largely unsuccessful peace talks between Ukraine and Russia, two sources told Reuters.
Lukashenko is seen as a key ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin as Russia faces isolation in response to its full-scale war against Ukraine.
The White House has discussed ways to weaken Russia's influence on Minsk and bring Belarus closer to the United States, one of the sources said.
On Feb. 12, Smith drove to Belarus from Lithuania following a phone call with Lukashenko. The small U.S. delegation visited a border town where three political prisoners were transferred, including one U.S. citizen and two Belarusian citizens, the New York Times reported.
Lukashenko assured he was ready to decrease repression in Belarus, Smith said, adding that the U.S. wants Belarus to be less reliant on Russia.
Belarus has faced Western sanctions following a presidential election in 2020 that international observers condemned as fraudulent. The sham election garnered mass protests that rejected the results.
Minsk refused to invite a mission from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to observe the country's Jan. 26 presidential election.
Belarus further isolated itself from the West as it supports Russia in its ongoing war against Ukraine.
The European Union and its allies are ready to toughen sanctions on Russia, French President Emmanuel Macron said on the sidelines of the Group of Seven (G7) summit on June 17.
"With President (Volodymyr) Zelensky at the G7. We stand in solidarity with the Ukrainian people after last night’s massive Russian strikes," Macron said in a post to social media.
"We are determined to increase pressure on Russia to accept the immediate and unconditional ceasefire that Ukraine is ready for," he added.
Macron attended the G7 summit in Kananaskis, Canada, from June 15-17. Global leaders discussed a wide range of topics, including Russia's war against Ukraine.
As the G7 leaders met in Canada, Russia launched one of its worst drone and missile attacks on Kyiv since it began its full-scale war against Ukraine in February 2022, killing 16 people and injuring at least 134.
"The common position that is emerging is to say, 'We need to strengthen sanctions,'" CBC News reported, citing Macron.
Europe is proposing much tougher sanctions than the U.S. has imposed on Russia, Macron said, adding that the EU is in "very close co-ordination" with Canada, Japan, and the U.K.
Several countries, including Canada and the U.K., introduced additional sanctions on Russia as the G7 summit was ongoing.
Canada introduced a new military aid package for Ukraine in addition to its sanctions against Russia.
"In our view, this has changed the situation because it will allow us to bring Russia back to the negotiating table, as (U.S.) President (Donald) Trump has been demanding," Macron said, according to CBC News.
Zelensky attended the summit and met with various leaders, including Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.
Zelensky left the summit early, citing Russia's attack on Kyiv. The nearly nine-hour-long attack saw Moscow's forces launch large numbers of drones and missiles at Ukraine's capital.
Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha condemned the attack, calling it a "massive and brutal strike" timed deliberately to coincide with the G7 summit.
Zelensky described the drone and missile assault as "one of the most horrifying attacks on Kyiv."
Editor's note: This is a developing story and is being updated.
President Volodymyr Zelensky is cutting his visit to Canada short and will return to Kyiv on June 17, while G7 talks are still ongoing, a source told a Kyiv Independent journalist on the ground.
He had been scheduled to travel to Calgary for additional events and a press conference, but those plans have been cancelled. The change comes in the wake of a deadly Russian missile strike on Kyiv overnight, as well as changes to the G7 agenda.
Zelensky had travelled to the summit hoping to meet one-on-one with U.S. President Donald Trump and to push for stronger sanctions against Russia. However, Trump left the summit early, citing the crisis in the Middle East, and no bilateral meeting or unified G7 statement took place.
Zelensky said he had told the G7 leaders that "diplomacy is now in a state of crisis" and noted the allies need to continue calling on Trump "to use his real influence" to force an end to the war."
"Even if the American President is not putting enough pressure on Russia right now, the truth is that America still has the broadest global interests and the largest number of allies. All of them will need strong protection," he said in a Telegram post.
Meanwhile, Canada dropped plans for the G7 to issue a joint statement on the war in Ukraine after the United States pushed to weaken the language, according to a Canadian official speaking on the sidelines of the summit. The official said Canada felt a watered-down version would not be fair to Ukraine.
"Canada and the rest of the G7 should strengthen their support for Ukraine, particularly by furnishing it with additional military assistance that would include, among other things, increased ammunition," Alexander Lanoszka, an associate professor of international relations in the department of political science at the University of Waterloo, told the Kyiv Independent.
"One hopes that the specter of U.S. disengagement would catalyze increases in assistance. Unfortunately, despite whatever they say, G7 leaders could very well lack the confidence for whatever reason to do much absent strong U.S. leadership," Lanoszka added.
Canada did announce a sweeping new support package for Ukraine on June 17, during a bilateral meeting with Zelensky on the final day of the G7 summit in Kananaskis. The measures include two billion Canadian dollars ($1.5 billion USD) in military funding and new sanctions aimed at restricting Russia’s energy revenues and evasion tactics.
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer also announced a set of measures aimed at increasing pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin, who continues to reject calls for an unconditional ceasefire in Ukraine. "The 30 targets strike across Russia’s financial, military and energy sectors in response to Putin’s continued aggression," reads the U.K. government statement. The new sanctions also "crack down further on Putin’s shadow fleet," targeting 20 of his oil tankers.
Starmer added that he "strongly" supports tightening the price cap on Russian crude oil to further cut into the Kremlin’s energy revenues.
Zelensky said late on June 17 that the G7 summit still produced concrete results for Ukraine, including increased military support, new tranches of aid using frozen Russian assets, and additional sanctions targeting the sources of Russia’s war effort.
A dinner discussion among Group of Seven leaders on June 16 failed to shift U.S. President Donald Trump’s position on tougher sanctions against Russia, Bloomberg reported, citing sources familiar with the talks.
Trump has continued urging Russian President Vladimir Putin to agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine but has resisted additional sanctions, despite previously threatening to introduce more. At the G7 dinner, he reportedly repeated concerns that sanctions were too costly for the United States.
A chair’s statement expected from Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney will affirm G7 support for U.S.-led peace efforts, according to Bloomberg. The statement is also set to highlight that Ukraine has demonstrated readiness for a ceasefire, while Russia has not, and emphasize the need for continued pressure on Moscow through sanctions. Carney’s office did not comment on the expected statement.
The European Union introduced its 18th package of sanctions ahead of the summit, while the United Kingdom followed with new restrictions targeting Russia’s energy and financial sectors. Both the EU and the U.K. have pushed to lower the G7 price cap on Russian oil, a move the U.S. has so far opposed.
The debate over sanctions comes amid intensified Russian strikes on Ukraine. Overnight, at least 14 people were killed in Kyiv in what President Volodymyr Zelensky described as “one of the most horrific attacks” since the start of the full-scale war. Multiple areas of the capital were hit by drones, missiles, or falling debris, including a direct strike on a nine-story residential building, which caused part of the structure to collapse. Search and rescue operations were ongoing.
“Such attacks are pure terrorism,” Zelensky said in a post on X after arriving in Canada for the G7 meeting. “And the whole world, the United States, and Europe must finally respond as a civilized society responds to terrorists.”
Zelensky had been scheduled to meet with Trump on June 17, but the meeting was canceled after the U.S. president left the summit early, citing the crisis in the Middle East. European officials, according to Bloomberg, are increasingly uncertain about Trump’s reliability and are working to reinforce security cooperation with other allies as U.S. support for Ukraine appears to be wavering.
Ukraine's 59th Brigade of the Unmanned Systems Forces said on June 17 that former fighter Ryan O'Leary no longer has access to current information about the unit's operations and cannot speak on its behalf.
The statement follows public criticism from O'Leary, an American volunteer and former commander of the Chosen Company, who alleged widespread leadership failures within Ukraine's Armed Forces.
On June 14, O'Leary said mismanagement within the military, rather than Russia's action, was responsible for "more deaths," accusing commanders of prioritizing personal power over troop welfare.
"The officer corps behaves like a caste system of untouchables or 'army lords,'" he wrote on X.
Chosen Company, originally formed as the 312 Swedish Volunteer Company at the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, has drawn members from more than 31 countries.
Its first commander, Swedish veteran Edvard Selander Patrignani, was killed in action in July 2022. O'Leary took command afterward, and the unit was integrated into the 59th Brigade in early 2023.
O'Leary accused the former commander of the 59th Brigade, Lieutenant Colonel Bohdan Shevchuk, of sending intelligence officers into reckless assaults, resulting in avoidable casualties. Shevchuk was recently removed from command after being accused of submitting false reports.
"In the first two months of his command, he sent soldiers into unattainable positions with no hope of reinforcement or survival," O'Leary claimed.
In response, the 59th Brigade, deployed in the Pokrovsk sector in Donetsk Oblast, said O'Leary voluntarily resigned from service on Feb. 8, 2024, and has not taken part in any operations or internal decisions since.
"He does not have up-to-date information on the state of affairs in the unit and cannot comment on it," the brigade said. "The dissemination of unfounded accusations and misinformation undermines morale and negatively affects the unit's combat readiness."
The 59th Brigade emphasized that its soldiers continue to perform combat missions under challenging conditions and "maintain high efficiency and effectiveness."
O'Leary had announced the disbandment of the Chosen Company on May 26, but said he would wait to discuss details until his contract officially ended.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced a sweeping new support package for Ukraine on June 17, during a bilateral meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky on the final day of the G7 summit in Kananaskis, Alberta.
The measures include two billion Canadian dollars ($1.5 billion USD) in military funding and new sanctions aimed at restricting Russia’s energy revenues and evasion tactics.
"To be absolutely clear, this support will be unwavering until we get a just peace for Ukraine and the Ukrainian people," Carney was quoted as saying.
The aid package includes funding for drones, ammunition, and armoured vehicles, as well as a $2.3-billion loan to support the reconstruction of Ukrainian infrastructure damaged by Russian attacks. Zelensky, who was invited to the summit by Carney, thanked the prime minister for his support, noting that Ukraine had just endured one of the largest missile attacks since the start of the full-scale invasion, killing 14 and injuring 117 people in Kyiv.
The new sanctions target 77 individuals and 39 entities, including 15 people involved in Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet,” three financial firms facilitating war-related transactions, and 14 entities tied to the development of quantum technologies with possible military use. Canada also upgraded its sanctions against Russian oil and gas giant Surgutneftegas.
Canada’s announcement came alongside similar measures from the U.K., which sanctioned individuals and entities connected to Russian finance, energy, and military operations, including 20 shadow fleet vessels and two U.K.-based individuals accused of exporting high-tech electronics to Russia.
Russian drone attacks injured at least 20 civilians in the Dniprovskyi district of Kherson on June 17, according to local authorities.
"The Russians have changed their tactics for using drones — since early morning, they have been launching massive attacks on the Dniprovskyi district of Kherson," Kherson Oblast Governor Oleksandr Prokudin wrote on Telegram.
The attacks left several people hospitalized with blast trauma and shrapnel wounds.
A 36-year-old man sustained injuries to the head and chest. A 51-year-old woman was treated for a concussion and facial wounds. Four other victims, including two women aged 60 and 67, were hospitalized with injuries to the torso and limbs.
Among those treated on an outpatient basis was a 41-year-old man wounded in the leg and a 58-year old woman who suffered injuries to the torso. Additional outpatient cases include women aged 84, 50, and 62, and a 58-year-old man, who was also admitted for hospital care.
"We are taking all necessary measures to counter enemy drones and adapting to the enemy's new tactics. This takes time," Prokudin said, urging residents to stay indoors unless absolutely necessary.
Kherson, located on the western bank of the Dnipro River in southern Ukraine, has faced relentless Russian attacks since its liberation in November 2022.
Russian forces continue to occupy the eastern bank, from which they launch attacks on civilian targets using artillery, guided bombs, and drones.
President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived at the G7 Leaders' Summit in Canada on June 17 ahead of the final day of the G7 Leaders' summit, according to a Kyiv Independent journalist on the ground.
Zelensky was greeted by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in Kananaskis, Alberta, where the summit is being held.
"We need more from our allies... We are ready for peace negotiations... But for this, we need pressure," the Ukrainian president said.
The Ukrainian president was expected to meet U.S. President Donald Trump at the summit. However, it is not clear if the meeting will take place because Trump left the summit early due to escalating tensions in the Middle East.
White House spokesperson Caroline Leavitt confirmed Trump's early departure from the summit, citing the ongoing escalation between Israel and Iran.
The Israeli military launched a large-scale attack on Iran's nuclear and military infrastructure on June 13, which was followed by retaliatory ballistic missile strikes from Tehran. Israel has since struck key defense targets in Tehran, including the headquarters of Iran's Defense Ministry.
Zelensky was to hold his third in-person meeting with Trump, which may signal the future of Trump and Zelensky's relationship, as well as offer insight into the United States' commitment to supporting Ukraine.
In February, Zelensky and Trump held their first meeting, which escalated into a heated argument, with Trump and Vice President JD Vance lambasting the Ukrainian leader over what they described as "a lack of gratitude for U.S. support."
The second meeting between Trump and Zelensky in the Vatican in April led to the U.S. president reiterating calls for a ceasefire in Ukraine and even threatening to impose sanctions on Russia.
In the month since their last in-person meeting, tensions between Trump and Zelensky have risen again. Despite issuing several threats, Trump has not followed through on implementing additional economic pressure on Moscow.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney welcomes President Volodymyr Zelensky during the Group of Seven (G7) Summit in Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada on June 17, 2025. (Dmytro Basmat / The Kyiv Independent)
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney welcomes President Volodymyr Zelensky during the Group of Seven (G7) Summit in Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada on June 17, 2025. (Dmytro Basmat / The Kyiv Independent)
Ahead of the summit, European leaders urged G7 nations to impose harsher sanctions on Moscow in order to secure a ceasefire in the war against Ukraine.
"To achieve peace through strength, we must put more pressure on Russia to secure a real ceasefire, to bring Russia to the negotiating table, and to end this war. Sanctions are critical to that end," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on June 15 at a press briefing attended by a Kyiv Independent journalist.
Zelensky is still expected to attend the scheduled meetings with other G7 leaders.
Zelensky said in a closed-door meeting attended by the Kyiv Independent on June 13 that his priority is to speak with Trump about sanctions against Russia, peace talks, weapons purchases, and U.S.-Ukraine economic cooperation.
"There are steps forward we can take — but we need the political will of the U.S. president, if he wants," Zelensky said on June 13.
Amid increased anxiety around Trump's commitment to ending the war, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recently announced that the Pentagon would reduce funding allocated for military assistance to Ukraine in its 2026 defense budget.
Canada, which holds the G7 presidency in 2025, invited Zelensky to participate in summit, marking the Ukrainian president’s fourth G7 meeting since the outbreak of the full-scale invasion in 2022.
Ukraine's Foreign Ministry has urged its citizens to leave Israel and Iran "as soon as possible" due to a serious deterioration in regional security, the ministry said in a statement on June 17.
"In connection with a significant worsening of the security situation in the Middle East, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly recommends that Ukrainian citizens leave the territory of the State of Israel and the Islamic Republic of Iran as soon as possible, until the situation stabilizes," the statement read.
Ukrainians who remain in either country are advised to remain vigilant, monitor updates from local authorities, follow air raid alerts, adhere to safety protocols, and always carry valid identification documents.
The Ukrainian embassies in Israel and Iran are compiling evacuation lists and preparing potential evacuation plans. Information about available evacuation routes is being published on the official Facebook pages of the Ukrainian embassies in Israel and Iran.
The Israeli military launched a large-scale attack on Iran's nuclear and military infrastructure on June 13, which were followed by retaliatory ballistic missile strikes from Tehran. Israel has since struck key defense targets in Tehran, including the headquarters of Iran's Defense Ministry.
U.S. President Donald Trump was unaware of a deadly Russian drone and missile strike on Kyiv that killed at least 15 people and injured over 120, when asked about the attack by reporters on June 17.
On board Air Force One as he flew back from Canada, Trump was questioned about the attack by a reporter. A clock in the plane shows it was shortly after 1:30 a.m. Washington time, 8:30 a.m. Kyiv time, two-and-a-half hours after the nine-hour-long attack ended, and after reports of casualties had been made public.
When asked for his reaction, he responded: "When was that? When?"
The reporter then says the "Russian drone attack on Kyiv" occurred "very recently."
"Just now? You mean as I’m walking back to see you, that’s when it took place? Sounds like it. I’ll have to look at it," Trump replies.
At the time of writing some seven hours later, the White House has still yet to comment on the attack.
The comments came a few hours after Ukraine endured the largest aerial attack on Kyiv in 2025. According to Ukraine's Air Force, Russia launched 472 aerial weapons overnight, including nearly 280 Shahed-type attack drones, 16 Kh-101 cruise missiles, two Kinzhal ballistic missiles, and other guided munitions, primarily targeting the capital.
Air defenses downed 428 of them, including 239 Shaheds and 15 cruise missiles, while at least one Kinzhal was intercepted.
The almost nine-hour assault killed 15 people and injured 124, according to local authorities. A nine-story residential building in the Solomianskyi district was struck and partially collapsed, killing residents.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said cluster munitions were discovered in the city, a type of weapon banned under international conventions due to their indiscriminate nature and long-term threat to civilians. June 18 has been declared an official day of mourning in Kyiv.
President Volodymyr Zelensky called the strike "one of the most horrifying attacks on Kyiv" and urged international partners to respond decisively. Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said the timing of the strike, as G7 leaders meet, was a deliberate message from the Kremlin.
Civilian sites hit in the capital include kindergartens, residential areas, a university dormitory, and production facilities. Ukrainian manufacturer Fahrenheit, which produces military and civilian clothing, announced its factory was damaged and all orders suspended indefinitely. Ukrposhta, the national postal service, lost two branches. A Ukrainian Railways train carrying grain was also struck, temporarily halting traffic.
Russia has escalated attacks on Ukrainian cities in recent weeks, including mass strikes on energy infrastructure and residential areas.
A U.S. government working group that formulated strategies for pressuring Russia into peace talks and ending the war in Ukraine has been disbanded by the White House, Reuters reported on June 17.
Officials cited by the news outlet said it was established this spring but became increasingly irrelevant as it became clear U.S. President Donald Trump wasn't willing to apply any concrete pressure on Moscow during peace talks.
"It lost steam toward the end because the president wasn't there. Instead of doing more, maybe he wanted to do less," an anonymous official said.
As Ukraine and the U.S. continue to push for an unconditional ceasefire, Russia has maintained maximalist demands and rejected all such proposals.
At the same time it has escalated attacks on Ukrainian civilians, killing at least 15 people and injuring scores of others in the latest attack on Kyiv overnight on June 17.
Trump has expressed frustration with Moscow's intransigence and growing violence but has yet to impose any new sanctions on Russia.
On June 16 while speaking in Canada ahead of a G7 summit, Trump said barring Russia from the G8 for its invasion of Ukraine in 2017 had been a "mistake."
According to Reuters, the working group, staffed by officials from the National Security Council, State Department, Treasury Department, the Pentagon and intelligence community, was decimated in a purge of personnel around three weeks ago.
Trump pledged to "stop the wars" when he was elected U.S. president for the second time but after just five months in office, the world is a far more violent place.
As well as Russia escalating attacks on Ukraine, Israel and Iran are now locked in a conflict that further threatens stability in the Middle East.
Emergency services in Kyiv have recovered fragments of cluster munitions following the overnight Russian missile and drone attack on June 17, Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported, calling it further evidence of Russia's "genocide" against Ukrainians.
"In the capital's Nyvky neighborhood, emergency workers are now finding these kinds of cluster munition parts," Klitschko said in a statement shared on social media. "Another clear sign of the genocide Russia is committing against Ukrainians."
Cluster munitions are banned under international law by more than 100 countries due to their indiscriminate nature and the long-term threat they pose to civilians, especially when unexploded submunitions remain hidden in residential areas.
While Russia and Ukraine are not signatories to the Convention on Cluster Munitions, international humanitarian organizations have repeatedly condemned the use of such weapons in populated areas. Ukraine uses cluster munitions on the battlefield against Russian forces.
The mayor's comments came hours after one of the largest and deadliest attacks on the Ukrainian capital in months, in which at least 15 people were killed and nearly 100 injured. The Russian strike, which lasted nearly nine hours, included waves of kamikaze drones, ballistic missiles, and what authorities now confirm were banned explosive parts.
President Volodymyr Zelensky called the assault "one of the most horrifying attacks on Kyiv," saying more than 440 drones and 32 missiles were launched across Ukraine overnight.
"Such attacks are pure terrorism," he said in a statement on social media. "And the whole world, the U.S., and Europe must finally respond as civilized societies respond to terrorists."
Zelensky confirmed that damage had been reported in eight districts of Kyiv, with emergency workers still searching for survivors beneath the rubble of a destroyed apartment block.
He added that strikes also hit Odesa, Zaporizhzhia, Chernihiv, Zhytomyr, Kirovohrad, Mykolaiv, and Kyiv regions. "Fifteen people are confirmed dead. My condolences to their families and loved ones," Zelensky said.
Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha also condemned the attack, calling it a "massive and brutal strike" timed deliberately to coincide with the G7 summit, which is taking place in Canada on June 16-17.
Editor's note: This item has been updated to include additional details.
Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu arrived in Pyongyang on June 17 on a "special assignment" from President Vladimir Putin, Russian state-controlled news agency TASS reported on June 17.
Shoigu met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during the visit, TASS reported, citing a correspondent on the ground. The purpose of the visit has not been officially disclosed, but it occurs amid intensifying military cooperation between the two nations.
After the meeting with Kim, Shoigu announced that North Korea had decided to send 1,000 sappers and 5,000 military builders to rebuild Russia's Kursk Oblast, according to TASS.
Ukraine initially captured 1,300 square kilometers (500 square miles) of Russian territory during a cross-border operation that began in August 2024. Since then, Ukraine has lost most of the territory after Moscow launched a counteroffensive in March, which was supported by Pyongyang's military.
According to a June 15 report from the United Kingdom's defense intelligence, over 6,000 North Korean soldiers have been killed or wounded during operations in Russia's Kursk Oblast.
According to TASS, Shoigu also discussed in Pyongyang the creation of memorials in Russia and North Korea in memory of Korean soldiers who died fighting in the Kursk Oblast.
North Korea has emerged as one of Russia's closest military partners during its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Since late 2023, Pyongyang has supplied Moscow with millions of artillery shells, at least 100 ballistic missiles, and reportedly deployed more than 11,000 troops to assist Russian operations in Ukraine’s border regions.
The U.K. said Pyongyang's losses account for more than half of the North Korean contingent deployed to the region in fall 2024. British officials attributed the high casualties to highly attritional ground assaults.
Earlier this year, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff reported that North Korea sent an additional 3,000 soldiers to Russia in January and February to replenish losses.
In June 2024, Russia and North Korea signed a mutual defense pact obligating both countries to provide military assistance in the event of an external attack. Though North Korea only publicly acknowledged its participation in Russia's war against Ukraine in April 2025, open-source reports and intelligence assessments have indicated its involvement since at least the fall of 2024.
The Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT), a United Nations-affiliated watchdog, reported in May that North Korea and Russia had engaged in "unlawful military cooperation" in violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions. This included arms transfers, deployment of combat troops, petroleum exports to North Korea exceeding UN caps, and mutual military training.
According to MSMT findings, Russian-flagged vessels delivered up to 9 million rounds of artillery and multiple rocket launcher ammunition from North Korea to southwestern Russia in 2024 alone. These weapons were subsequently used in attacks against Ukrainian infrastructure and civilian targets in cities including Kyiv and Zaporizhzhia.
Russia has also reportedly provided advanced military technology to North Korea, including ballistic missile guidance systems, electronic warfare platforms, and short-range air defense systems. One MSMT participating state confirmed the transfer of at least one Pantsir-class vehicle to Pyongyang.
Kim Jong Un described his country's involvement in Russia's war against Ukraine as a "sacred mission" during a public address in May.
Shoigu's visit to North Korea comes amid intensified Russian aerial attacks across Ukraine, including the use of North Korean-made ballistic missiles containing components sourced from third-party suppliers.
Editor's note: This is a developing story and is being updated.
Russian drone strikes on Odesa early June 17 killed 2 people and injured 17 others, including a pregnant woman and a child, regional authorities said.
The body of a 60-year-old woman was recovered from the rubble of a collapsed building, along with the remains of another woman born in 1947, Odesa Oblast Prosecutor's Office reported.
"My sincere condolences to her family and loved ones," Odesa Oblast Governor Oleh Kiper wrote.
One person remains hospitalized as of 9 a.m., while the rest of the injured are receiving outpatient treatment.
The strike damaged multiple residential buildings in Odesa’s historic city center, as well as a kindergarten and an inclusive support center. Emergency services and volunteers continue clearing debris and responding to the aftermath.
The attack also damaged civilian infrastructure across the city, including residential buildings.
Emergency services and volunteers are working at the scene to clear debris.
Overnight, Russia also launched a mass attack on Kyiv, injuring at least 18 people.
Odesa, a port city on Ukraine’s Black Sea coast with a population of around 1 million, has been a frequent target of Russian attacks throughout the full-scale war.
The Nevinnomyssk Azot chemical plant — one of Russia’s largest producers of nitrogen fertilizer and ammonia and a key supplier to the Kremlin's military-industrial complex — has suspended production, Russian independent media outlet Astra reported on June 16.
According to Astra, the chemical plant suspended production as a direct result of Ukrainian drone strikes. The strike — which was confirmed by Ukraine’s General Staff on June 14 — targeted two major military-industrial facilities in Russia, including the Nevinnomyssk Azot plant in Stavropol Krai. The facility reportedly supplied raw materials and components for Russia’s weapons and fuel production.
Nevinnomyssk Azot is among Russia's top producers of ammonia and nitrogen fertilizers and hosts the country’s only production lines for methyl acetate and high-purity acetic acid. It also operates Russia’s first melamine production facility, according to open-source data.
According to Andrii Kovalenko, head of Ukraine's Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council, the plant produces up to one million tons of ammonia and over one million tons of ammonium nitrate annually, is "a critical element of Russia's military-industrial complex."
Kovalenko noted that ammonium nitrate is a key component for explosives and artillery shells. He added that the plant also synthesizes dual-use chemicals such as melamine, acetic acid, methanol, and potassium nitrate — all frequently used in the production of grenade launchers, mines, and rocket charges.
Since 2024, the plant has also been producing water-soluble fertilizers, which he said have been adapted to serve military chemical needs as part of Russia's war in Ukraine.
The chemical plant is part of the EuroChem Group, owned by Russian billionaire Andrey Melnichenko, who is currently sanctioned by Canada, the European Union, Japan, and the United Kingdom.
Editor's note: This is a breaking story and is being updated.
U.S. President Donald Trump departed the G7 Leaders' Summit late on June 16, ahead of an anticipated high-stakes meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky on June 17.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that the departure comes as Trump is set to attend to "important matters."
"Because of what’s going on in the Middle East, President Trump will be leaving tonight after dinner with Heads of State," Leavitt wrote on X.
"I have to be back as soon as I can... because of what's going on in the Middle East" Trump told reporters.
"I have to be back early for obvious reasons," Trump said, without further elaborating.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump warned ahead of the departure that "Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!"
It was not immediately clear as to whether Trump will return for the final day of the summit on June 17.
Zelensky is expected to participate in previously planned G7 events as scheduled.
Zelensky was expected to meet with Trump on the sidelines of the G7 summit on June 17, marking their third in-person meeting since the American president took office in January. The proposed meeting was set to serve as an inflection point for Zelensky as pressure mounts on Trump from Western allies.
"Both teams are working to ensure we meet," Zelensky said on June 14 during a closed-door briefing attended by the Kyiv Independent.
Editor's note: This is a developing story and is being updated as new details emerge.
At least 14 people have been killed and 117 others injured after a mass Russian missile and drone attack on Kyiv overnight on June 17.
Ukraine's National Police initially reported 15 dead and 124 injured in the attack, but Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko later revised the death toll to 10. The State Emergency Service subsequently updated the figure to 14.
Klymenko said operational data may change, as body parts found during rescue efforts can sometimes be mistakenly counted as multiple victims.
According to the State Emergency Service, one body has been recovered from the rubble of the nine-story building, and rescue operations are still ongoing.
The almost nine-hour-long attack saw Moscow's forces launch large numbers of kamikaze attack drones, as well as cruise and ballistic missiles at Ukraine's capital.
Kyiv Independent journalists on the ground reported the sounds of drones, missiles, and multiple rounds of explosions throughout the night.
The Ukrainian Air Force confirmed that Russia launched 472 aerial weapons overnight, including nearly 280 Shahed-type attack drones and two Kinzhal ballistic missiles. The strike primarily targeted Kyiv.
Ukraine's air defense forces reportedly destroyed 428 air targets, including 239 Shahed drones and 15 Kh-101 cruise missiles. Air defenses also intercepted one Kinzhal missile, while another was reportedly lost from radar tracking.
President Volodymyr Zelensky called the assault "one of the most horrifying attacks on Kyiv," saying more than 440 drones and 32 missiles were launched across Ukraine overnight.
"Such attacks are pure terrorism," he said in a statement on social media. "And the whole world, the U.S., and Europe must finally respond as civilized societies respond to terrorists."
The aftermath of the Russian missile attack on a residential building in Kyiv, Ukraine on June 17, 2025. (Anna Donets / The Kyiv Independent)
Zelensky confirmed that damage had been reported in eight districts of Kyiv, with emergency workers still searching for survivors beneath the rubble of a destroyed apartment block.
In a video posted on Telegram, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said cluster munitions had been found in one area of the city. He later added that June 18 would be an official day of mourning in Kyiv.
Many of the deaths and injuries occurred when a Russian missile hit a nine-storey residential building in the Solomianskyi district, "completely destroying" one section, Ukraine's State Emergency Service said.
"I saw the missile because it was low," Olena Kushnirova, a 46-year-old nurse who lives in a neighboring building to the one that was hit, told the Kyiv Independent.
Olena Kushnirova, 46, a nurse who lives in a neighbouring house in Kyiv, Ukraine, on June 17, 2025. (Anna Donets / The Kyiv Independent)
"I grabbed my daughter by the hand and shouted 'run!' It was literally 15 seconds. We ran to the toilet, and then there was a very powerful explosion."
During the attack on the capital, a 62-year-old U.S. citizen died in the Solomianskyi district in a building across from where medics were assisting the injured, Klitschko reported. Medical personnel confirmed biological death.
Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha also condemned the attack, calling it a "massive and brutal strike" timed deliberately to coincide with the G7 summit.
"Putin does this on purpose... He sends a signal of total disrespect to the United States and other partners who have called for an end to the killing," Sybiha said. "Only strong steps and real pressure on Moscow can prove him wrong."
A partially destroyed residential building after a mass Russian missile and drone attack overnight in Kyiv, Ukraine on June 17, 2025. (Katya Denisova/The Kyiv Independent)Victoria Smirnova, 37, waits for her father to be pulled up from under the rubble of the house that was struck by a Russian missile in Kyiv, Ukraine on June 17, 2025. (Anna Donets / The Kyiv Independent)
A Russian drone also hit a multi-storey building Darnytskyi District.
"At first there was shock," Tatiana Bratus, a 50-year-old resident of the building told the Kyiv Independent.
"People started running outside, shouting, some in panic, because the attack wasn't over yet. They said there were still rockets flying. People ran to the bomb shelter.
A kindergarten in the Darnytskyi district was also damaged, Tymur Tkachenko, the head of the Kyiv City Military Administration said. No casualties were reported at the site.
The upper floors of residential buildings in the Solomianskyi and Shevchenkivskyi districts were also damaged.
A dormitory at the Kyiv Aviation Institute was hit by drones during the attack, the news outlet Suspilne reported. Drones struck the institute's 10th floor and broke windows on three other floors.
Outside the capital, the attacks also caused damage and injured civilians in Kyiv Oblast towns. At least one woman was injured and multiple homes were damaged, according to the regional administration.
The Russian strike damaged the production facility of Fahrenheit, a Ukrainian clothing manufacturer that supplies apparel and undergarments for both civilians and the military. The company announced it was forced to cancel all current orders and suspend new ones indefinitely following the destruction of its Kyiv site.
Russian forces also hit a Ukrainian Railways (Ukrzaliznytsia) freight train carrying grain. Several railcars overturned, temporarily halting operations and spilling grain from the damaged wagons. Ukrzaliznytsia said the damage would be "promptly repaired" and train traffic would not be affected.
Ukrposhta, Ukraine's national postal service, reported the destruction of two of its branches in Kyiv during the attack, according to CEO Ihor Smiliansky. The company's team is working to "quickly restore services," he said.
The attack followed a series of drone strikes overnight on June 16 targeting Kyiv Oblast, including both the capital and surrounding settlements. In the Obukhiv district, a 60-year-old man was injured, according to regional authorities.
Russian attacks against Ukraine have intensified in May and June, with Moscow launching several record-breaking mass strikes against Kyiv and other cities.
Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney is expected to announce additional support for Ukraine during the G7 summit, CBC News reports on June 16, citing government sources.
Canada, which holds the G7 presidency in 2025, invited President Volodymyr Zelensky to participate in what will be his fourth — and arguably most fragile — G7 Leaders' Summit since the outbreak of the full-scale invasion in 2022. Carney is also expected to hold a one-on-one meeting with the Ukrainian president.
As part of Carney’s pledge to boost defense spending this year, Ottawa has allocated two billion Canadian dollars ($1.46 billion USD) for military aid to Ukraine and the expansion of broader defense partnerships. According to one source, the government is set to disclose on June 20 how much of that funding will be directed specifically to Ukraine and what it will support.
Canada has been a strong ally of Ukraine, providing 19.5 billion Canadian dollars ($13.5 billion) in assistance, including 4.5 billion Canadian dollars ($3.1 billion) in military aid.
Following their bilateral talks, G7 leaders will join outreach countries for discussions on Ukraine’s ongoing fight against Russia.
Meanwhile, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa urged G7 nations to ramp up pressure on Moscow through tougher sanctions, arguing that it is key to securing a ceasefire in Russia’s war against Ukraine.
"To achieve peaceful strength we must put more pressure on Russia to secure a real ceasefire, to bring Russia to the negotiating table, and to end this war. Sanctions are critical to that end," von der Leyen said at a press briefing on June 15, attended by a Kyiv Independent journalist.
Von der Leyen emphasized that economic sanctions have been effective since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion. She pointed out that joint G7 and European Union measures have reduced Russian oil and gas revenues by nearly 80% since February 2022.
"(T)he sanctions are working, and we will do more," she said.
More than a month after Ukraine signed a landmark agreement granting the United States a stake in its mineral reserves, Kyiv has approved initial steps to open one of its largest lithium deposits to private investors, the New York Times (NYT) reported, citing two government officials.
On June 16, the Ukrainian government agreed to begin drafting recommendations for a bidding process to develop the Dobra lithium field in central Ukraine. According to the officials, who spoke to NYT on condition of anonymity, this would be the first project advanced under the U.S.-Ukraine minerals deal.
The Dobra lithium ore site is located in the Novoukrainskyi district of Kirovohrad Oblast, rougly 300 kilometers southeast of Kyiv.
The deal, signed by President Volodymyr Zelensky on May 12, is aimed at deepening economic ties, boosting Ukraine's reconstruction, and positioning the country as a supplier of strategic resources to the U.S.
Among the likely bidders for the Dobra field is a consortium including TechMet, an energy investment firm partly owned by the U.S. government, and billionaire Ronald S. Lauder, a close associate of the U.S. President Donald Trump. The group has long expressed interest in the Dobra site and encouraged Zelensky to open it to bids last year.
Under the broader agreement, half of the revenues from mineral extraction would go to a joint U.S.-Ukraine investment fund. While the Ukrainian government would reinvest its share into the domestic economy, the United States would claim a portion of the profits — a structure Mr. Trump has framed as partial repayment for U.S. assistance to Ukraine.
TechMet CEO Brian Menell said investors were pushing for production-sharing agreements, which offer long-term stability and tax incentives. Monday’s step toward opening the Dobra field is based on such an arrangement, according to the outlet.
Russian forces have intensified offensive operations across multiple front-line areas, said Victor Tregubov, a spokesperson for Ukraine's Khortytsia group of forces, on June 16.
According to Tregubov, Russian troops have ramped up attacks, particularly in the Novopavlivka and Kharkiv sectors, which is an unusual development for these areas.
Ukraine’s General Staff reported that Russian forces launched attacks in 12 directions, resulting in 99 recorded clashes. Ukrainian soldiers repelled 17 attacks in the Novopavlivka sector alone, according to the latest update.
"This signals that we have the expected summer increase in activity," Tregubov said.
The estimated Russian advance in Donetsk Oblast as of June 15, 2025. (DeepState/OpenStreet Map)
Speaking on national television, he said that the surge in activity near Novopavlivka suggests Russian forces are attempting to push into Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, which neighbors the embattled Donetsk Oblast.
"But they (Russia) have failed to succeed," the spokesperson added.
In Donetsk Oblast, Russia is trying to encircle Kostiantynivka, one of the key Ukrainian logistics hub in the region since the start of the full-scale invasion, by attacking the city from three directions, according to Tregubov.
Last week, on June 13, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that heavy fighting was ongoing along Ukraine's northeastern border.
Russian forces have concentrated around 53,000 troops in the Sumy sector, pushing into multiple settlements. The president confirmed that small Russian reconnaissance groups had briefly crossed into Dnipropetrovsk Oblast — likely for propaganda purposes.
Russia has handed Kyiv the bodies of its own soldiers mixed in with those of Ukrainian soldiers during recent repatriation of the fallen, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said on June 16.
Klymenko's statement follows the completion of an exchange between Ukraine and Russia of the remains of soldiers killed in action earlier the same day, under agreements reached during recent peace talks in Istanbul.
Kyiv returned a total of 6,057 bodies. Vladimir Medinsky, an aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin and member of the Russian delegation at the Istanbul talks, claimed that Russia received the bodies of 78 deceased servicemen.
According to Klymenko, the identification process has been significantly complicated by the condition in which Russia returned the bodies.
"Parts of the bodies (of fallen soldiers) are in different bags. There are cases when the remains of one person are returned even during different stages of repatriation," the minister said.
Klymenko said that Russia may have included the bodies of its own soldiers in the transfer to Ukraine either on purpose or by accident.
"This could have been done by the Russians on purpose to increase the number of bodies transferred and to load our (forensic) experts with work, adding to all this cynical information pressure. Or it could be their usual negligent attitude toward their own people. In any case, we also identify these bodies," Klymenko said.
The June 2 negotiations in Istanbul resulted in the most expansive prisoner and body exchange agreement of the full-scale war, although no ceasefire was reached.
The deal followed the largest-ever POW swap in late May, when 1,000 prisoners were exchanged on each side. Additional exchanges last week included severely wounded and sick soldiers.
Russia accused Ukraine on June 7 of rejecting a proposed body return, publishing footage allegedly showing Ukrainian corpses stored in refrigeration units. Kyiv dismissed the claims, saying the footage was filmed inside Russia and not at a designated exchange location.
Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service reported on June 16 that Russia is preparing to escalate a disinformation campaign related to ongoing POW exchanges next week, aiming to provoke public outrage in Ukrainian society.
President Volodymyr Zelensky and his Austrian counterpart Alexander Van der Bellen signed documents on bilateral cooperation between the two countries during Zelensky’s visit to Vienna on June 16.
Speaking at a joint press conference, Zelensky said that the agreements cover key areas including agriculture, reconstruction, and return of abducted Ukrainian children from Russia.
Zelensky's visit to Austria comes a day before his scheduled trip to Canada, where he will attend the Group of Seven (G7) summit on June 17.
While at the summit, he is expected to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump to discuss, among other topics, a potential purchase of a U.S. military aid package.
According to Zelensky, discussions at the G7 summit will include the fate of Moscow’s frozen assets and the imposition of further sanctions on Russian energy exports.
Before leaving Vienna, Zelensky is expected to meet with Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker to push for stronger sanctions against Russia.
"We are counting on Austria’s support, both at the state and societal levels, on a sensitive issue for Ukraine: the presence of former Ukrainian officials and oligarchs who are evading justice by hiding in Europe, including Austria, and concealing stolen assets," Zelensky added.
In 2014, U.S. prosecutors charged Ukrainian oligarch Dmytro Firtash with racketeering and bribery, and he was briefly arrested in Austria before posting bail. The Ukrainian tycoon has so far avoided extradition from Austria's capital, where he resides.
Other wanted Ukrainian top officials in Austria include ex-chairman of Constitutional Court Oleksandr Tupytskyi. He was charged with unlawfully influencing and bribing a witness to induce false testimony, and giving false testimony himself.
Mon petit texte « Ukraine: la force des faibles » est sorti en librairie le 13 juin. Dans les présentations que je peux en faire ici et là, j’explique l’intention qui l’anime: faire comprendre comment la société ukrainienne s’est transformée pendant les dix années de guerre, et en quoi cette transformation très particulière a donné lieu à un mode très particulier de résistance armée .
J’entends d’ores et déjà, dans les premières questions qui me sont adressées, un doute. Serait-ce encore l’un de ces textes qui idéalisent la résistance ukrainienne, héroïsent la conduite de la guerre, cherchent à entraîner le lecteur dans l’admiration? Evidemment, ce sera aux lecteurs de trancher. Le texte est imprégné d’une émotion que je n’ai pas cherché à cacher.
Cependant, pour moi, ce petit essai n’est un pas un pamphlet, mais un carnet de terrain d’une enquête qui s’étale désormais sur dix ans. Une enquête conduite à Kyiv, Zhytomyr, Dnipro, Lviv, Vynnytsia, mais aussi Tchernivtsy, Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, Kherson… Ce que raconte « Ukraine: la force des faibles », sous ce petit format qui ne permet pas une véritable démonstration de la preuve, ce sont quelques observations tirées de cette longue enquête. Je souhaiterais donner ici un aperçu de l’émergence de cette recherche et de sa cuisine interne.
J’aurais aimé emmener les lecteurs à travers ces dix ans de recherche en photos, mais je suis une photographe plutôt timide, et je demande rarement aux personnes que j’interroge l’autorisation de les photographier. Encore moins, paradoxalement, lorsque l’entretien s’est très bien passé, et qu’un véritable lien humain s’est tissé entre l’enquêteur et l’enquêté. Les images que je ramène de mes enquêtes sont prises à la va-vite, pour me permettre de garder une trace, vérifier une inscription, fixer une date, plutôt que pour les partager. Mes photos sont aussi très souvent kyiviennes, car dans cette ville qui m’est très familière, je suis d’autant plus sensible aux moindres changements du paysage urbain dans ces années de guerre.
En voici quand-même une. Nous sommes en juillet 2014, en plein centre ville de Kyiv, aux abords de la place de l’Indépendance, le Maïdan. La révolution du Maïdan s’est terminée, après des semaines d’affrontements meurtriers, quelques mois auparavant, mais les Ukrainiens mettront un certain temps à enlever les débris calcinés de la place. Ces débris sont les premiers mémoriaux aux manifestants tombés. Ils sont constellés de photos, fleurs, mots de condoléances. Je n’étais pas à Kyiv pendant les dernières semaines sanglantes de la révolution du Maïdan, et déambuler au milieu de ces débris calcinés de barricades était très émouvant pour moi. Pourtant, on n’était pas seulement à la fin d’une séquence importante pour l’histoire du pays, mais aussi et surtout au début d’une époque nouvelle. En ce juillet 2014, quelque chose de fondamental avait changé. L’annexion de la Crimée avait eu lieu. la guerre faisait déjà rage à l’est du pays, avec une Russie qui attisait l’insurrection dans le Donbass, mais intervenait aussi directement, militairement.
Quelques mois plus tard, les volontaires ramèneront et exposeront dans les villes ukrainiennes les carcasses calcinée des voitures, les blindés et les lance-roquettes russes ramenés du front de l’est. Quand je reviens en Ukraine en février 2015, j’assiste à cette exposition en plein air où se pressent les familles. Il y a pour moi à l’époque quelque chose d’un peu troublant de voir des enfants grimper dans les chars russes, et je me fais la réflexion que leurs parents ne réalisent sans doute pas qu’ils ne sont pas dans un musée de la guerre, mais dans une guerre au présent. Aujourd’hui, dans les villes ukrainiennes, on voit encore de tels trophées exposés. Mais je ne vois plus aucun enfant grimper dessus…
Je crois que l’un des objectifs était celui-là: faire prendre conscience aux Ukrainiens de la nature de cette guerre, et surtout leur faire comprendre que la Russie était en train d’agresser militairement l’Ukraine. Car dans cette année 2015, l’incertitude sur l’agresseur et sur la responsabilité sont parfois là, et certains Ukrainiens confessent leur difficulté à comprendre ce qui se déroule vraiment à l’est.
A côté des carcasses de blindés et des restes de missiles, une petite expo est montée dans des containers. « Preuves de l’agression militaire russe sur le territoire ukrainien ». Ce n’est pas par hasard que le titre est (aussi) en anglais: il s’agit entre autres d’interpeller la communauté internationale qui, à ce moment-là et pour de longues années, va faire tout son possible pour ne pas voir la Russie derrière les activistes séparatistes.
Cette guerre-là, entre 2014 et 2022, les Ukrainiens la conduisent seuls, sans soutien militaire international, et avec un soutien politique tiède de pays occidentaux encore sensibles à la vision russe de la guerre. C’est parce qu’ils ne peuvent compter que sur eux-mêmes, parce que leur armée est défaillante et leur Etat fragile, que les Ukrainiens ordinaires, pour l’essentiel des civils, vont s’engager dans la conduite de la guerre.
Très rapidement en 2014, je commence à enquêter sur ces civils qui prennent les armes pour la première fois pour défendre leur pays, où qui s’organisent pour soutenir cette défense.
Les premiers que j’interroge sont mes anciens enquêtés, les vétérans de la guerre soviétique en Afghanistan, groupe avec qui j’avais fait des entretiens en 2010-2011. J’avais déjà visité, lors de ma première enquête, le petit musée de leur association kyivienne, où ils avaient exposé des objets militaires de l’époque soviétique. Quand je reviens les voir en 2015, le musée est transformé en entrepôt où, à côté des artefacts soviétiques, s’empilent les uniformes et pièces d’équipement neufs achetés par eux qui attendent d’être apportés sur le front: pantalons chauds, casques en kevlar (terme qui fait alors son entrée dans mon vocabulaire) et d’autres objets que je n’arrive pas à l’époque à identifier. J’ai pris cette photo dans une pièce trop sombre, parce que je voulais absolument garder l’image de la vieille mitrailleuse soviétique Maxim, à l’arrière de la photo, qui contrastait tellement avec les objets neufs d’une guerre nouvelle. Dix ans plus tard, j’ai vu une Maxim similaire dans la caserne d’une unité de défense locale composée de civils, dans une petite ville ukrainienne. En 2025, cette Maxim-là n’avait rien d’une pièce de musée: très efficace pour abattre les drones, m’expliquaient les combattants qui lui avaient fabriqué une nouvelle tourelle sur mesure.
En 2014, « mes » vétérans d’Afghanistan faisaient partie des rares groupes de personnes qui, en Ukraine, avaient une expérience quelconque d’une guerre. Bien que plutôt âgés pour combattre – la cinquantaine, voire la soixantaine – un certain nombre d’entre eux avaient choisi de partir au front. D’autres avaient décidé de les soutenir: équiper, armer, ravitailler. Et parfois, les deux à la fois: prendre les armes quelques jours ou quelques semaines; puis revenir à l’arrière et collecter de l’équipement pour le prochain voyage vers le front. J’avais fait de mon enquête sur ces vétérans reprenant les armes un article, intitulé « D’une guerre à l’autre: Les vétérans d’Afghanistan dans le conflit armé dans le Donbass ».
Mais déjà, je voyais partout en Ukraine émerger une nouvelle génération de combattants et un tissu associatif soutenant la guerre. On voyait se former en Ukraine des bataillons volontaires, se substituant aux unités insuffisantes de l’armée régulière. J’ai commencé à interroger ces combattants qui, à partir de 2015, rentraient progressivement du front. On voyait aussi également émerger des initiatives de soutien au front à l’arrière, parfois structurées en associations, parfois plus flexibles. Souvent d’ailleurs, les personnes à l’origine de ces initiatives étaient elles aussi des anciens combattants.
Financés par toutes sortes de donateurs – mais très peu l’Etat – et composés de civils qui n’avaient pas de statut de militaire des forces armées de l’Ukraine, les bataillons volontaires étaient très visibles dans l’espace public en Ukraine.
Les bataillons, comme « Donbass » dont on voit une voiture sur cette photo de février 2015, collectaient de l’argent, et des associations à l’arrière se chargeaient de faire circuler les cagnottes, d’identifier de quoi les combattants avaient besoin, de soutenir les familles. Les bataillons ont été assez vite intégrés dans l’armée régulière. En 2017, j’avais publié une étude sur ces groupes armés et leur place dans la conduite de la guerre.
En février 2015, les accords de Minsk 2, signés dans des conditions favorables à la Russie, ont marqué la fin de la première période de la guerre russo-ukrainienne, en la faisant entrer dans une seconde longue période, celle de la guerre de basse intensité qui durera sept ans de plus.
Ces sept années-là sont un angle mort pour la société française. C’est une période où les journalistes français avaient du mal à vendre à leurs rédactions un papier sur la guerre dans le Donbass qui n’intéressait pas grand-monde. « Ah bon, la guerre continue? », me demandait-on également en France quand je rentrais d’Ukraine. Pourtant, si la guerre était cantonnée à l’est du pays (et je ne suis jamais allée sur les zones de front), j’en voyais les traces sur tout le territoire de l’Ukraine. Une guerre « discrètement omniprésente », ai-je écrit dans un article, et c’est cela que me permettait l’approche sociologique et la longue fréquentation du terrain: voir la présence de la guerre là où un observateur de passage n’aurait pas remarqué la différence. Parfois, notre premier capteur, c’est ça: la sensation que dans un endroit qu’on connaît bien, dans un groupe qu’on connaît bien, quelque chose a changé.
En Ukraine, en réalité, le changement était massif, et il était porté par plusieurs groupes sociaux qui se recoupaient partiellement : ceux qui s’étaient engagés aux côtés la révolution du Maïdan; ceux qui étaient partis combattre dans le Donbass et qui revenaient à la vie civile; ceux qui avaient été forcés à fuir de chez eux ou à changer de vie du fait de la guerre. Puisque je continuais mon enquête sur les civils qui prenaient les armes, c’est surtout avec les combattants et anciens combattants que j’ai conduit mes enquêtes, mettant un pied dans un réseau de plus en plus vaste d’associations, groupements informels, entreprises, services ministériels, tous liés à la conduite de la guerre ou à la prise en charge des effets de la guerre. Après les entretiens, nous restions souvent en contact avec mes enquêtés; c’était d’autant plus facile que beaucoup d’entre eux étaient de milieux sociaux urbains et éduqués, proche du mien, et qu’à force, nous avions de plus en plus de connaissances en commun. Je suivais de loin, souvent sur les réseaux sociaux, les projets dans lesquels ils s’engageaient, liés à la réforme de l’Etat et de l’armée, à la défense et à la prise en charge des vétérans et des populations vulnérables, à l’information et à la culture comme vecteurs pour dire la guerre. J’en décris un petit nombre dans « La force des faibles », mais il y en aurait tant d’autres dont l’histoire mérite d’être racontée. Tout au long de ces années, jusqu’au Covid, nous essayions d’emmener des doctorants et post-docs, réunis en école d’été que nous organisions avec un groupe de collègues, voir l’une ou l’autre de ces associations.
Un exemple de ces associations, « Station Kharkiv« , lieu d’accueil pour les déplacés internes, créé en 2014, que nous sommes allés voir avec les étudiants lors de notre école d’été dans cette ville en 2016, deux ans après le début de la guerre. Les deux femmes que vous voyez au fond de la photo sont toujours aux manettes d’une association qui s’est élargie et professionnalisée entre 2014 et 2022. Dès les premiers jours de mars 2022, Station Kharkiv était en train de collecter des vivres et des médicaments, et de les livrer aux personnes vulnérables qui se sont trouvées plus isolées que jamais. Dans les premiers jours de l’invasion russe, l’association avait d’ailleurs perdu l’une de ses jeunes bénévoles, victime d’une attaque de missile.
D’autres groupes sont plus directement impliquées dans la conduite de la guerre. C’est par exemple le cas de « Notre bataillon », association fondée par un entrepreneur de la ville de Tcherkassy qui s’est engagé dans l’aide à l’armée lorsque l’un de ses salariés est parti au front. En 2014, la petite ONG se donne pour mission de parrainer et approvisionner « son » bataillon. Petit à petit, elle élargit son action à d’autres unités. La photo ci-dessous du stand de l’association a été prise en 2017, lors d’une journée de rencontre de vétérans et d’ONG. Quand on regarde la photo, tout ça a l’air très artisanal, et je trouve que c’est ça qui est intéressant: le soutien à l’armée part d’une toute petite échelle, puis se développe, se professionnalise, se structure.
Les bénévoles se forment aux besoins des forces armées, deviennent compétents en équipement militaire. Des liens solides se tissent entre l’armée et la société à l’arrière. Tout comme « Station Kharkiv », « Notre bataillon » se met immédiatement en action et s’ajuste aux nouveaux besoins qui émergent avec l’agression de février 2022. L’ONG continue à approvisionner le front aujourd’hui.
Ces initiatives sont une illustration de ce que je décris dans « La force des faibles »: quand la Russie tente d’envahir l’Ukraine en février 2022, la société ukrainienne est aussi prête qu’elle peut l’être, car elle a derrière elle huit ans de développement d’une société civile engagée dans la guerre.
« Ce que je trouve formidable dans notre société, me disait en 2024 autour d’un thé une collègue et amie ukrainienne, c’est que je sais que pour chaque problème qu’un citoyen pourra rencontrer, il y aura un groupe ou une association qui sera là pour l’aider. » Je suis d’accord avec elle, mais j’aurais pu compléter sa phrase: « … parce que l’Etat ne sera pas forcément là. » Le point de départ de « La force des faibles » est précisément dans ce paradoxe: si les Ukrainiens étaient aussi actifs, aussi innovants, aussi engagés, c’est parce qu’ils ne pensaient pas pouvoir se reposer sur leur Etat. Ni pour conduire la guerre, ni pour construire une armée performante, ni pour prendre en charge les plus fragiles. C’est de leur cheminement que je donne un aperçu dans le petit livre.
Beaucoup de collègues ont travaillé sur les mouvements associatifs qui ont émergé à partir de 2014. Je cite notamment dans le petit livre les travaux de Ioulia Shukan et d’Anastasia Fomitchova (dont on lira d’ailleurs bientôt un témoignage personnel). Pour ma part, je me suis tout particulièrement intéressée au parcours des civils, hommes et femmes, qui ont pris les armes depuis 2014. Pour moi, leur rôle a été crucial dans l’évolution des forces armées ukrainiennes et la préparation de la société à la guerre de haute intensité. J’ai consacré un article à cet « état de qui-vive » qui caractérise ces anciens combattants dans les années 2015-2022. Mais si cette action a pu se déployer, c’est parce qu’un lien entre les initiatives privées / associatives et l’Etat s’est tissé. Ce lien, je l’observais déjà en 2015-2022, par exemple via l’intégration des anciens combattants dans les institutions locales et centrales, autour de projets liés à l’armée ou aux vétérans.
C’est le cas par exemple de Ivan, jeune homme à droite de la photo, enseignant en informatique à l’université dans la ville de Dnipro, mobilisé dès le mois d’avril 2014 en tant que chef de peloton blindé. Quand il est démobilisé après une année sur le front, il est immédiatement invité par l’administration régionale a prendre la tête du Centre d’aide aux vétérans nouvellement créé. Lorsque nous nous rencontrons en 2017, cela fait deux ans à peu près qu’il occupe cette fonction. (Mes qualités de photographe sont encore une fois clairement démontrées sur l’image ci-dessous).
Dans les années suivantes et jusqu’à aujourd’hui, Ivan a pris en charge les projets de résilience et de sécurité numérique dans l’administration régionale, cette « ligne de front numérique » qui concilie son expérience militaire et sa spécialisation universitaire. Pour lui, le passage de l’armée à l’administration a été durable et facilité par sa position sociale. Pour d’autres personnes, la coopération avec l’Etat a été plus brève ou plus houleuse, mais en tout cas ce va-et-vient entre le front et l’arrière, la société civile et les institutions publiques est l’un des mécanismes au cœur de l’agilité et de l’adaptation de l’Ukraine à la guerre. J’y porte une attention particulière dans les enquêtes de terrain que je conduis aujourd’hui.
Beaucoup de mes enquêtés sont, comme Ivan, urbains, éduqués, internationalisés. J’ai très vite identifié ce biais de mon enquête: la proximité sociale avec les personnes que j’interroge. Comme je suis une sociologue consciencieuse, j’ai constamment cherché à élargir le cercle d’interviewés, pour voir des personnes avec qui nous avions moins de choses en commun. Et pourtant – je m’en rends compte maintenant – la proximité sociale a aussi été une ressource pour la recherche. Mes enquêtés n’étaient pas seulement proches de moi par leur position socioprofessionnelle; ils me ressemblaient parce que nos vies avant la guerre étaient similaires, dans les années où j’avais vécu en Ukraine. On avait peut-être eu des loisirs semblables, on avait vécu un quotidien semblable. Avec certains d’entre eux, les plus âgés, on avait eu des enfances semblables, même si la mienne était à Moscou alors que la leur se déroulait en Ukraine. Du fait de cette proximité, je ressentais d’autant mieux le choc de la guerre, la difficulté des choix qu’ils ont dû faire, les forces et les fragilités qui en ont été les conséquences. Oui, en tant qu’être humain, j’ai une admiration pour beaucoup de ces hommes et de ces femmes. Quels que soient mes efforts d’objectivation et de prise de distance, cette admiration, je n’arriverai pas à – et je n’aurai pas envie de – m’en défaire.
Cependant, « La force des faibles » n’est pas un hommage que je leur rends. C’est plutôt une tentative de démystifier la vision que l’on peut avoir de résistance d’une nation. Non pas glorifier la résistance, mais comprendre les mécanismes individuels et collectifs qui rendent une société prête à résister. Mais il y a un autre aspect de mon enquête qui est très présent dans ce texte. C’est cette question que je me pose d’entretien en entretien, d’observation en observation: et moi, qu’aurais-je fait à leur place? Que ferais-je dans un tel moment de grand bouleversement? Le jour où je finaliserai le grand manuscrit tiré de cette recherche, je m’en sortirai peut-être en mettant en œuvre des dispositifs de distanciation et de prise de conscience de la position sociale de l’enquêteur. J’évacuerai d’une manière ou d’une autre cette question troublante. Mais aujourd’hui, dans « La force des faibles », je ne souhaite pas l’évacuer, car il faut laisser son espace au trouble que suscite cette question essentielle : qui serions-nous, face à l’inconcevable?
Public trust in President Volodymyr Zelensky has dropped by 11 percentage points since May, according to a poll published by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) on June 16.
The survey found that 65% of Ukrainians currently trust the president, while 30% do not, yielding a trust balance of +35%, the lowest recorded since March.
Zelensky's still rating remains above the February 2025 low of 57%.
Sociologists can't pinpoint a specific cause for the short-term decline but highlight factors such as increasing pressure for a ceasefire and the weakening of the surge of popular support seen earlier this year during tense relations with U.S. President Donald Trump.
Zelensky's approval had spiked briefly in early May to 74% following the signing of a minerals agreement with the U.S., seen as a diplomatic and economic win. That boost proved short-lived.
The poll shows a stark regional divide. Trust is highest in western Ukraine at 73%, while in the country's south and east, areas more frequently targeted by Russian strikes, only 61% express confidence in the president.
The data also shows a sharp contrast in attitudes toward territorial concessions. Among those who trust Zelensky, 55% are strongly opposed to any such compromise. Among those who distrust him, 46% are willing to cede territory, while only 43% are firmly against concessions.
The survey was conducted between May 15 and June 3, using a random sample of 1,011 adult residents across Ukraine, excluding occupied territories. Respondents were interviewed by phone.
Editor's note: This item has been updated to include Defense Minister Rustem Umerov's statement.
Ukraine has received the bodies of another 1,245 fallen Ukrainian soldiers and citizens under agreements reached during recent peace negotiations in Istanbul, the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War (POWs) announced on June 16.
The latest repatriation marks the final stage of the exchange agreement, bringing the total number of Ukrainian bodies returned under the deal to 6,057.
"Each of them undergoes identification. Because behind every one of them is a name, a life, a family waiting for answers," Defense Minister Rustem Umerov wrote on Facebook.
"We are not stopping. Ahead lies the next stage: we continue the fight to bring back our prisoners of war. We bring them back. We remember…"
The operation was coordinated by Ukraine's Security Service (SBU), the Ombudsman's Office, the military, the Interior Ministry, and other state and defense institutions, with assistance from the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Vladimir Medinsky, an aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin and member of the Russian delegation at the Istanbul talks, claimed that Russia received the bodies of 78 deceased servicemen.
The June 2 negotiations in Istanbul resulted in the most expansive prisoner and body exchange agreement of the full-scale war, although no ceasefire was reached.
The deal followed the largest-ever POW swap in late May, when 1,000 prisoners were exchanged on each side. Additional exchanges last week included severely wounded and sick soldiers.
Russia accused Ukraine on June 7 of rejecting a proposed body return, publishing footage allegedly showing Ukrainian corpses stored in refrigeration units. Kyiv dismissed the claims, saying the footage was filmed inside Russia and not at a designated exchange location.
Andrii Yusov, deputy head of Ukraine's POW Coordination Headquarters, told Ukrainian Pravda that Ukraine is fully abiding by the agreed terms and has made no unilateral rejections.
Kyiv has repeatedly urged Moscow to adopt an "all-for-all" prisoner exchange formula. While over 5,000 Ukrainians have been returned from Russian captivity since March 2022, Russia continues to resist a comprehensive swap.
Moscow will insist that Ukraine dismantle and destroy all Western-supplied weapons as part of any ceasefire deal, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said in an interview with the state-run newspaper Izvestia published June 16.
"All these surpluses must be destroyed. All international algorithms are known. They must be reduced, disposed of, and guaranteed," Grushko said, without offering specifics.
The remarks reflect Moscow's growing list of maximalist demands presented in its so-called "peace memorandum" during recent negotiations with Ukraine in Istanbul on June 2.
The document calls for Ukraine to recognize Russia's annexation of Crimea and four partially occupied regions — Kherson, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Luhansk — and demands full Ukrainian troop withdrawal and demobilization.
Grushko argued that Western weapons aid threatens not only Russia but also Europe, warning that arms could end up on black markets.
"It's crazy how reckless some politicians are, still flooding the market with weapons," he said.
There is no credible evidence that Kyiv has diverted Western weapons or fueled arms trafficking — a narrative promoted by Russian propaganda to undermine support for Kyiv.
Independent oversight by partner states and institutions has consistently found that Ukraine uses Western weapons to defend itself against Russia's full-scale invasion.
Moscow's proposals would further prevent Ukraine from joining NATO or military alliances, prohibit its armed forces' redeployment, and stop all Western military aid and intelligence sharing.
President Volodymyr Zelensky has rejected Moscow's demands, saying the Russian delegation admitted in Istanbul that their "memorandum" is an ultimatum Ukraine cannot accept.
"They even told our delegation: we know that our memorandum is an ultimatum, and you will not accept it," he said in a June 10 interview with Hungarian outlet Valasz Online.
In contrast, Ukraine's proposal focused on humanitarian measures, including a prisoner exchange, the return of abducted children, and securing the right to join the EU and NATO.
Kyiv has also called for using frozen Russian assets to pay for reconstruction and linking any sanctions relief to a verified ceasefire.
Despite two rounds of talks in May and June, no political breakthrough has been reached. Moscow continues to reject calls for an unconditional ceasefire, while Ukraine presses for an end to hostilities.
U.S. President Donald Trump has reportedly shown frustration over Russia's refusal to compromise, yet he has refrained from imposing new sanctions.
At least six civilians were killed and 18 others wounded in Russian attacks across Ukraine over the past 24 hours, regional authorities reported on June 16.
Russia launched 138 drones overnight, including Iranian-designed Shahed-type suicide drones, Ukraine's Air Force said. Air defenses intercepted 125 drones, while another 41 dropped off radars — likely used as decoys to overload Ukrainian systems.
The assault was repelled using aviation, electronic warfare units, mobile fire groups, and anti-aircraft missile systems.
Donetsk Oblast saw the deadliest attacks, with six civilians killed — three in Bagatyr, two in Pokrovsk, and one in Kostyantynivka — and four more injured, Governor Vadym Filashkin said. The region remains one of the most heavily targeted areas amid ongoing Russian offensive operations.
In Kherson Oblast, seven people were injured after Russian forces struck critical infrastructure and residential neighborhoods, damaging eight houses, Governor Oleksandr Prokudin reported.
Three women aged 71, 62, and 27 were wounded in Kupiansk, Kharkiv Oblast, according to Governor Oleh Syniehubov. The oblast has been under intensifying Russian aerial and artillery attacks in recent weeks.
Air defenses were active over Kyiv and surrounding areas, where three people were injured in the capital and region. Authorities said drone fragments fell in residential zones.
In Zaporizhzhia Oblast, a 46-year-old man was injured as Russian troops carried out 426 strikes on 14 settlements, Governor Ivan Fedorov reported.
The latest strikes come as Russia continues to escalate its aerial campaign and reject calls for a ceasefire. Ukrainian officials have repeatedly urged Western partners to bolster air defense capabilities as drone and missile attacks persist.
President Volodymyr Zelensky proposed to the Verkhovna Rada the appointment of Ruslan Kravchenko as Ukraine's next Prosecutor General, Parliament Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk said on June 16.
Kravchenko, 35, currently heads the State Tax Service and is expected to be formally introduced to lawmakers during a faction meeting of Zelensky's Servant of the People party on June 17. A vote on his confirmation is expected the same day, according to lawmaker Yaroslav Zheleznyak.
The nomination ends a six-month vacancy at the top of Ukraine's prosecution service, following the resignation of Andriy Kostin in October 2024. First Deputy Prosecutor General Oleksiy Khomenko has served in an acting capacity since.
Kostin resigned amid a scandal involving prosecutors illegally obtaining disability status, which was discussed during a National Security and Defense Council meeting chaired by Zelensky.
Kostin later admitted to "many shameful facts of abuse" within the prosecutor's office.
Kravchenko, a native of Sievierodonetsk in Luhansk Oblast, has held several senior roles in law enforcement and regional government. He previously served as head of the Kyiv Regional Military Administration and led the Bucha District Prosecutor's Office.
He is best known for serving as the lead prosecutor in the treason case against exiled pro-Kremlin former President Viktor Yanukovych, who was convicted of aiding and abetting Russia's war against Ukraine.
If confirmed, Kravchenko will take over an office tasked with overseeing wartime prosecutions, including war crimes investigations and anti-corruption efforts linked to Ukraine's ongoing reforms.
Ukraine has accused Russia of "lying about everything" after yet another drone attack on Kyiv injured two people overnight on June 16, saying the strike once again rubbished Kremlin claims that only military objects are being targeted.
The strike hit Rusanivka Gardens, a private neighborhood in the capital’s Dniprovskyi District, creating a crater near civilian homes, and injuring a 20-year-old man and a woman, Tymur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv City Military Administration, said.
"The Russians lie about everything. When they claim to have hit military targets, they are actually targeting our homes and our people," he wrote on Telegram.
"This is a deliberate tactic of terror."
The injured man was hospitalized in serious condition, while the woman is being treated on an outpatient basis, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.
"Miraculously, significant damage and casualties were avoided," Tkachenko said.
Despite Moscow's denials, Russia has repeatedly hit civilian areas throughout its full-scale war. On July 8, 2024, one of the deadliest strikes on Kyiv killed 33 people and wounded 121 others, including patients at Ohmatdyt, Ukraine's largest children's hospital.
The Russian Defense Ministry continues to insist it targets only military infrastructure, dismissing reports of civilian casualties as "absolutely untrue." The pattern of destruction across cities like Kharkiv and Kherson shows civilians are often the primary targets.
Moscow launched 138 drones at Ukraine overnight, including Iranian-designed Shahed-type drones. Ukraine's Air Force reported that air defenses intercepted 125 of them, while another 41 went off radars — likely used as decoys to overwhelm air defense systems.
The strike comes as Russia intensifies its air campaign against Ukraine and continues to reject Western-backed proposals for a ceasefire. Kyiv, located along the Dnipro River in the country's north-center, remains one of the most heavily targeted cities in the war.
An uninsured Russian Aframax-class tanker has been illegally conducting ship-to-ship oil transfers in international waters near Greece and Cyprus since July 2024, Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) reported on June 16.
According to the agency, the vessel, operating without Western insurance, is part of Russia's expanding shadow fleet used to bypass G7 and EU sanctions on Russian oil exports.
HUR said such transfers "pose an environmental threat, allow the aggressor to conceal the origin of oil, evade international control, and ensure its supply to third countries in circumvention of sanctions."
Ukraine has identified the tanker as IMO 9247443 and listed it on the War&Sanctions platform, along with 159 other tankers allegedly belonging to Russia's shadow fleet and 55 captains involved in sanction-busting operations.
Despite price caps and Western restrictions, Russia continues to profit from oil and gas exports, which remain a vital revenue source. According to HUR estimates, roughly one-third of those profits are expected to fund Russia's war against Ukraine in 2025.
In May, the EU approved its 17th sanctions package, targeting nearly 200 shadow fleet vessels. The U.S. Treasury had earlier sanctioned over 180 tankers, which together accounted for nearly half of Russia's offshore oil shipments.
While the Biden administration ramped up pressure on Russia's oil trade early in 2024, U.S. President Donald Trump has since declined to impose new sanctions, despite Moscow's continued refusal to agree to a ceasefire.
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The Kyiv IndependentAnna Fratsyvir
