Ukraine provides over 40% of the weapons used to defend the nation's independence against Russia's full-scale invasion, President Volodymyr Zelensky said at the State and Business Forum in Kyiv on June 27.
As Ukraine scales up domestic defense production, Zelensky has been lobbying foreign partners to provide funding to help match its manufacturing capacity.
The government and Ukrainian businesses now provide more than 40% of the weapons the country uses in its fight against Russia, Zelensky said. Business-driven innovations in technology have helped Ukraine on the battlefield, particularly in drone development.
"Thanks to Ukrainian entrepreneurship and all the conditions we have created as a state, a new sector of our domestic manufacturing has emerged and immediately become one of the world’s most advanced — the production of drones of various types," Zelensky said.
"Hundreds of companies are now involved in weapons production in one way or another."
Zelensky's comments come a day after Defense Minister Rustem Umerov reported that Ukrainian companies have increased their industrial capacity in order to produce four million drones a year.
At the NATO summit in The Hague on June 24, Zelensky said Ukraine could potentially produce as many as eight million drones per year, but lacks the financial backing to achieve its full capacity. During the summit, Ukraine signed agreements on joint weapons production with the U.K. and Denmark in an effort to bridge the gap between Kyiv's capacity and current funds.
Ukraine has rapidly developed its drone capabilities since 2022, evolving from modifying commercial aircraft to producing military UAVs, attack drones, and reconnaissance systems at scale.
President Volodymyr Zelensky has instructed government officials to prepare a decision introducing a long-term moratorium on business inspections in Ukraine, the Presidential Office announced on June 27.
Zelensky discussed the moratorium during an address at the "State and Business Forum: From Dialogue to Partnership," held in Kyiv.
"I have instructed that a decision on a long-term moratorium on business inspections be prepared to protect businesses from any pressure by unscrupulous individuals in various government positions," he said.
Economic growth is a vital component of Ukrainian resilience, necessitating ongoing dialogue between the government and entrepreneurs, Zelensky said. In addition to imposing the moratorium on inspections, Kyiv will also expand the Council for Entrepreneurship Support in an effort to cultivate entrepreneurship in Ukraine.
"Even under such harsh conditions of this war, Ukraine can rely on its entrepreneurs — on our domestic Ukrainian manufacturing, our Ukrainian logistics, our Ukrainian services across all sectors — from security to everyday life, as well as on Ukrainian developments and investments," the president said.
Following Russia's full-scale invasion in early 2022 and the onset of martial law, Ukraine temporarily suspended certain business regulations, including tax inspections for businesses. Zelensky signed a law resuming tax inspections for certain businesses in December 2023.
Now in its fourth year of full-scale war against Russia, Ukraine's economy is still attempting to recover from the massive blow dealt in 2022, when the GDP dropped by 29.1%. At the same forum on June 27, Ukraine's new Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko announced another measure meant to boost business: an audit of criminal cases related to businesses in Ukraine.
"The second priority is to finally sort out the proceedings related to business, protect business, and achieve justice in these matters," Kravchenko said.
The Prosecutor's Office will be dedicated to "ensuring the rights of investors and businesses," Kravchenko wrote on his Telegram channel on June 26. Efforts to safeguard businesses will not interfere with Ukraine's legal obligations and the regulatory reforms required for its integration into the European Union, he said.
Pokrovsk remains the "hottest spot" along Ukraine's front lines, with Russia concentrating its largest group of personnel in that direction — a force numbering 111,000 troops, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi reported on June 27.
Russia has for months focused its offensive efforts on the embattled town of Pokrovsk in Donetsk Oblast and has recently been escalating attempts to break through to neighboring Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, a region that has not yet seen combat. Ukraine denied reports that Russian forces breached the regional border in May and June.
In May, Syrskyi reported that Ukraine had stabilized the situation in Pokrovsk.
After a working visit to the Pokrovsk sector, Syrskyi on June 27 said that the city is still "the hottest spot along the entire 1,200-kilometer front line" with nearly 50 combat clashes recorded per day. It's also where Russia has concentrated the bulk of its forces in Ukraine.
Russia has amassed "about 111,000 personnel" in the Pokrovsk sector, Syrskyi said, but Ukrainian forces are holding the line.
"The enemy continues to try to break through to the administrative border of Donetsk Oblast ... Russian sabotage and assault groups were particularly active here two weeks ago," Syrskyi said.
"But they were all destroyed or neutralized, and the remnants were pushed back from the administrative border. The situation is under control."
Ukraine's Donetsk Oblast (Nizar al-Rifai/The Kyiv Independent)
Russia is attempting to break into Dnipropetrovsk Oblast not only for operational reasons, but also for performative ones, Syrskyi said.
"To achieve a psychological effect: to put the infamous 'foot of the Russian soldier' there, plant a flag, and trumpet another pseudo-'victory.'"
Syrskyi's comments echo recent remarks by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who claimed in a propaganda-heavy speech on June 20 that "wherever the foot of a Russian soldier steps is Russian land." President Volodymyr Zelensky fired back the next day, promising "Ukrainian drones for the foot of every Russian soldier."
While Putin claimed on June 27 that Moscow is "ready" for a third round of peace talks with Kyiv, the Kremlin has sent no signal that it's ready to abandon its maximalist ambitions in Ukraine.
Russia's so-called "peace memorandum" demands that Ukraine recognize Russia's annexation of Crimea, as well as Kherson, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Luhansk oblasts — none of which are fully under Moscow's control.
Zelensky's Deputy Chief of Staff Pavlo Palisa said on June 6 that Russia aims to occupy all Ukrainian territory east of the Dnipro River and advance toward Odesa and Mykolaiv in a broader plan to sever Ukraine's access to the Black Sea amid a renewed summer offensive.
President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree on June 27 imposing sanctions on 52 Russian citizens as well as an additional 34 Russian companies and one Chinese entity involved in the production of Shahed-type drones and chip manufacturing machinery.
Ukraine introduced new restrictions as Russia has escalated drone attacks against Ukrainian cities over the past weeks, launching upwards of 400-500 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) per night.
Individuals and legal entities subject to Ukrainian sanctions cannot do business and trade in Ukraine, cannot withdraw their capital from the country. In the meantime, their assets are blocked, as well as their access to public and defense procurement, and entry into the territory of Ukraine, among other restrictions.
Andrii Yermak, head of the Presidential Office, said on Telegram that the sanction primarily enterprises and individuals collaborating with a Shahed manufacturing facility located in the town of Yelbuga in Russia's Tatarstan.
Russia has launched thousands of cheap but effective Iranian-designed Shahed drones against Ukraine since the fall of 2022. Originally designed in Iran, Russia has since produced its own Shahed-type drones on Russian territory.
Drones have become one of the defining tools of the full-scale war, used extensively by both Ukraine and Russia for surveillance, long-range strikes, and tactical battlefield advantage.
Earlier in the day, Zelensky signeda decree to coordinate sanctions against Russia with international partners, particularly the European Union and the Group of Seven (G7).
Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed on June 27 that Moscow plans to cut its military expenditure beginning next year, in a rebuke of NATO members' plans to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP.
Putin's claims will likely be met with harsh skepticism from Western officials as Russia's military spending has continued to increase throughout its ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
The Kyiv Independent cannot verify claims made by Putin. The Russian president did not provide any specifics as to how Moscow plans to cut military spending, but added there has yet to be an agreement between ministries.
"We are planning to reduce defence spending. For us, next year and the year after, over the next three-year period, we are planning for this," Putin told reporters during a visit to Belarus. "Europe is thinking about how to increase its spending, on the contrary. So who is preparing for some kind of aggressive actions? Us or them?" Putin continued.
Putin's comments comes as NATO allies are increasingly concerned about Russia's military capabilities, including future threats to alliance members as well as ongoing sabotage efforts.
On June 25, NATO member states agreed to a new defense spending benchmark, committing to allocate 5% of their GDP annually to defense and security-related expenditures by 2035.
The decision comes as NATO allies increasingly believe Russia could rebuild sufficient military capacity to challenge the alliance within five years, with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte warning that allies must act urgently to prepare for future threats.
"We see Russia's deadly terror from the skies over Ukraine every day. We must be able to defend ourselves from such attacks," Rutte said during a press briefing on June 23. "Our security environment has changed, and not for the better. The threats we face today demand that we do far more," he added.
Various European intelligence agencies as well as officials have increasingly delivered dire warnings about the threat emanating from Russia and Europe's current lack of preparedness. German intelligence chief Bruno Kahl told a parliamentary hearing in October that Russia will have the military capabilities to be able to attack NATO by 2030.
In 2024, Russia’s military spending surpassed the combined defense budgets of all European nations. Russia’s total defense expenditures surged by 42% in real terms amounting to $462 billion, according to the data by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS).
By comparison, total defense spending across Europe, including the U.K. and EU member states, increased by nearly 12% last year to $457 billion, slightly trailing Moscow’s budget.
The Moscow Times reported in December that the Kremlin had spentan unprecedented $43 billion in the third quarter of 2024 alone.
The United States would consider bombing Iran again if the country's nuclear program once again became of concern, U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters during a press briefing on June 27.
When asked whether Trump would consider bombing Iran if the country were able to enrich uranium to a concerning level, Trump responded: "Sure. Without question, absolutely."
On June 21, the United States conductedstrikes on three major Iranian nuclear sites, Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan, dropping over a dozen bunker buster bombs on the sites and causing significant damage to the country's nuclear program.
"Turned out to be unbelievable," Trump said of the strikes on June 27, despite mixed reports on the success of the strikes.
A leaked U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) assessment, reported by CNN, found that the strikes did not destroy the core of Tehran's nuclear program. Instead, the intelligence suggests the attacks likely delayed Iran's progress by "a few months."
Despite the leak, Trump administration officials have rebuffed reports that the strikes did not fully fulfill its object, amid reports of Iran having possibly moved its enriched uranium away from the sites.
"The objective was to eliminate enrichment in Iran… and he achieved that objective," U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff said on June 24, adding that he personally reviewed damage assessments and saw "no doubt" that key nuclear infrastructure was destroyed.
Trump's comments on future attacks comes as Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei downplayed the success of the strikes, claiming victory over Israel and the United States.
"I SAVED (Khamenei) FROM A VERY UGLY AND IGNOMINIOUS DEATH," Trump wrote on Truth social on June 27, adding that he has halted plans to potentially ease sanctions on Iran. "The sanction are BITING," Trump wrote.
"Iran has to get back into the World Order flow, or things will only get worse for them," he added.
On June 24, Trump announced that a ceasefire between Iran and Israel had come into effect, following the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities and a retaliatory Iranian attack on a U.S. military base in Qatar.
Russia is ready to hold a third round of peace talks on the war in Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin told reporters on June 27, without specifying if he would directly participate in the negotiations.
"In general, we are ready for this (next round of peace talks), we need to coordinate the place and time," Putin said.
Putin added that the talks could potentially be held in Istanbul but the details have not yet been worked out. He added that another round of talks may bring peace closer as the terms for peace outlined in the countries' peace memorandumsremain "absolutely opposite."
The latest peace talks between Russia and Ukraine took place on June 2 in Istanbul, following an earlier meeting on May 16. Despite Ukraine's insistence on a 30-day ceasefire, Russiahas repeatedly rejected the offer, proposing only a temporary 2–3-day truce in limited areas to retrieve the bodies of fallen soldiers.
While no agreement on a comprehensive ceasefire has been reached, talks have led to a few major prisoner exchanges, including a 1,000-for-1,000 swap that took place in late May and a follow-up deal for up to 1,200 prisoners from each side.
Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said during a press briefing on June 26 that it was Ukraine's goal to organize a direct meeting between President Volodymyr Zelensky and Putin during the next round of negotiation.
In previous rounds, Putin had failed to show in-person sending lower-level officials to the meeting instead — despite Zelensky's willingness for in-person talks as well pressure from the United States.
On June 26, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Ankara is workingto organize a meeting between Zelensky and Putin, with U.S. President Donald Trump potentially joining the talks.
Putin said on June 27 that it was "quite possible" that a meeting between himself and the U.S. president could take place. "We will be happy to prepare it," he briefly added.
Zelensky and Trump met during the NATO summit on June 25, where the two leaders discussed battlefield developments, Kyiv's need for additionalair defense systems, and the potential for co-production of drones.
Zelensky has previously voiced openness to a trilateral meeting. On May 27, he told public broadcaster Suspilne that he was ready to sit down with both Trump and Putin.
Turkey previously hosted direct peace talks in March 2022 and has remained one of the few countries with open lines to both Kyiv and Moscow.
Ukrainian companies have increased their industrial capacity to produce four million drones a year, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said at a June 26 press briefing.
The statement comes as Ukraine seeks to increase domestic arms production amid uncertainty over further U.S. support and reduced dependence on supplies from European partners.
Ukrainian manufacturers will supply four million drones to the front line this year, while the Ukrainian army has already received up to 1.5 million drones as of the end of June, according to Umerov.
The minister said that brigades made many requests for direct funding last year, with a commitment secured for 2025. The government is currently allocating Hr 2.5 billion ($60 million) per month for direct procurement teams, he added.
In the meantime, Umerov said that not all brigades spend money due to a lack of procurement specialists, so the Defense Procurement Agency (DPA) launched the DOT Chain Defense marketplace for Ukrainian soldiers
"The teams see a 'marketplace' of drones: each team orders what it needs, and the healthcare organization pays for it. This way we significantly reduce all the bureaucracy, and the teams get what they need ten times faster," Umerov said.
Russian drone strikes across Ukraine have been breaking records in recent weeks, with nearly 500 drones and missiles launched overnights.
Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukraine has focused heavily on developing and deploying advanced unmanned systems. As of April 2025, more than 95% of drones used by Ukrainian forces on the front line are domestically produced.
Both Ukraine and Russia have increasingly relied on drone warfare, employing aerial, naval, and ground-based drones for reconnaissance and combat operations – making technological innovation a critical component of the war.
Ukrainian drones struck four Su-34 fighter jets at the Marinovka airfield in Russia's Volgograd Oblast overnight on June 27, Ukraine's General Staff said.
The operation was carried out by the Special Forces and the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) in cooperation with other military units, according to the General Staff.
Volgograd Oblast is located some 900 kilometers (560 miles) southeast of Moscow.
According to preliminary data, two Russian fighter jets were destroyed, and the other two were damaged. Russia uses such aircraft to bomb Ukraine, particularly to drop guided aerial bombs, the General Staff said.
The attack also caused a fire in the airfield's technical and operational unit, a facility where combat aircraft are serviced and repaired, according to the General Staff.
The Kyiv Independent could not independently verify these claims.
As Russia intensifies aerial attacks on Ukraine and the civilian death toll climbs, Ukraine has stepped up its drone attacks on Russian territory. The recent surge in drone strikes aims to disrupt airport operations, overwhelm air defenses, and mount pressure against the Russian population.
Editor's note: The story was updated with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico's statement voiced during the EU summit.
EU ambassadors have failed to approve the 18th package of sanctions against Russia due to opposition from Hungary and Slovakia, an unnamed EU official told the Kyiv Independent on June 27.
After the 17th package of sanctions against Russia took effect on May 20, Ukraine's allies announced the following day that another round of restrictions was already in the works. Meanwhile, officials in Hungary and Slovakia protested against the approval of new restrictions against Russia.
Unlike Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who has consistently opposed sanctions against Russia, Slovakia has not previously attempted to block EU sanctions.
"No agreement was reached. Ambassadors will return to this issue after two reservations are removed," the source told Suspilne in a reference to the position of Slovakia and Hungary.
Slovakia has requested that the adoption of the 18th package of EU sanctions against Russia be postponed until a decision is made on the consequences for the member states from RePowerEU, the European Commission's initiative to end dependence on Russian fossil fuels by 2030 in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico voiced this proposal during the EU summit, the Slovak Foreign Ministry told Suspilne.
The ambassadors also agreed to extend sectoral sanctions against Russia for six months. These sanctions encompass a broad array of economic areas, including restrictions on trade, finance, technology and dual-use goods, industry, transport, and luxury goods.
In June, the European Commission presented the 18th package of sanctions, which includes new restrictions against the Russian energy and banking sectors and transactions related to the Nord Stream gas pipeline project.
Ukraine's European allies are tightening sanctions against Russia as Moscow refuses to accept a ceasefire. Despite Russia's refusal, no new U.S. sanctions have been imposed so far.
Active fighting is still taking place around the village of Shevchenko in Donetsk Oblast, home to one of Ukraine's largest lithium deposits, a spokesperson for Ukraine's Khortytsia group of forces told the Kyiv Independent on June 27, denying reports Russia had occupied the village.
Earlier on June 26, Russia'a Defense Ministry said it had captured Shevchenko along with another other small settlements in the Velyka Novosilka region of the oblast, as Russian troops continue to push along all areas of the front line.
The spokesperson said that while Russian forces had pushed out Ukrainian soldiers on June 26, the situation is constantly evolving and subject to change several times a day.
"This is one of the two most intense directions right now," Viktor Trehubov, the spokesperson, told the Kyiv Independent.
According to the Ukrainian Geological Survey, the Shevchenkivske deposit covers nearly 40 hectares (98 acres) on the eastern outskirts of Shevchenko. Exact data on the Shevchenkivske deposit's lithium reserves are classified, but it's considered one of the most promising.
The deposit's main reserves consist of lithium ores, but it also contains other rare elements such as rubidium, cesium, tantalum, niobium, beryllium, and tin.
Ukraine is home to 20 of the world's critical minerals and metals like titanium used in the aerospace and defense industries and lithium, an essential component of electric vehicle batteries.
The U.S.-Ukraine minerals deal, signed April 30, specifically mentions lithium as one of the mineral resources that both parties could profit from extracting.
Despite the deposit's relatively small size, it could be operated by a single mine, which could make extraction more efficient, according to a Ukrainian Geological Survey data.
The survey classifies the deposit in the highest complexity category of three possible levels, which could complicate development.
According to KSE, Ukraine holds one-third of the European Union's lithium reserves and approximately 3% of global lithium reserves.
Around 150 pro-Palestinian activists have broken into a storage facility and damaged military equipment intended for Ukraine, the Belgian news outlet 7sur7 reported on June 26.
The facility belongs to OIP Land Systems, a company that produces military equipment for Ukraine. The activists reportedly thought the equipment would be supplied to Israel.
The activists, who were wearing white overalls and masks, took part in the Stop Arming Israel campaign. The protests seek to pressure Belgian authorities to maintain the military embargo against Israel and impose sanctions on it.
The protesters, armed with hammers and grinders, first entered the company's offices, where they smashed computers, and then broke into the hangars, where they severely damaged some vehicles, Freddy Versluys, CEO of OIP Land Systems, said.
Since the beginning of the Russian invasion, the company has supplied the Ukrainian army with about 260 armored vehicles. The damage caused by the activists' actions is estimated at $1.1 million, according to 7sur7.
"A further delivery has now been delayed by at least a month. That's all these Hamas sympathizers will have achieved with their action," Versluys said.
The company was reportedly targeted by pro-Palestinian protesters because Elbit Systems, an Israeli defense company, owns it.
Protesters believe that Elbit supplies 85% of the drones and most of the ground military equipment used by the Israel Defense Forces, 7sur7 reported.
Yet, the OIP Land Systems CEO claimed that his company has not produced defense systems for Israel for over 20 years.
OIP Land Systems has provided defense products to Ukraine on several occasions, including Leopard 1 tanks, which are manufactured at the Tournai plant.
President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree on June 27 to coordinate sanctions against Russia with international partners, particularly the European Union and the Group of Seven (G7), the President's Office said on its website.
A day earlier, EU member states' leaders gave their political consent to extend the sanctions previously imposed on Russia for its war against Ukraine.
The EU Committee of Permanent Representatives (CORPER) also extended sectoral sanctions against Russia for another six months on June 26, European Pravda reported, citing a diplomatic source. The sanctions include restrictions against entire sectors or industries of the Russian economy or areas of operation of Russian businesses.
Meanwhile, the participants did not approve the new 18th package of sanctions, which targeted Russia's energy and banking sectors, due to Slovakia's veto.
Zelensky's June 27 decree implements a decision by Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council's (NSDC) to synchronize the sanctions against Russia with the EU and G7.
According to the document, sanctions approved by partner states must be submitted to the NSDC for consideration and approval no later than the 15th day after the partner state's decision comes into force.
The Cabinet of Ministers, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), and the National Bank of Ukraine must also ensure the implementation of sanctions approved by international partners in Ukraine.
After the 17th package of sanctions against Russia took effect on May 20, Ukraine's allies announced the following day that another round of restrictions was already in the works.
The push for tighter sanctions comes as Russia continues to reject ceasefire proposals and presses forward with military operations.
Russian forces struck a critical energy facility in Kherson Oblast, causing widespread power outages across several communities, Governor Oleksandr Prokudin said on June 27.
"Russia decided to plunge Kherson Oblast into darkness," Prokudin wrote on Telegram. He said the attack has disrupted electricity supply to multiple settlements.
Local power engineers are working to stabilize the situation, Prokudin said.
"I ask the residents of the region to prepare for a prolonged power outage. Power engineers are doing everything possible to stabilize the situation," he said.
Kherson and the surrounding regions have frequently come under Russian fire since Ukrainian forces liberated the city from occupation in November 2022. Russian troops continue to attack the area with artillery and drones from across the Dnipro River.
The Russian army consistently targeted Ukrainian energy infrastructure. Throughout 2024, Moscow launched 13 mass attacks with drones and missiles on Ukraine's energy infrastructure. Ukraine was forced to introduce emergency blackouts across the country.
Ukraine and Russia agreed to a partial 30-day energy truce, following consultations with the U.S. in Riyadh on March 25. Moscow violated the ceasefire more than 30 times, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi said on April 16.
Ukraine's one-year military contract for volunteers aged 18 to 24 is proving effective on the battlefield, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said at a June 26 press briefing, citing fresh reports from commanders across the front line.
Umerov said units made up of young contract soldiers had shown "resilience, professionalism, and confident actions in combat," challenging early skepticism about the new recruitment model.
"We saw them on the battlefield — and it's truly motivating."
The contract, launched in February, offers substantial benefits to young volunteers. It includes basic general military training, vocational training, and an adaptation course in an army unit. Volunteers will receive a one-time monetary aid payment of Hr 1 million ($24,000) and a monthly allowance of up to Hr 120,000 ($3,000).
The campaign initially faced backlash from some front-line troops and activists, who argued it created unfair disparities in pay and support. Now, the initiative is being credited with improving performance in specific units, Umerov said, citing internal military assessments received by the ministry two weeks ago.
Umerov, however, hasn't shared the number of soldiers recruited through the campaign.
The campaign is under constant evaluation based on financial, personnel, and training metrics. Umerov said the Defense Ministry is working to enhance the motivational package further, using data and feedback from participants and focus groups.
Despite pressure from international partners, particularly the United States, to lower Ukraine’s mobilization age from 25 to 18, service for those aged 18–24 remains voluntary. President Volodymyr Zelensky has consistently rejected compulsory mobilization starting at 18, warning that it could damage Ukraine's long-term future.
In a recent interview, Zelensky said Ukraine's Western allies have at times withheld new sanctions on Russia over Kyiv's refusal to lower the draft age. He stressed that the "weapons and technology," rather than raw manpower, were more decisive on the battlefield.
Ukraine faces personnel challenges as Russian forces continue to press along the front line. While a mobilization reform law lowered the draft age from 27 to 25 in 2024, the pace of new enlistment has slowed, leaving infantry units understaffed.
"The younger generation is a powerful human resource that deserves support and development," Umerov said.
Ukraine is preparing to request European Union sanctions against Bangladeshi entities over importing wheat stolen from Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories, Ukraine's ambassador to India told Reuters.
In comments for Reuters published on June 27, Oleksandr Polishchuk said that Bangladesh had failed to respond to Ukrainian diplomatic appeals to stop the trade, prompting Kyiv to escalate the matter to the EU level.
"It's a crime," Polishchuk told Reuters. "We will share our investigation with our European Union colleagues, and we will kindly ask them to take the appropriate measures."
Russian forces have seized millions of tons of Ukrainian grain from occupied areas, with at least 180,000 tons looted through the port of Mariupol alone, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhalsaid in October 2024.
The Ukrainian Embassy in New Delhi sent multiple letters to Bangladesh's Foreign Ministry this year, requesting rejection of more than 150,000 tonnes of grain allegedly stolen and shipped from the Russian port of Kavkaz, according to documents reviewed by Reuters, shared by people familiar with the matter.
According to Polishchuk, Ukrainian intelligence showed that entities in Russia mask grain obtained from occupied Ukrainian territories by mixing it with Russian wheat before shipping it to other countries.
Bangladesh's Food Ministry, in comments to Reuters, denied the imports, saying that they banned grain deliveries originating from occupied Ukrainian territory.
Ukraine's agricultural sector has suffered approximately $80 billion in losses due to Russia's full-scale invasion, Agriculture Minister Vitalii Koval said in February.
The losses include direct damage, disrupted logistics, higher fertilizer and fuel costs, land reclamation expenses, demining costs, and impacts from occupied territories.
Editor's note: This is a developing story and is being updated.
A Russian missile strike on the city of Samar in Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk Oblast on June 27 killed five people and injured at least 25 others, Governor Serhii Lysak said.
In a statement posted to Telegram, Lysak said most of the injured were hospitalized. Four of the victims are in serious condition, while the others sustained moderate injuries. A fire broke out following the strike, and emergency services are continuing to work at the site.
"We're doing everything possible to assist those affected," Lysak said.
The attack comes just days after Russia launched one of the deadliest assaults on Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. On June 24, missiles struck multiple locations in the regional capital of Dnipro and in the oblast, killing at least 21 people and injuring over 300 others.
The strike hit civilian infrastructure, a dormitory, a gymnasium, and a train traveling from Odesa to Zaporizhzhia, as well as the nearby town of Samarske. Two people were killed and 14 others wounded there. At least 100 victims of the Dnipro attack remain hospitalized, Lysak said.
At least two civilians were killed and 13 were injured in Russian drone and missile attacks across Ukraine over the past day, local officials reported on June 27.
According to Ukraine's Air Force, Ukrainian air defense intercepted 365 of 371 incoming Russian air weapons, including 363 Shahed-type drones, two Kinzhal ballistic missiles, and six Kalibr cruise missiles.
In Kharkiv Oblast, Governor Oleh Syniehubov said one person was killed and four were wounded in Vovchanski Khutory and Pidlyman during a Russian attack. Infrastructure damage included houses and an agricultural facility. The region also endured heavy shelling.
In Donetsk Oblast, Governor Vadym Filashkin reported one death, while three people were injured across Pokrovsk, Kramatorsk, and Bakhmut districts. Damage was observed to houses, a farm, administrative buildings, gas pipelines, and vehicles.
In Kherson Oblast, Governor Oleksandr Prokudin said four people were injured as Russian drones and artillery struck social and residential infrastructure. Seven apartment buildings and 25 houses were damaged, along with utilities and vehicles.
In Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Governor Ivan Fedorov said one person was injured when an air-dropped bomb hit a settlement in the Huliaipole district.
In Kyiv Oblast, a person was injured near Fastiv during an overnight drone and missile attack. One house was damaged each in Boryspil and Fastiv districts, while a tire repair shop and five cars were hit in Bila Tserkva. No critical infrastructure was reportedly affected, and air defense forces shot down Russian drones and missiles.
North Korea has already deployed around 11,000 elite troops to support Russia's war against Ukraine, accounting for more than 20% of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's elite "personal reserve" force, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said during a June 26 press briefing.
"These are soldiers specially selected based on physical, psychological, and other criteria," Umerov said. "These units have already suffered significant losses."
Umerov said intelligence indicates North Korea had considered sending additional forces to fight with Russia. However, according to Umerov, the move would further deplete its strategic reserves and increase risks to regime stability. There have been four known rotations of North Korean units deployed against Ukraine, according to Umerov.
According to a June 15 report from the United Kingdom's defense intelligence, North Korea has likely sustained more than 6,000 casualties in Russia since the deployment of troops to Kursk Oblast in fall 2024.
U.K. intelligence attributed the high casualty rate to large, highly attritional dismounted assaults.
Russia's growing military partnership with North Korea has raised concerns in Kyiv and among its allies. The two countries signed a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Agreement in 2024. The treaty commits both countries to provide assistance if either is attacked.
Kim previously described the pact as having a "peaceful and defensive nature," framing it as a formal security guarantee between the longtime partners.
In practice, Umerov said, North Korea is bearing the military burden, while Russia has not upheld its reciprocal obligations, raising concerns within the North Korean regime.
"Russia's use of elite North Korean troops demonstrates not only a growing reliance on totalitarian regimes but also serious problems with its mobilization reserve," Umerov said. "Together with our partners, we are monitoring these threats and will respond accordingly."
Umerov added that Ukraine, working in coordination with its Western partners, is closely tracking the movement and deployment of North Korean units deployed to fight against Ukraine. He said Russia's dependence on foreign forces may signal critical shortages in its own recruitment and mobilization efforts.
According to South Korea's National Intelligence Service, North Korea is likely to send more troops to Russia over the summer. Pyongyang may also send up to 25,000 laborers to Russia to support drone production, according to the report.
The additional troop deployment would come on top of what Seoul estimates is already substantial support from North Korea, which includes the shipment of over 10 million artillery shells and ballistic missiles in exchange for economic and technical assistance from Moscow.
Ukraine's next goal in ongoing negotiations with Russia is to organize a direct meeting between President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said during a press briefing on June 26.
Speaking to journalists in Kyiv, Umerov, who was part of Ukrainian peace talks delegation, outlined a multi-stage negotiation process that began in January with an initiative from U.S. President Donald Trump. Umerov stressed that Ukraine welcomed the idea of a ceasefire from the outset and remains fully committed to a just peace.
"Ukraine has always remained consistent in its pursuit of peace," Umerov said. "We supported the U.S. initiative for a full ceasefire from the very beginning and demonstrated our commitment through multiple rounds of negotiations. But any dialogue must take place without ultimatums and with full respect for our country's sovereignty."
The talks unfolded in several rounds in Jeddah, Riyadh, Paris, London, and Istanbul. During the second round of negotiations in Riyadh, Ukraine communicated with Russia indirectly, through U.S. mediators. In Turkey, U.S. mediators were excluded from talks due to Russia's request, according to Umerov.
"President Zelensky's proposal to meet with Putin is aimed at showing Donald Trump that Moscow is not truly seeking peace," Mykola Kniazhytzkyi, a Ukrainian lawmaker from the European Solidarity party, told the Kyiv Independent.
"Its real goal is the destruction of Ukrainian statehood and the genocide of the Ukrainian people."
Oleksandr Merezhko, a lawmaker from Zelensky’s party and chair of the parliament's foreign affairs committee, called the proposal for a bilateral high-level meeting "an interesting political step." He said it is a logical move since "Putin decides everything in Russia."
However, the MP questioned the overall advisability of a direct meeting between Zelensky and Putin.
"It seems to me that it would be better to conduct such negotiations in a format involving not only Zelensky, but also the United States and the European Union," Merezhko said, adding that European leaders could help build a "balance of power," given the risk that the U.S. might potentially lean toward Russia.
He said that talks between the leaders should take place after the ceasefire, at least a temporary one, is in place.
"For them (Russia), negotiations are a tool of war. They have never conducted them in good faith and will never do this. In general, there is no need for negotiations, there is a need for pressure (from the West)," Merezhko said.
Umerov said Ukraine had accepted a U.S.-proposed full ceasefire across land, sea, and air in early March, but Russia has rejected the proposal.
While no agreement on a comprehensive ceasefire has been reached, talks have led to a few major prisoner exchanges, including a 1,000-for-1,000 swap that took place in late May and a follow-up deal for up to 1,200 prisoners from each side.
Umerov said the focus of recent negotiations has included humanitarian issues such as the release of civilians and children, as well as conditions for a meeting of Ukrainian and Russian leaders. He emphasized that the next stage must include top-level dialogue.
"After completing discussions on humanitarian issues, Ukraine plans to move forward to the topic of a leaders' summit for substantive dialogue," he said.
The latest peace talks between Russia and Ukraine took place on June 2 in Istanbul, following an earlier meeting on May 16. Both times, the Ukrainian delegation was led by Umerov. Despite Ukraine's insistence on a 30-day ceasefire, Russia proposed only a temporary 2–3-day truce in limited areas to retrieve the bodies of fallen soldiers. Umerov called this offer "insufficient" and accused Moscow of avoiding meaningful peace.
"Russia rejects even the very idea of stopping the killings," Umerov said following the June 2 talks. "That's why we appeal to the world: pressure is needed for real peace, not for an imitation of negotiations."
Zelensky has also criticized Moscow's limited ceasefire offers and called on Trump to follow through on promised sanctions if talks remain fruitless. Trump has repeatedly suggested that he is monitoring the peace process closely and warned that the U.S. response could change if Putin is not prepared to end the war.
No further U.S. sanctions were imposed after more than 100 days of Moscow's refusal to the proposed ceasefire.
Ukraine's National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) have filed a motion with the High Anti-Corruption Court seeking to impose bail and suspend Deputy Prime Minister Oleksii Chernyshov from office, NABU's press service reported on June 27.
Chernyshov was officially named a suspect on June 23 in what NABU called a "large-scale" illegal land grab case. Chernyshov heads the new National Unity Ministry in charge of returning refugees and is a close ally of President Volodymyr Zelensky. He left Ukraine days before law enforcement revealed a massive corruption scheme and detained two of his former close associates — Maksym Horbatiuk and Vasyl Volodin.
Investigators allege that Chernyshov and his associates undervalued the land fivefold, costing the state Hr 1 billion (about $24 million), and received discounted apartments worth over Hr 14.5 million ($346,000) in return. In a comment to the Kyiv Independent, Chernyshov has denied the allegations and said he has no plans to step down.
The agencies are requesting that Chernyshov be placed under a bail measure of Hr 120 million ($2.8 million) and be formally removed from his current post while the investigation proceeds.
The agencies said the proposed measures reflect the risks identified during the investigation, including concerns about potential obstruction of justice. They emphasized that their motion aligns with the court's precedent in similar high-profile corruption cases.
The motion also requests that Chernyshov be subject to standard obligations, including a travel ban, passport surrender, and mandatory cooperation with law enforcement. SAPO additionally urged that he be prohibited from contacting other suspects or witnesses in the case.
The agency noted that Chernyshov returned to Ukraine voluntarily and responded to their summons.
If the court upholds the request, Chernyshov would be required to pay the bail within five days. Failure to do so or breach of the imposed conditions could result in a more severe pre-trial measure, prosecutors said.
Chernyshov returned to Ukraine on June 22 following growing public pressure and reported to NABU the following day. Despite his claim that he had been on a scheduled business trip, critics accused him of attempting to evade charges.
Chernyshov is considered a close ally of Zelensky and has held several high-profile roles, including CEO of state-owned oil and gas giantNaftogaz.
A Chinese journalist was reportedly injured in a drone strike near Russia's border with Ukraine in Kursk Oblast, acting governor Alexander Khinshtein said on June 27.
According to Khinshtein, 63-year-old reporter Lu Yuguang from the Chinese television network Phoenix TV was wounded in a Ukrainian drone strike on the village of Korenevo in Russia's Kursk Oblast. He sustained an open head injury and a contusion on the parietal region of his skull, but later declined hospitalization after being examined at a regional hospital, Khinshtein wrote on Telegram.
"Fortunately, the journalist received skin wounds on the head. No other damage was found," the governor said, adding, "Please refrain from traveling to the border area, it can be dangerous."
If confirmed, this would be the first publicly reported case of a Chinese journalist being injured in Russia's Kursk Oblast as a result of cross-border drone strikes amid Moscow's full-scale war against Ukraine. The Kyiv Independent could not independently verify the claims.
Ukrainian forces launched a cross-border incursion into Russia's Kursk Oblast in August 2024, marking the first large-scale invasion of Russian territory by foreign troops since World War II. The move was intended to disrupt a planned Russian offensive targeting Ukraine's Sumy Oblast and to relieve pressure on the Donetsk front.
Since then, Ukraine claims it has inflicted 63,402 Russian troop casualties in the oblast, including 25,625 killed and 971 captured. Ukrainian forces also say they have destroyed or damaged over 5,664 pieces of Russian military equipment in the area.
Russia retook most of the lost territory during a renewed offensive in March 2025, supported by North Korean troops.
Russia has lost 1,016,720 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 27.
The number includes 970 casualties that Russian forces suffered just over the past day.
These are the indicative estimates of Russia’s combat losses as of June 27, 2025, according to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
According to the report, Russia has also lost 10,969 tanks, 22,896 armored fighting vehicles, 53,284 vehicles and fuel tanks, 29,630 artillery systems, 1,425 multiple launch rocket systems, 1,188 air defense systems, 416 airplanes, 337 helicopters, 42,240 drones, 3,388 cruise missiles, 28 ships and boats, and one submarine.
The Netherlands and Belgium have delivered two minehunter vessels to Ukraine to support maritime security in the Black Sea, Dutch Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans announced on June 26.
"The Netherlands and Belgium are transferring two minehunters to Ukraine. A vital contribution to Black Sea security, and key to safeguarding trade routes and global food supply," Brekelmans said on X. He added that Ukrainian crews and technicians were trained "in record time."
According to the Dutch Defense Ministry, the vessels involved are the Belgian ship BNS Narcis and the Dutch Zr.Ms. Vlaardingen. The official handover ceremony took place earlier in Zeebrugge, Belgium, but was disclosed only later due to security concerns.
"The major ports of Odesa and the Black Sea shipping lanes are the lifeblood of the Ukrainian economy," Brekelmans said. "And (they are) under constant threat. Ukraine may not win the war at sea, but it can certainly lose the war there. We simply cannot let that happen. That is why it is so important for maritime security and free passage that Ukraine can use minehunters."
Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, the Netherlands has provided Kyiv with a combined 8.4 billion euros ($9.4 billion) in support, according to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy while Belgium has allocated over two billion euros (about $2.2 billion) in support, including military, financial, and humanitarian assistance.
Short-range drone attacks have become one of the deadliest threats to civilians in Ukraine’s front-line regions, killing at least 395 people and injuring 2,635 between February 2022 and April 2025, according to a new bulletin by the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine.
The report, "Deadly Drones: Civilians at Risk from Short-Range Drones in Frontline Areas of Ukraine," highlights the growing use of first-person-view (FPV) drones by Russian forces and their devastating impact on the civilian population.
The bulletin documents attacks in which drone operators deliberately targeted civilians engaging in daily activities — driving private cars, riding bicycles, walking outdoors, or evacuating others in clearly marked ambulances.
"Although individually less destructive than artillery or missiles, the sheer scale and increasing frequency of short-range drone attacks have made them one of the deadliest weapons in Ukraine," said Danielle Bell, head of the mission. "Over 3,000 civilian casualties — and the relentless frequency of these attacks — have not only caused immense human suffering but also instilled fear, severely disrupted daily life, and crippled access to essential services in several frontline communities."
The monitoring mission documented, verified, and analyzed 3,030 civilian casualties resulting from short-range drones between 24 February 2022 and 30 April 2025. The researchers conducted site visits to very high-risk areas, including the southern city of Kherson, Zolochiv in Kharkiv Oblast, and other front-line locations. Investigators interviewed survivors and witnesses of drone attacks, medical personnel, and humanitarian workers to assess the full impact of these strikes on civilian life.
Ukraine's Kherson Oblast (Nizar al-Rifai/The Kyiv Independent)
Casualties surged in late 2023 and early 2024, with numbers suddenly doubling in July 2024. April 2025 marked the deadliest month on record, with 42 civilians killed and 283 injured. Drone strikes continued into May and June.
On 23 June, a 65-year-old driver was killed in Kostiantynivka, Donetsk Oblast, when a drone struck a minibus. In Kharkiv region, a 58-year-old volunteer was killed on 22 May when a drone dropped a munition on a residential balcony. On 20 May, six civilians were injured when a drone hit a bus in Kherson Oblast.
The vast majority of casualties — 89% — occurred in territory controlled by the Ukrainian government. The UN says these attacks violate international humanitarian law, particularly the principles of distinction and precaution, and may in some cases constitute war crimes.
Russia is using financial incentives to recruit teachers, cultural workers, and coaches to work in occupied parts of Ukraine in a campaign aimed at reshaping local identity and fostering loyalty to Moscow’s regime, according to a report published by the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA) on June 26.
The Kremlin is offering up to two million rubles (around $22,000) to Russian teachers who agree to work for five years in occupied areas of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson oblasts, and one million rubles for positions in Crimea.
The initiative, an extension of Russia’s “Zemskyi Uchitel” (Rural Teacher) program, which originally targeted underserved regions in Russia, was formally launched in the newly occupied Ukrainian territories in 2024 — though Russian educators began arriving as early as 2022.
Over 100 teachers have relocated to Crimea through the program, according to Ukraine’s Regional Center for Human Rights/ Most of them arrived from regions including Krasnodar, Altai Krai, Tomsk, Novosibirsk, Saratov, Tyumen, Ivanovo, and the Republic of Udmurtia.
“We have documented cases of teachers — and people assigned to managerial roles, such as school principals and deputy heads — arriving as early as 2022,” said Kateryna Rashevska of Ukraine’s Regional Center for Human Rights. “The first group came from Dagestan, arriving in the occupied Zaporizhzhia region, and by 2024, there were already 37 teachers from Dagestan working there.”
According to Rashevska, these teachers often lead courses in Russian language, history, and “basics of life safety and defense of the Motherland” — classes focused on conscription and military training. “These people are also involved in reprogramming Ukrainian children, attempting to raise them as Russian patriots and future members of the Russian armed forces,” she added.
In parallel, Russia is also exerting pressure on Ukrainian teachers in occupied areas to adopt the Russian curriculum. Those who refuse face serious consequences. "In Berdiansk, a school principal was deported for refusing to open the school under Russian standards," said Mariia Sulialina, head of Ukrainian NGO Almenda. Sulialina noted that teachers are now required to praise President Vladimir Putin and report "extremist behavior" among students — often defined as pro-Ukrainian views.
Human rights experts say these efforts amount to colonization and are violations of international law, including Article 49 of the Geneva Convention and Article 8 of the Rome Statute.
“Russia plans to move another 100 teachers into occupied areas in 2025 — a clear example of colonization,” Rashevska said. Despite existing legal tools, she added, “The International Criminal Court still doesn’t prioritize colonization… even though these federally coordinated programs involving teachers, cultural workers, and coaches create a clear chain of command.”
European firms continue to ship critical weapons components to Russia, President Volodymyr Zelensky told the European Council on June 26 in a plea for tougher EU sanctions against Moscow.
"Some European companies are still sending critical components to Russia. These end up in missiles and other weapons used to kill us, kill Ukrainians," Zelensky said in a video address to the European Council summit in Brussels.
Ukraine is in the process of identifying these materials and will pass along evidence to EU officials, he said.
Zelensky's remarks were part of a broader appeal for the EU to expand and strengthen economic penalties on Russia. While the bloc reached an agreement in Brussels to extend current sectoral sanctions for another six months, it is still debating its proposed 18th package of sanctions against Russia.
Zelensky urged the EU to pass "a truly strong" 18th package, targeting "Russia's oil trade, its shadow tanker fleet, Russian banks and other financial instruments, and the supply chains that bring equipment or parts for making weapons."
The sanctions should not only penalize Russia's so-called "shadow fleet" vessels, but also the tankers' captains and the ports Russia uses to export oil, Zelensky said.
The president also reiterated his call to drop the current oil price cap to $30 per barrel.
"Russia's military ambitions grow when its oil revenues are high," he said.
Several European countries still rely heavily on Russian oil and gas, Zelensky pointed out. Ukraine understands the complexities of this situation and treads carefully in order to respect its partnership with the EU.
"Yet, sadly, we don't always feel this same understanding in return when it comes to Ukraine's needs," Zelensky said.
"It feels especially strange to hear such strong criticism — even political pressure from some leaders — while our respect for EU rules allows oil to keep flowing."
While Zelensky did not specify any particular EU leaders, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico in June threatened to veto the 18th sanctions package, citing concerns over Slovakia's reliance on Russia's energy imports. Fico has emerged as one of the EU's strongest supporters of Russia, alongside Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
Orban took aim against Kyiv at the Brussels summit by blocking a unanimous statement of support for Ukraine's accession to the EU. All 26 other member states supported the statement, while Hungary was the sole opponent.
In his address to the Council, Zelensky urged the EU to send a clear signal of support for Ukraine's European path. Ukraine has fulfilled its obligations in the accession process, the president argued, and deserves recognition of its progress.
"Any delay by Europe at this point could create a global precedent and a reason to doubt Europe's words and commitments," he said.
The White House has recommended terminating U.S. funding for multiple programs that investigate war crimes worldwide, including Russian war crimes in Ukraine, Reuters reported on June 26.
Since U.S. President Donald Trump's inauguration in January, the administration has imposed sweeping layoffs and budget cuts, targeting foreign aid, media outlets, and federal workers. Many of the cuts have directly impacted programs assisting Ukraine.
The Trump administration's Office of Management and Budget (OMB) on June 25 recommended canceling funds for nearly two dozen programs that investigate and seek accountability for war crimes, two U.S. sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. The outlet also reviewed internal government documents to support their claims.
The targeted programs include groups investigating Russian war crimes in Ukraine, as well as atrocities in Myanmar, Syria, Iraq, Nepal, Sri Lanka and the Gambia.
Multiple programs designated for termination are operating in Ukraine, three sources told Reuters. One of the groups is Global Rights Compliance, which gathers evidence of Russian war crimes across the country, including torture and sexual violence. Another is Legal Action Worldwide, a legal aid organization that supports efforts to prosecute suspects accused of perpetrating war crimes in Ukraine.
The State Department will have the opportunity to appeal the OMB's recommendation, though two U.S. officials told Reuters that Secretary of State Marco Rubio is not likely to advocate for most of the programs.
Rubio could potentially argue to preserve a few key programs, such as those supporting the prosecution of Russian war crimes in Ukraine, one source said.
According to an internal State Department email viewed by Reuters, the department has until July 11 to submit their arguments on behalf of preserving any of the targeted war crimes accountability programs.
The Trump administration's funding cuts have already impacted humanitarian aid and civil society programs across Ukraine as the country faces its fourth year of Russia's full-scale invasion. One of Trump's first acts in his second term was to freeze all U.S. foreign assistance for 90 days. He then worked alongside former ally Elon Musk to dismantle the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
Among the defunded organizations is Ukraine Conflict Observatory, the leading U.S.-backed initiative documenting Russia's abduction of Ukrainian children. A part of Yale University's Humanitarian Research Lab, the group will end its efforts to track and monitor illegally deported Ukrainian children as of July 1 due to funding cuts.
The White House also previously disbanded the U.S. Justice Department's War Crimes Accountability Team and fired a coordinator responsible for collecting data on Russian war crimes in Ukraine.
Editor's Note: This is a developing story and is being updated.
The European Union on June 26 reached an agreement to extend sanctions against Russia for another six months, an undisclosed EU official told the Kyiv Independent.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk confirmed the agreement shortly afterwards in a joint press conference alongside European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa at the EU summit in Brussels.
The EU made the decision on June 26 to extend its current sanctions against Russia for six more months, Tusk said.
"We still have a decision about the 18th sanctions package ahead of us," he added.
The EU votes to renew its sectoral sanctions against Russia every six months in January and July. Sanctions encompass a broad array of economic areas, including restrictions on trade, finance, technology and dual-use goods, industry, transport, and luxury goods.
The latest agreement comes amid fears that Hungary, one of the bloc's most Kremlin-friendly member states, would attempt to block the extension. Hungary has repeatedly threatened to use its veto power to obstruct the sanctions process.
The European bloc first adopted sanctions related to Russian aggression on July 31, 2014, after Moscow occupied Crimea and invaded Ukraine's eastern Donbas region. The EU has significantly scaled up its sanctions measures in the wake of the full-scale invasion, adopting 17 major sanctions packages since February 2022.
The EU on June 10 unveiled its 18th package of sanctions against Russia, expanding current measures to include new restrictions on energy, banking, oil, and other sectors. The initial proposal included banning transactions involving the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines and reducing the oil price cap from $60 to $45 per barrel.
Soon after the package was announced, however, the EU reportedly postponed the effort to reduce the oil price cap.
The 18th round of sanctions is currently under debate. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, another Moscow-friendly European leader, has threatened to veto the package. Slovakia has not previously attempted to block EU sanctions against Russia.
Ukrainian drones struck air defense equipment in Russian-occupied Crimea, damaging radar units and components of the S-400 Triumph system, Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR) claimed on June 26.
The drone strike was carried out by the agency's "Ghosts" unit, HUR said. Video footage of the operation published on HUR's official Telegram channel shows the trajectory of multiple drones as they approach and hit their targets.
The attack damaged "critical and expensive components" of Russia's S-400 Triumph air defense system, including two 92N2E multifunctional control radars, two 91N6E detection radars, and an S-400 launcher, according to HUR.
"Radars are the 'eyes' of the enemy's air defense system. Without them, anti-aircraft systems become combat ineffective," HUR wrote.
The Kyiv Independent could not verify these claims.
0:00
/
Video footage of an alleged Ukrainian drone strike on a Russian S-400 air defense radar system in occupied Crimea, June 2025. (Ukraine's military intelligence agency / Telegram)
Earlier this month, the Atesh partisan group reported that a Ukrainian drone attack hit Russian military facilities near Simferopol. The group claimed on June 13 that Ukrainian drone attacks likely hit a Russian air defense system.
Ukraine has previously carried out successful attacks on S-400 radar systems in Crimea and other regions, including Russia's Belgorod Oblast. Kyiv regularly launches strikes on military and industrial targets in both Russia and Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine.
Russia has illegally occupied Crimea since 2014, transforming the peninsula into a heavily militarized stronghold. Moscow uses the region to support its war in Ukraine, launching missiles from the Black Sea and exploiting the peninsula as a key logistics and transport hub.
The Kerch Airport in Crimea has also been repurposed from civilian to military use, with Moscow-backed proxies transferring part of the airport's land to the Russian Defense Ministry in spring 2025, according to an investigation by Radio Liberty/Radio Free Europe.
Ukraine's Autonomous Republic of Crimea (Nizar al-Rifai/The Kyiv Independent)
The European Council failed to unanimously adopt a statement of support for Ukraine during its June 26 meeting in Brussels, after Hungary once again failed to support it.
On the eve of the European Council summit, Hungary's government announced on June 26 that 95% of participants in a so-called "national consultation" opposed Ukraine's accession to the EU.
The highly-particized plebiscite, promoted by Prime Minister Viktor Orban's government, has already drawn criticism over its credibility and turnout, raising concerns that Orban may use its results to justify future resistance to Ukraine’s EU accession.
To register their "vote" in the national consultation, Hungarian citizens received their "ballot" in the post, together with a letter from Orban urging people to vote against.
According to the European Council's statement, the document found "firmly supported" by 26 out of the 27 states. All EU states, except Hungary, reaffirmed Ukraine's "inherent right to choose its own destiny" and support for the country's "path towards EU membership."
"The European Council commends Ukraine for the pace of its accession-related reforms under the most challenging circumstances, welcomes the significant progress achieved, and encourages Ukraine and the Commission to intensify work in the accession process," the statement read.
EU member states also agreed to take note of the Commission’s assessment that Ukraine is ready to open the Fundamentals cluster. However, formal negotiations can only begin with the unanimous consent of all 27 member states.
Ukraine applied for EU membership shortly after Russia launched its war in 2022 and was granted candidate status within months.
As an EU member, Hungary has veto power over further progress.
Orban said he voted against Ukraine's accession to the EU in the consultation, publicly sharing photos of himself marking "against" on the poll ballot. He warned earlier this year that allowing Kyiv to join the EU would "destroy" Hungary.
Ukraine will receive €42.5 million ($45.7 million) from international partners to repair the protective arch over the Chornobyl nuclear plant's destroyed reactor, Environment and Natural Resources Minister Svitlana Hrynchuk announced on June 26.
A Russian Shahed-type drone struck the New Safe Confinement over Chornobyl's destroyed 4th reactor on February 14.
The structure built to contain radioactive material was damaged, no serious radiation leaks were caused.
France pledged €10.6 million ($11.4 million), the United Kingdom committed €6.9 million ($7.4 million), and the European Commission contributed €25 million ($26.9 million) toward the repairs.
"This is further evidence that Ukraine does not face its challenges alone, but has reliable friends," Hrynchuk wrote on Facebook.
The funding was announced at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) headquarters in London during a meeting of the Chornobyl International Cooperation Account Assembly of Contributors – the governing body of the fund created to address Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant issues.
Ukraine has already surveyed the building's structure and completed preparatory work, Hrynchuk said. In March, €400,000 ($430,000) was allocated from the special fund for this purpose.
The assembly discussed plans for temporary repairs and further work to fully restore the arch's integrity and functionality.
Chornobyl was the site of the world's worst nuclear disaster in 1986, contaminating areas across Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia.
After an protective structure was built over the destroyed reactor to contain radioactive material in the months following the disaster, the current arch, an international project built as a more permanent solution, was completed in 2017.
U.S. President Donald Trump promised during the NATO summit in The Hague that Russia would never attack the alliance while he is in office, the Washington Post reported on June 26, citing three unnamed European officials.
Speaking at a briefing in The Hague a day earlier, Trump, however, did not rule out that Russia has territorial ambitions beyond Ukraine.
"It's possible," he said.
Still, the U.S. president immediately downplayed Moscow's threat and aggression against Ukraine, saying Russian President Vladimir Putin was "misguided."
Trump's remarks came days after President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukraine's intelligence has proof that Russia is preparing new military operations in Europe and just a week after Putin declared "all of Ukraine is ours."
During the summit, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte called on alliance members to be realistic about the threats posed by Russia and China. Previously, he warned that Russia could be ready to launch an attack against the alliance within five years.
Amid rising threats from Russia, NATO member states have agreed to a new defense spending benchmark, committing to allocate 5% of their gross domestic product annually to defense and security-related expenditures by 2035.
In early June, German intelligence chief Bruno Kahl said Russia may try to test NATO’s unity with provocations beyond Ukraine, as some Russian officials believe that the alliance's collective defense principle no longer works.
Sergei Zharnovnikov, a 46-year-old citizen of Kyrgyzstan, pleaded guilty in New York federal court on June 25 to a conspiracy to illegally export U.S.-made firearms to Russia and smuggling, the U.S. Department of Justice announced.
According to the statement, the defendant exported firearms and ammunition worth more than $1.5 million from the U.S. to Russia, violating U.S. law.
"The defendant admitted that he purchased American-made, military-grade firearms and re-exported them to Russia," U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella for the Eastern District of New York said.
"Today’s guilty plea is the culmination of extensive investigative work, showing that this office will not allow merchants of lethal weapons and Russia to flout U.S. sanctions."
According to court records, Zharnovnikov, owner of a Bishkek-based arms company, conspired to export U.S. firearms to Russia starting in March 2020. He signed a $900,000 contract with a U.S. company to send weapons to Kyrgyzstan, using a Department of Commerce export license that specifically banned re-export to Russia.
Despite the restriction, Zharnovnikov allegedly sent semi-automatic hybrid rifle-pistols to Russia via Kyrgyzstan without proper permits. Shipping records show the weapons left JFK Airport in July 2022. By November, a Russian client listed those same weapons on a tax form.
Upon sentencing, Zharnovnikov could face up to 20 years in prison.
More than 20,000 Russian soldiers have been prosecuted for refusing to fight in Ukraine, a Russian independent media outlet Mediazona reported on June 26, citing online data from military courts.
As of late May, Mediazona had documented 20,538 such cases since September 2022 (when the Kremlin announced a first wave of partial mobilization) compared to 10,025 cases reported as of June 2024.
Of these, 18,159 were cases of soldiers going AWOL, 1,369 cases of failure to comply with an order, and 1,010 cases of desertion.
According to Mediazona, 17,721 of the accused have already been sentenced.
The Insider reported that Moscow uses a systematic program of "gulag-style" abuse directed at its soldiers in Ukraine in order to "maintain order" and punish perceived offenders.
Reports of Russian soldiers being abused by commanders and fellow troops have emerged since the full-scale war against Ukraine began.
Moscow has only intensified its war effort despite calls by Kyiv, the U.S., and European partners for an unconditional ceasefire as a first step toward a peace deal.
According to President Volodymyr Zelensky, Russia recruits around 40,000-45,000 men for its military every month.
Although Russia did go through phases of mobilization and has made great use of its prison population, most new recruits have for a while been volunteer contract soldiers, lured in by one-time signup bonuses often more than several years' average salary in poorer regions of Russia.
In late 2024, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree to increase the size of Russia's Armed Forces to about 2.4 million, including 1.5 million military personnel.
The Kyiv Independent has officially reached 20,000 paying members, becoming the first Ukrainian media outlet in history to cross this milestone.
This is not just a number — it’s a reminder that people around the world believe in the importance of independent journalism from Ukraine, and are willing to stand behind it.
When Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, the Kyiv Independent knew how important it would be to keep its reporting free and accessible — to show the world what was really happening on the ground.
More than three years later, that mission hasn’t changed. That´s why, in May, the Kyiv Independent launched a campaign to ensure that no matter what happens, it would be able to continue showing the threat Russia poses to the world, and the consequences of when it is allowed to do so unchecked.
In less than one month, 2,400 people became new members of the Kyiv Independent community.
Support came from more than 60 countries, with the highest number of new members joining from North America and Europe.
To help members feel more connected, an updated interactive community map was unveiled — since the update, over 700 people have added their pins to show where they're supporting from.
A live campaign counter allowed every person who joined to see their impact in real time — and know they were contributing to something bigger.
Visitors to the Kyiv Independent website saw country-specific messages during the campaign — small touches of language or culture that helped people feel seen, no matter where they were coming from.
Since its founding in late 2021, more than 50,000 people from over 130 countries have contributed financially to support the Kyiv Independent — either through one-time donations or recurring membership. In 2024, reader contributions accounted for 70% of revenue.
A map of The Kyiv Independent supporters from around the world. (The Kyiv Independent)
“The journey to twenty thousand took us 3.5 years and thousands of hours of work by the most talented people I know. It’s a testament to our journalism and our mission to provide high-quality reporting from Ukraine to the world.” said Zakhar Protsiuk, COO of The Kyiv Independent. “These twenty thousand people are our secret power that allows us to do our work and grow.”
All of this is a powerful reminder of what a committed community can do, and how reader-funded journalism can thrive, even in the hardest conditions.
The team at the Kyiv Independent is incredibly grateful to everyone who joined, gifted a membership, or shared the campaign. This achievement belongs to all of them — and it shows what’s possible when journalism is powered by community.
Ukraine has brought home a group of soldiers released from Russian captivity, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on June 26, marking yet another in a recent series of exchanges with Moscow.
"Today, soldiers of the Armed Forces, the National Guard, and the State Border Guard Service are returning home," Zelensky said without revealing their numbers.
The exchange follows six similar swaps carried out in recent weeks in accordance with agreements reached between Kyiv and Moscow at the second round of peace talks in Istanbul on June 2.
As in the other recent swaps, the latest one focused on severely ill and wounded POWs and also included a group of young soldiers under the age of 25, the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War (POWs) said.
A Ukrainian soldier pictured after being released from Russian captivity on June 26, 2025. (President Volodymyr Zelensky/Telegram)
Ukrainian soldiers pictured after being released from Russian captivity on June 26, 2025. (President Volodymyr Zelensky/Telegram)
A Ukrainian soldier pictured after being released from Russian captivity on June 26, 2025. (President Volodymyr Zelensky/Telegram)
Most of those released had been in Russian captivity since 2022, with the youngest being a 24-year-old soldier taken prisoner during the battle for Mariupol. The oldest of the freed captives was 62.
The released soldiers fought elsewhere in Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, Kharkiv, Sumy, and Kyiv oblasts. Among those freed are several officers, according to the headquarters.
"We are doing everything possible to find each person and verify information about every name," Zelensky said. "We must bring all our people home."
Russia's Defense Ministry also announced a prisoner exchange with the Ukrainian side, without specifying the number of soldiers involved.
While no political breakthrough was achieved, both sides agreed to a phased exchange ofprisoners and the repatriation of fallen soldiers' bodies. As part of that agreement, Russia pledged to return the bodies of up to 6,000 Ukrainian service members and citizens.
Moscow has handed over 6,057 bodies to Ukraine in several stages over the past few days. President Volodymyr Zelensky later said Ukrainian authorities have confirmed that at least 20 of the bodies Russia returned as Ukrainian were actually Russian soldiers.
According to Zelensky, Moscow is using this tactic as a tool for manipulation to obscure the scale of its military losses from the public.
The June 2 agreements came after the largest-ever POW swap in late May, when 1,000 prisoners were exchanged on each side.
Ukraine repeatedly called for a prisoner exchange in an all-for-all format, but Russia continues to reject the offer.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Ankara is working to organize a meeting between President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin, with U.S. President Donald Trump potentially joining the talks, Reuters reported.
Speaking after his meeting with Trump, Erdogan said on June 26 that the U.S. president expressed interest in participating if the meeting were to take place in Turkey.
"He said,'If Russian President Vladimir Putin comes to Istanbul or Ankara for a solution, then I will also come,'" Erdogan told reporters. "We will hold the necessary contacts and, God willing, realize this meeting as soon as possible."
Zelensky and Trump met during the NATO summit on June 25, where the two leaders discussed battlefield developments, Kyiv's need for additionalair defense systems, and the potential for co-production of drones.
Zelensky has previously voiced openness to a trilateral meeting. On May 27, he told public broadcaster Suspilne that he was ready to sit down with both Trump and Putin.
Putin has claimed he is also willing to meet, but did not attend previous talks proposed in Istanbul, opting instead to send lower-level delegates to peace discussions held on May 16.
The Kremlin has long sought to portray Zelensky as "illegitimate", with spokesperson Dmitry Peskov in February claiming that any talks must consider "legal aspects" of his mandate.
Turkey previously hosted direct peace talks in March 2022 and has remained one of the few countries with open lines to both Kyiv and Moscow. The latest round of direct talks on June 2 was held in Istanbul.
North Korea is likely to send more troops to Russia as early as July or August to bolster Moscow's war effort against Ukraine, South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS) said during a closed-door briefing, Yonhap reported on June 26.
According to lawmakers briefed by the NIS, Pyongyang has already begun recruiting soldiers for deployment to Russia. The latest intelligence adds to growing concerns about the expanding scope of North Korea's involvement in Russia's war.
The additional troop deployment would come on top of what Seoul estimates is already substantial support from North Korea, including the transfer of over 10 million artillery shells, and ballistic missiles in exchange for economic and technical assistance.
Yonhap's reporting follows recent findings that Pyongyang may send up to 25,000 laborers to Russia to support drone production, specifically Shahed-type loitering munitions, at the Alabuga Special Economic Zone in Tatarstan, according to Japan's NHK broadcaster.
In return, Pyongyang reportedly seeks training in drone operations, signaling an effort to integrate advanced unmanned aerial capabilities into its own military arsenal.
The developments come amid intensifying diplomatic exchanges between the two authoritarian regimes. Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu traveled to North Korea on June 17 under a special directive from President Vladimir Putin.
After meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Shoigu announced that Pyongyang had agreed to dispatch 1,000 sappers and 5,000 military engineers to Russia's Kursk Oblast.
North Korean combat units have already participated in front-line operations. Thousands of troops helped Russia repel a Ukrainian cross-border offensive into Kursk Oblast that began in August 2024.
Ukraine briefly held 1,300 square kilometers in the region before losing most of the territory during Russia's March 2025 counteroffensive, which was supported by Pyongyang. The U.K. defense intelligence estimates place North Korean casualties at over 6,000.
Kyrylo Budanov, Ukraine's military intelligence chief, said on June 9 that Russia and North Korea had agreed to begin domestic production of Shahed-136 drones on North Korean territory, further solidifying their military partnership.
During Russia's May 9 Victory Day Parade in Moscow, President Putin personally greeted North Korean troops in Red Square, underscoring the alliance's symbolic and operational depth.
Kim did not attend but remains one of the Kremlin's staunchest foreign backers.
Ukraine has halted Russia's advance in Sumy Oblast, stabilizing the front line and blunting the momentum of Moscow's summer offensive, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said on June 26.
"Based on the results of May and June, we can say that this year's wave of the enemy's summer offensive from Russian territory is faltering," Syrskyi said, reporting that Russian troops in the northeastern border region had been stopped.
Moscow launched its new summer campaign in May, aiming to push deeper into Ukraine's northeast and eastern regions, disregarding Kyiv's calls for an unconditional ceasefire.
Russian forces had made modest gains, occupying around 449 square kilometers (173 square miles) in May, the highest monthly total in 2025, according to the open-source intelligence group DeepState.
In Sumy Oblast, however, the line of contact has stabilized. Syrskyi said Ukrainian troops are not only defending but also reclaiming ground using active defense tactics.
"In certain areas, our units are liberating Ukrainian territory," he said.
A map of Ukraine's Sumy Oblast (Nizar al-Rifal/The Kyiv Independent)
Syrskyi said Ukrainian operations in Russia's Glushkovsky district had forced Moscow to shift elite units, including Airborne Forces and Marine Corps brigades, into defensive positions, undermining their offensive capabilities in Sumy.
"In the North Slobozhansky and Kursk directions, we have once again pinned down about 50,000 Russian Armed Forces personnel," Syrskyi said. He provided no further details about how Ukraine had achieved this.
Ukraine launched a cross-border offensive into Russia's Kursk Oblast in August 2024, initially capturing 1,300 square kilometers before losing most of that territory in a Russian counterattack earlier this year.
Russian officials declared complete control over the region on April 26, though the claim was later disputed by Kyiv and contradicted by Russia's own local authorities.
Russia's broader offensive aims to seize the remaining administrative borders of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts and carve out a buffer zone along the Sumy and Kharkiv frontiers.
Sumy Oblast, which borders Russia to the east, remains a strategic region. Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, it has faced near-daily attacks.
Hungary's government announced on June 26 that 95% of participants in a national consultation opposed Ukraine's accession to the EU, Hungarian news outlet Telex reported.
The poll, promoted by Prime Minister Viktor Orban's government, has already drawn criticism over its credibility and turnout. Telex reported that the system could be manipulated — testing showed that users were able to vote twice using different email addresses.
According to Telex, 2,278,000 people participated in the consultation — approximately 29% of the electorate that voted in the 2024 European Parliament elections. Of those, the government claimed 95% voted against Ukraine joining the EU, while only 5% supported the bid.
Ukraine applied for EU membership shortly after Russia launched its war in 2022 and was granted candidate status within months. As an EU member, Hungary has veto power over further progress.
The consultation results were released on the eve of the European Council summit, giving Orban leverage to delay Ukraine's membership. But the process itself has drawn skepticism.
Government spokesman Gergely Gulyas claimed printed ballots were notarized and secure, and that electronic votes, which made up 10% of the total, were being verified. However, he could not confirm whether the system could detect if someone voted both by mail and online.
Opposition leader Peter Magyar on June 22 dismissed the consultation as a "government propaganda campaign" and cited internal data from Magyar Posta indicating that only 3-7% of mailed ballots were returned.
"It's the lowest-ever turnout for any such consultation," Magyar wrote on social media.
Since 2010, Orban's government has conducted more than a dozen similar national consultations — non-binding letter campaigns with leading questions designed to reinforce government positions.
Previous campaigns targeted topics like LGBTQ rights and EU migration policy. In one 2023 consultation, voters were asked whether they supported Brussels' alleged plans to create "migrant ghettos" in Hungary — 99% voted no, with turnout under 20%.
On April 22, Orban said he voted against Ukraine's accession to the EU in the consultation, publicly sharing photos of himself marking "against" on the poll ballot. He warned earlier this year that allowing Kyiv to join the EU would "destroy" Hungary.
Orban, the EU's most openly pro-Russian leader, has blocked or delayed military aid to Ukraine, maintained close ties with President Vladimir Putin, and echoed Kremlin talking points.
Hungary's opposition and Western critics view his administration as increasingly authoritarian, citing the erosion of press freedom, judicial independence, and electoral fairness.
Despite the low turnout and widespread allegations of manipulation, Orban is expected to use the consultation's outcome to justify future obstruction of Ukraine's EU integration.
Russia appears to have provided North Korea with extensive assistance in designing and rapidly constructing two advanced destroyers, the most modern in Pyongyang's fleet, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on June 25.
The destroyers, part of the new Choe Hyon class, were built in just over a year — an unusually fast timeline that analysts say would have been impossible without foreign support.
Satellite imagery and launch footage suggest a clear Russian design influence, including the distinctive bow and stern structure found on Russia's Admiral Grigorovich-class frigates.
One of the destroyers, launched in April, was followed in May by a failed launch during which the second vessel capsized in front of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
The incident prompted outrage from Kim, who condemned the failed launch as a "criminal act" and placed blame on several state institutions, accusing relevant officials of "irresponsibility" which "could not be tolerated,"North Korean state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.
According to the agency, a malfunction in the launch mechanism caused the stern of the 5,000-ton destroyer to slide into the water too early, while the rest of the ship remained stuck.
Damage to the bottom of the ship threw it off balance, and the bow failed to move, resulting in "a serious accident."
The wreck was recovered in early June.
Mike Plunkett, a senior naval analyst at Janes, an open-source intelligence company, told the WSJ that the ships appeared to have signs of Russian involvement. He pointed to identical hull lines and profiles where the hull connects to the side, between the Korean and Russian vessels.
One of the destroyers appears to be equipped with the Russian Pantsir-M system, marking the first time this advanced air-defense system has been seen on a non-Russian warship.
Plunkett noted that the ventilation grilles for the engine room were sealed with metal plates, indicating the ships might not yet have engines.
The news comes amid deepening military ties between Russia and North Korea. According to a May 29 report by the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT), Pyongyang shipped up to 9 million artillery shells and at least 100 ballistic missiles to Russia in 2024 alone.
In fall 2024, North Korea's role in Russia's war grew as it sent thousands of troops to Russia's western border to assist in repelling a Ukrainian incursion.
The partnership has also expanded into drone cooperation. On June 9, Ukraine's military intelligence chief, Kyrylo Budanov, said the two nations had agreed to begin production of Iranian-designed Shahed-136 drones on North Korean territory.
U.S. President Donald Trump's proposed defense budget for fiscal year 2026 prioritizes drones and long-range missile systems over traditional air and naval platforms, Reuters reported on June 26.
The $892.6 billion request maintains the overall funding level from 2025 but shifts spending toward innovation and high-tech systems. The budget includes increased investment in small drones, a response to their proven battlefield value in Ukraine.
The proposal slashes procurement of key legacy systems. Trump's plan includes just 47 F-35 fighter jets, down from the 68 planned by the Biden administration, and only three warships.
The Pentagon will continue to purchase Joint Air to Surface Standoff Missile – Extended Range and Long Range Anti-Ship missiles for the U.S. Air Force. Fewer Precision Strike Missiles, meant to replace the ATACMS, are included in the main request.
The proposal also includes a 3.8% increase in military salaries, while decommissioning aging and costly aircraft and ships. The Navy's civilian workforce will be reduced by more than 7,000 employees to free up resources for technology and modernization.
The shift from traditional fleet expansion indicates a move towards asymmetric, precise warfare with drones playing a crucial battlefield role.
Ukraine's experience has informed several elements of the request. Since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, Kyiv has expanded drone production across all domains — air, land, and sea — with plans to manufacture 30,000 long-range drones in 2025.
Ukraine's hybrid strike platforms, such as the Palianytsia and Peklo missile-drones, have drawn international attention for their range and versatility.
The Dutch Defense Ministry will finance the production of 20 Ermine ground vehicles for Ukraine, German defense manufacturer Rheinmetall announced on June 25.
The contract, signed during the NATO summit in The Hague, marks the first order for the new-generation tactical platform. Ukraine will become the first country in the world to receive the Ermine.
The Ermine, developed by Rheinmetall Defence Nederland, is designed primarily for front-line evacuation missions.
The light buggies provide fast, maneuverable transport for wounded personnel in combat zones. Rheinmetall said the deliveries are expected to begin in 2026.
According to Rheinmetall, the Ermine is a "lightweight tactical system that combines the robustness of a diesel unit with many advantages of an electric drive."
It's a modular system that comes in four configurations — 4x4 quad, 4x4/6x6 buggy, or Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV).
The Ermine combines a diesel engine with an electric motor that allows for what Rheinmetall describes as "Silent Move & Silent Watch," and has a range of up 1,200 kilometers, and can carry up to a tonne.
"The electrical powertrain makes the Ermine almost silent. It is capable of driving up to 50 km silently through heavy terrain and up to 100 km on the road," the company said.
"The system offers its users significant tactical advantages in avoiding enemy reconnaissance."
The electrical engine can even provide charging points for soldiers out in the field.
An Ermine ground vehicle developed by Rheinmetall Defence Nederland mainly for front-line evacuation missions (Rheinmetall)
On June 24, Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof presented a new military aid package for Ukraine, including 100 drone radar systems, front-line vehicles, and 80 million euros (over $90 million) for the drone initiative.
The NATO summit concluded on June 25 with a joint pledge by member states to raise defense spending to 5% of GDP by 2035. The updated target reflects shifting priorities within the Alliance as the war in Ukraine drags into its fourth year.
Unlike in previous years, the 2025 summit communique did not include an explicit condemnation of Russia's invasion. Still, the final statement reaffirmed support for Ukraine and said assistance to its defense industry will count toward the new spending benchmark.
President Volodymyr Zelensky met with U.S. President Donald Trump during the summit, where the two leaders discussed battlefield developments, Kyiv's need for additional air defense systems, and the potential for co-production of drones.
"They (Ukraine) do want to have the anti-missiles, as they call them, the Patriots, and we're going to see if we can make some available," Trump said. "They are very hard to get. We need them too. We are supplying them for Israel, and they are very effective."
Trump's remarks signal a potential boost to Ukraine's air defense capabilities, which have come under increasing strain amid intensifying Russian attacks.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni told U.S. President Donald Trump that the determination shown by the U.S. toward Iran should also be applied to ending Russia's war against Ukraine, she said on June 25 on the sidelines of the NATO summit in The Hague.
Meloni, a close Trump ally and the only European leader invited to his 2025 inauguration, welcomed the recently announced ceasefire between Israel and Iran.
She emphasized that sustained commitment is also needed in Ukraine, where Russian President Vladimir Putin last week declared "all of Ukraine is ours."
"I spoke about this with President of the United States Donald Trump, to whom I said the same determination is needed to achieve two other important ceasefires," Meloni said. "One in Ukraine, where Russia seems unwilling to take any steps forward, and one in Gaza."
On June 24, Trump announced that a ceasefire between Iran and Israel had taken effect following U.S. airstrikes on Iran's nuclear infrastructure.
The escalation followed Israel's June 13 attack that prompted Iran to retaliate with missile attacks on Tel Aviv and other cities, killing multiple civilians, including five Ukrainian citizens.
President Volodymyr Zelensky met with Trump during the summit, held amid concerns over waning U.S. support for Kyiv. Unlike in 2024, this year's communique did not directly condemn Russia's invasion, a shift that underscores changing political dynamics within the Alliance.
The leaders reaffirmed support for Ukraine's defense, saying national contributions toward Ukraine's military-industrial capacity will count toward NATO's new defense spending goal.
All 32 NATO member states agreed to a new benchmark, committing to raise defense spending to 5% of GDP by 2035. Meloni praised the decision as a sign of unity.
"I believe the unity of the alliance and its willingness to strengthen itself is more important, especially in the context we are in, and is clearly a very important element," she said.
The NATO summit comes just one week after Trump departed early from the G7 in Canada, delaying direct talks with Zelensky until June 25.
Russia has lost 1,015,750 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 26.
The number includes 1,100 casualties that Russian forces suffered just over the past day.
According to the report, Russia has also lost 10,968 tanks, 22,892 armored fighting vehicles, 53,195 vehicles and fuel tanks, 29,617 artillery systems, 1,425 multiple launch rocket systems, 1,188 air defense systems, 416 airplanes, 337 helicopters, 42,153 drones, 3,388 cruise missiles, 28 ships and boats, and one submarine.
A Russian military court has convicted 184 Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) captured in Kursk Oblast of acts of terrorism, Mediazona reported on June 25.
Ukraine first launched a surprise offensive into Russia's Kursk Oblast in August 2024. Ukrainian officials have said the incursion forced Russia to move resources away from its offensives in Eastern Ukraine.
Russia's military prosecutors office convicts Ukrainian POWs captured in Kursk Oblast on a regular basis, independent Russian outlet Mediazona reported.
The POWs captured in Kursk were charged with carrying out a grave terrorist act by a group of individuals, as outlined by the Russian Criminal Code.
Junior Lieutenant Yevhen Hoch was convicted of allegedly carrying out an act of terrorism by taking part in Ukraine's Kursk Oblast incursion.
Russia has waged its war against Ukraine since 2014 and initiated a full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Russian authorities accused Hoch of interfering with civilian evacuations for three weeks amid Ukraine's Kursk offensive and for "intimidating them by openly carrying and using combat weapons."
Russia regularly convicts people of politically motivated charges in an effort to silence opposition to its war against Ukraine.
The Russian 2nd Western District Military Court has carried out the sentences against the 184 Ukrainian POWs since the beginning of the year.
Moscow has gone after journalists in Ukraine's Russian-occupied territories. Ukrainian Journalist Viktoriia Roshchyna disappeared in August 2023 and died after being tortured in Russian captivity. Roschyna's body was returned to Ukraine in February with missing organs.
Editor's note: This is a developing story and is being updated.
Explosions were reported in Moscow overnight on June 26, prompting airport closures, with Russia's Defense Ministry claiming 50 Ukrainian drones were downed across the country.
Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said emergency services were at the sites where two drones were downed.
According to the Shot Telegram channel, which appears to be close to Russian security forces, debris from a downed drone struck a residential building.
"Alarms went off everywhere," a local resident told the channel.
Ukraine's military regularly strikes military targets deep within Russia in an attempt to diminish Moscow's fighting power as it continues its war against Ukraine.
Russia's Defense Ministry later claimed 50 Ukrainian drones had been downed across the country, two of which were "flying towards Moscow."
The Kyiv Independent could not independently verify these claims.
Kaluga airport and Moscow's Vnukovo airport had flight restrictions imposed amid the drone attack, Artyom Korenyako, a spokesperson for Russia's state aviation agency Rosaviatsia, said early on June 26.
"The airport is temporarily not accepting or sending flights. Aircraft crews, air traffic controllers, and airport services must take all necessary measures to ensure flight safety," he said.
Ukrainian drones have forced at least 217 temporary airport closures across Russia since Jan. 1, independent Russian outlet Novaya Gazeta Europe reported on May 14, citing data from Russia's state aviation agency Rosaviatsia.
The figure already surpassed the combined total for all of 2023 and 2024, underscoring Kyiv's growing ability to put pressure on Russia, even in areas far from the border with Ukraine.
According to Serhii Bratchuk, spokesperson for the Ukrainian Defense Army's Southern Division, the surge in disruptions reflects a strategic shift in Ukraine's drone campaign.
"Moscow is the biggest aviation hub in the Russian Federation — flights go everywhere, not only across Russia, but worldwide," he told the Kyiv Independent last month.
"This is about the potential disintegration of Russian regions and the weakening of internal control."
Ukraine has also had remarkable success using first person view (FPV) drones — on June 1, Ukraine launched a game-changing drone attack on four key Russian military airfields, damaging 41 planes, including heavy bombers and rare A-50 spy planes.
Kyiv claimed it disabled 34% of Russia's strategic bomber fleet in what is seen as one of the most daring operations during Russia's full-scale war.
United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio surprised NATO allies this week with conflicting messages on Russia sanctions, delivering a tougher stance in private than in his public remarks, Politico reported on June 25.
Rubio met with NATO foreign ministers on June 25 during a private dinner at the alliance's annual summit. According to sources who spoke with Politico, Rubio acknowledged that Russia was the main obstacle preventing peace talks to end the war in Ukraine.
He reportedly said the U.S. Senate would likely consider new sanctions legislation after completing work on President Donald Trump's spending bill.
However, just hours later, Rubio softened his position on Russia during an exclusive interview with Politico, calling for a more cautious approach.
"If we did what everybody here wants us to do, and that is come in and crush them with more sanctions, we probably lose our ability to talk to them about the ceasefire and then who's talking to them?" Rubio said.
He also added that Trump would know the "time and place" to change course.
When asked about the apparent shift in tone, a senior U.S. official insisted Rubio's messaging has remained consistent in conversations with allies.
"The secretary has been very consistent in meeting and calls with his counterparts on three key point," the official said.
"One is that the president believes strongly that the only way this war ends is through negotiations; second, as soon as the U.S. imposes new sanctions on Russia the opportunity for the U.S. to be involved in those negotiations closes; and third, that the Senate, in America anyway, is an independent body that at some point is going to move on those sanctions,."
At the NATO dinner, Rubio reportedly faced criticism from Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, who claimed that Russian President Vladimir Putin was disrespecting Trump by violating the ceasefire.
It has been more than 100 days since Ukraine agreed to a U.S.-backed complete ceasefire, while Russia continues to reject it.
Sikorski also reportedly denounced Moscow's repeated attacks on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities, which have intensified in recent weeks, saying such strikes "should not come for free" — implying that the U.S. and Europe should do more to support Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Rubio has delivered different messages in public and behind closed doors. Despite the shifting rhetoric, Baltic and Nordic countries reportedly view him as a pragmatic ally within the Trump administration — one who has a realistic understanding of the threats posed by Russia and China, according to a second European official cited by POLITICO.
Ukraine and the Council of Europe signed a historic agreement on June 25 to establish a Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression, marking a major step toward holding Russia's leadership accountable for launching the full-scale invasion in 2022.
The agreement was signed by President Volodymyr Zelensky and Council of Europe Secretary General Alain Berset during a ceremony in Strasbourg, France – following more than three years of diplomatic efforts and deliberation.
Speaking at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Zelensky thanked the assembly and underscored the importance of justice.
"Everyone responsible for this war must be held to account," he said. "Every war criminal must face justice – including Putin... the crime of aggression must be recorded, judged, and punished."
Zelensky also praised PACE for its "real leadership" in taking a stand against Russia and developing the tribunal.
"It was here in this assembly, that the first call for such a tribunal was made," Zelensky said. "The idea was born here – and now it’s gaining real support from partner countries in Europe and beyond."
The Special Tribunal will be established within the framework of the Council of Europe and will have the mandate to prosecute senior Russian leaders for the crime of aggression – defined as the decision to use armed force against another state, in violation of the United Nations Charter.
President Zelensky has long advocated for the creation of the tribunal, emphasizing the need to bring Russian President Vladimir Putin and other senior officials to justice. Ukrainian prosecutors have documented thousands of war crimes committed by Russian forces, including attacks on civilians, cultural landmarks, medical facilities, and reports of torture and forced deportations.
The tribunal is intended to close a key legal gap in existing international accountability mechanisms.
While the International Criminal Court (ICC) has jurisdiction to investigate war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide in Ukraine – and has already issued arrest warrants for Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova, the Russian official overseeing the forced deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia – it cannot examine the crime of aggression due to jurisdictional constraints.
The new tribunal will complement the ICC's efforts by specifically targeting high-level officials responsible for starting the war – such as Putin and his inner circle.
In addition to the special tribunal, the Council of Europe’s Ukraine-related work includes the Register of Damage – an initiative that has already received more than 34,000 claims detailing losses and harms resulting from Russia's full-scale invasion.
The establishment of the register, and now the special tribunal, are important steps to ensure justice for Ukraine and its people.
Connexion
The Kyiv IndependentThe Kyiv Independent news desk
