Ukraine’s domestically developed short-range Sapsan ballistic missile has successfully completed combat testing and is in the process of serial production, Ukrainian media reported on June 13.

The missile, with a payload of 480 kg, completed testing in May after successfully striking a Russian military target at a range of nearly 300 km, Valentyn Badrak, head of the an independent Ukrainian think Center for Army, Conversion and Disarmament Studies told Liga.net.

Ukraine's Defense Ministry reportedly dedicated a department to formulate and test the missile.

There is no reported timeline as to when the missiles can be seen in regular use on the battlefield.

Domestically produced long-range weapons are of key importance to Ukraine's defense strategy, as Western partners have been slow in delivering adequate weaponry amid increasing Russian attacks and offensives.

The news comes as U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in a congressional hearing on June 10 that the United States will reduce funding allocated for military assistance to Ukraine in its upcoming defense budget

In November 2024, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that Ukraine has produced its first 100 missiles.

Since then, Ukraine has continued to increase domestic weapon production. Zelensky said on April 16 that over 40% of the weapons used at the front line are now produced in Ukraine, including over 95% of drones used at front line.

Zelensky also previously revealed that Ukraine had developed another domestic-made weapon, a missile-drone Palianytsia.

As Ukraine attempt to increase its defense production, Russia has continued to unleash large-scale attacks on Ukrainian cities, regularly launching hundreds of drones to overwhelm Ukrainian air defenses.

Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) shared with the Kyiv Independent that Russia's production of ballistic missiles has increased by at least 66% over the past year.

Ukraine's Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said in late 2024 that Ukraine also resumed and scaled up serial production of Neptune cruise missiles, modifying them to have a greater range.

Kyiv has received a number of long-range missiles from partners, such as U.S.-made ATACMS, British Storm Shadow, or French SCALP/T. Despite Ukrainian requests, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said on June 12 that Berlin has no plans to provide Taurus long-range missiles to Kyiv.

Germany to supply new Iris-T air defense systems to Ukraine, rules out Taurus missiles

Germany will deliver new IRIS-T air defense systems to Ukraine under a three-year supply plan, President Volodymyr Zelensky said during a joint press conference with German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, who said Berlin has no plans to provide Taurus long-range missiles.

The Kyiv IndependentTim Zadorozhnyy

Ukraine is still waiting for the United States to respond to its request to purchase air defense systems, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on 7 June. This followed a major Russian air assault on Kharkiv city the same day, as Russia reportedly targeted the city with 67 explosive drones, nine aerial bombs, and a missile.

Zelenskyy calls for urgent US support

In his evening address on 7 June, Zelenskyy stressed that Ukraine urgently needs “positive signals” from the US — not just words, but concrete decisions.

“We are working to strengthen Ukraine’s air defense. We urgently need positive signals from the United States – concrete signals regarding air defense systems,” he said. “We are still waiting for a response to our request to purchase systems that can help — concrete signals, not words.”

He also thanked European nations for their support and emphasized the importance of joint production efforts.

“We must also achieve results in the joint production of air defense systems and missiles for them – this is absolutely essential for our whole Europe,” Zelenskyy noted, adding that “only time separates us from that result, and what matters most is shortening that time.”

Reuters: US expects another multi-pronged Russian strike after Ukraine’s Spiderweb drone attack

The statement came after a Ukrainian delegation visited Washington on 6 June. According to the head of the Office of the President, Andrii Yermak, Ukraine expressed its readiness to buy weapons from the US. However, Yermak stated that members of Congress believe Washington can continue supplying arms directly to Ukraine instead.

On 6 June, Russia attacked Kyiv, Lutsk, and Ternopil with hundreds of drones and 45 missiles, leading to heavy casualties among civilians. That day, US President Donald Trump appeared to defend Russia’s massive airstrike on Ukrainian cities the night before, claiming that Ukraine’s Operation Spiderweb had given Vladimir Putin “a reason to go in and bomb the hell out of them last night.” Earlier, after a phone call with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, he said Russia’s reaction would “not be pretty.” 

Editor's note: This is a developing story and is being updated.

An Avangard electronics plant reportedly caught fire in the Russian city of St. Petersburg following a series of explosions, local Telegram channels and officials reported overnight on May 29.

In purported videos posted on social media, a large fire was seen rising from the factory's roof in the Kalininsky district of the city. Preliminary reports indicate that the fire began around 1 a.m. local time.

The fire is reportedly burning on the 5th floor of a 6-story building, the St. Petersburg Emergency Services Ministry said, adding that the fire covers approximately 100-square-meters.

The plant reportedly specializes in the production of microelectronics and microcircuits.

The cause of the fire was not immediately clear. Ukraine's military has not yet commented on the fire, and there were no official reports of Ukrainian drone attacks targeting the region ahead of the fire.

The Kyiv Independent cannot independently verify reports made by Russian officials.

Kyiv has previously target St. Petersburg through drone attacks on the region.

As Russia continues to reject calls for a ceasefire and the war drags on, Ukraine has intensified drone attacks on Russian territory. In particular, drone attacks in Russia have forced airport closures for several nights in a row.

A source in the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) told the Kyiv Independent on May 28 that Ukrainian long-range drones hit the Raduga enterprise in the town of Dubna in Moscow Oblast, which produces cruise missiles.

Ukrainian drones hit Russian cruise missile factory, SBU source says, in one of largest reported strikes of full-scale war

Dozens of Ukrainian drones were shot down by Russian air defenses as they approached Moscow, Mayor Sergey Sobyanin claimed on May 28.

The Kyiv IndependentLucy Pakhnyuk

President Volodymyr Zelensky said on May 27 that Ukraine is fully mobilizing its domestic industrial base to scale up production of drones, missiles, and other weapons systems, as the country braces for continued large-scale Russian attacks.

From May 24 to 26, Russian forces fired more than 600 drones and dozens of missiles across Ukraine, with the third night amounting to the single largest drone attack of the full-scale war.

Zelensky's remarks followed a high-level meeting with Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi, Chief of the General Staff Anatolii Hnatov, and Defense Minister Rustem Umerov.

"The agenda included planning our actions, our readiness to respond to Russian strikes, to their threats, and taking preventive measures, which means increasing the production of our drones and our missiles," the president said during his evening address.

He added that "hundreds of Ukrainian companies are already producing results for Ukraine’s Defense Forces, with more to follow." Zelensky said the government is fully mobilizing "entrepreneurial capacity for weapons production" and plans to sign new agreements with European partners to attract investment, focusing on unmanned systems and long-range capabilities.

While the government cannot publicly disclose its existing plans or capabilities, Zelensky emphasized that Ukraine must "respond symmetrically to all Russian threats" and Moscow must "clearly feel the consequences of what they are doing against Ukraine. And they will."

"Attack drones, interceptors, cruise missiles, Ukrainian ballistic systems – these are the key elements. We must manufacture all of them," he said.

In the meantime, the Trump administration has spent months trying to broker a peace deal in Ukraine. However, direct talks in Istanbul failed to yield a ceasefire, and during a May 19 phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin once again rejected calls for a 30-day truce.

Despite this, Trump has refused to impose new sanctions on Moscow so far, but said on May 25 that new sanctions could be on the table: "I’ve always gotten along with him," Trump said of Putin. "But he’s sending rockets into cities and killing people (...) We're in the middle of talking and he's shooting rockets into Kyiv and other cities. I don't like it at all."

Sanctions on Russia are working, Ukraine just needs more

Sanctions on their own won’t end the war, but they are a crucial tool in the West’s efforts to pressure Putin.

The Kyiv IndependentDominic Culverwell

Editor's note: The article was updated after the EU formally adopted the plan.

The EU formally adopted a 150-billion-euro ($170 billion) defense loan instrument amid Russia's war against Ukraine, the Council of the EU announced on May 27.

The EU reached an agreement to launch the $170 billion common defense fund on May 21 as Europe faces an increasingly challenging security environment. Russia continues to wage its war against Ukraine, and Europe is growing uncertain of U.S. security commitments to the continent.

The Security Action For Europe (SAFE) initiative will offer $170 billion in loans without counting towards EU fiscal spending limits.

SAFE is an EU loan instrument meant to prop up the continent's defense industry by financing weapons procurement to eligible countries. It also aims to "boost production capacity, making sure defense equipment is available when needed, and to address existing capability gaps," the Council of the EU said in a statement.

"This is an unprecedented instrument which will boost our defense capabilities and support our defense industry. The more we invest in our security and defense, the better we deter those who wish us harm," said Adam Szlapka, Poland's European affairs minister.

The EU's member states, European Free Trade Association (EFTA) members, and Ukraine are eligible to borrow funds from the defense spending instrument.

The EU "would effectively double the volume of weapons Ukraine receives" by investing in domestic weapons production through the SAFE mechanism, EU Defense Commissioner Andrius Kubilius said on May 4.

"If (Russian President Vladimir) Putin isn’t convinced by (U.S. President Donald) Trump to make peace, we could bring forward more convincing arguments for peace very quickly — by greatly increasing our military support to Ukraine," Kubilius said.

The commissioner called for EU members to utilize the bloc's SAFE initiative to strengthen Ukraine in its fight against Russia's war.

The fund is part of the European Commission's ambitious ReArm Europe program, which allows member states to spend an additional 650 billion euros ($730 billion) on defense by loosening fiscal rules.

Why did Russia invade Ukraine? Debunking Putin’s ‘root causes’ claims

As Russia continues to bombard cities and towns across Ukraine, Russian officials have hardened their position against a ceasefire, continuing to repeat the obscure demand that the war’s “root causes” be addressed before agreeing to any truce. For months, the phrase “root causes” has become a go-to talking point

The Kyiv IndependentAndrea Januta

Russia’s mobilization reserve may include as many as 25 million people — those with military obligations or past service — from its total population of 145 million. However, only about 3 million of them are considered properly trained and combat-capable, according to the head of Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service.

Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022, the country has mobilized 1.3 million people, while sustaining nearly one million casualties in killed and wounded, said Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service chief Oleh Ivashchenko in an interview with Ukrinform.

“Russia has approximately 145 million inhabitants. The mobilization resource consists of 25 million people. These are those who have relevant military registration or related specialties. And these are the labor resources that drive the economy. But only 3 million are actually trained,” Ivashchenko said.

Ivashchenko also detailed significant constraints in Russia’s defense production capabilities.

“They are trying to reach maximum output, but it’s difficult for them. They need investments, machine tools, components, and there are problems with this. Electronics and specialized chemistry are particularly challenging,” Ivashchenko stated.

The Foreign Intelligence head also revealed that 80% of Russia’s current military equipment consists of older systems with reduced capabilities, retrieved from storage facilities, repaired, and deployed to combat zone, while only 20% represents modern military systems.

Regarding ammunition production, Russia manufactures approximately 3 million artillery shells of 122mm and 152mm caliber annually. The country supplements this domestic production with 2.5 to 3 million additional shells from North Korea each year.

Ivashchenko reported that Russia has acquired 6 million shells from North Korea since the full-scale war began. North Korea has also provided military hardware including 120 units of 170mm M1989 Koksan self-propelled artillery systems and 120 units of M1991 240mm multiple rocket launcher systems.

Earlier, Dutch military intelligence warned that Russia is producing significantly more artillery than needed for its war in Ukraine, with support from other countries, and is moving new military units toward NATO borders, especially in the Baltic states and Finland. Dutch officials stressed that, while an immediate attack is not expected, Europe must prepare for the possibility of future Russian aggression.

Recently, US intelligence also indicated that Russian President Putin is prepared to continue the war against Ukraine through at least the end of 2025, viewing the conflict as central to his personal legacy and the future of his regime.

Despite significant losses and international sanctions, Putin is determined to achieve his objectives in Ukraine and shows no signs of willingness to negotiate a meaningful peace. The Kremlin is mobilizing resources and adapting its strategy to sustain military operations, while also intensifying efforts to undermine Western support for Ukraine through propaganda, cyberattacks, and political interference.