Russian occupiers die by the hundreds in hellish meat grinder near Pokrovsk in Donetsk Oblast. According to the Hostri Kartuzi or "Peaky Blinders" unit of the Ukrainian Army, the occupation troops pay an enormous price for every square meter of Ukrainian land. 

Ukrainian troops use drones to take out the Russian military outside Pokrovsk

“Truly colossal losses of the Russian army near Rodynske,” the unit reported in a caption to photos published on its Telegram channel. (Warning! Graphic content) 

Russian occupying forces are suffering enormous manpower losses, trying to fulfill the military command’s orders to achieve success in the Pokrovsk–Myrnohrad agglomeration at any cost. 

Earlier, Mykola Malomuzh, a former head of Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service and Army General, stated that Russian President Vladimir Putin had ordered his forces to seize Pokrovsk, Myrnohrad, and the entire Pokrovsk agglomeration by 15 November. 

According to the Ukrainian soldiers, almost all the occupiers shown in the images were eliminated by drones.

“Dozens of charred or torn bodies of Russian soldiers lie in the open on the approaches to the city,” the Hostri Kartuzi wrote. 

The Ukrainian defenders emphasized that Russian forces are assaulting positions by “throwing in meat,"  without tactics or strategy. They added that Russia is ready to sacrifice thousands of its troops for even minimal territorial gains.

“So when you see reports of Russian advances on maps, remember the price the occupier pays for every square meter of Ukrainian land,” they said. 

What does Ukraine's General Staff say? 

On the Pokrovsk front, since the start of the day, the Russians have launched 38 assaults in an attempt to dislodge Ukrainian defenders from their positions.

Ukrainian Defense Forces have repelled 36 attacks, are conducting active counter-operations, and have achieved advances of up to 0.4 kilometers in certain areas. 

The situation is on the brink

Russian occupying forces have not encircled Pokrovsk in the Donetsk Oblast, but intense fighting continues inside the city. Small assault groups of Russian troops are attempting to infiltrate urban areas, according to Artem Prybylnov, Head of Communications for the 155th Separate Mechanized Brigade. 

In his comments for the Kyiv24 channel, he said that Russian troops are actively utilizing attack and reconnaissance drones, as well as artillery, and maintain a superiority in manpower.

“The city is a commanding height, and its loss would be painful for the entire front. We must stabilize the situation and do everything possible to prevent its capture," Prybylnov said. 

He added that Russian assault units had been preparing for months for urban fighting aimed at taking Pokrovsk, but are now moving chaotically through the city.

Over the past day, Russian forces have made limited advances within Pokrovsk, where the situation remains on the verge of critical.

Analysts from DeepState reported that Russian troops are establishing observation posts and entrenching themselves in several districts of the city.

According to the 7th Corps of the Air Assault Forces, Ukrainian troops have improved their tactical positions in several neighborhoods while continuing to hold off numerically superior Russian forces.

Andriy Yermak, head of Ukraine's Presidential Office, has been leading campaigns to supplant three top officials in the Ukrainian government, the Economist reported on July 6, citing multiple anonymous officials.

The story follows a corruption probe into Deputy Prime Minister Oleksii Chernyshov, the highest-ranking official in Ukrainian history to face such charges while still in office. According to the Economist's sources, Yermak was a driving force behind the investigation.

Yermak, President Volodymyr Zelensky's close friend and chief adviser, spurred on the Chernyshov probe while also renewing attempts to replace Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR) , and Prime Ministery Denys Shmyhal, three unnamed officials told the Economist.

There is no evidence that Yermak ordered an investigation into Chernyshov, the Economist reports, but officials told the outlet that he influenced the case by allowing it to progress while freezing other investigations.

Chernyshov ran afoul of Yermak by offering himself as an alternative liaison to Washington, the officials claimed. His removal would also reportedly clear the way for Deputy Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko, a Yermak protege, to assume the role of Prime Minister in the event of Shmyhal's dismissal.

Rumors of a government reshuffle unseating Shmyhal have circulated for months. Ukrainian media reported last summer that Zelensky was considering replacing the prime minister with Svyrydenko. While several key officials were replaced in a reshuffle in September 2024, Shmyhal kept his post.

Chernyshov, too, has said he will not step down from his role as deputy prime minister despite the ongoing corruption probe.  

Reports of imminent dismissal have also periodically surrounded Budanov, Ukraine's spy chief. Budanov has rejected such rumors as "Russian propaganda" in the past.

Sources told the Economist that Yermak was leading another effort to oust Budanov in June 2025. According to the outlet, warnings from the White House not to fire Budanov may have helped secure his position.

Politico reported in June that U.S. officials, particularly those working in the Trump administration, found Yermak's diplomatic style abrasive and off-putting, potentially risking U.S.-Ukrainian relations at a critical time.

Ukraine imposes sanctions on Russian financial, cryptocurrency schemes

Restrictions were imposed on 60 legal entities and 73 Russian citizens.

The Kyiv IndependentKateryna Hodunova

North Korea is already using Russia Pantsir S-1 air defense systems in Pyongyang, Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR), said in an interview with Hromadske Radio on July 1.

The arrival of Pantsir missiles is another sign that North Korea is improving its weapons technology and military might through cooperation with Russia. The two nations signed a defense treaty in June 2024, and North Korea has supplied arms and troops to Moscow in exchange for training and advanced military technology.

"I can tell you that, for example, the first Pantsir S-1 installations have already appeared in Pyongyang," Budanov told Hromadske Radio.

"They are already on combat duty there, guarding their capital. And the Russians are retraining Korean personnel, and soon the Koreans will be working autonomously on this technology."

The Pansir S-1 is the same air defense system Russia uses to guard its military-industrial facilities. It carries an estimated price tag of around $15 million.

North Korea is "currently significantly increasing its military power" through direct cooperation with Russia, Budanov said. It benefits from Russia's ongoing technology transfers and the "real combat experience" personnel gained by fighting alongside Russian troops against Ukraine.  

Budanov also said Ukraine expects "a significant increase" in the number of North Korean citizens in Russia. Some of these citizens will sign up for the Russian military, making it seem less like an official transfer of North Korean personnel and more like voluntary registration from invidivual citizens.

The day before Budanov's comments, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un publicly honored his country's soldiers who were killed fighting in Russia's war against Ukraine. The ceremony coincided with a visit by Russian Culture Minister Olga Lyubimova, illustrating the deepening military alliance between Moscow and Pyongyang continues.

Russia has also reportedly provided North Korea with advanced electronic warfare systems, helped the country build modern warships, and improved its KN-23 ballistic missiles.

In June, Budanov said that Moscow has agreed to assist Pyongyang in mass-producing Shahed-type attack drones.

Russia-Iran alliance wavers as Tehran suffers major blows

Tehran, Russia’s main ally in the Middle East, has been dealt a heavy blow as Israel dismantled its network of proxies and then struck targets in Iran. The recent Iranian-Israeli war, which ended with a ceasefire on June 24, showed that the regional balance of power has shifted in Israel’s favor. This could have a major impact on Russian-Iranian relations as Moscow will have to recalibrate its approach to the region. Russian-Iranian cooperation is likely to continue but Iran’s ability to help

The Kyiv IndependentOleg Sukhov

Ukrainian intelligence has proof that Russia is preparing new military operations in Europe, said President Volodymyr Zelensky on June 22 after a report from military intelligence (HUR) chief Kyrylo Budanov.

"We are observing a continued intellectual decline within the Russian leadership and have evidence that they are preparing new military operations on European territory," Zelensky said on X.

Zelensky added that Ukraine will inform foreign partners regarding the information obtained by intelligence. The statement follows earlier warnings by Kyiv that Russia may be preparing aggression beyond Ukraine's borders.

The president did not provide further details on the planned Russian operations, their dates, or countries that might be targeted.

"We are preparing joint decisions for defense, in particular with the United Kingdom and the European Union," Zelensky wrote.

Zelensky confirmed that Ukraine will continue its efforts to weaken Russia's army.

"We’re aware of... (Russia's) key vulnerabilities and will strike accordingly to defend our state and people, as well as to significantly reduce Russia’s capacity for aggression," the president said.

Since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Russia has ramped up sabotage operations across Europe, aiming to destabilize the security situation in countries supporting Kyiv against Russian aggression.

Ukrainian foreign intelligence warned in May that Russia would be able to restore its combat capabilities and launch aggression against Europe between two and four years after hostilities in Ukraine ended.

Foreign officials and EU diplomats have increasingly called for the preparation for a potential full-scale conflict between NATO and Russia. On June 2, the United Kingdom announced its largest defense spending increase since the Cold War in the face of "the war in Europe," according to U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Russia ‘afraid to admit’ scale of losses, trying to hide by dumping soldiers’ bodies on Ukraine, Zelensky says

Ukrainian authorities have confirmed that at least 20 of the bodies Russia returned as Ukrainian were actually Russian soldiers, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

The Kyiv IndependentTim Zadorozhnyy