The Ukrainian Defense Minsitry reports that Kyiv forces have eliminated more than 230,000 Russian soldiers in just six months of 2025, the equivalent of nearly 20 divisions. Moscow has also lost thousands of armored vehicles, artillery systems, and drones.

According to Ukraine’s General Staff, Russia’s total losses in the first six months of 2025 include:

• 1,311 tanks 
• 2,885 armored fighting vehicles
• 8,222 artillery systems 
• 21,021 vehicles. 

The most devastating vehicle losses were recorded in April 2025, when Ukrainian forces destroyed 4,104 Russian vehicles.

Despite international calls for a ceasefire, combat intensity remains high. In June alone, there were 5,304 combat clashes, over 28,273 since the beginning of the year.

Meanwhile, Russian summer offensive continues but with small achievements. For instance, in Sumy Oblast, Russian elite units such and airborne brigades, have pushed deeper expanded their control by more than 25 kilometers in width.

However, Ukrainian defenders have successfully halted further Russian advances in key areas like Yunakivka, Yablunivka, and Novomykolaivka. 

The hottest spot of the front remains the city and area near Pokrovsk in Donetsk Oblast. Russian command has deployed a force of 111,000 troops to this part of the 1,200 front-line. 

Over 9,300 Russians were knocked out of combat in a single month. Ukraine’s General Staff reports that this number of soldiers Russia lost on the Slobozhanskyi and Kursk axes in June 2025 alone.

Of these, over 4,470 are irreversible losses. Another 4,800 were wounded, and 42 Russian troops were captured.

Ukrainian forces also destroyed 423 units of Russian equipment, including six tanks, 20 armored vehicles, 89 artillery systems and MLRS, as well as three air defense systems.

The General Staff notes that Ukrainian units conducted deep strikes up to 100 kilometers behind enemy lines, including on Russian territory. These strikes hit 16 command posts, six manpower concentration areas, three ammunition depots, and even a logistics hub and an oil depot.

Since the start of the Kursk operation in August 2024, Russia has lost over 75,860 troops in this sector, with 1,037 captured. Additionally, Ukrainian forces have destroyed 2,848 pieces of equipment, including 99 tanks, 709 armored vehicles, and 322 artillery systems and MLRS.

Exclusive

Why Ukraine must bet it all on Putin’s greatest weakness—Crimea. Ukraine must focus its strategic efforts on reclaiming Crimea to exploit Putin’s most vulnerable position.

Military

Ukraine strikes Crimea again, destroys Russia’s Pantsir air defense system and helicopters
On the night of June 27–28, Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) carried out a drone strike on the Kirovske military airfield in Russian-occupied Crimea.

Ukraine intercepts a mystery Russian bomb near Dnipro — officials debate if it’s Grom-1
At approximately 11:30 AM local time, a loud explosion shook the suburbs of Dnipro, a major city in central Ukraine.

Intelligence and technology

Ukraine intelligence: Russia deploys Soviet-era tanks as modern reserves dwindle amid massive losses
Russia began deploying Soviet-era T-62 tanks from the 1960s, as the country faces mounting equipment losses in its war against Ukraine, according to Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate.

Zelenskyy: Russian missiles and drones still packed with Western tech — and still killing Ukrainians
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned that Russia continues to rely on foreign-made components, including from Western countries, to build weapons used in its war against Ukraine.

International

Bild: Germany’s Ukraine aid promise math doesn’t add up as € 900 million missing from actual budget
A nearly one billion euro gap has emerged between German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius’s public promises of Ukraine military aid and the actual budget allocations approved by Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s cabinet, according to Bild.

NATO allies conduct major river crossing joint exercise in Germany as Russian security threat persists
Military units from Germany, Britain, the Netherlands, and Italy successfully completed a large-scale river crossing operation on 28 June as part of ongoing joint military exercises in Germany.

German chancellor rules out direct contact with Putin as previous calls led to more strikes on civilians
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz ruled out telephoning Russian President Vladimir Putin in the foreseeable future, citing a pattern of escalated attacks following diplomatic outreach attempts, according to an interview with Süddeutsche Zeitung.

Frontline report: UK patrols cut off Russian shadow tankers at Baltic chokepoints – Putin’s oil billions at risk

Humanitarian and social impact

Russian drone strike on Odesa kills teacher and husband, injures children — “We heard it coming, helpless” (updated) Two people were killed in a Russian drone attack on a residential high-rise in Odesa, local authorities confirmed.

Pope expresses sorrow for Ukrainian prisoners and victims of war. Zelenskyy asks for help to return prisoners Pope Leo XIV expressed solidarity with Ukrainian families suffering from the Russian aggression during a Vatican service, prompting President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to request papal help in bringing home Ukrainian prisoners of war and deported children.

Read our earlier daily review here.

Russia began deploying Soviet-era T-62 tanks from the 1960s, as the country faces mounting equipment losses in its war against Ukraine, according to Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate.

The intelligence agency reports that Russian forces have exhausted much of their 1970s-era tank inventory and are now turning to even older models to maintain their armored capabilities. This shift represents a significant departure from Russia’s initial reliance on more modern systems like the T-90M and T-72B3M main battle tanks.

The restoration work is centered primarily at the 103rd Armored Repair Plant in Atamanovka, Trans-Baikal Territory of Siberia. Ukrainian intelligence documented the transfer of 21 T-62 tanks from the eastern region to western part on 27 June.

The condition of these reactivated vehicles presents significant challenges. According to the intelligence report, most tanks have been stored outdoors for decades without proper maintenance, resulting in unsatisfactory technical condition.

Despite these limitations, Russia continues deploying the aging armor due to what Ukrainian intelligence characterizes as an acute shortage of modern battle tanks. 

The T-62, originally designed in the early 1960s, represents a significant technological step backward from contemporary main battle tanks, lacking modern fire control systems, armor protection, and battlefield management capabilities that define current-generation vehicles.

Russia is returning outdated T-62 tanks to service due to mounting equipment losses in its full-scale war against Ukraine and a shortage of modern military equipment, Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) said on June 28.

"The key factors limiting the ability to produce modern armored vehicles in Russia are a lack of industrial capacity and a shortage of imported high-tech components," the agency said.

According to HUR, the restoration of T-62 tanks is primarily carried out at a facility in the village of Atamanovka in Russia's far-eastern Zabaykalsky Krai.

Russia transferred 21 T-62 tanks from its eastern military district to the European part of the country, the intel claimed.

HUR said that Russia’s stockpile of Soviet-era tanks from the 1970s is being depleted, while most T-62s are even in worse condition after decades of open-air storage without maintenance.

Some of these tanks can also be used at the front as stationary firing points to reinforce defensive positions.

"Due to a severe shortage of modern main battle tanks such as the T-90M and T-72B3M, the deployment of T-62s is seen as a temporary but necessary measure," the statement read.

Since the start of its full-scale war in February 2022, Russia has lost 10,970 tanks, Ukraine's General Staff said in its latest update on June 28.

The Kyiv Independent could not verify these numbers.

Ukraine war latest: Ukrainian drones reportedly strike 4 fighter jets in Russia

Key developments on June 27: * Ukraine war latest: Ukrainian drones reportedly strike 4 fighter jets in Russia * North Korea deployed 20% of Kim’s elite ‘personal reserve’ to fight against Ukraine in Russia, Umerov says * Pro-Palestinian activists reportedly destroy military equipment intended for Ukraine * Zelensky signs decree to synchronize Russia sanctions

The Kyiv IndependentThe Kyiv Independent news desk

From junk food packaging to deep-strike drone raids, Ukraine is turning everyday materials into weapons—and using them to fight one of the largest militaries in the world, Defense News reports.

In early 2024, near the front lines of Avdiivka in Donetsk Oblast, Ukrainian drone operator Vadim Adamov reached for an empty Pringles can. Out of standard metal casings for explosives, he packed the can with sulphate and plastic explosive, hooked it to a DJI Mavic drone, and sent it flying.

“I don’t need your f***ing American shells,” Adamov said, launching the makeshift bomb at a Russian armored vehicle. It worked.

The can cost $1.50. The drone, a few thousand. The destroyed target? Likely worth hundreds of thousands.

Ukraine’s low-cost drones are delivering high-value results

Ukraine’s improvised weapons strategy—born from necessity—is now at the core of its military doctrine. Drones, especially first-person view (FPV) types, are being used for surveillance, direct attacks, and long-range sabotage.

In 2024 alone, Ukraine produced 2.2 million drones. Officials expect that number to more than double to 5 million in 2025.

Much of this production happens in basements, garages, and converted print shops, where parts like motors and cameras are assembled by hobbyists and technicians—many of them self-taught or under 25 years old.

Operation Spiderweb was a warning shot

The June 2024 Operation Spiderweb made headlines when hundreds of Ukrainian drones were smuggled into Russia and used to destroy strategic bombers and spy planes.

But experts say the surprise wasn’t the technology—it was the scale.

“These are the same basic tactics we’ve seen since the start of the war,” a Ukrainian defense official told Defense News. “Spiderweb just showed how far they can go.”

Frontline pilots, gamified warfare

At drone units near Lyman in eastern Ukraine, operators watch footage of confirmed hits, train on obstacle courses, and even earn digital medals and bonuses for successful strikes.

“The best thing to do if you hear one is to play dead,” one pilot said. “But if it gets that close, you’re probably dead already.”

This war now includes leaderboards, ranking systems, and financial incentives for drone kills. It’s war fought with joysticks and VR goggles—sometimes by soldiers barely out of their teens.

Russia responds, and Ukraine counters again

The drone war is now a back-and-forth tech race. Ukrainian forces began using signal jammers to break drone communications. Russia responded by adding ultra-thin fiber-optic spools to their drones, making them resistant to jamming.

Ukraine’s latest move: physical netting over trenches and roads to intercept incoming drones.

The battlefield is evolving daily—this is a “digital trench war,” with each side pushing the limits of adaptation.

More than air power: Ground and sea drones on the rise

At the BraveOne defense-tech conference in Kyiv (February 2025), Kharkiv-based engineer Sasha Rubina unveiled a prototype unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) to deliver food and ammunition to the front.

“The idea is that the person controlling it is in a safe place,” Rubina said. “The fewer people exposed, the more lives we save.”

Ukraine’s strategy now includes land, air, and sea drones, and many of these platforms are produced domestically and deployed within weeks.

Why this matters: Cheap can beat powerful

Ukraine’s military is stretched thin. Since the failed 2023 counteroffensive, the army has faced manpower shortages and frontline fatigue. With negotiations stalled and traditional weapons in limited supply, drones offer a scalable alternative.

As Kipling wrote in Arithmetic on the Frontier:
“Two thousand pounds of education falls to a ten-rupee jezail.”

The line, originally about British officers being killed by cheaply armed fighters in colonial wars, underscores a core truth of asymmetric warfare: expensive training and hardware can still fall to low-cost, clever resistance.

In 2025, it’s a $100 drone destroying a $100,000 tank.

“The odds,” Kipling added, “are on the cheaper man.”

Production of the 51-ton, three-person T-90M tanks has more than tripled since 2022, despite tightening foreign sanctions on Russia’s Uralvagonzavod tank plant.

The T-90M is Russia’s best tank. Thickly armored and boasting high-end optics and a powerful 125-millimeter main gun, the T-90M is the closest Russian analogue to America’s best M-1A2 tank and Germany’s best Leopard 2A7. 

Despite losing more than 4,000 tanks in Ukraine since widening its war on the country in February 2022, and despite successive rounds of sanctions on Russia’s arms industry, Russia has managed to expand production of the T-90M at Uralvagonzavod. 

That’s the conclusion of a new study from the pro-Ukraine Conflict Intelligence Team. “According to our estimates, Uralvagonzavod produced 60 to 70 T-90M tanks in 2022. In 2023, amid efforts to mobilize the defense industry, output may have increased to 140 to 180 tanks, and by 2024, it may have surpassed 200 units annually, possibly approaching a production rate of 250 to 300 tanks per year.”

It’s likely, with the ongoing production boost, that the T-90M is the most produced tank in 2025, on an annual basis. US firm General Dynamics Land Systems has built no more than 90 new M-1A2s annually in recent years. The Ukrainian army operates the survivors of 31 ex-American and 49 ex-Australian M-1s.

Uralvagonzavod expanding output, in defiance of sanctions, allows Russian regiments and brigades to replace any T-90s they lose in action in Ukraine, while also allowing Russian forces to build up a small reserve of T-90s for possible future conflicts. In 40 months of hard fighting, the Russians have written off more than 130 T-90s—not just the latest M-models, but also older T-90As and T-90s. 

“Given that over 130 of [the T-90Ms] have been destroyed, an estimated 410 to 500 remain in service,” CIT concluded. They represent approximately 15% of the tanks deployed along the 1,100-km front line in Ukraine, according to CIT. Older T-80s, T-72s, T-62s and T-55s—some recovered from long-term storage after decades of disuse—account for the rest of Russia’s deployed tanks.

But as the wider war grinds into its fourth year, these tanks only rarely participate in direct assaults on Ukrainian lines. “In a battlefield where neither side holds air supremacy and large-scale combined-arms operations remain difficult to execute, combat has shifted to smaller tactical formations—usually at the squad or company level, backed by armored vehicles,” Ukrainian analysis group Frontelligence Insight explained. 

“In this environment, traditional platforms like tanks and [infantry fighting vehicles] face growing challenges, especially amid constant artillery fire and the widespread use of cheap, fast drones,” Frontelligence Insight added.

So tanks usually remain in hiding inside structures or in camouflaged earthen dugouts, occasionally breaking cover only long enough to fire a few main gun rounds at targets potentially miles away—and then retreating back into concealment. It’s a new “era of the cautious tank,” according to David Kirichenko, an analyst with the Center for European Policy Analysis in Washington, D.C.

Become one of our 200 defense patrons!

Saving the T-90Ms for later

With infantry taking the lead in more assaults, often riding on motorcycles or other civilian-style vehicles, Russia can preserve its slowly-growing fleet of T-90Ms—and save them for a major future offensive in Ukraine. Or for some other conflict. The Danish Defense Intelligence Service warned that Russia could launch a war in a country bordering Russia six months after the war in Ukraine ends.

Ukraine’s allies could constrain Russia’s T-90Ms by tightening sanctions on Uralvagonzavod. The firm once imported certain crucial tank parts, including optics and circuit boards. These imports are now sanctioned, so Uralvagonzavod increasingly uses Russian-made versions of the same parts. 

“It is clear that while Russia continues to grapple with production delays, quality control issues and the challenges of sourcing components under sanctions, it is also making tangible progress in both manufacturing and the deployment of new technologies,” Frontelligence Insight warned.

But these parts are still manufactured on industrial machinery that Russia bought from Chinese or Western firms. The machines don’t last forever—and this is a key Russian weakness. “Existing machinery, now in its third year of nonstop, around-the-clock operation, will also increasingly require replacement,” CIT noted. 

To suppress production of new T-90Ms, Ukraine’s allies must prevent Russia from replacing the machinery at Uralvagonzavod. “Enforcing stricter sanctions is key to limiting Russia’s defense potential growth,” CIT asserted.

Explore further

Russia’s latest porcupine tanks are actually working

Russia’s consumption of its pre-war Soviet-era tank stores “appears to be slowing,” according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), as Moscow increasingly shifts to using motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) on the battlefield in Ukraine.

Shift in equipment usage linked to depleted reserves

On 16 June, ISW cited a social media source that analyzes satellite imagery of Russian military depots. This source assessed that, as of a recent but unspecified date, Russia retained 46% of its pre-war tank reserves, 42% of its infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) reserves, and 48% of its armored personnel carrier (APC) reserves.

The data reflects only a modest decline from December 2024, when the same source assessed Russia had 47% of tanks, 52% of IFVs, and 45% of APCs still in storage. The adjusted figures stem from an update made on 15 June, when the source revised Russia’s original pre-war equipment estimates—adding 241 tanks, 174 IFVs, and 687 APCs—affecting percentage shifts accordingly.

The same source reported that most vehicle reserves have been withdrawn from eight key Russian depots. Based on this trend, the source concluded that Russia is likely to exhaust its remaining armored reserves by the end of 2025.

Surge in equipment activity near Finland

Satellite imagery also revealed what the source called a “dramatic” increase in nearly all types of military equipment deployed to a Russian base near Petrozavodsk, in the Republic of Karelia. This location lies approximately 373 kilometers from the Finnish border.

However, the source acknowledged that Russia may still hold additional vehicles in covered storage not visible via satellite surveillance, according to ISW.

The Wall Street Journal reported on 27 April that a senior Finnish military official claimed Russia is sending “almost none” of its newly manufactured tanks to Ukraine. 

Frontline use of motorcycles and buggies grows

ISW noted that the slowing consumption of tank reserves aligns with an observed increase in the use of motorcycles and buggies on the Ukrainian frontline. Since late fall 2024, Russian troops have employed these unarmored civilian vehicles more frequently, especially in contested “gray zones” shaped by Ukrainian and Russian drone activity.

Combat footage reviewed by ISW confirms this shift, with lighter and faster vehicles used to counter the vulnerability of traditional armored units to drone strikes. The think tank previously linked this trend to the heavy armored vehicle losses sustained by Russian forces in late 2023 and 2024.

Tactical gains come at high cost

While these adaptations have allowed Russian troops to make minor tactical advances, ISW emphasized they come at the expense of significant infantry losses. 

“ISW previously assessed that Russian armored vehicle losses are unsustainable and are undermining Russia’s ability to sustain a protracted high-intensity war, but it remains unclear if Russia’s increased reliance on motorcycles and buggies will be sufficient to offset these losses in the medium- to long-term,” the think tank wrote.

Today, there are interesting updates from the Kupiansk direction. Here, as Russian losses have officially hit an unprecedented 1 million count, the breaking point finally came, and the soldiers began turning their rifles on their own commanders rather than face certain death in futile assaults.

Three bullets on road to Nyzhnia Duvanka

In one of the most brutal recent examples of growing disorder within Russian ranks, several Russian soldiers near the settlement of Nyzhnia Duvanka in the Luhansk region turned on their own.

By shooting and killing the military police platoon commander and two of his barrier troop subordinates and running away, they sparked a frantic search operation by Russian authorities.

The deserters left their comrades to lie dead on the road while fleeing to save their lives from both Ukrainian and Russian fire.

Pischane funnel: Where men disappear

This violent mutiny did not emerge in a vacuum; it is directly tied to the hopeless bloodbath unfolding near the Kupiansk front, specifically at the Pischane funnel. For months, Russian forces have tried and failed to break through Ukrainian defenses here.

The Ukrainians have created a deadly trap by controlling the flanks, exposing any Russian assault to relentless drone and artillery fire from both sides. Yet commanders continue to send wave after wave of infantry into the funnel, hoping to drive a wedge through Ukrainian lines.

Every new wave knows exactly how it will end, as almost no one from previous groups returns alive. The systematic nature of these assaults has been likened to mass execution, with soldiers pushed forward not for tactical gain but to serve as human battering rams.

Mad Max cars and vanishing men

To make matters worse, Russian troops are being sent into combat in improvised Mad Max-style vehicles, like the Gaz-69, which entered production in 1952, the year of Stalin’s death, and regular cars fitted with rudimentary armor or even none.

Such improvised motorcycle squads and barely armored vehicles now lead the charge, only to be annihilated by Ukrainian FPV drones well before reaching the contact line. These desperate measures highlight not only material shortages but a total disregard for the lives of Russian troops.

Ukrainian surveillance drones ensure that almost no movement goes undetected, meaning most assaults are decimated long before they engage the defenders.

When running is not option

Despite the carnage, desertions in the Russian army remain surprisingly rare. The reason lies in the sheer brutality of the punishments for refusing to fight.

Soldiers who resist are subjected to medieval-style torture. Some are thrown into pits without food before being forced to fight each other to the death to earn the right to live another day.

In one documented case, soldiers were tied behind vehicles and dragged through the dirt, while other deserters were forced to bury each other alive as punishment and to serve as an example. In the Lyman area, a surrendering Russian soldier was spotted by Russian drone operators and targeted by his own artillery.

This highlights the impossible choice facing many: surrender and be killed or desert and be hunted. For some, turning against their officers seems to be the only escape.

This toxic atmosphere has bred a surge in violent retaliation. Russian soldiers, driven to the brink by the realization that dying in a pointless assault is their fate if they continue, are increasingly likely to choose to kill their commanders instead, as it is safer than being spotted attempting to surrender to the Ukrainians.

Meanwhile, commanders themselves contribute to the decay by labeling active soldiers as deserters to avoid paying their wages, denying them medical care, and forcing under-equipped men into combat.

A recent appeal by the families of men from the Russian 54th Motorized Rifle Regiment revealed horrifying conditions: soldiers were beaten and handcuffed, robbed of personal belongings, and left to die without evacuation.

Wounded men are forced to crawl back to safety, and the dead are simply abandoned, confirmed by footage showing bodies of dead Russian soldiers that haven’t been moved for months since the snow covered the fields.

Million-man grave and rot within

The downward spiral is accelerating. Russian military losses have just surpassed one million casualties, including killed, wounded, and captured.

Equipment losses are equally staggering, with 10,000 destroyed and damaged tanks and over 20,000 armored vehicles of various types.

Lacking armor, modern vehicles, or meaningful support, commanders now rely on sheer manpower and suicidal frontal attacks to advance the line ever so slowly. But the more men are lost, the worse morale gets, and the more inclined troops are coming to view their superiors as the enemy instead of the Ukrainians they are forced to fight.

Overall, such events create a vicious cycle.

The collapse of discipline and the dehumanizing tactics employed by Russian commanders will inevitably lead to more incidents where soldiers turn their weapons on their leaders.

To prevent this, the officers are only doubling down on cruelty, inventing new, more barbaric punishments. This internal rot may not only undermine Russia’s ability to continue the war, but it could also ultimately sabotage its war effort from within.

In our regular frontline report, we pair up with the military blogger Reporting from Ukraine to keep you informed about what is happening on the battlefield in the Russo-Ukrainian war.

Russia turns the war into a marathon of continuous arms production. Moscow produces more ammunition than all NATO countries combined, and does so many times faster, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte stated at the Royal Institute of International Affairs in London on 9 June. 

“In terms of ammunition, Russia produces in three months what the whole of NATO produces in a year,” said Rutte.

He added that Russia’s military machine is not slowing down. On the contrary, it is strengthening its potential. Russia is actively replenishing its arsenal with help from China, Iran, and North Korea. 

Rutte also noted that Russia is using Chinese technology to modernize its army.

“And its defence industrial base is expected to roll out 1,500 tanks, 3,000 armoured vehicles, and 200 Iskander missiles this year alone,” the NATO chief highlighted.

He warned that Russia could be ready for aggression against NATO within the next five years. According to Rutte, “President Putin does not act like someone who is interested in peace.” 

NATO needs to increase air and missile defence by 400% – Rutte says ahead of June summit