More than a month after Ukraine signed a landmark agreement granting the United States a stake in its mineral reserves, Kyiv has approved initial steps to open one of its largest lithium deposits to private investors, the New York Times (NYT) reported, citing two government officials.

On June 16, the Ukrainian government agreed to begin drafting recommendations for a bidding process to develop the Dobra lithium field in central Ukraine. According to the officials, who spoke to NYT on condition of anonymity, this would be the first project advanced under the U.S.-Ukraine minerals deal.

The Dobra lithium ore site is located in the Novoukrainskyi district of Kirovohrad Oblast, rougly 300 kilometers southeast of Kyiv.

The deal, signed by President Volodymyr Zelensky on May 12, is aimed at deepening economic ties, boosting Ukraine’s reconstruction, and positioning the country as a supplier of strategic resources to the U.S.

Among the likely bidders for the Dobra field is a consortium including TechMet, an energy investment firm partly owned by the U.S. government, and billionaire Ronald S. Lauder, a close associate of the U.S. President Donald Trump. The group has long expressed interest in the Dobra site and encouraged Zelensky to open it to bids last year.

Under the broader agreement, half of the revenues from mineral extraction would go to a joint U.S.-Ukraine investment fund. While the Ukrainian government would reinvest its share into the domestic economy, the United States would claim a portion of the profits — a structure Mr. Trump has framed as partial repayment for U.S. assistance to Ukraine.

TechMet CEO Brian Menell said investors were pushing for production-sharing agreements, which offer long-term stability and tax incentives. Monday’s step toward opening the Dobra field is based on such an arrangement, according to the outlet.

Ukraine war latest: Russia ramps up its summer offensive in several directions, seeks to encircle Kostiantynivka

Key developments on June 16: * Russia ramps up its summer offensive in several directions, Ukraine’s military says * Ukraine receives 1,245 bodies of fallen soldiers and citizens, concluding Istanbul repatriation deal * ‘Russians lie about everything’ — Ukraine hits out at Kremlin claims after yet another drone strike on Kyiv * Russia to

The Kyiv IndependentThe Kyiv Independent news desk

Key developments on June 16:

• Russia ramps up its summer offensive in several directions, Ukraine’s military says
• Ukraine receives 1,245 bodies of fallen soldiers and citizens, concluding Istanbul repatriation deal
• ‘Russians lie about everything’ — Ukraine hits out at Kremlin claims after yet another drone strike on Kyiv
• Russia to demand Ukraine destroy Western weapons to end war, senior Kremlin official says

Russian forces have intensified offensive operations across multiple front-line areas, said Victor Tregubov, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s Khortytsia group of forces, on June 16.

According to Tregubov, Russian troops have ramped up attacks, particularly in the Novopavlivka and Kharkiv sectors, which is an unusual development for these areas.

Ukraine’s General Staff reported that Russian forces launched attacks in 12 directions, resulting in 99 recorded clashes. Ukrainian soldiers repelled 17 attacks in the Novopavlivka sector alone, according to the latest update.

“This signals that we have the expected summer increase in activity,” Tregubov said.

Speaking on national television, he said that the surge in activity near Novopavlivka suggests Russian forces are attempting to push into Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, which neighbors the embattled Donetsk Oblast.

“But they (Russia) have failed to succeed,” the spokesperson added.

In Donetsk Oblast, Russia is trying to encircle Kostiantynivka, one of the key Ukrainian logistics hub in the region since the start of the full-scale invasion, by attacking the city from three directions, according to Tregubov.

From buffer zone to new front: Russia pushes deeper into Sumy Oblast

In March 2025, as Ukrainian forces made their final retreat from Sudzha in Russia’s Kursk Oblast, new grey spots began to appear on open-source maps on the other side of the state border, in Ukraine’s Sumy Oblast. For the first time since 2022, when Moscow’s forces retreated

The Kyiv IndependentFrancis Farrell

Ukraine receives 1,245 bodies of fallen soldiers and citizens, concluding Istanbul repatriation deal

Ukraine has received the bodies of another 1,245 fallen Ukrainian soldiers and citizens under agreements reached during recent peace negotiations in Istanbul, the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War (POWs) announced on June 16.

The latest repatriation marks the final stage of the exchange agreement, bringing the total number of Ukrainian bodies returned under the deal to 6,057.

“Each of them undergoes identification. Because behind every one of them is a name, a life, a family waiting for answers,” Defense Minister Rustem Umerov wrote on Facebook.

“We are not stopping. Ahead lies the next stage: we continue the fight to bring back our prisoners of war. We bring them back. We remember…"

The operation was coordinated by Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU), the Ombudsman’s Office, the military, the Interior Ministry, and other state and defense institutions, with assistance from the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Vladimir Medinsky, an aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin and member of the Russian delegation at the Istanbul talks, claimed that Russia received the bodies of 78 deceased servicemen.

Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said on June 16 that Russia has handed Kyiv the bodies of its own soldiers mixed in with those of Ukrainian soldiers during recent repatriation of the fallen.

“This could have been done by the Russians on purpose to increase the number of bodies transferred and to load our (forensic) experts with work, adding to all this cynical information pressure. Or it could be their usual negligent attitude toward their own people. In any case, we also identify these bodies,” Klymenko said.

With no new US aid packages on the horizon, can Ukraine continue to fight Russia?

The U.S. has not announced any military aid packages for Ukraine in almost five months, pushing Kyiv to seek new alternatives. But time is running out quickly as Russian troops slowly advance on the eastern front line and gear up for a new summer offensive. “While Ukraine’s dependence on

The Kyiv IndependentKateryna Hodunova

‘Russians lie about everything’ — Ukraine hits out at Kremlin claims after yet another drone strike on Kyiv

Ukraine has accused Russia of “lying about everything” after yet another drone attack on Kyiv injured two people overnight on June 16, saying the strike once again rubbished Kremlin claims that only military objects are being targeted.

The strike hit Rusanivka Gardens, a private neighborhood in the capital’s Dniprovskyi District, creating a crater near civilian homes, and injuring a 20-year-old man and a woman, Tymur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv City Military Administration, said.

“The Russians lie about everything. When they claim to have hit military targets, they are actually targeting our homes and our people,” he wrote on Telegram.

“This is a deliberate tactic of terror."

“Miraculously, significant damage and casualties were avoided,” Tkachenko said.

Satellite images show expansion at 5 Russian nuclear sites near Europe

One of the most notable developments is in Kaliningrad, where the suspected nuclear weapons storage site has undergone significant reconstruction.

The Kyiv IndependentTim Zadorozhnyy

Russia to demand Ukraine destroy Western weapons to end war, senior Kremlin official says

Moscow will insist that Ukraine dismantle and destroy all Western-supplied weapons as part of any ceasefire deal, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said in an interview with the state-run newspaper Izvestia published June 16.

“All these surpluses must be destroyed. All international algorithms are known. They must be reduced, disposed of, and guaranteed,” Grushko said, without offering specifics.

The remarks reflect Moscow’s growing list of maximalist demands presented in its so-called “peace memorandum” during recent negotiations with Ukraine in Istanbul on June 2.

The document calls for Ukraine to recognize Russia’s annexation of Crimea and four partially occupied regions — Kherson, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Luhansk — and demands full Ukrainian troop withdrawal and demobilization.

Grushko argued that Western weapons aid threatens not only Russia but also Europe, warning that arms could end up on black markets.

“It’s crazy how reckless some politicians are, still flooding the market with weapons,” he said.

There is no credible evidence that Kyiv has diverted Western weapons or fueled arms trafficking — a narrative promoted by Russian propaganda to undermine support for Kyiv.

Independent oversight by partner states and institutions has consistently found that Ukraine uses Western weapons to defend itself against Russia’s full-scale invasion.

Note from the author:

Ukraine War Latest is put together by the Kyiv Independent news desk team, who keep you informed 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you value our work and want to ensure we have the resources to continue, join the Kyiv Independent community.

Hungary’s soft power meets Ukraine’s hard reality in Zakarpattia

BEREHOVE, Zakarpattia Oblast — Thin gray smoke drifts beyond the patchwork of Soviet-era apartment blocks, historical buildings, and hillside vineyards that make up Berehove — the heart of the Hungarian community in Ukraine’s westernmost Zakarpattia Oblast. “That’s Hungary, over there,” gestures Vitalii Antipov, a member of the local council, toward the not-so-distant

The Kyiv IndependentMartin Fornusek

In a statement highlighting the complex nature of diplomatic negotiations, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of suggesting a prisoner swap—Ukrainian children abducted by Russia in exchange for Russian POWs. Speaking at a joint press conference with Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen in Vienna on Monday, June 16, Zelensky emphasized that such an exchange is "absolutely unjust." "Frankly, it's madness, the idea that was, by the way, proposed by the Russians: we give them soldiers, and they give us children. It’s simply beyond understanding and outside of international law," he declared.

Zelensky underscored the need for skilled diplomacy and "bilateral relations of specific individuals with the Russians" to bring back the children. He stressed the importance of involving multiple nations and proactive individuals to slowly repatriate thousands of children kidnapped by Russia to their families. The Ukrainian president also expressed gratitude to the Austrian authorities for joining these initiatives.

Earlier on Monday, it was reported that Ukraine has received the bodies of deceased Russians during the latest round of body repatriations, as confirmed by Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko. Moreover, Ukrainian intelligence revealed that Russia plans to provide fake lists of casualties during these exchanges, potentially to incite panic and outrage among the Ukrainian public.

Russia has reportedly returned to Ukraine the bodies of Russian soldiers mixed with Ukrainian ones, a move believed to be aimed at complicating identification processes, said Ukraine's Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko, emphasizing the painstaking and emotionally challenging nature of repatriating fallen servicemen.

The return of deceased military personnel, according to Klymenko, is an arduous yet crucial task. He accused Russia of deliberately impeding the identification process by sending back the bodies in a severely mutilated state and mixing Ukrainian bodies with Russian ones. "During the recent repatriations, we received bodies of Russian soldiers mixed with those of Ukrainians. Unfortunately, this is a fact. It may have been done deliberately by the Russians to inflate the number of bodies sent back and overwhelm our experts, while exerting cynical informational pressure. Alternatively, it might reflect their habitual neglect towards their own people. Regardless, we will identify these bodies," Klymenko stated.

Each repatriation triggers a meticulous procedure involving autopsies, detailed inspection by investigators, DNA testing, and scrutiny of every detail, Klymenko added. "The process is inherently complex and lengthy. Yet, Russia intentionally complicates the identification task. Bodies are returned in extremely disfigured conditions, with body parts in separate bags. There have been instances where remains of a single individual were returned at different stages of repatriation," Klymenko wrote.

According to him, experts are operating at their maximum capacity. Every examination is thorough and often repeated. The facilities are well-equipped, and the processes are established, but time remains the biggest challenge. "We understand the pain and anticipation of the families. We're striving to expedite the identification process. However, with each major repatriation, this task becomes more difficult, which might just be Russia's objective. We cannot afford errors. This isn't about statistics for us; it's about people, each of whom deserves dignity and respect," Klymenko stressed.

Notably, on June 14, Ukraine reportedly recovered 1,200 bodies, which, according to Russia, belong to Ukrainian citizens, particularly defense force members, as stated by the Coordination Headquarters. The exchange of bodies was facilitated by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

On June 16, Ukraine retrieved the bodies of 1,212 fallen defenders as part of the ongoing repatriation activities.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova has announced that the United States has withdrawn from the latest round of talks aimed at “resolving irritants” in bilateral relations. Despite this setback, Moscow remains hopeful about a future dialogue, the Foreign Ministry stated on its website.

"The upcoming session of bilateral consultations intended to address 'irritants' and normalize the operations of diplomatic missions of both countries has been canceled at the behest of the American negotiators. We hope this pause they have taken will not be too prolonged," Zakharova stated.

However, she did not provide specifics on when or where the meeting was supposed to take place. A few days ago, the Russian Ambassador to the U.S., Alexander Darchiev, indicated that both countries had agreed to move the talks on these “irritants” from Istanbul to their respective capitals. He announced that a meeting in Moscow was expected to happen "soon."

Russian forces have intensified offensive operations across multiple front-line areas, said Victor Tregubov, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s Khortytsia group of forces, on June 16.

According to Tregubov, Russian troops have ramped up attacks, particularly in the Novopavlivka and Kharkiv sectors, which is an unusual development for these areas.

Ukraine’s General Staff reported that Russian forces launched attacks in 12 directions, resulting in 99 recorded clashes. Ukrainian soldiers repelled 17 attacks in the Novopavlivka sector alone, according to the latest update.

“This signals that we have the expected summer increase in activity,” Tregubov said.

Speaking on national television, he said that the surge in activity near Novopavlivka suggests Russian forces are attempting to push into Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, which neighbors the embattled Donetsk Oblast.

“But they (Russia) have failed to succeed,” the spokesperson added.

Last week, on June 13, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that heavy fighting was ongoing along Ukraine’s northeastern border.

Russian forces have concentrated around 53,000 troops in the Sumy sector, pushing into multiple settlements. The president confirmed that small Russian reconnaissance groups had briefly crossed into Dnipropetrovsk Oblast — likely for propaganda purposes.

From buffer zone to new front: Russia pushes deeper into Sumy Oblast

In March 2025, as Ukrainian forces made their final retreat from Sudzha in Russia’s Kursk Oblast, new grey spots began to appear on open-source maps on the other side of the state border, in Ukraine’s Sumy Oblast. For the first time since 2022, when Moscow’s forces retreated

The Kyiv IndependentFrancis Farrell

BEREHOVE, Zakarpattia Oblast — Thin gray smoke drifts beyond the patchwork of Soviet-era apartment blocks, historical buildings, and hillside vineyards that make up Berehove — the heart of the Hungarian community in Ukraine’s westernmost Zakarpattia Oblast.

“That’s Hungary, over there,” gestures Vitalii Antipov, a member of the local council, toward the not-so-distant horizon. He stands on top of a hill adorned by a massive white cross with a makeshift inscription thanking the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

A Ukrainian flag fluttering on a pole nearby is accompanied, as is common here, by a Hungarian tricolor.

Living on Ukraine’s western border, the Hungarians of Zakarpattia — a region also known as Transcarpathia — have shared this land for centuries with Ukrainians, Romanians, and others, forming a unique and multifaceted community.

In more recent years, they found themselves a key tool in Viktor Orban’s power play against Kyiv. Zakarpattia also took center stage in an unprecedented spying scandal, with Ukraine claiming to have uncovered a Hungarian espionage network in the region.

“Hungary’s influence (in Zakarpattia) is not anything new… and will likely remain,” Antipov acknowledges. He himself is of both Ukrainian and Hungarian descent, sharing a connection to the two groups that often overlap here.

"The war has changed a lot in the minds and hearts of the Hungarian community."

A portrait of Vitalii Antipov in Berehove, Zakarpattia Oblast, Ukraine on May 22, 2025. (Elena Kalinichenko/The Kyiv Independent)

But far from the simplistic image presented by Budapest, Ukraine's Hungarians have reacted differently to recent challenges, namely the war: while some have fled westward into Europe, seeking safety and stability, others have taken up arms, driven by a sense of duty and solidarity.

"The war has changed a lot in the minds and hearts of the Hungarian community," Antipov says.

"I felt it. In Berehove, Vynohradiv, in small villages, everywhere there are families whose sons are fighting, whose relatives have joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine or are helping as volunteers – even Hungarians."

Orban's influence in Zakarpattia

The border, now only a few kilometers from the town, has been shifting through the ages.

Zakarpattia changed hands over the course of the 20th century: Austria-Hungary, Czechoslovakia, short-lived Carpathian Ukraine, and then Hungary, until it was annexed by the Soviet Union in 1945. Later, it became the westernmost frontier of the independent Ukrainian state.

The geographical and historical proximity has forged a tight bond between Hungary and the region's Hungarians, and Budapest is making sure it remains so.

In the 2010s, Hungary sparked a diplomatic row with Kyiv by handing out its passports to local Hungarians. Many have accepted, enticed by the vision of better-paid employment in the EU. Some used double citizenship — which is not recognized by Ukrainian law — to receive higher pensions from Hungary while residing in Ukraine, locals say.

Through local civil society organizations, Hungary has been funding schools that teach in the Hungarian language, cultural events, and more, says Csilla Fedinec, senior research fellow at HUN-REN Center for Social Sciences in Budapest.

Zakarpattia's Hungarians "have their own newspapers, they have their own television in Hungarian," Andrii Liubka, researcher at the Institute for Central European Strategy (ICES) in Uzhhorod, tells the Kyiv Independent.

"Even when all media outlets are dying, and publishing is very costly, they continue to publish newspapers in Hungarian… to spread their agenda here, among the local community."

Surveys show that most of the Hungarian-language outlets in Zakarpattia are effectively controlled by Orban's media empire.

According to Liubka, the issue isn't Hungary's financial aid itself but that it's being used to build parallel social structures, making the community reliant on Orban's power network.

This has fostered an atmosphere of self-censorship, where political opinions are rarely expressed for fear of risking financial loss or attracting public backlash.

Fedinec notes that while "Hungary provides special support for Hungarians living in neighboring countries," this "also seems to require political allegiance with the Hungarian governing parties."

But there have been cases where the Hungarian community spoke out against Orban. In 2023, as Hungary was threatening to derail the launch of EU accession talks with Ukraine over the supposed curtailment of minority rights, Hungarian community leaders published an open letter to Orban not to block Ukraine's accession.

"Hungarians living in Zakarpattia — those who have not left — understand that they are connected to this country," says Vitalii Diachuk, researcher at ICES.

"By restricting Ukraine's right to join the EU, the Hungarian government is… closing some new opportunities for the Hungarian community. And the community understands this."

'We are no spies' — Fragile harmony of Berehove

Politics is no topic for the streets of Berehove. Questions about Orban are brushed aside — sometimes with suspicion, sometimes with amusement. "I don't listen to Orban," says Oksana Savula, a Ukrainian flower lady, with a smile.

"Politics is politics," comments Dmytro Kosmeda, a Ukrainian resident. His companion, Yurii Buzhak, adds: "Let's say that what is reported in the media does not reflect reality at all."

Asked about the relationship between the local Hungarian and Ukrainian communities, Yurii responds confidently: "There are absolutely no problems… There is no kind of prejudice against any nation."

Dmytro's wife is Hungarian, and they use both languages at home. Though bilingualism seems common here, some of the local Hungarians shy away from answering, explaining that they cannot speak Ukrainian.

"I am Ukrainian, but we have been speaking Hungarian since birth," says Mykhailo Popovych, a man selling strawberries and homemade wine not far from the town's center. "We have always lived here peacefully — that is, we have no political problems."

Overhearing the discussion, a man at a neighboring stall quips, "We are no spies," subtly revealing what is on people's minds in the past weeks.

Most locals echo these sentiments, describing a harmonious cohabitation between Ukrainian and Hungarian speakers that coalesced into what some talk about as almost a separate identity: "Transcarpathian."

Encapsulating the town's nature, Berehove's central market is abuzz with Ukrainian, Hungarian, and Russian. Streets are lined with both Hungarian and Ukrainian flags, and shops bear signs in either or both languages.

"It doesn't bother me; it never has," says Viktoriia Skoropadska, a domestic products vendor at the bazaar, when asked about the different languages spoken in her hometown. She is ethnically Hungarian but answers in Ukrainian.

Only a "stupid, unintelligent person" can start a conflict because of language differences, she adds.

In western Ukraine, ethnic Romanians grapple with war, identity, and displacement

While Romania debated its future in its recent presidential election, Romanians in Ukraine’s Chernivtsi Oblast just across the border continued to wrestle with war, mobilization, and the loss of their pre-war lives. Romania’s tight election race at the end of May kept many in Europe on the edge

The Kyiv IndependentNatalia Yermak

Migration, language, and Zakarpattia in flux

But no matter how cautious locals are in discussing politics, world events have had a major impact on the community.

Orban has consistently accused Ukraine of infringing on the rights of the Hungarian minority, focusing his criticism on the 2017 laws expanding the use of Ukrainian in education. The legislation — which is yet to enter into force — was designed to counter decades of Russification, but Budapest has cast it as discrimination against the Hungarian minority.

"People are afraid that these changes may cause their children to lose the opportunity to learn freely in their native language," Antipov says. "The Hungarian minority is worried about losing its linguistic identity and is afraid of assimilation."

It's not the language laws that are the threat to the Hungarian community: "it's depopulation."

A portrait of Andrii Liubka in the office of the Institute for Central European Strategy in Uzhhorod, Zakarpattia Oblast, Ukraine on May 22, 2025. (Elena Kalinichenko/The Kyiv Independent)

However, Liubka comments that it's not the language laws that are the threat to the Hungarian community: "it's depopulation."

While 150,000 residents declared themselves ethnic Hungarians in the 2001 census data, this number is believed to have dropped — as Liubka and Diatchuk say — to around 70,000-80,000. Many residents, especially the youth, have left for Hungary, with the migration only accelerated by the invasion.

For many, efforts to start a new life in Hungary have been challenging, suggesting some might return once the war is over, locals say.

"We, ethnic Hungarians from Zakarpattia, will always be foreigners in Hungary. We will be Ukránok (the Hungarian word for a Ukrainian)," Antipov says.

The war is also simultaneously bringing people from Ukraine's war-torn eastern regions, changing the societal fabric and causing tensions.

"Our Transcarpathians are practically gone now, everyone is newcomers, displaced persons, all strangers," says Andzhelika, a Ukrainian resident of Vynohradiv, a town 30 kilometers east of Berehove.

"Our people (Hungarians) have left Ukraine… Many families have been separated. Women are here, men over there," laments Andrea Grita, a Hungarian shopkeeper from Berehove.

Andrea says that her eldest daughter has lived in Hungary for six years. Her son, who will soon turn 18 — the age at which male citizens of Ukraine cannot leave the country during martial law — is studying there.

Some of the impacts are not unique to Zakarpattia. Many locals complain about rising prices and the economic downturn, or see newcomers with distrust.

"Since the war began, people don't help each other anymore. And everyone keeps quiet," says Zhanna Kokosh, a stallkeeper at the Berehove market. Holding both Hungarian and Ukrainian citizenship, she finds it difficult to classify her identity.

For Zhanna, the fighting itself feels distant. Her main concern is the hardship facing Berehove's elderly, the poor, and abandoned animals. A stray dog lies under her stall as she speaks.

"Nobody wants to fight. What for? Why should the boys be taken?" she asks. Zhanna expresses frustration that the town's poor are being overlooked while newcomers enjoy greater material security.

"They (newcomers) don't like it when we speak Russian or Hungarian," she adds. "But that's just how we speak... War or no war."

Anxieties of war

The Russian invasion has fueled anxieties among local Ukrainians, further fanned by disinformation.

Andzhelika mentions that only a few months after the start of the full-scale war, an unspecified Ukrainian media publication spread claims that Hungarian forces were massing near the border for an invasion.

In response, the locals organized regular patrols with dozens of cars, which — as the publication asserted — made "Orban afraid to send in troops here," Andzhelika adds. She herself voices uncertainty about the story, recalling she saw no Hungarian troops at the border at the time.

"They understand their connection to the state, the place they grew up, they live in… there are units with many Hungarians that are supported by Hungarian civil society organizations."

A portrait of Vitalii Diachuk in the office of the Institute for Central European Strategy in Uzhhorod, Zakarpattia Oblast, Ukraine on May 22, 2025. (Elena Kalinichenko/The Kyiv Independent)

The fears surged again after the detention of the suspected spy, who, as Andzhelika offhandedly mentions, worked at a stall not far from her and was known around Vynohradiv.

But the war has also impacted the community in a different way. While some may feel it distant, others are more personally involved — Viktoriia Skoropadska notes that her 54-year-old brother fought in the Zaporizhzhia sector for seven months.

Around 400 ethnic Hungarians have served in the ranks of Ukraine's Armed Forces during the full-scale war.

"They understand their connection to the state, the place they grew up, they live in… there are units with many Hungarians that are supported by Hungarian civil society organizations," Diatchuk says.

Others contribute to the struggle financially. Local initiatives and communities "allocate their budgets to support either specific units, or to purchase drones, or as one-time payments to mobilized community members," Liubka adds.

As before the war, the picture of the Hungarian community is one of many faces. In some cases, the Russian invasion and Orban's rhetoric stoked anxieties and division. For others, it was an incentive to take up arms to join what Antipov calls a "common struggle."

Whether fractured or galvanized, Zakarpattia's Hungarians must find their place in a region that is being deeply transformed by the war, migration, and the fallout of grand politics.

The Hungary-Ukraine spy scandal and Russia’s possible role, explained

Ukraine’s rocky relationship with Hungary reached new lows this month with the uncovering of an alleged spy ring run from Budapest. Arrests, tit-for-tat expulsions, and a stream of accusations from Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban soon followed in a diplomatic scandal with potentially massive ramifications for both countries. “This is

The Kyiv IndependentYuliia Taradiuk

Ukraine's significant leap in manufacturing long-range drones means its arsenal will never be depleted, said military analyst Ivan Kyrychevsky of Defence Express during a broadcast on Radio NV, Kyrychevsky highlighted the remarkable overnight attack on a facility in Russia's Oryol City, emphasizing, "There are targets worth destroying there."

"Perhaps we didn't believe as a nation that we would reach an annual production benchmark of approximately 36,000 deep strike drones. However, it appears we've achieved it," Kyrychevsky noted.

He posed the question of where precisely these UAVs are being utilized, considering reports of fewer drone strikes on Russian territory. While some drones are intercepted by Russian air defenses, they are not completely dysfunctional and manage to down a number of Ukrainian UAVs.

Recalling the strategic value, Kyrychevsky remarked, "The kamikaze drone is a simple, mass-produced, cost-effective weapon precisely because losing one is insignificant, unlike a cruise missile such as Russia's X-101 or Britain's Storm Shadow."

The frequency and range of attacks using Ukraine's long-range UAVs underscore the notion that Ukraine possesses a substantial number of deep strike drones, Kyrychevsky affirmed.

"We've reached a point that can be described by adjusting a well-known Russian propaganda slogan: Ukraine's deep strike drones will never run out," he stated. "Interestingly, Russian threats that their 'Kalibr' missiles would never run out didn't quite materialize."

While the long-range drones of Ukraine's Defense Forces could have influenced the course of the war, they instead revealed underlying systemic issues.

Russia has handed Kyiv the bodies of its own soldiers mixed in with those of Ukrainian soldiers during recent repatriation of the fallen, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said on June 16.

Klymenko’s statement follows the completion of an exchange between Ukraine and Russia of the remains of soldiers killed in action earlier the same day, under agreements reached during recent peace talks in Istanbul.

Kyiv returned a total of 6,057 bodies. Vladimir Medinsky, an aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin and member of the Russian delegation at the Istanbul talks, claimed that Russia received the bodies of 78 deceased servicemen.

According to Klymenko, the identification process has been significantly complicated by the condition in which Russia returned the bodies.

“Parts of the bodies (of fallen soldiers) are in different bags. There are cases when the remains of one person are returned even during different stages of repatriation,” the minister said.

Klymenko said that Russia may have included the bodies of its own soldiers in the transfer to Ukraine either on purpose or by accident.

“This could have been done by the Russians on purpose to increase the number of bodies transferred and to load our (forensic) experts with work, adding to all this cynical information pressure. Or it could be their usual negligent attitude toward their own people. In any case, we also identify these bodies,” Klymenko said.

The June 2 negotiations in Istanbul resulted in the most expansive prisoner and body exchange agreement of the full-scale war, although no ceasefire was reached.

The deal followed the largest-ever POW swap in late May, when 1,000 prisoners were exchanged on each side. Additional exchanges last week included severely wounded and sick soldiers.

Russia accused Ukraine on June 7 of rejecting a proposed body return, publishing footage allegedly showing Ukrainian corpses stored in refrigeration units. Kyiv dismissed the claims, saying the footage was filmed inside Russia and not at a designated exchange location.

Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service reported on June 16 that Russia is preparing to escalate a disinformation campaign related to ongoing POW exchanges next week, aiming to provoke public outrage in Ukrainian society.

From buffer zone to new front: Russia pushes deeper into Sumy Oblast

In March 2025, as Ukrainian forces made their final retreat from Sudzha in Russia’s Kursk Oblast, new grey spots began to appear on open-source maps on the other side of the state border, in Ukraine’s Sumy Oblast. For the first time since 2022, when Moscow’s forces retreated

The Kyiv IndependentFrancis Farrell

The U.S. has canceled the next round of talks with Russia on restoring diplomatic relations, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova claimed on June 16.

Zakharova’s statement came days after Russian Ambassador to the U.S. Alexander Darchiev announced that delegations from both countries were expected to meet in Moscow in the near future.

The planned talks were supposed to be part of discussions between the U.S. and Russia that focused on peace efforts in Ukraine and the resumption of bilateral ties.

According to Zakharova, the upcoming round was intended to “eliminate irritants” and help normalize the operations of both nations' diplomatic missions.

“We hope that the pause taken by them (the U.S.) will not become too long,” the Russian spokesperson said.

Washington is yet to comment on Zakharova’s claims.

The first talks since the start of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine took place on Feb. 18 in Riyadh, where the two sides discussed bilateral relations, a potential presidential meeting, and ways on ending Russia’s war against Ukraine.

Darchiev said that during the recent round of talks on April 10 in Istanbul, the two sides agreed to move future consultations to their respective capitals.

The U.S. State Department described the April 10 talks in Istanbul as having a “constructive approach.” The closed-door consultations lasted about six hours and focused on ensuring stable banking services for diplomatic missions. Both delegations exchanged notes on the issue and agreed to continue discussions.

The diplomatic push continues amid efforts by U.S. President Donald Trump to broker a ceasefire and peace agreement in Ukraine. Trump suggested on June 5 that it may be better to let the conflict continue for now, likening the war to a fight between children that should not be interrupted too quickly.

Kyiv and its allies remain skeptical of Trump’s approach toward peace efforts.

President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly called for stronger U.S. action and warned that “America’s silence, and the silence of others around the world, only encourages (Russian President Vladimir) Putin."

Russia to demand Ukraine destroy Western weapons to end war, senior Kremlin official says

The remarks reflect Moscow’s growing list of maximalist demands presented in its so-called “peace memorandum.”

The Kyiv IndependentTim Zadorozhnyy

Ukrainian Armed Forces launched a HIMARS strike on a Russian military convoy in Makiivka, within the occupied Donetsk region. The assault, executed on June 13, resulted in the deaths of eight Russian servicemen and injuries to 12 others, according to the Russian news outlet ASTRA. The targeted area was near an abandoned gas station on Avtotransportnaya Street.

The hit reportedly impacted personnel from military unit 71443, and Russian media suggest that "two civilians" also perished. This HIMARS attack not only caused human casualties but also obliterated a PAZ bus from the Russian Ministry of Defense as well as inflicting damage on three other buses and military vehicles, including a Ural truck.

When John Denton first visited Ukraine weeks into Russia’s full-scale invasion, he knew that for the country to survive, businesses needed to stay alive.

Denton is the secretary general of the world’s largest business organization, the International Chamber of Commerce. Active in 170 countries, the organization enables $17.5 trillion worth of economic activity every year, accounting for 22% of the world’s gross domestic product (GDP).

Denton has been a vocal supporter of Ukraine’s businesses and the country’s economic recovery, which is crawling back from the massive 29.1% fall in 2022. The International Chamber of Commerce will attend the upcoming Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC) in Rome on July 10-11, alongside governments and major players in the global private sector.

In a sit-down interview at the Kyiv School of Economics (KSE) on June 12, Denton told the Kyiv Independent how the International Chamber of Commerce has supported businesses in Ukraine, how investors can mitigate risks, and why doing business in Ukraine is worth it despite the wartime challenges.

“There needs to be a more nuanced understanding of risk in Ukraine. It’s not one risk quota for the whole of the country. It helps people understand that there are investable opportunities,” Denton said.

The International Chamber of Commerce has been active in supporting Ukraine’s economic front in partnership with the Ukrainian Chambers of Commerce. This includes the Center of Entrepreneurship, which supports small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) as well as refugees.

Denton believes Ukraine’s recovery needs a strong private sector and access to global markets. To help build up trust and encourage foreign investors, he announced that the International Chamber of Commerce will cut arbitration costs for foreign investors involved in reconstruction-related disputes in Ukraine during his last trip to Ukraine in November 2024.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Kyiv Independent: This is your fourth trip to Ukraine. What is your current assessment of Ukraine’s business climate?

John Denton: The reality is challenging, but Ukraine is not a monolith. There are different opportunities. I drove from Warsaw through western Ukraine, and you can sense that there’s a level of vibrancy in the economy there.

The more challenged regions need focus. It’s hard to attract opportunities and to keep people. At the same time, people are there, paying taxes, keeping businesses running, even in complex places. They need support and want visibility.

It’s going to be much harder to rebuild Ukraine if the economy is not functioning. We’ve always seen the private sector and the functioning of the economy here as the economic front. One dimension is just keeping tax flows moving and businesses running. The other is morale. It’s devastating if you have a collapsed economy plus military challenges.

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The Kyiv Independent: What would you say to investors who are standing by on the sidelines, waiting for the war to end before putting their money into Ukraine?

John Denton: They've got to make commercial decisions in the best interests. You have to make certain your risk appetite matches the risk that's available.

There's a different level of risk for the allocation of capital in this place. Existing businesses here tend to understand that a little better. The investment you're seeing in Ukraine is coming from existing businesses that understand the terrain. They're reinvesting in the economy, and those investments are often very successful.

You can't completely de-risk, but you can take away some of the extraordinary risks.

The danger with waiting too long is do you then have the relationships in place to participate in the rebuild? That's going to be one of the challenges.

There's a lot more that can be done to facilitate de-risking. You can't completely de-risk, but you can take away some of the extraordinary risks.

We can help export agencies understand that their participation is really important to allow companies to close deals here. Some of them can only provide coverage up to 97%. That (missing) 3% matters. At the URC, we're helping export agencies understand this and problem solve risk coverage.

Ukraine’s long-awaited weapons tech investment boom is finally kicking off

Ukrainian weapons startups are finally seeing an inflow of funds from Western investors who have long been intrigued by the Ukraine’s defense tech sector but have so far kept their money out of the war-torn country. Financial analysis firm Pitchbook provided the Kyiv Independent with data showing a four-fold rise

The Kyiv IndependentKollen Post

Kyiv Independent: What are the barriers to foreign and domestic investment in Ukraine, and how are you helping break those down?

John Denton: There's just the reality that there's a war going on. It inhibits one's decision-making, but it doesn't mean you don't make the decision.

The other is that there are issues with the application of the rule of law here. We've come up with a solution which I know the Ukrainian government is very happy with – if people are worried that that's an inhibitor, we will use the International Chamber of Commerce Court of Arbitration. You can be 100% sure of the independence.

There's still a perception of corruption. Many say the country is different than five years ago or before the war. That's true. But sentiment clouds upfront decision-making.

The other thing is, do we actually have clear investment frameworks? Has the government articulated key priorities? Do you want to attract investment only into the most complex areas of Ukraine, or are you neutral as to where it is? There is a risk of mixed messages.

I think the government and the private sector here are working on all those areas. We're seeing better presentation and understanding of projects capable of attracting capital.

Kyiv Independent: Have we seen any results yet from the decreased arbitration costs?

John Denton: It’s too early to tell. There's certainly a lot of interest in it. It's creating an ecosystem of confidence around settling disputes.

Kyiv Independent: The Ukraine Recovery Conference is taking place in Rome next month. Is reconstruction being taken seriously despite there being no end to the war in sight? What can we expect from the International Chamber of Commerce at the conference?

John Denton: There is increasing interest from the private sector about how to manage the risks that will be involved in the reconstruction of Ukraine. And that's why we're involved.

There is a particular challenge with export finance that needs to be thought through. We will be using the URC as a great convening space to do that. The other is more broadly around identifying the inhibitors to private sector engagement in this process and coming up with a roadmap to actually remove those barriers.

The URC creates space for these discussions. We hope this starts more aggressively, not just on future reconstruction, but reconstruction now. To rebuild on a broken system is much harder than if we have a functioning private sector and economy now.

---

Note from the author:

Hi, it’s Dominic, thank you for reading this story. Investment and the role of the private sector in rebuilding Ukraine is going to be a hot topic at the upcoming Ukraine Recovery Conference in Rome this July. For now, many investors are holding back their money, but John Denton makes a good point that it's important to invest now to keep the economy alive. To help us keep you up to date with all the latest news from Ukraine, please consider becoming a member.

Ukraine must look beyond the EU for its agricultural future

The end of the European Union’s tariff-free trade preferences for Ukrainian agricultural products is more than just a policy change, it’s a wake-up call. For years, the EU has served as the largest and most reliable market for Ukraine’s agricultural exports. But as Brussels rolls back preferential

The Kyiv IndependentMark Iwashko

President Volodymyr Zelensky and his Austrian counterpart Alexander Van der Bellen signed documents on bilateral cooperation between the two countries during Zelensky’s visit to Vienna on June 16.

Speaking at a joint press conference, Zelensky said that the agreements cover key areas including agriculture, reconstruction, and return of abducted Ukrainian children from Russia.

Zelensky’s visit to Austria comes a day before his scheduled trip to Canada, where he will attend the Group of Seven (G7) summit on June 17.

While at the summit, he is expected to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump to discuss, among other topics, a potential purchase of a U.S. military aid package.

According to Zelensky, discussions at the G7 summit will include the fate of Moscow’s frozen assets and the imposition of further sanctions on Russian energy exports.

Before leaving Vienna, Zelensky is expected to meet with Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker to push for stronger sanctions against Russia.

“We are counting on Austria’s support, both at the state and societal levels, on a sensitive issue for Ukraine: the presence of former Ukrainian officials and oligarchs who are evading justice by hiding in Europe, including Austria, and concealing stolen assets,” Zelensky added.

In 2014, U.S. prosecutors charged Ukrainian oligarch Dmytro Firtash with racketeering and bribery, and he was briefly arrested in Austria before posting bail. The Ukrainian tycoon has so far avoided extradition from Austria’s capital, where he resides.

Other wanted Ukrainian top officials in Austria include ex-chairman of Constitutional Court Oleksandr Tupytskyi. He was charged with unlawfully influencing and bribing a witness to induce false testimony, and giving false testimony himself.

High stakes, low resolve: What Ukraine can expect from the upcoming G7 summit

As world leaders prepare to gather in the remote community of Kananaskis in Alberta, Canada for the Group of Seven (G7) Leaders’ Summit on June 15-17, Russia’s war in Ukraine once again holds center stage — but views on how to address the three-year conflict diverge sharply. In the five months

The Kyiv IndependentDmytro Basmat

Moscow is upping the ante in its ongoing conflict with Ukraine, insisting that Kyiv dismantle and dispose of all weaponry received from Western allies. According to Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko, Ukraine must significantly reduce and safely dispose of such arms, as reported by Russian state media.

"Naturally, all these excesses must be destroyed. All international algorithms are well-known. They (the weapons) must be reduced, disposed of, and this must be guaranteed," Grushko stated when asked if Russia would demand Ukraine to scrap Western armaments.

Grushko expressed concerns that arming Ukraine poses a security threat to Western nations. He cited the example of when the United States supplied Stinger missiles to Afghan Mujahideen, only to later exert extraordinary efforts to regain control over the systems.

"The degree of recklessness among those political figures who continue to flood the market with weapons is astonishing, especially when they are fully conscious that black markets are virtually swelling with arms, which, thanks to corruption schemes, flow to various parts of the globe, including Europe," the Russian official emphasized.

Previously, another condition was added by Russia's State Duma for the third round of negotiations in Istanbul. As noted by the Deputy Chairman of the International Affairs Committee, Ukrainians must halt their attacks on Russian rear areas and agree to a multi-day ceasefire on certain sections of the front line.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it used a new method to breach Israel’s air defenses during a missile attack early on June 16, that killed at least eight people, Reuters reports.

According to the IRGC, Iranian missiles were guided in a way that caused Israeli interceptor missiles to target each other, confusing Israel’s integrated defense system, which includes Iron Dome, David’s Sling, and Arrow platforms.

It did not provide any further details.

Ballistic missiles are rocket-powered and are launched high into the atmosphere before arcing back down onto their target.

They’re only guided during the initial stages of launch, so they can be less accurate than cruise missiles, but have the advantage of reaching incredibly high speeds – sometimes more than 3,200 kilometers per hour – as they approach their targets.

Israel’s Defense Forces (IDF) reported for the first time that its systems had an 80-90% success rate intercepting Iran’s ballistic missiles, while roughly 5-10% penetrated the shield and struck populated areas, according to the Jerusalem Post.

The strike came three days after Israel launched a sweeping aerial campaign against Iranian nuclear and military facilities, killing several high-ranking officials, including IRGC aerospace commander Amir Ali Hajizadeh.

Kyiv has expressed support for Israel, describing Iran as a “source of instability in the region and beyond,” citing Tehran’s extensive military cooperation with Russia.

Since 2022, Iran has supplied Moscow with thousands of Shahed kamikaze drones and short-range ballistic missiles for use against Ukraine. Russia, for its part, has condemned the Israeli air strikes on Iran as “unprovoked aggression” and backed calls for restraint.

Israel is home to one of the largest Russian-speaking populations outside the former Soviet Union, with approximately 1 million people — or 15% of the total population — identifying as Russian-speaking. Israel has historically maintained relatively friendly ties with Russia.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on June 15 that he is considering Russian President Vladimir Putin as a possible mediator between Israel and Iran.

As of June 16, Iran’s Health Ministry claims 224 people have been killed since the Israeli air campaign began on June 13 — 90% of them civilians, according to Tehran. Israel has not confirmed the civilian casualty figure, and independent verification remains difficult.

Russia to demand Ukraine destroy Western weapons to end war, senior Kremlin official says

The remarks reflect Moscow’s growing list of maximalist demands presented in its so-called “peace memorandum.”

The Kyiv IndependentTim Zadorozhnyy

Public trust in President Volodymyr Zelensky has dropped by 11 percentage points since May, according to a poll published by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) on June 16.

The survey found that 65% of Ukrainians currently trust the president, while 30% do not, yielding a trust balance of +35%, the lowest recorded since March.

Zelensky’s still rating remains above the February 2025 low of 57%.  

Sociologists can’t pinpoint a specific cause for the short-term decline but highlight factors such as increasing pressure for a ceasefire and the weakening of the surge of popular support seen earlier this year during tense relations with U.S. President Donald Trump.

Zelensky’s approval had spiked briefly in early May to 74% following the signing of a minerals agreement with the U.S., seen as a diplomatic and economic win. That boost proved short-lived.

The poll shows a stark regional divide. Trust is highest in western Ukraine at 73%, while in the country’s south and east, areas more frequently targeted by Russian strikes, only 61% express confidence in the president.

The data also shows a sharp contrast in attitudes toward territorial concessions. Among those who trust Zelensky, 55% are strongly opposed to any such compromise. Among those who distrust him, 46% are willing to cede territory, while only 43% are firmly against concessions.

The survey was conducted between May 15 and June 3, using a random sample of 1,011 adult residents across Ukraine, excluding occupied territories. Respondents were interviewed by phone.  

Russia to demand Ukraine destroy Western weapons to end war, senior Kremlin official says

The remarks reflect Moscow’s growing list of maximalist demands presented in its so-called “peace memorandum.”

The Kyiv IndependentTim Zadorozhnyy

Ukraine has received the bodies of another 1,245 fallen Ukrainian soldiers and citizens under agreements reached during recent peace negotiations in Istanbul, the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War (POWs) announced on June 16.

The latest repatriation marks the final stage of the exchange agreement, bringing the total number of Ukrainian bodies returned under the deal to 6,057.

The operation was coordinated by Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU), the Ombudsman’s Office, the military, the Interior Ministry, and other state and defense institutions, with assistance from the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Vladimir Medinsky, an aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin and member of the Russian delegation at the Istanbul talks, claimed that Russia received the bodies of 78 deceased servicemen.

The June 2 negotiations in Istanbul resulted in the most expansive prisoner and body exchange agreement of the full-scale war, although no ceasefire was reached.

The deal followed the largest-ever POW swap in late May, when 1,000 prisoners were exchanged on each side. Additional exchanges last week included severely wounded and sick soldiers.

Russia accused Ukraine on June 7 of rejecting a proposed body return, publishing footage allegedly showing Ukrainian corpses stored in refrigeration units. Kyiv dismissed the claims, saying the footage was filmed inside Russia and not at a designated exchange location.

Andrii Yusov, deputy head of Ukraine’s POW Coordination Headquarters, told Ukrainian Pravda that Ukraine is fully abiding by the agreed terms and has made no unilateral rejections.

Kyiv has repeatedly urged Moscow to adopt an “all-for-all” prisoner exchange formula. While over 5,000 Ukrainians have been returned from Russian captivity since March 2022, Russia continues to resist a comprehensive swap.

With no new US aid packages on the horizon, can Ukraine continue to fight Russia?

The U.S. has not announced any military aid packages for Ukraine in almost five months, pushing Kyiv to seek new alternatives. But time is running out quickly as Russian troops slowly advance on the eastern front line and gear up for a new summer offensive. “While Ukraine’s dependence on

The Kyiv IndependentKateryna Hodunova