Ukraine

June 19, 2025 8:03am

Ukraine Russia Photos USA

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Ben Borges

Russian drone and artillery strikes injured at least 28 civilians over the past 24 hours in Ukraine, regional officials reported on June 19.

According to Ukraine’s Air Force, Russian forces launched 104 Shahed-type drones and decoy unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) overnight from Russian territory and occupied Crimea.

Ukrainian air defenses shot down 40 drones, while 48 disappeared from radars or were intercepted by electronic warfare.

In Kherson Oblast, nine people were injured amid heavy shelling and drone attacks on dozens of settlements, including Kherson city, Governor Oleksandr Prokudin said. Russian forces struck social infrastructure facilities, three apartment buildings, and 10 houses. A gas pipeline, an ambulance base, a fire station, and several vehicles were also damaged.

In Donetsk Oblast, 13 people were wounded in Russian strikes across the region, Governor Vadym Filashkin said.

In Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, five people were injured in morning attacks on the Nikopol district, including an 11-year-old child who was hospitalized alongside three adults, Governor Serhii Lysak reported. One person is in serious condition, while others are in moderate condition or recovering at home.

In Zaporizhzhia Oblast, one person was injured, Governor Ivan Fedorov said. Over the past day, Russian forces carried out 410 strikes on 12 settlements in the oblast, including 10 air strikes and 264 drone attacks. Additional shelling from artillery and multiple launch rocket systems damaged at least 94 houses, vehicles, and infrastructure sites.

‘Do me a favor Vladimir, mediate Russia first’ — Trump roasts Putin over Israel, Iran offer

“I said, Vladimir, let’s mediate Russia first. You can worry about this later,” U.S. President Donald Trump said.

The Kyiv IndependentTim Zadorozhnyy

June 19, 2025 7:23am

Ukraine Russia Photos

Ben Borges

Russia has lost 1,008,240 troops in Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces reported on June 19.

The number includes 1,080 casualties that Russian forces suffered just over the past day.

According to the report, Russia has also lost 10,951 tanks, 22,853 armored fighting vehicles, 52,420 vehicles and fuel tanks, 29,328 artillery systems, 1,420 multiple launch rocket systems, 1,187 air defense systems, 416 airplanes, 337 helicopters, 41,229 drones, 3,369 cruise missiles, 28 ships and boats, and one submarine.

Russia’s deadliest attack on Kyiv this year shatters homes and lives

As Russia intensifies its attacks on Ukrainian cities, millions of Kyiv residents go to bed every night hoping their houses will be intact in the morning. But some nights are worse than others. At least 28 people were killed in Russia’s drone and missile attack on Ukraine’s capital

The Kyiv IndependentNick Allard

June 19, 2025 2:13am

Ukraine Russia Photos

Ben Borges

Eight people were injured in Russian attacks on Kherson Oblast, local law enforcement officials reported on June 18.

The Russian military targeted several settlements in the region using artillery and drones, according to authorities.

As of 6:00 p.m. local time, eight civilians were reported injured, including two men in Komyshany and Romashkovo, and six others in Bilozerka, Beryslav, Antonivka, and the regional capital Kherson.

Civilian infrastructure, including private homes and residential buildings, was also damaged in the attacks.

Kherson Oblast is located in southern Ukraine, just north of Russian-occupied Crimea, and has been relentless targeted by Russian forces throughout the war.

Ukrainian forces liberated the city of Kherson, the regional capital, in November 2022.

Russian troops continue to occupy large parts of the region and regularly launch attacks on civilian areas using artillery, guided bombs and drones.

For the first time, Australia sanctions Russian shadow fleet oil tankers

“Russia uses these vessels to circumvent international sanctions and sustain its illegal and immoral war against Ukraine,” Australia’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The Kyiv IndependentAnna Fratsyvir

June 19, 2025 12:22am

Ukraine Russia Photos USA

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Ben Borges

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

Russia wants to end the war in Ukraine “as soon as possible,” preferably through peaceful means, and is ready to continue negotiations — provided that Kyiv and its Western allies are willing to engage, President Vladimir Putin said.

Speaking during a roundtable with top editors of major international news agencies late on June 18, Putin added that he is ready to meet with President Volodymyr Zelensky and “Russia does not care who represents Ukraine in negotiations, but insists that any final agreement must bear the signature of legitimate authorities.”

The Kremlin has long sought to portray Zelensky as “illegitimate” in an attempt to discredit Kyiv. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Feb. 18 that Putin, who has ruled Russia for over 20 years, is ready for talks with Zelensky, but “legal aspects related to his legitimacy” must be considered.

Ukraine’s allies had generally ignored this propaganda narrative until U.S. President Donald Trump appeared to echo the Kremlin’s lines claiming that Zelensky was a “modestly successful comedian” turned “dictator” who “refused to have elections."

Ukraine has not held elections during Russia’s full-scale invasion because they are legally prohibited under martial law, which was declared on Feb. 24, 2022, just hours after the war began. Ukrainian law also mandates that elections must be safe, equal, and uninterrupted—conditions that are impossible to meet amid ongoing Russian attacks on civilians and critical infrastructure.

Elections in Ukraine — a guide for beginners (and US Presidents)

U.S. President Donald Trump on Feb. 19 launched an astonishing attack on President Volodymyr Zelensky, calling him a “dictator” with a “very low” approval rating that refuses to hold elections in Ukraine. The comments came a day after similar remarks made at the White House, in which Trump falsely

The Kyiv IndependentKateryna Denisova

Asked if he would be willing to speak with Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Putin said that “if the Federal Chancellor wants to call and talk, I have already said this many times — we do not refuse any contacts."

“And we are always open to this… They stopped, let them resume. We are open to them,” Putin said, adding that he, however, questions Germany’s role as a mediator in the Russia-Ukraine war: “I do doubt if Germany can contribute more than the United States as a mediator in our negotiations with Ukraine. A mediator must be neutral. And when we see German tanks and Leopard battle tanks on the battlefield… and now the Federal Republic is considering supplying Taurus missiles for attacks on Russian territory… — here, of course, big questions arise.”

June 18, 2025 11:35pm

Ukraine Russia Photos USA

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Ben Borges

The U.S. Senate is postponing action on a bipartisan Russia sanctions bill until at least July, as other legislative and foreign policy priorities dominate the agenda, Semafor reported on June 18.

Senators Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) have been working on a revised version of their bill that would impose secondary sanctions on Russian trading partners, while shielding Ukraine’s allies from penalties and making technical adjustments. But momentum has stalled as Republicans push President Donald Trump’s sweeping tax and spending bill, and the escalating conflict between Iran and Israel demands urgent attention.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) acknowledged on June 18 that a “July timeframe” was now more realistic for the sanctions bill. “We’re very open to moving, we’re trying to work with the administration from a timing standpoint,” Thune said, according to Semafor. Graham added that the Senate is “going to have to wait a bit,” citing shifting global developments. “Things are changing now with Iran… that doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten about Russia or Ukraine. Not at all. Iran is center stage, but sooner rather than later,” he said.

Trump has not yet signaled support for the legislation, which remains a critical obstacle.

While sanctions enjoy broader Republican backing than direct military aid to Ukraine, GOP lawmakers are hesitant to move forward without Trump’s approval. The U.S. president left the G7 summit in Canada early, skipping a planned meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky, as attention shifted to a potential U.S. response to Iran’s nuclear ambitions. “All the focus is on Israel and Iran right now,” said Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), though he noted that he is “all for putting sanctions” on Russia.

Graham and Blumenthal had hoped to secure passage of the bill ahead of the G7 summit after visiting Ukraine earlier this year. Blumenthal said he and Graham were “making tremendous progress” with the administration, but acknowledged that other priorities were pushing the legislation off the floor.

Supporters of the sanctions argue the bill would give Trump more leverage in negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin. “We want to strengthen our hand in the negotiation,” said Sen. John Hoeven (R-N.D.). “We want to help effectuate an outcome in Ukraine, so we’re trying to use it in a way that actually helps get something done.” The legislation would authorize secondary sanctions on countries that continue to purchase Russian energy or conduct other major trade with Moscow.

Despite uncertainty around timing, both Graham and Blumenthal continue to refine the bill to ensure broader support, including a carveout for Ukraine’s allies and changes to accommodate the global banking system. “There is no evidence that Putin is going to slow down,” Graham told Semafor. “We need to change the approach. I think the sanctions will give the president leverage.”

‘Do me a favor Vladimir, mediate Russia first’ — Trump roasts Putin over Israel, Iran offer

“I said, Vladimir, let’s mediate Russia first. You can worry about this later,” U.S. President Donald Trump said.

The Kyiv IndependentTim Zadorozhnyy

June 18, 2025 9:46pm

Ukraine Russia Photos

Reading Time: 7 minutes

Ben Borges

When I was at school and learned about World War II, my grandmother told me what she remembered of her wartime childhood on the English coast. Growing up near a Royal Navy base, she survived countless nighttime air raids.

Most of all, she remembered exactly how the Blitz sounded — the sirens, the terrifying throb of German aircraft overhead, the whistle of bombs, and the eventual explosions that ripped into her hometown night after night.

In Kyiv, in 2025, Russia provides a different sort of sensory experience.

There are no Russian bombers above the sky of Ukraine’s capital — they launch their missiles from hundreds, if not thousands, of kilometers away. But I do hear Russia’s deadly Shahed-type drones, waves of which Russia regularly sends to the Ukrainian capital under the cover of darkness.

These aren’t the small, first-person view drones used on the battlefield or against cities near the front. The drones in the sky above Kyiv have a wingspan of around 3 meters, and they sound more like lawnmowers or mopeds (as Ukrainians colloquially call them).

Shaheds typically start to approach Kyiv after sunset, and attacks sometimes last until sunrise. This means that the terror inflicted on a city of over three million people is primarily an audio experience, rather than visual. I’ve never seen a Shahed, but I’ve learned, unwillingly, to recognize the sound from various distances. I’ve also learned how different types of air defense sound, from deep, far-off booms on the other side of the Dnipro River to automatic gunfire from the back of trucks on the street below my apartment.

After a while, you use decibels as a basis for understanding how much danger you’re in.

Sound of Shahed drone. (Elsa Court)

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If a Shahed drone gets too close, I hear its buzz rise to a nauseating pitch. Then, if I’m very unlucky, the noise screeches until what sounds like the engine cutting out. Silence for a heart-stopping second. Then the blast. I text my friends in different parts of the city to compare what we’ve just heard — “That one seemed loud, right? Was it downed, or did we hear a hit?”

In the morning, in a sleep-deprived state, we notice a sensitivity to everyday sounds. It could be the whir of an electric car engine accelerating, or the buzz of an automatic parcel locker, as one friend mentioned to me. It’s not just the sound of drones that can put people on edge, either. A few weeks back, one of the first summer storms came to the skies above Kyiv. Social media was full of posts about how the reverberation of the thunder sounded like an extended missile explosion. “Don’t worry, it’s just the sound of Zeus at work,” some people joked.

When I’m outside Ukraine, the acoustic impact of war becomes even more absurd. In London, I once paused a conversation to listen to a train going over the tracks in the distance because it sounded uncannily like the rhythm of automatic gunfire of air defense units around Kyiv. At a concert, I noticed that the rising chords of a synthesizer echoed the whining notes of Ukrainian air raid alarms. A heavy truck driving by at high speed can rattle window frames in the exact same way an explosion from a ballistic missile does.

Automatic gunfire of air defense. (Elsa Court)

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Of course, the associations created by everyday noises are far worse for my colleagues who work on the front line. Someone moving heavy outdoor furniture on a concrete patio sounds, for a moment, like outgoing artillery fire. A sudden beep of a car horn can trigger a flinch. Hearing a tourist’s drone filming what will become happy vacation memories can provoke an automatic duck-and-cover response.

In my work, I try to find ways to communicate the importance of Russia’s war against Ukraine to our readers, the vast majority of whom are not in Ukraine and have never experienced this kind of war. But sometimes, it’s difficult to convey the reality on the ground through news articles and facts when much of Russia’s strategy against civilians seems to be designed to create a sensory overload.

I remember reading articles about the power cuts of the winter of 2022-2023, and how the hum of generators took over the streets of Ukrainian cities. It was only when I came to Kyiv in 2024, however, and experienced a summer of power cuts after Russia destroyed nearly all of Ukraine’s power grid in spring that I truly understood what this “hum” meant in reality.

When nearly every business was forced to use a generator to stay open, there were few places you could comfortably sit outside after work. It’s easy to take for granted now, but there were parts of Kyiv where you couldn’t hold a conversation on the street with a friend. Amid a heat wave, there was no electricity for air conditioning, but you couldn’t leave your window open for long before the sound (and smell of diesel fumes) made it unbearable. If you walked to work, your thoughts were drowned out by the omnipresent vibrations.

The news at the time largely reflected the economic damage of Russia’s attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure (and fears for a winter without power), but I remember how the constant attack on your senses began to chip away at morale. When a rolling blackout ended, and the power came back, I felt immediate relief that there would be a few hours of silence before the generators were turned on again.

The impact on your hearing is very much an intended side effect of Russia’s more general campaign of terror. There’s little military advantage to waves of Shaheds direct at Kyiv. Most are downed by Ukrainian air defense units, but that doesn’t spare civilians from the terrifying sound of hours of explosions for the entire night. The point is to intimidate Ukrainians not just through sheer violence (these attacks regularly kill people in their homes), but also through the noise of constant bombardments.

It can be hard to sleep when you have a noisy upstairs neighbor. Now, imagine that neighbor is Russia, and it’s sending weapons that buzz and bang all night on purpose. It’s an effective form of psychological warfare, if you can ensure an entire city spends the next day sleep deprived, low in energy, and sensitive to the smallest of sounds.

I do not wish that those outside Ukraine start to associate everyday noises with deadly weapons. But understanding what the war sounds like in Kyiv might help others comprehend what kind of enemy we are dealing with, and the sound of terror that millions of civilians are forced to live with.

One of my colleagues regularly wears a hoodie with the words “Russia is a terrorist state” on the front — it’s no coincidence that this is someone who has become particularly sensitive to sound.

Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed in the op-ed section are those of the authors and do not purport to reflect the views of the Kyiv Independent.

‘He said he wasn’t going anywhere’ — Survivors search for missing following Russia’s deadliest attack on Kyiv this year

Sitting a few meters from the rubble of what used to be a nondescript nine-story residential building in Kyiv, Lilia rises to her feet every time another pile of debris is cleared from the site targeted by Russia during a mass overnight attack on June 17. “We are waiting (as

The Kyiv IndependentKateryna Denisova

June 18, 2025 9:39pm

Ukraine Russia Photos

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Ben Borges

Russian President Vladimir Putin is facing renewed pressure from hardliners to formally declare war on Ukraine, with critics inside the Kremlin warning what he calls his “special military operation” no longer goes far enough.

Anger intensified following Ukraine’s June 1 drone strike, dubbed Operation Spiderweb, which targeted four Russian air bases deep inside the country and reportedly damaged at least 20 Russian nuclear bombers. “Shock and outrage” is how one senior official described to the Telegraph the mood in the Kremlin, while another called the attack “a personal tragedy."

Russia has apparently redeployed dozens of long-range bombers to more remote bases within the country following the strike, Russian independent media outlet Agentstvo reported on June 11, citing OSINT analyst AviVector.

Despite the escalation, the Kremlin has so far avoided any dramatic shift in strategy. “This did not catalyse a political discussion or a change in the format of military operations,” a former Kremlin official told the Telegraph. Another source close to the Russian Defense Ministry said, “Could the president declare war on Kyiv? Right now, unlikely. As cynical as it may sound, the leadership is satisfied with the current situation.”

Hardliners argue that only a formal war declaration would permit true escalation—full-scale mobilisation, regular missile strikes, and potentially the use of tactical nuclear weapons. One analyst told the Telegraph that a formal war declaration would give the Russian government sweeping authority to shift the country fully onto a wartime footing.

However, despite record levels of defense spending, the Kremlin has avoided taking that step—seeking instead to preserve the illusion of control and protect the broader population from the immediate impact of the war.

The Kremlin is projected to allocate 6.3 percent of its GDP to defense this year — the highest level since the Cold War — yet still far below what would typically indicate a country fully mobilised for war. By contrast, Ukraine spent 34 percent of its GDP on defense last year, while British military spending surpassed 50 percent of GDP during the Second World War.

“Mobilisation undermines economic stability,” said one current government employee. According to him, those in Putin’s inner circle have convinced the president that large-scale mobilisation could trigger the collapse of the war effort. “And why is it needed now? We have Kalibr missiles, we have volunteers. Their resources are not yet exhausted,” he was quoted as saying.

Ukraine’s SBU releases fresh video of Operation Spiderweb, teases ‘new surprises’

“The SBU is hitting and will hit (Russia) where it considers itself unreachable!” SBU chief Vasyl Maliuk said. “We are working on new surprises, no less painful than the Operation Spiderweb.”

The Kyiv IndependentMartin Fornusek

June 18, 2025 9:35pm

Ukraine

Ben Borges

MilitaryLand continues to closely monitor the ongoing reorganization of the Ukrainian defense forces into a corps-based system. This reform is intended to enhance Ukraine’s tactical and organizational effectiveness by replacing…

Source

June 18, 2025 9:09pm

Ukraine Russia Protests Photos USA

Reading Time: 10 minutes

Ben Borges

Key developments on June 18:

• ‘Do me a favor Vladimir, mediate Russia first’ — Trump roasts Putin over Israel, Iran offer
• Ukraine kills collaborator tied to POW torture in occupied Berdiansk, intelligence source claims
• Zelensky may reportedly skip NATO summit over uncertainty about Trump’s attendance
• Ukraine dismisses Russia’s ‘absurd’ ceasefire condition for dismantling Western arms
• Kellogg to meet Lukashenko in highest-ranking US visit to Belarus in years, Reuters reports

U.S. President Donald Trump said on June 18 that he had turned down Russian President Vladimir Putin’s offer to mediate the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran.

“I spoke to him yesterday, and, you know, he actually offered to help mediate. I said, do me a favor. Mediate your own,” Trump told reporters. “Let’s mediate Russia first, okay? I said, Vladimir, let’s mediate Russia first. You can worry about this later."

Shortly after Trump’s statement, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the U.S. president was speaking “figuratively” when referring to a conversation with Putin, according to the Russian state news agency TASS.

“Life is so eventful these days that a retrospective covering several days is like looking back at yesterday,” Peskov added, implying there had been no such conversation on June 17.

Trump’s comments come just days after he had said he was “open” to the idea of Putin serving as a mediator between Israel and Iran, sparking criticism from U.S. allies. On June 15, Trump claimed Putin was “ready” and had discussed the possibility at length in a recent phone call.

Putin, whose country has been deepening military cooperation with Tehran, spoke separately with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on June 13. He condemned Israel’s air strikes on Iran and offered Russian mediation.

Those strikes, described by Israel as “preemptive,” involved 200 warplanes and 330 munitions targeting Iranian nuclear and military sites. Iran responded with missile attacks on Israeli cities, including Tel Aviv, that killed at least five Ukrainian citizens on June 14.

Putin's offer of mediation has been dismissed by several Western leaders.

French President Emmanuel Macron said Russia "cannot be a mediator," given its war against Ukraine. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas echoed that sentiment, saying on June 17 that Putin "cannot be trusted to mediate peace" while continuing to wage war on Ukrainian civilians.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on June 17 that Israel appeared unwilling to accept Moscow's mediation. Israel has not publicly commented on the offer.

Ukraine, which has been targeted by thousands of Iranian-made Shahed drones and missiles supplied to Russia, warned that Tehran is a "source of problems" both regionally and globally.

Despite Trump's latest rebuke of Putin's mediation ambitions, the U.S. president has continued to avoid placing additional sanctions on Moscow, even as the Kremlin refuses to agree to a ceasefire in its war against Ukraine.

For the first time, Australia sanctions Russian shadow fleet oil tankers

“Russia uses these vessels to circumvent international sanctions and sustain its illegal and immoral war against Ukraine,” Australia’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The Kyiv IndependentAnna Fratsyvir

Ukraine kills collaborator tied to POW torture in occupied Berdiansk, intelligence source claims

During a targeted operation, Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) killed Mykhailo Hrytsai, a senior collaborator with Russian occupation authorities in Berdiansk, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, a HUR source told the Kyiv Independent on June 18.

According to the source, Hrytsai was directly involved in organizing repressions against the local Ukrainian population and establishing torture chambers for prisoners of war.

The collaborator was shot dead in the city using a silenced PM pistol, the source said.

Hrytsai served as the Russian-installed deputy mayor responsible for infrastructure, housing, utilities, and the energy sector. The source also said he facilitated the illegal seizure of municipal and state property in Berdiansk.

"There are still plenty of such targets — collaborators, accomplices of the enemy — in the occupied territories of Ukraine," the source said.

"We will definitely get to each and every one of them and put an end to their criminal activities by any means necessary: with or without a silencer, quietly or loudly, but always effectively."

A native of Poltava Oblast, Hrytsai had previously participated in Ukrainian political life. He was an assistant to a member of parliament and headed the Berdiansk branch of the Socialist Ukraine party before siding with Russian occupation forces.

Berdiansk, a port city on the Azov Sea, has been under Russian control since the early days of the full-scale invasion in 2022. It remains a critical logistics hub for Russian forces, facilitating the transport of looted Ukrainian grain and other resources.

On Feb. 20, another targeted strike in Berdiansk killed Yevgeny Bogdanov, the deputy head of the Russian-installed administration, according to Ukrainian military intelligence.

‘Beyond cynical’ – Russian doctor carved ‘Glory to Russia’ scar on POW during operation, Ukraine says

After more than three years of Russia’s full-scale invasion, each new revelation of cruel treatment of Ukrainians in Russian captivity hardly surprises anyone. But when a photo recently emerged online, showing a “Glory to Russia” scar on the body of a Ukrainian prisoner of war (POW), it sent shockwaves

The Kyiv IndependentDaria Shulzhenko

Zelensky may reportedly skip NATO summit over uncertainty about Trump's attendance

President Volodymyr Zelensky may reconsider attending the NATO summit in The Hague, as questions remain over U.S. President Donald Trump's participation, the Guardian reported on June 17, citing unnamed Ukrainian officials.

According to the Guardian, some in Kyiv are unsure if Zelensky's presence at the June 24-25 summit would be worthwhile without a confirmed meeting with Trump, whom they had hoped to engage directly in efforts to pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin into accepting a ceasefire.

Earlier, Zelensky had traveled to the G7 summit in Canada, hoping to meet one-on-one with Trump and push for stronger sanctions against Russia. Trump left the summit early, citing the crisis in the Middle East, and no bilateral meeting or joint G7 statement took place.

One official told the Guardian that Ukraine is in a "permanent hazard" of becoming a victim of "Trump's short attention span," adding that Russia has exploited this uncertainty by fresh aerial attacks. The source added that there had been "all sorts of promises for this summit," including U.S. arms.

The Russian attack on Ukraine that occurred during the G7 summit killed at least 24 civilians and injured 134 in Kyiv. Trump has not responded to the attack as of the day after.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has reportedly said Trump had previously promised to attend the NATO gathering, though no official confirmation has been issued from Washington.

Despite the setback, Zelensky said the G7 meeting had concrete results for Ukraine. In a Telegram post on June 17, he thanked partners for increased military aid, new sanctions on Russia, and the decision to allocate frozen Russian assets for Ukraine’s reconstruction.

"It is important that our partners are ready not only to support our defense now, but also to rebuild Ukraine together after the war ends," he said.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced a support package that includes 2 billion Canadian dollars ($1.5 billion) in military assistance and another $1.6 billion in reconstruction loans. The aid includes drones, armored vehicles, ammunition, and sanctions to disrupt Russia's energy revenues.

U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer also unveiled new sanctions targeting Russia's military-industrial complex and 20 oil tankers from Russia's "shadow fleet."

Zelensky later told G7 leaders that "diplomacy is now in a state of crisis" and called on allies to press Trump to "use his real influence" to help end the war.

Ukraine has been invited to the NATO summit, and Zelensky previously called the invitation "important" during a June 2 press briefing. At the time, he did not confirm whether he would attend in person.

Ukraine won’t receive NATO invitation at The Hague summit, Lithuanian FM says

“This issue is certainly not on the NATO agenda and nobody has formulated an expectation that there will be an invitation in The Hague, nor have we heard that from the Ukrainians themselves,” Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys said in comments quoted by the LRT broadcaster.

The Kyiv IndependentMartin Fornusek

Ukraine dismisses Russia's 'absurd' ceasefire condition for dismantling Western arms

Ukraine's Foreign Ministry on June 18 brushed off Moscow's demands for Kyiv to destroy or dismantle Western-supplied weapons as a condition for a ceasefire, saying it shows disregard for U.S. peace efforts.

"Russian officials make new absurd demands almost every day. Total inadequacy," Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi said on X.

"Moscow shows complete disregard for the United States' efforts to end the war."

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko raised the demand in an interview with the state-run newspaper Izvestia earlier this week.

"All these surpluses must be destroyed. All international algorithms are known. They must be reduced, disposed of, and guaranteed," Grushko said.

The Kremlin has previously demanded a complete halt on Western military aid to Ukraine as a key condition for a truce. Kyiv and its European partners have rejected this, instead urging increased military assistance to the war-torn country.

The demand reflects Moscow's growing list of maximalist conditions presented in its so-called "peace memorandum" during negotiations with Ukraine in Istanbul on June 2.

While the recent peace talks ended with an agreement on major prisoner exchanges and repatriation of fallen soldiers, they have failed to achieve a breakthrough in the peace talks.

U.S. President Donald Trump, who initially pledged to broker peace in Ukraine within 24 hours of taking office, has become increasingly disengaged in the effort. He has also been reluctant to apply pressure on Moscow to push it to a ceasefire deal despite repeatedly threatening additional sanctions.

‘He said he wasn’t going anywhere’ — Survivors search for missing following Russia’s deadliest attack on Kyiv this year

Sitting a few meters from the rubble of what used to be a nondescript nine-story residential building in Kyiv, Lilia rises to her feet every time another pile of debris is cleared from the site targeted by Russia during a mass overnight attack on June 17. “We are waiting (as

The Kyiv IndependentKateryna Denisova

Kellogg to meet Lukashenko in highest-ranking US visit to Belarus in years, Reuters reports

U.S. Special Envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg will meet Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in the coming days, Reuters reported on June 17, citing four sources familiar with the matter.

Kellogg will meet Lukashenko in a visit to Belarus as peace talks to bring an end to Russia's war against Ukraine remain inconclusive, Reuters reported.

In February, U.S. Deputy Assistant State Secretary Christopher W. Smith visited Belarus alongside two other U.S. officials to conduct a prisoner swap in a similar unannounced visit.

Lukashenko has been in power since 1994 and has been accused of staging fraudulent elections in Belarus. The leader declared a seventh consecutive presidential election victory in January.

Kellogg has given the impression that the meeting could help reinitiate largely unsuccessful peace talks between Ukraine and Russia, two sources told Reuters.

Lukashenko is seen as a key ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin as Russia faces isolation in response to its full-scale war against Ukraine.

The White House has discussed ways to weaken Russia's influence on Minsk and bring Belarus closer to the United States, one of the sources said.

On Feb. 12, Smith drove to Belarus from Lithuania following a phone call with Lukashenko. The small U.S. delegation visited a border town where three political prisoners were transferred, including one U.S. citizen and two Belarusian citizens, the New York Times reported.

Lukashenko assured he was ready to decrease repression in Belarus, Smith said, adding that the U.S. wants Belarus to be less reliant on Russia.

Belarus has faced Western sanctions following a presidential election in 2020 that international observers condemned as fraudulent. The sham election garnered mass protests that rejected the results.

Minsk refused to invite a mission from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to observe the country's Jan. 26 presidential election.

Belarus further isolated itself from the West as it supports Russia in its ongoing war against Ukraine.

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.

June 18, 2025 8:55pm

Ukraine Russia Photos

Ben Borges

As Russia intensifies its attacks on Ukrainian cities, millions of Kyiv residents go to bed every night hoping their houses will be intact in the morning. But some nights are worse than others. At least 28 people were killed in Russia’s drone and missile attack on Ukraine’s capital on June 17. The Kyiv Independent reports from the sites of the deadliest attack on Ukraine’s capital this year.

June 18, 2025 8:14pm

Ukraine Russia Photos USA

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Ben Borges

Former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink announced on June 18 that she is running for Congress from Michigan’s 7th district, pledging to oppose U.S. President Donald Trump.

“I’ve dedicated my life to protecting democracy and fighting for freedom. It’s why we stood up to (Russian President Vladimir) Putin and why I spoke out against Trump,” Brink wrote on X.

“My next mission: fighting for what’s right here at home."

Brink resigned from her post on April 10, and in a May 16 op-ed in the Detroit Free Press, publicly confirmed her departure was driven by disagreement with the Trump administration’s stance on Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine.

“I just came home to Michigan from three years in the toughest job of my life,” she wrote. “I could no longer in good faith carry out the administration’s policy and felt it was my duty to step down."

Brink accused the Trump administration of pressuring Ukraine rather than holding Russia accountable, calling that approach “dangerous and immoral."

“I cannot stand by while a country is invaded, a democracy bombarded, and children killed with impunity,” she wrote. “Peace at any price is not peace at all — it is appeasement."

Elections for the representative of Michigan’s 7th district will take place in November 2026.

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Trump, who began his second term in January, pledged to end the war within 100 days. That deadline has passed with no deal. He has alternated between blaming both sides for the conflict and claiming a breakthrough is still possible.

Despite repeatedly expressing frustration with Putin, the U.S. president has continued to avoid placing additional sanctions on Moscow, even as the Kremlin refuses to agree to a ceasefire.

Brink's relationship with Ukraine's leadership frayed in April after the U.S. Embassy issued what was seen as a muted response to a deadly Russian missile strike on Kryvyi Rih that killed 20 civilians.

"Horrified that tonight a ballistic missile struck near a playground and restaurant in Kryvyi Rih," Brink posted on X following a Russian missile attack. "This is why the war must end."

President Volodymyr Zelensky criticized the message.

"Unfortunately, the response from the U.S. Embassy is surprisingly disappointing — such a strong country, such a strong people, and yet such a weak reaction," he wrote on April 5.

Julie S. Davis, the new U.S. Charge d'Affaires to Ukraine, arrived in Kyiv on May 5.

Zelensky may reportedly skip NATO summit over uncertainty about Trump’s attendance

According to the Guardian, some in Kyiv are unsure if President Volodymyr Zelensky’s presence at the summit would be worthwhile without a confirmed meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump.

The Kyiv IndependentAnna Fratsyvir

June 18, 2025 6:52pm

Ukraine Russia Photos

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Ben Borges

During a targeted operation, Ukraine’s military intelligence (HUR) killed Mykhailo Hrytsai, a senior collaborator with Russian occupation authorities in Berdiansk, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, a HUR source told the Kyiv Independent on June 18.

According to the source, Hrytsai was directly involved in organizing repressions against the local Ukrainian population and establishing torture chambers for prisoners of war.

The collaborator was shot dead in the city using a silenced PM pistol, the source said.

Hrytsai served as the Russian-installed deputy mayor responsible for infrastructure, housing, utilities, and the energy sector. The source also said he facilitated the illegal seizure of municipal and state property in Berdiansk.

“There are still plenty of such targets — collaborators, accomplices of the enemy — in the occupied territories of Ukraine,” the source said.

“We will definitely get to each and every one of them and put an end to their criminal activities by any means necessary: with or without a silencer, quietly or loudly, but always effectively."

A native of Poltava Oblast, Hrytsai had previously participated in Ukrainian political life. He was an assistant to a member of parliament and headed the Berdiansk branch of the Socialist Ukraine party before siding with Russian occupation forces.

Berdiansk, a port city on the Azov Sea, has been under Russian control since the early days of the full-scale invasion in 2022. It remains a critical logistics hub for Russian forces, facilitating the transport of looted Ukrainian grain and other resources.

On Feb. 20, another targeted strike in Berdiansk killed Yevgeny Bogdanov, the deputy head of the Russian-installed administration, according to Ukrainian military intelligence.

‘Beyond cynical’ – Russian doctor carved ‘Glory to Russia’ scar on POW during operation, Ukraine says

After more than three years of Russia’s full-scale invasion, each new revelation of cruel treatment of Ukrainians in Russian captivity hardly surprises anyone. But when a photo recently emerged online, showing a “Glory to Russia” scar on the body of a Ukrainian prisoner of war (POW), it sent shockwaves

The Kyiv IndependentDaria Shulzhenko

June 18, 2025 5:19pm

Ukraine Russia Photos USA

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Ben Borges

U.S. President Donald Trump said on June 18 that he had turned down Russian President Vladimir Putin’s offer to mediate the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran.

“I spoke to him yesterday, and, you know, he actually offered to help mediate. I said, do me a favor. Mediate your own,” Trump told reporters. “Let’s mediate Russia first, okay? I said, Vladimir, let’s mediate Russia first. You can worry about this later."

Trump’s comments come just days after he had said he was “open” to the idea of Putin serving as a mediator between Israel and Iran, sparking criticism from U.S. allies. On June 15, Trump claimed Putin was “ready” and had discussed the possibility at length in a recent phone call.

Putin, whose country has been deepening military cooperation with Tehran, spoke separately with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on June 13. He condemned Israel’s air strikes on Iran and offered Russian mediation.

Those strikes, described by Israel as “preemptive,” involved 200 warplanes and 330 munitions targeting Iranian nuclear and military sites. Iran responded with missile attacks on Israeli cities, including Tel Aviv, that killed at least five Ukrainian citizens on June 14.

Putin’s offer of mediation has been dismissed by several Western leaders.

French President Emmanuel Macron said Russia "cannot be a mediator," given its war against Ukraine. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas echoed that sentiment, saying on June 17 that Putin "cannot be trusted to mediate peace" while continuing to wage war on Ukrainian civilians.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on June 17 that Israel appeared unwilling to accept Moscow's mediation. Israel has not publicly commented on the offer.

Ukraine, which has been targeted by thousands of Iranian-made Shahed drones and missiles supplied to Russia, warned that Tehran is a "source of problems" both regionally and globally.

Despite Trump's latest rebuke of Putin's mediation ambitions, the U.S. president has continued to avoid placing additional sanctions on Moscow, even as the Kremlin refuses to agree to a ceasefire in its war against Ukraine.

Zelensky may reportedly skip NATO summit over uncertainty about Trump’s attendance

According to the Guardian, some in Kyiv are unsure if President Volodymyr Zelensky’s presence at the summit would be worthwhile without a confirmed meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump.

The Kyiv IndependentAnna Fratsyvir

June 18, 2025 4:42pm

Ukraine Russia

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Ben Borges

A mechanized assault by Russian troops on the Kostyantynivka front has ended in a crushing defeat, exhausting Russia's resources as its command scrambles to patch up the situation. According to military expert Oleksandr Kovalenko, the assault involved approximately 15 armored vehicles and up to 10 light tanks. However, the outcome was catastrophic: all of the equipment was obliterated by the Ukrainian defense, utilizing methods ranging from FPV drones to Javelin anti-tank missiles. "The equipment is annihilated. But the very fact of this attempt is already a signal," Kovalenko writes.

The expert notes that Russian forces are significantly lagging behind their offensive schedules. Settlements like Komar, Malynivka, Myrolyubivka, and Romanivka, which were supposed to be captured in the spring, are only now becoming targets in the summer phase of the offensive. This indicates a failure in strategic planning, as the ongoing campaign begins on positions that were meant to be starting points months ago.

Of particular concern is the chaos in troop management. Kovalenko points to a chaos in troop management. He cites a paradoxical situation in which the 8th Army, initially sent to support the 51st Combined Arms Army, is now requesting reinforcements from the same 51st Army, which has been unsuccessfully assaulting the Toretsk area for a year.

This interchangeable "stretching" indicates an over-extension of resources, exhaustion of brigades, and a logistical collapse at the front.

Amid an acute shortage of armored vehicles and a need to conserve every combat vehicle, Russian command is taking extreme measures by rolling out remnants of Soviet-era reserves long retired from storage. This not only highlights the army's technical degradation but also suggests that offensive resources are nearly depleted.

The mechanized assault, culminating in the total destruction of their equipment, has become symbolic of Russia's failed summer offensive campaign. The Russian military is losing momentum, re-deploying units illogically, with strategic goals shifting from spring to summer and then fading into obscurity. Russia is losing operational initiative, forced into risky maneuvers while depleting its last capable reserves.

June 18, 2025 4:41pm

Ukraine Russia Photos USA

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Ben Borges

All 32 NATO member states are on track to meet the alliance’s 2% GDP defense spending benchmark in 2025, Secretary General Mark Rutte said on June 17 at the G7 summit in Canada.

The announcement marks a major shift for the alliance, which has faced repeated criticism from U.S. President Donald Trump for failing to meet spending commitments.

The U.S. president has long pushed NATO members to spend more on defense, at one point suggesting the threshold be raised to 5% of GDP.

“This is really great news,” Rutte said, praising announcements from Canada and Portugal, the last two holdouts. “The fact that you decided to bring Canada to the 2% spending when it comes to NATO this year is really fantastic,” he told Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.

In 2024, only 23 alliance members met the 2% target, according to NATO estimates. Poland led all members with 4.12% of GDP allocated to defense, followed by Estonia (3.43%) and the U.S. (3.38%).

Rutte’s comments come ahead of the June 24–25 NATO summit in The Hague, which has been reportedly scaled back to a single working session on defense spending and alliance capabilities.

The move, according to Italian outlet ANSA, is designed to avoid friction with Trump, whose presence at the summit remains unconfirmed.

Ukraine has been invited to the summit, but President Volodymyr Zelensky may reconsider his attendance amid uncertainty over the U.S. delegation, the Guardian reported on June 17.

According to the outlet, some in Kyiv are questioning whether Zelensky’s presence at the summit would be worthwhile without a confirmed meeting with Trump.

Many NATO members have cited Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine and Trump’s isolationist rhetoric as reasons to accelerate defense spending and prepare for potential future threats.

Ukraine won’t receive NATO invitation at The Hague summit, Lithuanian FM says

“This issue is certainly not on the NATO agenda and nobody has formulated an expectation that there will be an invitation in The Hague, nor have we heard that from the Ukrainians themselves,” Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys said in comments quoted by the LRT broadcaster.

The Kyiv IndependentMartin Fornusek

June 18, 2025 3:58pm

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Reading Time: 2 minutes

Ben Borges

Ukraine is preparing to evacuate its citizens from Israel and Iran as hostilities between the two countries intensify, the Foreign Ministry told Ukrainian media outlet NV on June 18.

The move comes as Israel on June 13 launched widespread air strikes against Iran, targeting nuclear facilities and the country’s military leadership. Iran responded with missile strikes on Tel Aviv and other cities, killing multiple civilians, including five Ukrainian citizens on June 14.

As of the morning of June 18, 293 Ukrainians in Israel and 85 in Iran have requested evacuation, the ministry said. Ten additional foreign nationals with permanent residency in Ukraine have also asked for assistance to evacuate from Iran.

Ukraine’s embassy in Israel has received over 400 calls on its hotline as citizens seek updates on possible evacuation routes. The ministry told NV it is developing evacuation plans, including potential flights organized in cooperation with international partners.

On June 13, Kyiv expressed concern over the security situation in the Middle East, describing Tehran as a “source of problems” in the region and beyond.

Iran is a key supplier of weapons to Russia, including Shahed-type drones and ballistic missiles used in attacks on Ukrainian cities. Israel, which hosts a significant Russian-speaking population, has not joined Western sanctions against Moscow.

Tensions in the region grow as U.S. President Donald Trump is also considering launching U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear targets, Axios reported on June 17.

On Truth Social, Trump demanded Iran’s “unconditional surrender” and threatened Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, while boasting about American control of Iranian airspace.

Trump has also floated Russian President Vladimir Putin as a possible mediator in the conflict.

Putin held separate calls with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on June 13, condemning Israeli strikes and offering to mediate.

Israel has not publicly responded to Russia’s proposal, but Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on June 17 that Tel Aviv appeared unwilling to accept Russian mediation.

Iran’s Health Ministry claimed on June 18 that 585 people had been killed by Israeli strikes, with Tehran alleging that 90% of the casualties are civilians.

The figures have not been independently verified.

4 months after striking Chornobyl, Russia warns Israeli attacks on Iran risk nuclear ‘catastrophe’

The warning comes as Moscow accuses Israel of escalating the risk of a nuclear incident in the Middle East, despite Russia’s own record of threatening nuclear facilities during its war in Ukraine, including a February drone strike on the Chornobyl nuclear site that Kyiv and Western experts condemned as nuclear blackmail.

The Kyiv IndependentAnna Fratsyvir

June 18, 2025 3:51pm

Ukraine Russia Photos

Reading Time: 5 minutes

Ben Borges

In a promising step recognizing the rights of survivors of war-related sexual violence, a new law (№10132 — ed.) comes into effect today in Ukraine. It will be the first law in the world to provide survivors of conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) with the opportunity to receive interim reparation payments during an active war.

The law offers support to people who have suffered sexual violence related to Russia’s war on Ukraine, and children born as a result of such violence. Benefits include immediate cash payments, free legal aid, temporary emergency shelter, psychosocial support, and official recognition “as a victim of sexual violence” in relation to the war.

This need for official recognition was highlighted as a priority in a 2022 report based on the perspectives of CRSV survivors in Ukraine produced by national NGOs and the Global Survivors Fund, an international expert body. Some survivors suggested a “victim status” to recognize their rights. One said such an official status was necessary to protect her from stigma, and another saw it as an acknowledgement by the government of the harms that survivors suffered.

The new law says it will guarantee a “respect for honor and dignity and for humane treatment” for survivors. This is an encouraging move, but there is still a long way to go to change the culture in how survivors are treated. We have seen how attitudes in the media and in the criminal justice system still harm CRSV survivors and fail to ensure survivor-centered support and protection.

As of now, prosecutors are currently dealing with at least 344 official cases of CRSV, though human rights groups believe the real number of crimes is much higher. In Ukraine’s national media, the issue of Russian soldiers raping or sexually assaulting people in occupied territories are often reduced to official statistics or how a certain law enforcement agency is working to identify the perpetrator. This type of reporting is often centered around the Russian soldiers accused of CRSV or the Ukrainian government agency that identified them. This approach frames the victims/survivors in a way that highlights the severity of the crime, but sidelines survivor perspectives.

A focus group study conducted by the National Union of Ukrainian Journalists revealed several barriers to CRSV reporting: local journalists are afraid they won’t get paid for the material if the interviewee withdraws consent for the publication; there is psychological stress from working on CRSV issues; there is a lack of journalists willing and/or capable of taking up the topic; and there is a lack of training. While there are several courses organized by Ukrainian media organizations that provide training for both trauma reporting and sensitive reporting, and some materials available online in Ukrainian, they remain underutilized and poorly known.

In 2022, Human Rights First helped produce a guide by local experts on how the media should  (and should not) report war-related sexual violence. However, resources like this are often only utilized by those already specifically interested in covering CRSV or other war crimes.

Despite some strong examples of media covering CRSV in the Russia-Ukraine war, Ukrainian and foreign journalists still sometimes use sensationalist headlines, describe explicit details of rape or sexual assault, or fail to respect survivor anonymity.

Psychologist Halyna Huz, writing for the Ukrainian outlet Gender in Details, noted that she’s often uncomfortable with how CRSV is reported. “The information is presented as if it literally forces you to physically experience all that horror with the victim [with] vivid (but horrifying) details.” She notes the negative effects that such visceral reporting might have on the survivor, their relatives and loved ones, and readers who went through a similar experience.

Foreign journalists covering CRSV in Ukraine have been known to ask interpreters to pressure more details out of a survivor, and to provoke them to show emotion—risking retraumatization in the pursuit of a “good story.”

Last month, the Ukrainian Legal Advisory Group analyzed a CRSV case in which a Russian soldier was sentenced in absentia to 12 years in prison for rape, and where the survivor was awarded $12,000 in moral damages. In this particular case, a video recording of the survivor’s interview was used in the court hearing—an approach that helped reduce emotional stress and the risk of re-traumatization.

However, during many other investigations into CRSV, survivors are often subjected to multiple interviews involving accusatory questioning, sometimes without a psychologist present.

Despite the positive outcome of this case, it also illustrated serious systemic issues. The Legal Advisory Group noted that a psychologist involved interfered with the work of the lawyer and investigators—commenting on the legal strategy and expressing his own opinion about the client’s behavior. There is a severe lack of appropriately qualified psychologists, and the regulations governing them are outdated.

Another troubling issue noted by the group is competition among Ukrainian human rights organizations, with some reportedly engaging in unethical practices to “poach” CRSV clients.

Today’s new law won’t solve these problems, and it doesn’t explain how further payments to survivors will be paid, or who will fund them. But it is a good start, and an appropriate way to mark tomorrow’s International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict. 

Ukraine needs better regulations and practices to address this large-scale problem, but it also needs a culture shift in its media and criminal justice systems. Just as newsrooms covering Ukraine have generally learned to avoid immediately publishing photos of Russian missile attacks to prevent secondary strikes, they must also learn how to responsibly and ethically report rapes and sexual assaults—without further harming survivors.

Authors: Yana Sliemzina, editor and reporter for Gwara Media in Kharkiv, Ukraine, and Brian Dooley, Senior Advisor for Human Rights First.

The post New Ukraine law on conflict-related sexual violence offers improvements for survivors, but media, legal culture need to change appeared first on Gwara Media.