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Military
Russian airstrikes intensify on Ukrainian second defensive line northeast of Pokrovsk. Satellite analysis shows nearly 1,000 recent strikes between Pokrovsk and Kostiantynivka in Donetsk Oblast.
WSJ: Russia wants the West to believe it’s winning in Ukraine. Kremlin advances are meant to manipulate political will.
Putin counting on US fatigue to win what his army cannot, WP op-ed argues. Data shows Moscow’s territorial advances are minimal compared to its colossal losses.
Russian bombers flee to Far East after operation Spiderweb attack. Tu-95 will now need 23 hours for Ukraine missile missions. Moscow moved aircraft to Anadyr and Yelizovo, even further from Ukrainian borders.
Israel eliminates Iranian commander, who helped Russia to kill hundreds of Ukrainians with kamikadze drones. Israel confirmed killing Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, the Iranian commander who personally orchestrated drone shipments that have terrorized Ukrainian cities for years.
Israel employs drone tactics used in Ukraine’s Operation Spiderweb to turn Iran’s nuclear dreams to ashes. The strikes hit uranium enrichment facilities in Natanz and Fordow.
Intelligence and technology
Czechia unveils its largest ammo push yet to sustain Ukraine’s fight through 2026. Eighteen nations, one initiative, and millions of ammunition rounds.
Ukraine new ballistic system “Sapsan” is faster than US-made ATACMS. Ukraine’s missile shield is becoming a real force. The country is moving from testing to mass production of supersonic weapons.
From India to Egypt: Leak reveals scope of sanctioned JSC Russian Helicopters’ international network. InformNapalm reveals extensive foreign links in major defense data breach.
German Defense minister: Germany not considering to provide Ukraine with long-range Taurus missiles. Boris Pistorius, however, said that Berlin allocates €9 billion for Ukraine military aid that will support long-range weapons production.
International
Middle East nuclear crisis may drown out Ukraine and enrich Russia. Oil prices spike, Western focus drifts — and the Kremlin cashes in.
Missiles over Tehran, silence over Kyiv: Israel-Iran war threatens to eclipse Ukraine. A new war steals the world’s focus — and possibly its aid. As Israel hammers Iran’s nuclear sites, Ukraine watches nervously, fearing that its fight for survival may be ignored.
EU votes to shelter four million Ukrainians fleeing Putin’s escalating bombing campaign until 2027. After Moscow launched its one of the largest air assault on Kyiv since 2022, the European Union extended temporary protection for Ukrainian refugees by another full year.
Israel’s attack on Iran may have revived Moscow’s oil revenues for war. In April, Russia’s Urals crude was priced at just $50, dragging the country far from its budgeted $70 mark. Now, the price has already risen to $65.
Destruction of Iran’s nuclear program means Trump has no reason to offer Putin concessions on Ukraine in exchange for Tehran’s pressure, says expert. Failed diplomatic efforts to halt Iran’s uranium enrichment gave way to precision strikes that eliminated nuclear scientists and IRGC commanders.
Russia may bring war to NATO’s doorstep and further if Europe abandons Moldova and Ukraine, says Zelenskyy. The Ukrainian leader says that without strong measures Russia could reach Romania’s frontier.
EU names Ylva Johansson as special envoy for Ukrainian refugees, Politico sources say. New long-term strategy includes integration help and return programs.
Humanitarian and social impact
Russia shatters 50,000 windows in Kharkiv as aid for recovery dries up. While the West debates over support and peace talks, locals and volunteers help services in the city to clean up streets from rubble every day and deliver lunch to rescuers.
Ukraine returns bodies of fallen soldiers from Russia under Istanbul deal, which fails to bring peace. Ukraine has brought home 1,200 fallen soldiers. Meanwhile, Russia says it is ready to fight forever.
Victim of Russia’s strike on Kharkiv sings Ukraine’s anthem from beneath concrete that could have silenced him forever. Even as buildings crumbled and bodies burned, Ukraine’s anthem still rose from the ruins in a proof that some things cannot be destroyed by Russian terror.
Sixth body found after Russia’s 7 June drone and missile strike on Kharkiv. The final victim was retrieved from rubble at a civilian facility, where the workers were trapped when a civilian enterprise was hit.
US research program tracking deported Ukrainian children hopes for rescue facing shutdown after Trump funding cuts. The Ukraine Conflict Observatory, launched by Yale University’s Humanitarian Research Lab in May 2022, created a database of over 30,000 Ukrainian children reportedly abducted by Russian forces across 100 sites.
Political and legal developments
Trump again blames both Ukraine and Russia for failing to reach a peace deal. He lamented Russia’s missile strikes, called the war a “blood bath,” and again switched to blaming Biden.
Read our earlier daily review here.