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Ukraine’s 60-year-old Leopard tank switched from sniper mode—and Russian troops never saw it coming. They’re old. But Ukraine’s Leopard 1A5 tanks are back in the fight—because when you’re defending a place like Kostyantynivka, you use whatever still shoots straight.

Military

Kremlin concentrates 23% of its assaults in Ukraine on Sumy front to sell its victory and dodge US sanctions. Out of 695,000 Russian soldiers currently deployed in Ukraine, 52,000 are concentrated on the Sumy axis.

Frontline report: Drones become Ukraine’s top killer in modern warfare outpacing artillery in lethality. The shift toward drone-dominated warfare hasn’t eliminated artillery’s battlefield importance as Ukraine’s most effective units integrate both systems into coordinated kill chains.

Intelligence and technology

Ukraine’s defense gets $4 billion boost to accelerate mass production of drone interceptors. Ukrainian forces shot down dozens of Russian drones on 20 June using new domestically developed interceptors. With G7 support, Kyiv is ramping up production to counter Russia’s rapidly escalating drone warfare.

Ukraine’s engine may power Turkish Baykar drone in international sixth-gen fighter jet project. Kyiv’s partnership in the GCAP program and local production of drone engines shows its growing integration into global military aviation innovation.

Intelligence: Russia does not rely on Iran anymore, prepares to unleash “swarms of death” on Ukraine. Ukraine urgently needs more air defense and AI-powered Interceptor drones to counter the growing aerial threat.

Ukraine may receive state-of-art NATO technologies, capable of destroying Russian glide bombs and drone swarms. The glide or guided bombs have been one of the main weapons of war.

Expert: Ukraine only in first episode of war of drones. Ukraine must innovate its drones against drones tactics to stay ahead in the rapidly changing war.

Kim Jong Un announces “leap forward” in defense industry with its new largest 5-hectare plant to boost arms exports to Russia. Russia refuses ceasefire with Ukraine while Pyongyang ramps up defense manufacturing and military involvement.

International

Zelenskyy: Russia using prisoner exchanges to delay sanctions, weaken US-Ukraine ties. President Zelenskyy warns that Moscow is exploiting humanitarian gestures like POW swaps to create an illusion of diplomacy, aiming to distract the West.

Zelenskyy: Sanction loopholes allow Russia to continue producing its “Oreshnik” intercontinental ballistic missiles with Western tech. He calls for urgent action to block the supply chain behind the Kremlin’s nuclear ambitions.

Not just monastery: Kremlin uses Orthodox nuns in Estonia to spread imperial ideology. Abbess appointed by Patriarch Kirill accused of echoing Russian state propaganda on European religious persecution.

“Come see eyes of those whose children were killed”: Ukraine’s UN envoy urges Security Council to witness Russia’s terror firsthand. Ukraine’s envoy to the UN warned the Security Council that millions of lives, including his own family’s, are now hanging by a thread.

US special envoy for Ukraine meets Belarus leader, Russia’s key ally. Keith Kellogg became the highest-ranking American official to visit Belarus in years after the country became nearly totally isolated internationally since the violent suppression of mass protests following the 2020 disputed presidential election.

Trump says US shouldn’t match NATO 5% defense spending he demands from allies. The US president cited decades of US financial support that he claims “covered almost 100% of the costs” for the military alliance and singled out Spain and Canada for low NATO defense contributions.

Polish theater moves Ukrainian flag indoors following threats and attacks. The move follows an incident where a supporter of far-right politician physically tore down the flag and allegedly threatened the director.

US slashes independent news Voice of America staff to under 200 — gift to authoritarian regimes. Eliminating VOA allows “Moscow, Beijing, Tehran and extremist groups” to dominate global information without American counter-narratives.

Politico: Middle East tensions derail EU plan to slash Russian oil price cap aimed at squeezing war funding. The proposed reduction from $60 to $45 per barrel was originally included in the EU’s 18th sanctions package expected for adoption in June but abandoned after G7 countries agreed the timing was inappropriate as “the situation is too volatile.”

Humanitarian and social impact

Russia hits Ukraine’s energy grid, injures civilians and leaves deadly cluster bombs. Russian forces launched both drones and missiles on central Poltava Oblast, damaging energy infrastructure and residential buildings.

Russia tricks Central Asian workers into Ukraine war with fake job promises. Two Uzbek and Tajik migrants born in 1984 are among the latest foreign nationals killed fighting for Russia in Ukraine, Russian recruited with promises of quick money

Political and legal developments

Putin demands Ukraine recognizes annexed territories as Russian if Kyiv wants to prevent future conflict. In 2022, Russia annexed four Ukrainian regions, some parts of which are not even occupied fully, via sham referendums under military control, making them illegal under international law.

Ukraine calls Putin “mass murderer of his people” after he claims Russia owns all land where its soldiers step. Kyiv says Russia won’t stop unless the world makes it pay.

The idol, the butcher: Expanding gap in attitudes toward Stalin reflects Ukraine and Russia’s diverging identities. Attitudes toward Stalin have become a powerful symbol of the deep divide between the two countries.

Man detained in Finland for illegally crossing the border with Russia. Border guards in Southeast Finland arrested a Finnish man Friday following his suspected illegal crossing into Russia and back, marking another incident in the region’s series of recent border violations.

Read our earlier daily review here.