Twelve people, including four children, were killed in an overnight drone attack in a Russian-held part of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region, Russian-installed local authorities said (AP).
Separately, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Russia is preparing to receive an additional thirty thousand North Korean troops to help in its war effort (Reuters).
Russian Strikes Near Kyiv Kill Ten
A Russian strike in Ukraine’s Kyiv region killed ten people and injured nearly one hundred others at the site of a defense industry event, Ukrainian government and industry officials said (AP).
The attacks came one day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Raytheon, the U.S. company that makes the Patriot air defense system, and President Trump said his administration would grant Ukraine a license to build it (President of Ukraine).
Zelenskyy Removes Top Ukrainian General
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy removed his top general, Oleksandr Syrskyi, amid ongoing public protests over Zelenskyy’s earlier dismissal of Ukraine’s defense minister (NYT)
Russian Attack in Black Sea Kills Ten
A Russian missile strike on a ship carrying corn near Ukraine’s southern port of Odesa killed ten, Ukrainian officials said, in the deadliest attack in a weeks-long flare-up of violence in the Black Sea (Reuters)
Separately, Ukraine responded to the attacks by firing more than four hundred drones toward Moscow; meanwhile, protests in Ukraine have continued over the recent ousting of the defense minister (AP)
North Korea’s Top Diplomat Meets Putin in Kremlin
North Korea’s Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui met with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin, where Putin thanked her for help in Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine; Choe confirmed North Korea’s “unwavering understanding and support” for Putin’s war effort (AP).
Russian Strikes Kill At Least Six in Ukraine
Russia bombarded Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities with ballistic missiles, killing at least six and wounding dozens (AP)
Protests Erupt in Ukraine Over Defense Minister Dismissal
Hundreds of people took to the streets in Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities to demand an explanation for President Zelenskyy’s dismissal of Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov (Reuters)
Separately, Ukraine and Russia launched missile and drone attacks on vessels in the Black Sea and Sea of Azov, triggering a rise in global wheat prices (Reuters)
Ukraine’s Minister of Defense Forced Out
Ukraine’s Minister of Defense Mykhailo Fedorov was ousted amid President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s latest government restructuring; he was a prominent proponent of fighting with drones and robots, helping to shape Ukraine’s recent innovative military strategy (NYT)
Meanwhile, Ukraine and the European Union have launched a new EU-Ukraine Defense Industrial Partnership aiming to combine Kyiv’s expertise with EU industrial capacity to scale up weapons production in Ukraine, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said (AP)
Separately, Russia and Ukraine have both stepped up their battle over the Black Sea and key trade routes, with Moscow killing three people in an attack on Odesa and Kyiv’s drone forces striking Russian shipping (Reuters)
Russia Accuses Ukraine of Terrorism Over Sea of Azov Attacks
Russia accused Ukraine of terrorism over its escalating attacks on shipping in the Sea of Azov after Ukrainian drones hit eleven Russian vessels overnight, according to Ukraine’s drone forces commander (Reuters)
Shipping Restricted in Russia’s Key Azov Sea Grains Trade Route
Shipping in the Sea of Azov, the route for a quarter of Russia’s grains exports, remained restricted following Ukrainian attacks on tankers and other commercial vessels in the area (Reuters)
Separately, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he was “deeply saddened” by the death of U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham, who had visited Ukraine ten times since Russia’s full-scale invasion; Oleksandr Merezhko, a lawmaker with Zelenskyy’s party, called Graham the “closest link” between Ukraine and the United States and said that Ukraine’s relationship with Trump may become weaker as a result of Graham’s death (AP)
During a summit on security guarantees for Ukraine held in Paris, Ukraine and nine other countries announced they are forming a coalition to protect Europe from ballistic missiles (AP)
Ukrainian Prime Minister Steps Down, Zelenskyy Announces Government Reshuffle
Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko stepped down, and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine was “changing its political strategy,” the fourth major government reorganization since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion (AP)
Meanwhile, Germany is funding fifty thousand attack drones for Ukraine, marking one of the biggest known purchases of drones for Kyiv by a Western government (Reuters)
Russian Strikes Kill Eight in Ukraine
Russia launched missile and drone attacks on Ukraine, killing eight people and wounding dozens, officials said, as Kyiv awaited supplies of air defense munitions amid a shortage (Reuters)
Trump Agrees to Ukrainian Patriot Missile Interceptor Request
During the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, U.S. President Donald Trump said his administration would grant Ukraine a production license to build its own Patriot missile interceptors for defense (NYT)
Meanwhile, Russian drones and missile strikes killed four people across Ukraine; meanwhile, Ukraine struck oil refineries in Russia’s Saratov and Tatarstan regions, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (AP)
Russian Strikes on Kyiv Kill At Least Twenty
Russia mounted its second major attack on Kyiv in days, killing at least twenty civilians and injuring fifty-six others, according to authorities (AP)
Trump Calls Putin and Zelenskyy Separately
U.S. President Donald Trump held separate calls with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to discuss ending the war in Ukraine (CBS/AP)
Separately, a Ukrainian attack on Russian-occupied Crimea killed one and injured two others, according to Moscow-installed regional governor Sergei Aksyonov (AP)
Russian Strikes on Kyiv Kill Thirty-One
Russia carried out an eleven-hour drone and missile attack overnight in Kyiv, killing thirty-one civilians and injuring over one hundred, according to the country’s Emergency Service; Russia’s Defense Ministry said the assault was in response to Ukraine’s long-range strikes on Russian oil facilities (AP)
EU Releases Additional Four Billion-Euro Loan Package to Ukraine
The European Union has transferred an additional $4.44 billion of its $101 billion loan—the first $3.4 billion was released on June 25—for advanced drone technology to strengthen Ukraine’s defense, said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (Reuters)
Separately, Ukraine launched a major drone attack on Moscow, which the country said hit Dubna Satellite Communications Center, one of Russia’s largest satellite communication centers; a drone also killed a six-month-old baby in Yegoryevsk (CNN)
Russian Strikes Kill Twelve in Ukraine
Russian missiles and drones killed at least twelve civilians and injured forty others in what President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described as “horrific attacks” (AP)
Ukraine Strikes Russian Oil Refinery
Ukraine set fire to a major oil refinery in the south of Russia as part of its campaign to choke Russian fuel supplies; President Vladimir Putin acknowledged for the first time that the country was facing a “certain deficit” of fuel and vowed to strengthen protection of oil facilities (AP)
Ukraine Launches Major Drone Attack
Ukraine launched 660 drones on a dozen Russian regions, Moscow’s Defense Ministry said, in one of its largest drone assaults since the start of the war (AP)
EU Releases Three Billion-Euro Loan Package for Ukraine’s Recovery
The European Union has disbursed the first $3.4 billion of a $101 billion loan to Ukraine, Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko announced at the opening of a conference on Ukraine’s post-war recovery, which serves as both a fundraising forum and a message to Russia that Western leaders remain committed to supporting Ukraine (AP)
Ukrainian Strikes Knock Out Power in Sevastopol
Ukrainian drones knocked out power in Sevastopol, the biggest city in Russian-held Crimea, Moscow-installed governor Mikhail Razvozhayev said (BBC)
In separate attacks, Ukrainian forces struck a major natural gas processing plant and two key satellite communications centers in Russia (AP)
Russia and Ukraine Trade Strikes
Russian drone strikes across Ukraine killed 6, including a thirteen-year-old boy and 3 members of the same family, following a larger trend of increased civilian casualties in Russian attacks; a UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine said that at least 274 civilians were killed and 1,763 injured in Ukraine in May, the highest monthly total of civilian casualties since April 2022 (AP)
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s military said it hit a plant producing electronics for missiles in Russia’s Voronezh region, which the Ukrainian General Staff called a “critical component” of Russia’s defense production (Reuters)
The attack killed five people and injured several dozen, regional governor Alexander Gusev said (Reuters)
Ukrainian Attacks Kill Five
A Ukrainian drone attack on Crimea killed four and injured twenty-eight; a separate attack on an oil transport facility killed one and set an oil terminal ablaze (Reuters)
Zelenskyy Warns of Impending Russian Attack
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Russian forces were preparing a “massive attack” on Ukraine and warned residents to take care as Russian strikes in different regions killed at least six (Reuters)
Zelenskyy also confirmed that Ukrainian drones had struck an oil refinery in Russia’s Tyumen Region in western Siberia (Reuters)