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The Institute for the Study of War said Russian proxies' calls to immediately annex Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts "is panicking proxy forces and some Kremlin decision-makers." As Russia does not control the entirety of either oblast, annexing proxy territories would mean Ukrainian-controlled areas would be "by Kremlin definition partially ”occupied” by legitimate Ukrainian authorities and advancing Ukrainian forces," the ISW said. This would "place the Kremlin in the strange position of demanding that Ukrainian forces un-occupy “Russian” territory, and the humiliating position of being unable to enforce that demand," according to the ISW.
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Ukraine launches largest drone attack on Moscow since start of Russia's full-scale invasion, hits oil refinery
Key railway bridge in occupied Crimea in flames after reported Ukrainian strike
Ukraine war latest: Kyiv targets Moscow for second day in a row following record drone assault
'Hell is beginning' — Ukraine could isolate occupied Crimea as drone strikes disrupt logistics, Fedorov says
UK to send Ukraine 150,000 drones, air defense systems using proceeds from frozen Russian assets
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Saturday, June 20
Ukrainian forces hit four gas compressors in Russian-occupied Crimea and an oil refinery in the Siberian city of Tyumen on June 20.
The scheme involved men pretending to be musicians going on charity tours abroad, with the former minister signing documents to the State Border Guard permitting them to cross the border.
The decision by Viktor Orban's Fidesz party to block 12 Ukrainian newspapers in September 2025 only sought to deepen divisions between Kyiv and Budapest, said Hungarian Social Relations and Culture Minister Zoltan Tarr.
In the city of Kharkiv, two people were killed and 10 were injured, including a child and a teenager, after Russian drones and glide bombs struck apartment buildings in an overnight attack, Kharkiv Oblast Governor Oleh Synehubov wrote on his Telegram channel.
The number includes 1,240 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.
"Without a reliable power supply, the plant cannot continue assembling unmanned systems and manufacturing electronics for new batches of drones for the occupying forces," the group claimed.
"Through this secure platform, allied governments, labs, and defense tech manufacturers gain access to deep technical data, reports, and vulnerabilities," Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said.
Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces (USF) continued their drone campaign over occupied Crimea on June 19 and overnight into June 20, striking energy facilities on the peninsula, Ukrainian officials and Russian Telegram media channels reported.
Friday, June 19
President Volodymyr Zelensky on June 19 accused Belarus of facilitating Russian drone attacks on Ukraine and warned that Minsk has one week to remove communications equipment allegedly helping guide strikes from Belarusian territory, or Ukraine would take action itself.
The strike damaged a combined oil processing unit, three RVS-10000 oil storage tanks, and one RVS-30000 tank at the Moscow Oil Refinery. The facility has suspended oil processing for an indefinite period.
The drones were intercepted over the space of two hours between 12:10 p.m. and 2:12 p.m. local time, Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin reported.
The Kyiv Independent's Martin Fornusek travels across Estonia, from the streets of Tallinn to military exercises near the Russian border, to see how the Baltic country is preparing for potential threats.
