President Volodymyr Zelensky and Danish Defense Minister Jeppe Bruus discussed a potential drone cooperation agreement and expanded efforts to strengthen anti-ballistic capabilities during a June 29 meeting.

A negotiated ceasefire that produces a de facto freeze of the war would be the worst outcome for Ukraine and the best outcome for Russia. To understand why, one needs only to look at what the war itself is revealing. Moscow is on a losing trajectory, and a freeze would lock in conditions that let Russia avoid the political and economic costs of defeat, while denying Kyiv the space it needs to prevail and rebuild. The human impulse to stop the fighting is understandable, but ending active comba

"See you at the Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC)" was the departing note after many meetings in Kyiv during the weeks leading up to Ukraine’s largest annual business and economics event. From June 25–26, it felt like half of Ukraine had descended upon Gdansk on Poland’s Baltic coast as a record 7,500 officials, business leaders, entrepreneurs, economists, activists, and journalists envisioned the war-torn country’s economic revival. Last year's conference attracted between 5,000–6,000 people.

Key developments on June 29: * Ukraine reveals new figures for North Korean troop losses in Russia's Kursk Oblast * Ukraine claims strikes on bridges, Russian command posts and logistics * 154th Mechanized Brigade's commander found dead, military say Russian attacks across Ukraine killed at least 15 people and injured at least 118 others over the past day, regional authorities reported on June 29, as the death toll rose from a Russian morning attack on Dnipro. The Air Force said Russia lau

WARSAW, Poland — Walk into Milk Bar in central Warsaw, and you'll find the new face of the city's café scene. The lines are clean, the lighting deliberate, and the cakes arranged with gallery-like precision. Without an ear for accents, you might never guess that for its owners and staff, it is a second home, rebuilt after war in Ukraine and political repression in Belarus that forced many of them to start over in Poland. Anna Kozachenko launched the original Milk Bar in Kyiv twelve years ago.

The strikes were carried out "to reduce the military and economic potential of the Russian aggressor," Ukraine's General Staff said.

Lawmaker Mykola Tyshchenko was also charged with money laundering and lying in his asset declaration.

Tomasz Siemoniak, Poland's minister overseeing intelligence agencies, said that since autumn 2025, the group paid Ukrainian refugees in Poland to take part in pro-Russian demonstrations to influence Ukrainian migrants, with funding allegedly coming from Russia.

The Air Force said Russia launched 108 drones against Ukraine overnight, of which it reported downing 82.

HUR's claimed figure surpasses the previous South Korean and British intelligence assessment, which estimated a total of about 6,000 casualties for North Korean troops, both killed and injured, in Kursk Oblast.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping described Belarus-China relations as being at a "historic peak" and called the two countries "iron friends."

The number includes 1,230 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.

Zaporizhzhia regional police later reported that a commander of a military unit had been found dead with a gunshot wound, without naming the brigade commander specifically.

"Unfortunately, there are still lines at gas stations, and the right grade of gasoline isn't always available," Russian President Vladimir Putin said.

The fatalities included a 53-year-old woman, Governor Ivan Fedorov said.

Speaking at a congress of the ruling United Russia party, Putin said the West had failed to defeat Russia "on the battlefield" and was therefore trying to "stir up the political situation and sow internal unrest."

Key developments on June 27-28: * Ukraine struck oil refineries in Russia's Krasnodar Krai and Yaroslavl Oblast, Zelensky says * Ukraine says 'Spirit of Anchorage' is 'dead,' Russia must face reality in peace talks * Explosions, fires reported in Kyiv amid Russian missile attack * Ukraine strikes Russian oil hub supplying Moscow for 2nd time this month, military says Ukraine struck oil refineries in Russia's Krasnodar Krai and Yaroslavl Oblast overnight on June 28, President Volodymyr Zele

In the latest episode of Ukraine This Week, Kateryna Denisova examines how Ukraine's attitudes toward LGBTQ people have changed — and why the country's laws have struggled to keep pace.

President Volodymyr Zelensky proposed erecting a monument to Cossack Hetman Ivan Mazepa on the site where a statue of Vladimir Lenin was toppled during the EuroMaidan Revolution in Kyiv, calling it a step toward restoring "historical justice."

Kyiv has been deepening security partnerships across the Gulf region, offering to bolster local defenses against Iranian drones.

Photos and videos posted to social media purport to show large flames and plumes of smoke emanating from what appears to be storage tanks at the Slavyansk refinery.

Ukraine's Air Force said it intercepted all six Iskander-M ballistic missiles, one of the two Zircon hypersonic missiles or Onyx missiles, and 125 of the 142 drones launched by Russia overnight.

"If the 'Spirit of Anchorage' even existed, it is certainly dead now," Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said, mocking Russia's claims about an "understanding" reached during last year's summit with the U.S. in Alaska.

Donald Trump "diminished our standing in the eyes of the world more than any president in history has," former U.S. President Joe Biden said in one of his rare public speeches since leaving office in 2025.

The number includes 1,250 casualties Russian forces suffered over the past day.

Julie Davis' departure leaves a key diplomatic post vacant at a critical moment, while peace talks remain at a standstill. It remains unclear who will succeed Davis or when a permanent ambassador might be nominated.

Russia once again unleashed a barrage of ballistic missiles strikes on Kyiv overnight on June 28, damaging several sites within the city and injuring at least two people, officials said.

"Slovakia will not pay for Ukraine's military expenses," Prime Minister Robert Fico said ahead of the summit in Ankara in July.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, a right-wing populist leader with authoritarian tendencies and warm ties with Russia, said on June 27 that he would resign from office.

The so-called "Alaska understanding" refers to Moscow's request that Washington to pressure Ukraine to withdraw completely from Donbas, one person familiar with the Alaska discussions previously told the Kyiv Independent.

Aleksey Zhuravlyov, first deputy chair of Russian State Duma Defense Committee, said Moscow would strengthen its military presence along the border with Finland and could easily destroy half the country.

This weekly update from the Kyiv Independent aims to shed light on the situation facing Ukrainians living under Russian occupation and the ever-tightening control of information imposed by the Kremlin. Key news as of June 27: * Russian-installed authorities in occupied Crimea announce state of emergency amid intensified Ukrainian drone attacks * Ukrainian strikes hit energy, oil infrastructure in Russian-occupied Crimea as power outages continue, military confirms * Ukraine destroys key log