African POWs on how they ended up fighting for Russia

1:35 AM  (Updated:  June 20, 2025 12:49 am)

'A brutal strike' — Massive Russian missile and drone attack hits Kyiv, killing 30, injuring 172.

At least 28 people have been killed and 134 others injured after a mass Russian missile and drone attack on Kyiv overnight on June 17.

12:14 AM

Trump administration doesn't like working with Zelensky's top aide, Politico reports.

"All the people here who want to withdraw and abandon Ukraine are thrilled to have Yermak around," one source told Politico.

11:01 PM

American volunteer 1st US civilian killed in Russian strike on Ukraine, NYT reports.

Fred Grandy, a 62-year-old American artist and volunteer who was killed in Russia's mass missile attack against Kyiv on June 17, appears to be the first U.S. civilian killed by a Russian strike on Ukraine, the New York Times (NYT) reported on June 19.

10:23 PM

War update

Ukraine war latest: Russia accidentally admits to its staggering troop losses in Ukraine

10:10 PM

Air defense

Why there's loads of video of Israeli air defenses, and none of Ukraine's

10:08 PM

Ukraine documents 366 cases of war-related sexual violence, most victims women.

The victims include 231 women, 134 men, and 19 children, according to Ukraine's Foreign Ministry.

9:04 PM

Zelensky appoints Brigadier General Shapovalov as new Ground Forces chief.

Brigadier General Hennadii Shapovalov, born in 1978 in Kirovohrad Oblast, is a career officer who graduated from the Military Institute of Tank Troops in Kharkiv and later studied at the National Defense University of Ukraine.

8:46 PM

'Unwanted by their homeland' — Ukraine confirms Russia returned bodies of its soldiers disguised as Ukrainian.

"This is yet another proof of how Russia treats its people with contempt," Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said.

7:46 PM

Russia's prison chief sentenced in absentia for torture chambers in Kherson Oblast.

Arkady Gostev, head of Russia's Federal Penitentiary Service, was found guilty of orchestrating the transformation of captured Ukrainian prisons into torture sites.

7:42 PM

Eastern Europe

Once firm, support for Ukraine among its neighbors wavers amid a populist surge

6:51 PM

North Korea considers sending 25,000 workers to Russia to help produce Shahed drones, media reports.

In return, Pyongyang is reportedly seeking drone operation training.

5:55 PM

Ukraine Reforms Tracker Weekly — Issue 30

2:46 PM  (Updated:  June 19, 2025 5:55 pm)

Ukraine, Russia carry out another POW exchange under Istanbul deal.

"These are warriors of the Armed Forces, the National Guard, and the State Border Guard Service. Most of them had been held captive since 2022," President Volodymyr Zelensky said, without revealing their numbers.

5:51 PM

Spain rejects NATO 5% defense spending push, calls proposal 'unreasonable'.

"Committing to a 5% target would not only be unreasonable, but also counterproductive," said Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.

5:42 PM

War analysis

Trump's peace push falters in both Ukraine and the Middle East — for similar reasons

5:05 PM

Russia says South Africa invited Putin to G20 summit despite ICC arrest warrant.

South Africa is a member of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and a signatory to the Rome Statute, meaning it is obliged to arrest Vladimir Putin if he enters the country.

4:13 PM

Putin-Trump meeting currently not on the table, Kremlin says.

"Until the necessary 'homework' is done to remove the irritants in our relations with the United States, it makes no sense to organize a meeting," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.

1:26 PM  (Updated:  June 19, 2025 2:44 pm)

Russian losses

Russia just accidentally admitted to its staggering troop losses in Ukraine

2:26 PM

EU reportedly eyes riskier investments for frozen Russian assets to boost Ukraine aid.

According to Politico, the proposed plan would redirect the frozen Russian assets into a special investment fund under EU control, allowing for higher returns without confiscating the principal.

2:03 PM

Putin, Xi to agree to meet in China as they sneer at G7 summit fractures.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping discussed their upcoming meeting and noted the supposed "rough edges" that emerged among G7 leaders during the recent summit, said Putin's aide, Yuri Ushakov, on June 19.

1:14 PM

Finland votes to withdraw from landmine treaty, citing Russian threat.

The vote aligns Finland with its Baltic allies, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, whose parliaments have already approved similar exits from the treaty.

12:39 PM

Trump & Ukraine

Diplomacy in crisis: G7 letdowns reveal limits to Western solidarity on Ukraine

12:33 PM

Ukraine must accept Moscow's demands or 'surrender,' Russia’s ambassador to UK says.

Russia's ambassador to the United Kingdom, Andrei Kelin, said Russia is continuing its offensive and sees no need to stop hostilities, publicly acknowledging Moscow's disregard for U.S.-backed ceasefire efforts.

12:32 PM

Russia 'on the verge' of recession, Kremlin economy minister warns.

"According to current business perceptions, we are already, it seems, on the verge of a transition to a recession," Russian Economy Minister Maxim Reshetnikov said at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.

11:40 AM

Argentina says it uncovered Russian spy network linked to late Prigozhin's group.

The La Compania network, which is allegedly linked to the Russian government and the Kremlin's Project Lakhta, was led by Russian nationals Lev Konstantinovich Andriashvili and his wife Irina Yakovenko, who are both residents of Argentina, according to Argentine authorities.