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Over 45 Ukrainians forcibly deported by Russia from Ukraine's occupied territories are being held in a basement at Russia's border with Georgia without food, water, and basic healthcare, independent media outlet Astra reported on June 21.
"(Trump) has to get credit for the 5% — that's why we're having the summit," one unnamed European defense official told Politico. "Everything else is being streamlined to minimize risk."
The Ukrainian government has made several decisions in light of Russia's overt threats, including a diplomatic overhaul, intensified sanctions efforts, and increased funding for drone development.
"The president has already made certain personnel decisions regarding the heads of some foreign institutions, because the criterion is very simple: results," Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on June 21.
Ukraine is currently in talks with Denmark, Norway, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Lithuania on weapons development partnerships, according to the president.
Forged from the remnants of the Soviet Spetsnaz, Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces have become a vital pillar of the country’s current defense, playing their role in some of the war’s most decisive engagements – from Kyiv to Donbas, and to Kursk Oblast in Russia.
Ukrainian authorities have confirmed that at least 20 of the bodies Russia returned as Ukrainian were actually Russian soldiers, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
Citizens of Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and other countries in the region are increasingly being drawn into Russia's war effort, Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) says.
Russia launched 272 drones overnight, including Iranian-designed Shahed-type suicide drones, along with two aeroballistic missiles and six cruise missiles, Ukraine's Air Force said.
Seven people were injured in Russian drone and artillery attacks on Kherson Oblast on June 20-21. Strikes hit multiple settlements, including the city of Kherson.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his June 20 nightly address that Ukraine is developing interceptor drones to counter Russian drone strikes, adding that domestic production is "already delivering results."
Russia's memorandum on a peace proposal is the "best offer Ukraine can get today," Russia's envoy to the United Nations (UN), Vasily Nebenzya, said at a UN Security Council meeting.