"Russia decided to plunge Kherson Oblast into darkness," Governor Oleksandr Prokudin wrote on Telegram. He said the attack has disrupted electricity supply to multiple settlements.
"We saw them on the battlefield — and it's truly motivating," Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said.
"It's a crime," Ukraine's ambassador to India, Oleksandr Polishchuk, told Reuters. "We will share our investigation with our European Union colleagues, and we will kindly ask them to take the appropriate measures."
Governor Serhii Lysak said most of the injured were hospitalized. Three of the victims are in serious condition, while the others sustained moderate injuries.
According to Ukraine's Air Force, Ukrainian air defense intercepted 365 of 371 incoming Russian air weapons, including 363 Shahed-type drones, two Kinzhal hypersonic missiles, and six Kalibr cruise missiles.
"These are soldiers specially selected based on physical, psychological, and other criteria," Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said. "These units have already suffered significant losses."
"After completing discussions on humanitarian issues, Ukraine plans to move forward to the topic of a leaders' summit for substantive dialogue," Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said during a press briefing on June 26.
Deputy Prime Minister Oleksii Chernyshov was officially named a suspect on June 23 in what Ukraine's National Anti-Corruption Bureau called a "large-scale" illegal land grab case.
According to acting Kursk Oblast governor Alexander Khinshtein, 63-year-old reporter Lu Yuguang from the Chinese television network Phoenix TV was wounded in a Ukrainian drone strike on the village of Korenevo.
The number includes 970 casualties that Russian forces suffered just over the past day.
The official handover ceremony took place earlier in Belgium, but was disclosed only later due to security concerns.
Short-range drone attacks have become one of the deadliest threats to civilians in Ukraine’s front-line regions, killing at least 395 people and injuring 2,635 between February 2022 and April 2025, according to a new bulletin by the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine.
Over 100 teachers have relocated to Crimea through the program, according to Ukraine’s Regional Center for Human Rights. Most of them arrived from regions including Krasnodar, Altai Krai, Tomsk, Novosibirsk, Saratov, Tyumen, Ivanovo, and the Republic of Udmurtia.
"Some European companies are still sending critical components to Russia. These end up in missiles and other weapons used to kill us, kill Ukrainians."
The agreement comes amid fears that Hungary, one of the bloc's most Kremlin-friendly member states, would attempt to block the sanctions extension.
The attack damaged "critical and expensive components" of Russia's S-400 Triumph air defense system, including two 92N2E multifunctional control radars, two 91N6E detection radars, and an S-400 launcher, according to HUR.
Key developments on June 26: * "50,000 Russian troops pinned down" — Ukraine halts advance in Sumy Oblast, summer offensive "faltering," Syrskyi says * Ukraine, Russia conduct new POW swap under Istanbul deal * North Korea likely to send more troops to Russia by August, South Korea says * Explosions reported in Moscow, Russia
All EU states, except Hungary, said the European Council reaffirmed Ukraine's "inherent right to choose its own destiny" and support for the country's "path towards EU membership."
Ukraine will receive €42.5 million ($45.7 million) from international partners to repair the protective arch over Chornobyl's destroyed reactor, Environment and Natural Resources Minister Svitlana Hrynchuk announced.
U.S. President Donald Trump promised during the NATO summit in The Hague that Russia would never attack the alliance while he is in office, the Washington Post reported on June 26, citing three unnamed European officials.
Editor’s note: This is issue 31 of Ukrainian lawmaker Yaroslav Zhelezniak’s weekly "Ukraine Reforms Tracker" covering events from June 17–June 24, 2025. The digest highlights steps taken in the Ukrainian parliament related to business, economics, and international financial programs. The Kyiv Independent is republishing with permission. Benchmarks
As of late May, the outlet documented 20,538 such cases since September 2022 when the Kremlin announced a first wave of mobilization, compared to 10,025 cases reported by Mediazona last June.
Despite suffering over 1 million casualties, pounding Ukrainian cities nightly with missiles and drones, and committing countless war crimes, one startling fact about Russia's full-scale invasion remains — Moscow has yet to officially declare war on Ukraine. In February 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin described what he believed was going to
Editor’s note: This article originated as a winning story idea in a vote by members of the Kyiv Independent’s community. Join our community today and join our exclusive members-only Discord channel, where you can discuss and suggest stories, ask our journalists questions, and more. "Her strength is her
"Today, soldiers of the Armed Forces, the National Guard, and the State Border Guard Service are returning home," President Volodymyr Zelensky said without revealing their numbers.
"We will hold the necessary contacts and, God willing, realize this meeting as soon as possible," Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.
Pyongyang has already begun recruiting soldiers for deployment to Russia, South Korean news agency Yonhap reported.
"This year's wave of the enemy's 'summer offensive' from Russian territory is faltering," Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said.
THE HAGUE, Netherlands — As NATO leaders convened in The Hague for a two-day summit on June 24–25, allies and Kyiv braced for the first annual meeting since U.S. President Donald Trump’s return to office. With the Israel-Iranian conflict dominating the news and the summit agenda focused on
The poll, promoted by Prime Minister Viktor Orban's government, has drawn criticism over its credibility and turnout.
The budget includes increased investment in small drones, a response to their proven battlefield value in Ukraine.
Rheinmetall said the deliveries are expected to begin in 2026.
(Updated: )
