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

"We spent the whole night in a shelter." "The cafes are all open… but they ask for cash or a bank transfer; many cafes don't have electricity." "As for fuel, I still recommend bringing some with you whenever possible." "Those who traveled to Crimea every year can't be scared by anything." These are just a few messages from a Telegram group where tourists in occupied Crimea discuss conditions on the peninsula. Nighttime explosions, long queues at gas stations, and oil slicks along the coast h

The civilians were detained by Russian forces during the occupation of Mariupol and parts of Kyiv, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, and Luhansk oblasts in 2022.

The strike is part of a 40-day campaign approved by President Volodymyr Zelensky, which he said is aimed at "compelling" Russia to end the war.

The pilot was located by a search-and-rescue team, which evacuated him to a medical facility.

Russia launched 129 Shahed-type attack drones overnight on June 27, Ukraine's Air Force said.

The strike targeted a major defense enterprise that manufactures launchers for the Yars and Topol-M strategic missile systems, as well as launchers for the Iskander-M tactical ballistic missile system.

The number includes 1,350 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.

Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said on June 26 that President Karol Nawrocki's decision to strip President Volodymyr Zelensky of Poland's Order of the White Eagle was an inappropriate response to the recent diplomatic dispute between Warsaw and Kyiv.

The victims include two 12-year-old sisters, who have both been hospitalized, according to Ukraine's National Police.

"We remember that justice for Ukraine means justice for the Crimean Tatar people as well," President Volodymyr Zelensky said on June 26.

* Ukraine brings home 160 POWs in new exchange with Russia; * EU to restrict protections for Ukrainian men, says it's at Kyiv's request; * Russian-installed authorities in occupied Crimea announce state of emergency amid intensified Ukrainian drone attacks; * Ukraine says it struck Russian military supply vessels, air defense systems in occupied Crimea. A total of 160 Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) were released in the latest major exchange with Russia, President Volodymyr Zelensky said

It is official: thanks to readers around the world, we have just hit our biggest membership goal yet.

The European Union and Ukraine held their second intergovernmental conference and opened the first cluster of accession talks, known as "Fundamentals", in Luxembourg on June 15. The name seems mundane, but the substance is anything but. This cluster is the spine of the whole process. It covers the rule of law, democratic institutions, public administration, and economic criteria, and contains five negotiation chapters: judiciary and fundamental rights; justice, freedom, and security; public pro

Editor's Note: This story is part of the "Hidden Canon"  – a special series celebrating Ukrainian classic literature and aiming to bring it to a wider international audience. The series is supported by the Ukrainian Institute. Literary giants are typically regarded with an almost sacred reverence. For the 20th Ukrainian poet Mykhail Semenko, however, reverence was overrated. He was prepared to set tradition ablaze — literally — to clear the way for a new artistic future. “I want to tell you th

Announcing the commitment at the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Gdansk, Poland on June 25–26, Forrest said the investment would build capacity and unlock private capital for businesses operating in some of Ukraine's most war-torn areas.

The strikes, which hit Project 15310 cable-laying ships Volga and Vyatka and caused "a massive fire on board," were part of President Volodymyr Zelensky's 40-day operation to "exert pressure on Russia," according to Ukraine's Security Services.

The Kyiv Independent's Francis Farrell and Olena Zashko embedded with the Signum Battalion of Ukraine's 59th Assault Brigade, one of the country's pioneering FPV drone units operating in northern Donetsk Oblast.

BRUSSELS, Belgium — With negotiations in full flow over its next package of sanctions, the EU's Sanctions Envoy David O'Sullivan explained in an interview with the Kyiv Independent just how successful sanctions against Russia have been, and why he is confident the bloc will hold the line for as long as it needs to. The scale of the EU's decoupling from Russia is huge, with trade down from roughly 260 billion euros ($295 billion) before Moscow launched its full-scale invasion to only 58 billion

The two companies signed a memorandum of understanding to develop the 650-megawatt combined-cycle gas turbine — enough to provide power to 500,000–1 million consumers — at DTEK’s Burshtyn thermal power plant in Ivano Frankivsk Oblast.

"We remember everyone who is in captivity," Zelensky said, adding that all those released in the current exchange had been held by Russia since 2022.

Editor's note: Some military personnel are identified by their first names only due to security considerations. More than four years into the full-scale invasion, the first phase of the Defense Ministry's military reform was meant to deliver long-awaited changes. Instead, it has triggered a fresh wave of frustration among soldiers. Defining clear terms of military service has been one of the most contentious unresolved issues of the war — one that three defense ministers failed to tackle, and

The statement comes a few days after large-scale Ukrainian drone strikes that hit a railway bridge across the North Crimean Canal, fuel facilities, and military infrastructure across occupied Crimea.

The Romanian Ministry of National Defense said on June 26 that Russia's new wave of drone attacks on southern Ukraine, near the river border with Romania, forced the NATO-member country to scramble a helicopter at around 4 a.m. local time to monitor aerial targets.

The tightening of eligibility for so-called "temporary protection" is a rising trend across Europe, with Denmark having made the same adjustment the day before, and countries such as Czechia drafting laws on what Ukrainians under temporary protection can do.

The number includes 1,310 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.

Ukraine's military launched a drone attack on Russia's Tula Oblast overnight on June 26, reportedly striking a chemical plant as well as energy infrastructure in the region, Russian Telegram media channels reported.

President Volodymyr Zelensky once again warned of Minsk's "potential expansion of aggression" against Ukraine on June 25, reporting that the construction of various military infrastructure along the Belarus-Ukraine border is "nearing completion."

Ukraine's military reportedly launched dozens of drones towards Moscow overnight on June 26, Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin claimed, as Kyiv continues to intensify its attacks against the Russian capital.