Drone factory in Yelabuga

11:23 AM  (Updated:  June 20, 2025 12:43 pm)

Baltics, Nordics, Poland propose Schengen ban for Russians who fought in Ukraine.

"There are hundreds of thousands of Russian citizens who have fought against Ukraine," Estonian Interior Minister Igor Taro said. "We must take a clear stance, these individuals cannot freely travel across Schengen."

12:29 PM

Russia's war-fueled economy is running on empty, Central Bank chief warns.

"We grew for two years at a fairly high pace because free resources were activated," Russia's Central Bank Governor Elvira Nabiullina said.

10:20 AM

2 killed, 39 injured in Russian attacks against Ukraine over past day.

Russian forces launched 86 Shahed-type attack drones and decoys against Ukraine overnight, the Air Force said. Ukrainian air defenses shot down 34 drones, while 36 disappeared from radars or were intercepted by electronic warfare.

10:14 AM

Dutch parliament recognizes Soviet 1944 deportation of Crimean Tatars as genocide.

In the adopted text, Dutch lawmakers declared that the Soviet-led deportation of Crimean Tatars, which took place between May 18 and 21, 1944, constitutes genocide by contemporary legal and historical definitions.

9:37 AM

Russia would react 'very negatively' to Iran leader's assassination, Kremlin says.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov warned that any attempt at regime change in Tehran or threats to its leadership would "open Pandora's box," deepening instability across the Middle East and beyond.

5:30 AM  (Updated:  June 20, 2025 9:32 am)

'Massive' Russian drone attacks on residential buildings in Odesa kill 1, injure 14.

Russian forces struck residential buildings in Odesa overnight on June 20, killing a civilian and injuring at least 14 others, including three emergency workers, Ukraine's State Emergency Service reported.

8:19 AM

General Staff: Russia has lost 1,009,330 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022.

The number includes 1,090 casualties that Russian forces suffered just over the past day.

7:35 AM

Latvia prohibits Russian, Belarusian citizens from purchasing real estate.

The bill — which carves out exceptions for EU and Latvian permanent residence holders, Belarusian refugees, and repatriates — establishes the new restrictions under the pretenses of protecting the country's national security.

4:29 AM

EU proposes integrating Ukraine into bloc's mobile roaming area.

The European Commission has proposed that Ukraine join the European Union's mobile roaming area starting January 1, 2026, providing Ukrainian users the ability to make phone calls, texts, and use mobile data in the bloc's 27 countries at no extra charge.

1:57 AM

Russian losses 'entirely justified,' Zelensky says.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said on June 19 that he held talks with the SBU about deep strikes in Russia. "Russia must continue to suffer entirely justified losses due to its aggression."

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

From unity to uncertainty: Central Europe reconsiders its Ukraine stance

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