Ukraine war latest: Sweeping new reforms to terms of service announced in effort to ease manpower crisis

Key developments on June 12:

• Ukraine announces landmark military service reforms with record pay raise for infantry
• Russian rubber plant, oil refineries struck by Ukrainian drones in latest overnight attack, military confirms
• Ukrainian drone maker Skyfall partners with Airbus on defense innovation
• Sumy hit by morning artillery bombardment as Russian strikes across Ukraine kill at least 6, injure 52 over past day
• 'High probability' of Russian missile launch from Oreshnik site over next day, Ukraine's Air Force warns

President Volodymyr Zelensky has announced significant changes to the current system of compensation for Ukrainian soldiers, including higher pay, more combat bonuses and fixed contracts for infantry, as well as a fresh drive to recruit foreign fighters.

The changes come amid Ukraine's chronic manpower crisis, with many personnel exhausted after years of full-scale war without a path for demobilization and discharge, while newly-mobilized soldiers tend to be increasingly unmotivated, especially in the infantry.

The decisions were run by Ukraine's top military leadership after meetings with Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko, Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, and Finance Minister Serhii Marchenko, Zelensky wrote on social media on June 12.

Later in the day, Fedorov outlined the reforms in more detail. The information has also appeared on the defense ministry's website.

"A new system of military service is needed," the defense minister wrote, "a system built on respect for the individual, justice, and clear rules."

The changes include a record pay rise for infantry soldiers, fixed terms of service followed by six month of exemption from mobilization, simplified rules for transfers between units and returning from AWOL.

Ukraine will also ramp up its drive to recruit foreign fighters, with the aim of filling 30-50% of infnatry and assault roles with foreigners, Fedorov said.

Russian rubber plant, oil refineries struck by Ukrainian drones in latest overnight attack, military confirms

Two Russian oil refineries in Russia's Tatarstan and a major rubber plant in Samara Oblast were damaged during Ukraine's latest mass attack on Russian regions overnight on June 12, Ukraine's General Staff reported.

Ukrainian drones struck the Tolyatti rubber factory, on the Volga River in Samara Oblast in the morning hours of June 12, leading to a fire at the facility. Photos and videos posted to social media emerging on the morning of the attack showed long-range drones over the city of Tolyatti.

Later in the day, the General Staff confirmed the attack, as well as damage to the plant, the products of which used in the "further production of solid rocket fuel for tactical and ballistic missiles."

Russia's Republic of Tatarstan, also on the Volga, was also targeted, with damage reported to refining and petrochemicals facilities.

Large plumes of smoke rose above the city of Nizhnekamsk, home to the Tatarstan Oil Refining Complex and TAIF-NK refinery, two large but separate refining complexes located in the same industrial zone.

According to the General Staff, both facilities were hit.

Ukrainian drone maker Skyfall partners with Airbus on defense innovation

The Ukrainian drone manufacturer Skyfall has launched a strategic partnership with Airbus Defense and Space, according to an Airbus press release published on June 12.

Airbus Defense and Space, headquartered in Germany, develops and produces military aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles, and ballistic missiles. A division of the European aerospace giant Airbus, it is the second-largest space company in the world.

Skyfall and Airbus Defense and Space signed a memorandum of understanding on the sidelines of the ILA Berlin exhibition in the German capital, with German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius present.

The memorandum marks the beginning of a strategic partnership that aims to bolster "the protection of Ukraine's airspace against drone and missile strikes and ... accelerate the European defense ecosystem by combining extensive Western systemic defense expertise with battle-proven technological agility."

Skyfall has scaled up production rapidly since first launching in June 2022, a few months into Russia's full-scale invasion. The company is known for producing the night-flying Vampire drone — nicknamed "Baba Yaga" by Russian soldiers — as well as the first-person-view (FPV) Shrike.

Sumy hit by morning artillery bombardment as Russian strikes across Ukraine kill at least 6, injure 52 over past day

Russian artillery struck the northeastern city of Sumy in the morning of June 12, as attacks across Ukraine saw at least six civilians killed and a further 52 injured over the past day, regional authorities said.

Eight locations were struck in broad daylight in the regional capital, injuring six residents, regional governor Oleh Hryhorov said.

The attack was the third time the city had been targeted with artillery since the beginning of the year, the governor added.

Elsewhere in Sumy Oblast, two people were killed and another ten injured in drone attacks in front-line areas, regional authorities said.

Russian forces launched 117 long-range attack drones, including Shahed-type drones, at Ukraine, 102 of which were intercepted. Fourteen impacts were recorded at seven different locations, the Air Force reported.

'High probability' of Russian missile launch from Oreshnik site over next day, Ukraine's Air Force warns

Russian forces are highly likely to use an intermediate-range ballistic missile against Ukraine over the next 24 hours, the Ukrainian Air Force said on June 12.

Russia has fired such a missile, known as the Oreshnik, three times during the full-scale war. The intermediate-range ballistic missile is believed to be a modified version of the Rubezh surface-to-surface missile. Its most recent use came on May 24, when it was launched at Bila Tserkva in Kyiv Oblast.

The launch is expected to come from the Kapustin Yar launch site in southern Russia, the Air Force said on Telegram.

Meanwhile, President Volodymyr Zelensky urged Ukrainians to take air raid alerts seriously over the coming days, indicating that another large-scale Russian missile and drone attack may be imminent.

The warning comes after a series of mass attacks on the capital over the past month, including an overnight strike on May 14 that killed 24 people.