Ukraine war latest: Ukrainian troops raise flag on Russian-held Kinburn Spit, military says

Key developments on June 24:

• Ukrainian troops raise flag on Kinburn Spit in Mykolaiv Oblast held by Russian forces since 2022, military says
• Skelia assault regiment commander suspended from duty amid investigation into alleged abuse
• Ukrainian strikes hit energy, oil infrastructure in Russian-occupied Crimea as power outages continue, military confirms
• Russian attacks kill 7, injure 70 across Ukraine over past day, as Ukrainian gas facilities hit in several regions

Ukrainian troops have raised the national flag on the Kinburn Spit as Russian forces withdraw from their positions in the area, Ukraine's Southern Defense Forces said on June 25.

Russian forces retreated under "heavy fire," with the evacuation of surviving personnel continuing, the statement read.

Ukrainian Navy spokesperson Dmytro Pletenchuk confirmed to the Kyiv Independent that a Ukrainian flag had been installed on the Kinburn Spit. At the same time, Pletenchuk  said Russian forces remain in the area and that fighting for control of the spit is ongoing.

"Yes, (Russian troops) were forced to abandon some of their positions, but in the context of liberating the spit, it is still too early to say that the enemy has completely withdrawn from this territory," Pletenchuk told the Kyiv Independent.

Pletenchuk added that the flag serves primarily as a symbolic presence that "greatly irritates" Russian forces and keeps them "on their toes."

The spokesperson also underscored the strategic importance of the area, saying Russia is using its presence on the Kinburn Spit to maintain pressure on the southern coast of Mykolaiv Oblast and hinder shipping from the ports of Mykolaiv, particularly through the Bug-Dnipro Estuary Canal.

The Kinburn Spit is a narrow sandy peninsula in southern Ukraine, located between the Dnipro-Buh Estuary and the Black Sea. The area is part of Mykolaiv Oblast and has been contested during Russia's full-scale invasion.

Russian troops entered the 40-kilometer-long (about 25-mile) Kinburn Spit in March 2022 from the then-occupied part of Kherson Oblast.

The spit remains strategically important due to its location, as control of the area has enabled Russian forces to influence access to parts of the Black Sea. Shipping routes from the ports of Kherson and Mykolaiv converge nearby.

Skelia assault regiment commander suspended from duty amid investigation into alleged abuse

The commander of Ukraine's 425th Separate Assault Regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Yurii Harkavyi, has been suspended from duty amid an investigation into alleged violations of soldiers' rights, the unit's press officer told the Kyiv Independent on June 25.

The assault unit, better known as Skelia, which has reportedly suffered higher-than-average battlefield losses, came under scrutiny this week after an investigation by Ukrainian news outlet Babel published on June 23 shed light on allegations of abuse within the unit and at least 26 noncombat deaths among recruits.

The day after the investigation was published, Ukraine's State Bureau of Investigation said on June 24 that it had launched a pre-trial investigation into the Skelia regiment. The agency said it is verifying the allegations cited in the report and examining whether military officials exceeded their authority and official powers under martial law, resulting in serious consequences. So far, no results have been announced.

More than four years into the full-scale war, reports have increasingly emerged of alleged unit-based abuses in the army, sometimes leading to noncombat deaths in areas far from the front. Such issues are occurring as Ukraine continues to face a deepening manpower crisis, struggling to replenish units battered by heavy battles.

Skelia is one of Ukraine's largest assault formations, with more than 10,000 personnel. Expanded as part of an effort by Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi to build specialized assault units, the regiment receives a large share of newly mobilized recruits and is regularly assigned high-risk assault operations.

According to the Babel investigation, at least 26 service members died between late 2025 and spring 2026, many shortly after mobilization and training. Relatives and former soldiers alleged that the regiment was plagued by inadequate medical care, coercion, and physical abuse. The investigation cited testimony from current and former soldiers and relatives of mobilized service members, as well as medical records, court documents, and forensic examinations.

Ukrainian strikes hit energy, oil infrastructure in Russian-occupied Crimea as power outages continue, military confirms

Ukraine launched a large-scale attack on Russian-occupied Crimea overnight on June 25, striking energy and oil infrastructure as well as military facilities across the peninsula, Robert "Madyar" Brovdi, commander of Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces, said.

The latest attack comes as the peninsula's energy grid has come under strain in recent days after Russian proxy authorities said widespread power outages in occupied Crimea on June 23 left approximately half of the peninsula without electricity.

Videos posted to social media purport to show a widespread power outage in the city of Simferopol following a reported drone strike. While photos purport to show parts of the city of Yalta without power following a reported attack on a substation in the area.

Explosions were also heard near the Balaklava Power Plant in Sevastopol, the Crimean Wind Telegram channel reported.

Ukrainian forces targeted 38 sites across occupied Crimea during a large-scale overnight attack. The targets included the Tavriya Thermal Power Plant in Simferopol, an oil depot in Dzhankoi, two gas compressor stations, two electrical substations, three coastal radar stations, and a ZU-23-2 anti-aircraft twin-barreled autocannon, according to Brovdi.

At least two people, including a child, were killed, and two others were injured as a result of Ukrainian attacks, Sergey Aksyonov, the Russian-appointed governor of occupied Crimea, claimed on June 25 on Telegram.

The Kyiv Independent cannot immediately verify the reports.

Russian attacks kill 7, injure 70 across Ukraine over past day, as Ukrainian gas facilities hit in several regions

Russian attacks across Ukraine killed at least seven people and injured at least 70 others over the past day, as Russian drones damaged multiple fuel stations and gas production facilities operated by state-owned oil and gas company Naftogaz, regional authorities reported on June 25.

Naftogaz CEO Serhii Koretskyi said on Facebook on June 25 that several Ukrnafta gas stations in Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv, and Dnipropetrovsk oblasts came under attack.

Russian drones also targeted Naftogaz production assets in Poltava Oblast overnight and in the morning, causing significant damage to gas extraction and storage facilities, Koretskyi said.

Sumy Oblast Governor Oleh Hryhorov said on June 24 that Russian drones struck two gas stations in the city of Sumy in separate attacks. Three civilians were injured in the first strike, while one person was wounded in the second, Hryhorov said.

Hryhorov reported on June 25 another Russian strike on a gas station in Sumy. Two gas station employees were hospitalized with minor injuries, while a married couple who happened to be near the site were also wounded, the governor said.

"The Russians are systematically striking fuel infrastructure facilities in the region to disrupt logistics and the supply of fuel to communities. In June alone, there were 13 attacks on gas stations in the region," Hryhorov said.

The Sumy Regional Military Administration reported on June 25 that 17 people, including a six-year-old child, were injured across Sumy Oblast over the past day.

The strikes on the region came amid a broader overnight drone attack across Ukraine. Russia launched 60 drones and one Iskander-M ballistic missile overnight, Ukraine's Air Force said on the morning of June 25.

Ukrainian air defense systems intercepted 83 drones, the Air Force said. Strikes by the ballistic missile and six drones were recorded at seven locations, while debris from downed drones was found at nine additional sites.

The deadliest attacks were reported in eastern and southern Ukraine.

In Zaporizhzhia Oblast, two people were killed and 22 injured in Russian strikes on the regional capital and other settlements in the region, Governor Ivan Fedorov said.

In Kherson Oblast, two people were killed and 16 injured in Russian attacks over the past day, Governor Oleksandr Prokudin said. Russian forces also damaged six high-rise buildings, nine houses, a cell tower, a gas station, an office building, agricultural equipment, and private vehicles.

In Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, two people were killed and three injured in Russian attacks, Governor Oleksandr Hanzha said. Russian forces launched more than 50 strikes across four districts using drones, artillery, and guided aerial bombs.

In Donetsk Oblast, Russian attacks injured seven people, including six in the city of Druzhkivka, Governor Vadym Filashkin said. The region was struck 24 times over the past day, Filashkin added.

In Kharkiv Oblast, five people were injured, Governor Oleh Syniehubov said. Russian attacks damaged civilian infrastructure in Kharkiv and 20 other settlements across the region.

Russia also targeted locomotives in strikes in Zaporizhzhia and Sumy oblasts on June 25, Ukraine's state railway operator Ukrzaliznytsia Board Chairman Oleksandr Pertsovskyi said on Facebook.

Two train crews were evacuated before the attacks, but in a second strike on railway infrastructure in Zaporizhzhia, an assistant locomotive driver was killed, while the locomotive driver managed to survive, Pertsovskyi said.

Russian attacks on settlements across Ukraine result in civilian casualties on a daily basis.

May 2026 was the deadliest month since April 2022, according to a June 12 report by the U.N. Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU). The mission verified at least 274 civilian deaths and 1,763 injuries during the month, marking the highest monthly casualty toll recorded in the past four years.