What Putin won’t tell you about Russia’s ‘Victory Day’

11:06 AM  (Updated:  June 28, 2025 4:28 pm)

Poland's Duda arrives in Kyiv to meet with Zelensky.

"Andrzej has been with Ukraine since the first days of the war, always side by side, a reliable ally and a true friend. This is undoubtedly the level of relations we want to preserve and strengthen with Poland," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

3:37 PM

Ukrainian drone strike on Crimea air base destroys 3 Russian helicopters, SBU claims.

The attack destroyed Mi-8, Mi-26 and Mi-28 attack helicopters, and a Pantsyr-S1 self-propelled anti-aircraft missile and gun system, the Security Service of Ukraine told the Kyiv Independent.

3:06 PM

Russia revives obsolete T-62 tanks amid equipment shortages, Ukraine's intel claims.

"The key factors limiting the ability to produce modern armored vehicles in Russia are a lack of industrial capacity and a shortage of imported high-tech components," Ukraine's military intelligence said.

2:29 PM

Ukraine downs new Russian Grom-1 bomb missile near Dnipro city, official says.

To date, neither Russian guided aerial bombs nor the Grom-1 bomb missile had previously reached the city of Dnipro.

12:53 PM

Pro-Ukraine partisans disrupt Russian military logistics in occupied Donetsk Oblast, group claims.

The Atesh partisan group set fire to a signal cabinet that helps control traffic on a railway line near the Russian-occupied city of Yasynuvata in Donetsk Oblast, a route used for Russia's military logistics, the group claimed on Telegram on June 28.

11:08 AM

Russian attacks against Ukraine kill 10, injure at least 50 over past day.

Ukrainian forces downed 21 out of the 23 drones, including Shahed-type attack drones and decoys, launched by Russia overnight, the Air Force reported.

7:58 AM  (Updated:  June 28, 2025 9:54 am)

Married couple killed in Russian drone strike on Odesa high-rise.

Russian drones hit a 21-story building, causing a fire on the 7th, 8th, and 9th floors that left residents trapped in their apartments. A couple was killed and 14 others were injured, including three children.

9:10 AM

General Staff: Russia has lost 1,017,720 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022.

The number includes 1,000 casualties that Russian forces suffered just over the past day.

7:25 AM

Half of Americans support sanctions on countries that buy Russian oil and gas, poll finds.

In a YouGov survey conducted June 12-16, 24% of U.S. adults said they "strongly support" sanctioning Russian energy buyers while 25% said they "somewhat support" secondary sanctions against these countries.

6:08 AM

Ukrainian weapons account for more than 40% of arms used in defense against Russia, Zelensky says.

The government and Ukrainian businesses now provide over 40% of the weapons used to defend the nation's independence against Russia's full-scale invasion, Zelensky said on June 27.

5:28 AM

Zelensky to impose long-term moratorium on business inspections in Ukraine.

The moratorium is intended to "protect businesses from any pressure by unscrupulous individuals in various government positions," the president said at the State and Business Forum in Kyiv on June 27.

4:12 AM

Russia has amassed 111,000 troops near Pokrovsk, Syrskyi says.

Pokrovsk remains the "hottest spot" along the front line but "the situation is under control" and Russia has not crossed the administrative border from Donetsk to Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said.

2:49 AM

Ukraine imposes new sanctions on Russian individuals, Chinese company involved in Shahed drone production.

President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree on June 27 imposing sanctions on 52 Russian citizens as well as an additional 34 Russian companies and one Chinese entity involved in the production of Shahed-type drones and chip manufacturing machinery.

12:45 AM

Despite escalating war plans, Putin claims Russia will cut military spending starting in 2026.

Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed on June 27 that Moscow plans to cut its military expenditure beginning next year, in a rebuke of NATO members' plans to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP.

11:55 PM

'Without question' — Trump says US would consider bombing Iran again, halts plans to ease sanctions.

The United States would consider bombing Iran again if the country's nuclear program once again became of concern, U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters during a press briefing on June 27.

10:57 PM

Russia ready to hold third round of peace talks with Ukraine, Putin says.

Russia is ready to hold a third round of peace talks on the war in Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin told reporters on June 27, without specifying if he would directly participate in the negotiations.

10:14 PM

War update

Ukraine war latest: Ukrainian drones reportedly strike 4 fighter jets in Russia

10:13 PM

Ukrainian manufacturers able to produce 4 million drones per year, Umerov says.

Ukrainian manufacturers will supply four million drones to the front line this year, while the Ukrainian army has already received up to 1.5 million drones as of the end of June, according to Umerov.

10:10 PM

Ukrainian drones strike 4 fighter jets in Russia's Volgograd Oblast, General Staff says.

According to preliminary data, two Russian fighter jets were destroyed, and the other two were damaged.

1:49 PM  (Updated:  June 27, 2025 9:48 pm)

Russian missile strike on Dnipropetrovsk Oblast city kills 5, injures 25.

Governor Serhii Lysak said most of the injured were hospitalized.

9:19 PM

Corruption

Deputy Prime Minister given travel restriction, $2.9 million bail in major corruption case

8:45 PM

Ukraine’s new top prosecutor known for high-profile cases, seen as Zelensky loyalist

7:18 PM

Clashes ongoing in eastern Ukrainian village near lithium deposits, as military rejects claims of Russian capture.

Active fighting is still taking place around the village of Shevchenko in Donetsk Oblast, home to one of Ukraine's largest lithium deposits, a spokesperson for Ukraine's Khortytsia group of forces told the Kyiv Independent on June 27, denying reports Russia had occupied the village.

7:03 PM

Pro-Palestinian activists destroy Ukrainian military aid worth $1.1 million, allegedly confusing it with Israeli, media reports.

The activists reportedly thought the equipment would be supplied to Israel.

6:57 PM

Video

Warfare in Ukraine has changed… again.

The Kyiv Independent’s Francis Farrell explains a new modification of the standard first-person view (FPV) drone that already once transformed the way war is fought. Fiber optic cable now used to connect drone operators to FPVs ensures a perfect image and control experience all the way to the target — and cannot be spotted by enemy drone detectors.