The Kyiv Independent [unofficial]
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Russia’s war against Ukraine
Participants wearing traditional outfits dance as they celebrate the holiday of Ivana Kupala, a traditional holiday related to the summer solstice that has been observed in Ukraine since pre-Christian times, in Kyiv on June 21, 2025, amid the Russian invasion in Ukraine. (Genya Savilov / AFP via Getty Images)
‘My husband is free’ — Belarus opposition leader Siarhei Tsikhanouski freed after US envoy visits Minsk. Belarusian opposition leader and political prisoner Siarhei Tsikhanouski was sentenced to 18 years in prison on politically motivated charges in 2021.
Russia ‘afraid to admit’ scale of losses, trying to hide by dumping soldiers’ bodies on Ukraine, Zelensky says. Ukrainian authorities have confirmed that at least 20 of the bodies Russia returned as Ukrainian were actually Russian soldiers, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
‘Ukrainian drones for the foot of every Russian soldier’ — Zelensky responds to Putin’s threat to conquer all Ukraine. The Ukrainian government has made several decisions in light of Russia’s overt threats, including a diplomatic overhaul, intensified sanctions efforts, and increased funding for drone development.
Russia recruits Central Asia migrants as ‘cannon fodder’ in Ukraine war, HUR says. Citizens of Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and other countries in the region are increasingly being drawn into Russia’s war effort, Ukraine’s military intelligence (HUR) says.
‘In any case, the aggressor loses’ — Zelensky urges Trump to ‘make the right choice for history’. President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia is attempting to influence U.S. President Donald Trump amid the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran.
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Ukraine approves Termit ground drone for battlefield deployment. The tracked robot is a next-generation version of Ukraine’s existing ground-based unmanned systems already deployed across the front.
Russia’s Oreshnik missile production can be halted by ‘urgent’ sanctions, Zelensky says. Russia first launched the experimental Oreshnik missile in an attack against Dnipro on Nov. 21.
Ukraine asks allies to earmark 0.25% of GDP for joint defense production, Zelensky says. Ukraine is currently in talks with Denmark, Norway, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Lithuania on weapons development partnerships, according to the president.
Russia has over 1,950 strategic missiles, Ukraine’s military intelligence tells media. Russia produces up to 195 missiles per month, Ukraine’s military intelligence agency (HUR) told the news outlet RBC-Ukraine.
Ukraine planning diplomatic overhaul to win stronger global support against Russia. “The president has already made certain personnel decisions regarding the heads of some foreign institutions, because the criterion is very simple: results,” Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on June 21.
Read our exclusives
How 3 years of war have ravaged Ukraine’s forests, and the people who depend on them
Twenty-two-year-old software developer Artem Motorniuk has spent his entire life in the Zaporizhzhia region of Ukraine, living in the north and visiting his grandparents in the south. It’s been almost four years since he’s seen them in person.
Photo: Stringer/Anadolu via Getty Images
Pro-Russian ‘peace protestors’ set to descend on NATO summit
Dutch protesters who regularly call for an end to military aid to Ukraine will descend on The Hague next week to protest the upcoming NATO summit, which is set to take place on June 24-25. The group will protest against NATO alongside several other organizations.
Photo: Vredesdemonstratie/Facebook
Love, sex, survival — Ukrainian author on how war shapes intimacy in Ukraine
In Ukraine, Russia’s war of aggression has upended not just borders but the country’s cultural landscape. Conversations about identity, gender, and sexuality have gained new urgency. Women are increasingly stepping into combat roles once dominated by men, while relationships can dissolve as quickly as they form.
Photo: Nnastazja/Wikimedia
Human cost of Russia’s war
At least 13 injured in Russian attacks on Ukraine over past day. Russia launched 272 drones overnight, including Iranian-designed Shahed-type suicide drones, along with two aeroballistic missiles and six cruise missiles, Ukraine’s Air Force said.
Ukrainians forcibly deported by Russia held in basement without food, water, media reports. Over 45 Ukrainians forcibly deported by Russia from Ukraine’s occupied territories are being held in a basement at Russia’s border with Georgia without food, water, and basic healthcare, independent media outlet Astra reported on June 21.
General Staff: Russia has lost 1,010,390 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022. The number includes 1,060 casualties that Russian forces suffered just over the past day.
International response
NATO summit to sideline Ukraine, focus on flattering Trump, Politico reports.
“(Trump) has to get credit for the 5% — that’s why we’re having the summit,” one unnamed European defense official told Politico. “Everything else is being streamlined to minimize risk.”
‘A total failure’ — Hungarian opposition leader says Ukraine EU accession national poll had lowest ever turnout. Hungary’s national consultation on Ukraine’s accession to the EU had the lowest ever turnout at such a poll, Hungarian opposition leader Peter Magyar said on June 21.
Inside the Special Operations Forces of Ukraine
In other news
US conducts air strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, Trump says. The United States conducted air strikes on nuclear sites in Iran, U.S. President Donald Trump said in a post to Truth Social on June 21.
Russian economy recession warnings ‘greatly exaggerated,’ Putin claims, denies war in Ukraine ‘killing’ growth. The statement comes after warnings from his own officials about stagnation and looming recession.
Trump administration sends layoff notices to 600 Voice of America staff, NYT reports. U.S. President Donald Trump’s crackdown against Voice of America has been celebrated by Russian propagandists, who welcomed the cuts to the network.
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