The Kyiv Independent [unofficial]
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Russia’s war against Ukraine
Ukrainian first responders are at work at one of the major hit sites of the Russian attack in Kyiv, Ukraine, where part of the building collapsed as a result of a direct missile hit, on June 17, 2025. (Photo by Ori Aviram / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images)
Hours after deadly Russian attack on Kyiv, Trump was unaware it had even happened. At the time of writing some seven hours later, the White House has still yet to comment on the attack.
Cluster munitions used in overnight Russian strike on Ukraine, Kyiv mayor says. “On the capital’s Nyvky neighborhood, emergency workers are now finding these kinds of cluster munition parts,” Mayor Vitali Klitschko said in a statement.
Zelensky leaves G7 early without meeting Trump as Canada drops Ukraine statement amid US pushback. President Volodymyr Zelensky is cutting his visit to Canada short and will return to Kyiv on June 17, while G7 talks are still ongoing, a source told a Kyiv Independent journalist on the ground.
Zelensky welcomes G7 support as summit delivers no strong breakthrough for Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelensky said on June 17 that the G7 summit had produced concrete results for Ukraine, including increased military support, new tranches of aid using frozen Russian assets, and additional sanctions targeting the sources of Russia’s war effort.
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Russia’s Shoigu visits North Korea on ‘special assignment‘ from Putin. Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu is expected to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during the visit.
Russian military-industrial chemical plant halts operations after Ukrainian drone strike. The Nevinnomyssk Azot chemical plant — a key supplier to the Kremlin’s military-industrial complex — has suspended production following Ukrainian drone strikes, Russian independent media reported on June 16.
US group designed to pressure Russia into peace in Ukraine disbanded by Trump administration, Reuters reports. “It lost steam toward the end because the president wasn’t there,” an official told Reuters.
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Ukraine war latest: Massive Russian attack kills 21, injures 134 in Kyiv
The Ukrainian Air Force confirmed that Russia launched 472 aerial weapons overnight, including nearly 280 Shahed-type attack drones and two Kinzhal ballistic missiles. The strike primarily targeted Kyiv.
Photo: Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images
Survivors search for missing following Russia’s deadliest attack on Kyiv this year
On the day of the attack, President Volodymyr Zelensky was expected to meet with his U.S. counterpart, Donald Trump. However, the American president left the summit a day before the meeting.
Photo: Danylo Antoniuk / Anadolu via Getty Images
Tired of military aid delays, Ukraine has designed its own ballistic missile — and it’s already in mass-production
Ukraine announced on June 13 that its short-range Sapsan ballistic missile would go into mass production, a major development in Kyiv’s ongoing efforts to domestically produce the weapons it needs to fight Russia’s full-scale invasion.
Photo: The Presidential Office of Ukraine
‘Beyond cynical’ – Russian doctor carved ‘Glory to Russia’ scar on POW during operation, Ukraine says
The cynical act came to light after a Ukrainian doctor shared a photo of the released soldier’s mutilated abdomen earlier in June, taken not long after his release from Russian captivity. The photo was later verified by Ukraine’s military intelligence.
Photo: Maksym Turkevych / Facebook
Human cost of Russia’s war
‘A brutal strike‘ — Massive Russian missile and drone attack hits Kyiv, killing 21, injuring at least 134. Russian drones and ballistic missiles targeted the capital overnight, killing 21 people and injuring at least 134, State Emergency Service reported. Damage to civilian infrastructure has also been reported throughout the city.
20 people injured in Kherson as Russia shifts drone attack tactics, governor says. The attacks left several people hospitalized with blast trauma and shrapnel wounds.
Russian drone strike on Odesa kills 2, injures 17, including 1 child. Russian drone strikes on Odesa early June 17 killed 1, injured 17 people, including a pregnant woman and a child, regional authorities said.
International response
‘We are determined to increase pressure on Russia’ — Macron says as EU ready to toughen sanctions. The European Union and its allies are ready to toughen sanctions on Russia, French President Emmanuel Macron said on the sidelines of the Group of Seven (G7) summit on June 17.
G7 allies push for stronger Russia sanctions as Trump resists, Bloomberg reports. The debate over sanctions comes as intensified Russian strikes on Ukraine killed at least 14 people and injured 117 in Kyiv overnight on June 17.
Canada announces $1.5 billion in new military aid to Ukraine, sanctions targeting Russia at G7 summit. “To be absolutely clear, this support will be unwavering until we get a just peace for Ukraine and the Ukrainian people,” Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said on June 17.
In other news
Kellogg to meet Lukashenko in highest-ranking US visit to Belarus in years, Reuters reports. U.S. Special Envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg will meet Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in the coming days, Reuters reported on June 17, citing four sources familiar with the matter.
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