According to foreign experts, Ukraine's rapid and powerful technological progress has forced Russia to fall behind.

Moreover, he is the main reason why the winter and spring offensives of the Russian army actually failed.

In the summer of 2026, the Russian invaders also fail to demonstrate any significant achievements on the battlefield.

Emil Kastehelmi, co-founder of the Finnish war monitoring organization Black Bird, made a statement on this matter:

Russia's problem is that current tactics do not provide the tools for significant success, and new tools cannot be found.

Russian commanders continue to throw "cannon fodder" to the slaughter, while the Ukrainian Defense Forces minimize their own losses in manpower through the use of robots and drones.

Robotization has made troop numbers much less important — and that has changed Kyiv’s position,” said a man involved in the war effort. “You need ten to twenty thousand drone operators, not hundreds of thousands of soldiers sitting in the trenches. The face of war is changing.”

Recently, the Kremlin's protege in the occupied part of the Kherson region, Volodymyr Saldo, stated that the Armed Forces of Ukraine struck several bridges connecting the region with Crimea at once.

What is important to understand is:

1. bridge over the North Crimean Canal near occupied Preobrazhenka and Myrne;

2. Perekop-Armyansk road bridge;

3. Stavky road bridge.

Moreover, on June 11, it became known that the Ukrainian Defense Forces had struck the Russian logistical route into occupied Crimea through Armyansk.

It is also indicated that on the night of June 7-8 and June 9, Ukrainian soldiers partially destroyed the Chongar Bridge — the occupation authorities blocked traffic on it.

Continued Ukrainian strikes are likely to have cascading effects on the battlefield and could complicate Russia's preparations for offensive operations, American analysts believe.

I don't even want to suspect that Alaska, like the European actions, was designed to buy time to rearm the Kyiv regime, I don't even want to think about it. But in reality, it turned out the way it did.

Sergey Lavrov

Head of the Russian Foreign Ministry

Despite this, he began to claim that official Moscow was determined to "resume (negotiations with Ukraine, — ed.) at any time from the moment they stopped."

Lavrov also drew attention to the fact that almost a year has passed since the meeting between Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump.

According to him, during this time the States managed to abandon its claim to the role of an objective mediator in the settlement of the Russian war against Ukraine.

As for the United States, as far as we can judge their actions, they seem to be moving away from their claim to the role of an objective mediator and are adhering to the same course of increasing sanctions pressure on Russia, Lavrov added.

The Head of Government draws attention to the fact that currently more than 6 million people live in 216 communities in ten frontline regions.

Although the war has been going on for over 12 years, schools, hospitals, businesses, and utilities continue to operate.

Our priority is to provide people with the appropriate level of support, to maintain the resilience and economic activity of frontline communities. Special attention was paid to supporting children. In particular, the placement of children from among IDPs and supporting the children of deceased Defenders.

Yulia Svyrydenko

Prime Minister of Ukraine

As the head of the Cabinet of Ministers noted, her team is already implementing a comprehensive package of 60 support programs for frontline territories.

What is important to understand is that it involves:

• safe education (underground schools and kindergartens, free hot meals for over 728 thousand students),

• medicine (additional payments to doctors, continued funding of medical institutions and targeted assistance to doctors),

• support for IDPs and vulnerable groups,

• expanded opportunities for Ukrainian manufacturers under the "Made in Ukraine" programs.

A separate direction is preparation for winter: within the framework of Resilience Plans, communities are provided with backup power, heat, and water supply, — emphasized Svyrydenko.

As the media managed to find out, official Brussels is indeed currently considering a scenario of increasing pressure on the PRC.

The main goal is to weaken Beijing's support for Russia.

Kallas has already made public accusations against the PRC - this happened after a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg.

We have also received confirmed reports that the Chinese military has been training Russian military personnel to participate in combat operations in Ukraine. We are currently carefully assessing the implications of this information.

Kaia Callas

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaia Kallas

Despite this, she is in no hurry to reveal what the messages are about, nor is she disclosing any details.

In May 2026, the Reuters news agency reported that the Chinese military had secretly trained about 200 Russian servicemen on Chinese territory.

According to media reports, some of them later returned to participate in hostilities on the Ukrainian front.

The Polish diplomat once again expressed his disagreement with the president's policy, especially in relations with Ukraine.

In his opinion, Navrotsky is taking wrong steps that are damaging the image of the country as a whole.

First of all, it is simply ineffective, because, of course, we must demand respect for our memory of the victims in Volhynia. Instead, it turned out that he took these measures, took away the order, and this is being commented on and criticized everywhere. Instead, there is nothing to indicate that Ukraine will change this name. In other words, we did not win this exchange of blows.

Jacek Czaputowicz

Former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland

In addition, he decided to explain why many Poles — as poll results show — supported Navrosky's decision regarding Zelensky.

According to Čaputović, people are not always aware of all the circumstances of the conflict, as well as their consequences for the country.

That is, they actually do not understand that this scandal has weakened Warsaw's position on the world stage.

"I'm talking about the decline of Poland's importance. We will be treated with suspicion. (...) We will not be invited to participate in various decisions that will be made regarding Ukraine. Our status, Poland's international position has significantly decreased, and after this act they will decrease even more," Czaputowicz warned.

This warning was voiced by American analysts from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

According to their data, the head of the Kremlin may consider the population of Belarus as a potential source of replenishment of Russian troops on the Ukrainian front.

In this way, he will be able to compensate for the systemic shortage of personnel that the Russian army has been experiencing since May 2022.

Analysts point out that Putin may be trying to recruit Belarusian citizens into the Russian armed forces, given that Belarusians and Russians exist within the Union State.

In this logic, Moscow could argue that Belarusians also have corresponding civic responsibilities within this association.

In the future, Russian officials may even insist on Belarusian citizens serving in the Russian army or in joint military structures of the Union State under uniform rules.

The focus has been on a new artificial intelligence-based system called ASGARD.

What is important to understand is that it reduced the military planning cycle at the corps level from 72 hours to one hour.

General Raleigh Walker frankly admitted that he did not expect such an impressive level of efficiency from AI at all.

Until now, the British Chief of General Staff had been inclined to believe that the system would allow the army to make decisions twice as fast, but the actual result exceeded predictions.

"I was wrong… A planning cycle at the corps level that used to take 72 hours can now only take one. What they're going to do with the other 71 hours, I don't know," Roly Walker joked.

It is also worth noting that ASGARD is a digital combat management system that collects and processes information from the battlefield, helping commanders identify targets, make decisions, and coordinate strikes.

Pete Hegset reported this on the social network X.

Hegset said that "the Dynamic Defense Autonomous Defeat (DDAD) system autonomously detected, targeted, and destroyed a range of threats, including drones and cruise missiles."

I have seen our elite military integrate with next-generation technology to stop threats in their tracks.

He also stated that Golden Dome would become the "ultimate defense system" for the United States.

ScienceNews magazine collected comments from physicists about Trump's idea.

Frederick Lamb of the University of Illinois claims that there has never been a successful interception of a single intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) with nuclear warheads (there have been some tests, but not in real conditions).

To do this, you need to deploy missile defense into space. But it's difficult to intercept a missile there, because in space, different objects of different masses move in exactly the same way.

And when an ICBM arcs back into the Earth's atmosphere, it takes less than a minute to reach its target. So, according to Lamb, the only way to intercept the missile in that case is to place interceptors very close to the point of impact.

Victoria Samson of the Secure World Foundation in Washington notes that while technology has advanced significantly, the laws of physics have not changed, and they will create an obstacle to such interceptions.

At the same time, some experts believe that the Dome's idea can be implemented - this is what Tom Karako, director of the missile defense project at the Washington Center for Strategic and International Studies, and Robert Peters, an expert on nuclear deterrence and missile defense, said.

According to the Czech president, he sent his lawsuit to the Constitutional Court of the Czech Republic.

Thus, Pavel wants clarification regarding who has the authority to decide whether the head of state can participate in the NATO summit.

According to media reports, the court is due to consider this issue during a plenary session on June 24.

The President drew attention to the fact that his predecessors participated in all previous NATO summits, and he himself has been present at every Alliance meeting since taking office in 2023.

After lengthy discussions over who would represent Prague in Ankara, Babis announced on Monday that the head of state would not be able to join the official delegation because "this summit will be different from the previous ones."

Journalists draw attention to the fact that 7 states, including the United States, have confirmed their "unwavering support" for Ukraine.

In addition, they confirmed that they would increase sanctions pressure on Russia, primarily in the oil and gas sector.

The allies also agreed to expand military assistance — providing additional air defense systems, long-range weapons, and considering the possibility of licensed production of allied weapons in Ukraine.

According to French leader Emmanuel Macron, the so-called "Evian moment" has arrived within the Group of Seven discussions.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has announced a "new tone" in transatlantic relations.

"Now it's clear to Trump that today the Ukrainians are the winners, and Putin is the loser," one of the insiders told the media.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney assured reporters that the US president had changed his attitude towards Ukraine because he realized that it could still defeat Russia.

Also announced today was an aid package for long-range artillery — long-range artillery, 30 plus kilometers.

Mykhailo Fedorov

Minister of Defense of Ukraine

He also emphasized that all the results of the 35th Ramstein are still consistent.

Despite this, it is already clear that we managed to agree on about $4 billion in aid for Ukraine.

Important agreements were reached on issues of supporting Ukrainian drones and missiles.

"Only the Netherlands announced aid today for missiles, cruise missiles, for about 700 cruise missiles. We will understand all the results in a few hours, because today there were really a large number of different announcements, but we already see that it is about 4 billion dollars," Fedorov noted.

What is important to understand is that this time the United Kingdom and Germany co-chaired the meeting of the Contact Group on Defense Issues in Ukraine.

According to the head of the Polish government, both official Kyiv and official Warsaw will become victims of this mistake.

Donald Tusk also added that he is trying to reduce tensions in talks with European allies.

"Involving politicians in Poland and Ukraine in the conflict is a strategic mistake that will hurt both sides: in business terms, geopolitically, and in terms of reputation. And in politics, as we know, a mistake is worse than a crime... In conversations with my European partners, I try to minimize losses and reduce tension.

Donald Touse

Prime Minister of Poland

According to the head of the Polish government, this is really not an easy task, even for him.

What is important to understand: On June 21, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga warned Warsaw that official Kyiv would mirror all unfriendly steps towards Ukraine.

In addition, the head of the MZM expressed gratitude to the Poles who do not support the escalation of tensions with Ukraine and reminded of the common enemy - Russia.

A statement on this issue was made by George Barros, an analyst at the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

He drew attention to the fact that for the first time in the last 3 years, the Ukrainian Defense Forces were able to recapture more territory than the Russian army.

According to military analysts, the war has entered a new phase.

In fact, it means that Kyiv is already doing everything possible to break the deadlock on the front.

Another important advantage for the Armed Forces of Ukraine is that they have finally learned to stop new offensives by the Russian army.

This shift had been in the works for months, starting in late 2025, when the Ukrainians began striking Russian ground-based radars, electronic warfare stations, anti-aircraft missiles, and drones, effectively blinding Moscow's forces, Barros stressed.

In comments to the publication, Ukrainian officials, who agreed to speak on condition of anonymity, said they were noticing signals of a change in Donald Trump's position.

In their opinion, he increasingly supports the idea of increasing aid to Ukraine and increasing pressure on Russia to end the war.

At the same time, the interlocutors remain cautious in their assessments. They remind that Trump has previously made statements that were later not implemented.

According to two sources familiar with the closed-door discussions between the leaders, during the G7 summit last week, Trump was enthusiastic about the new operations of the Ukrainian Defense Forces.

The head of the White House admitted this directly to Volodymyr Zelensky.

Trump was "extremely impressed and impressed" by Ukraine's recent campaign to launch long-range strikes on targets deep inside Russia.

According to the Canadian Prime Minister, he has had seven or eight conversations with US President Donald Trump in the last 36 hours.

The leaders focused on many important topics, including Ukraine, Iran, and Lebanon.

In discussions on Ukraine, there is a change in the US position, which, in our opinion, is more realistic given the situation on the battlefield, the possible outcome of the war, and Russia's defeat.

Mark Carney

Prime Minister of Canada

According to the Canadian leader, there are still many risks in all of these issues.

Despite this, a change in tone from Donald Trump is already evident, as is a possible change in the course of events in Lebanon and Ukraine.

And these are game-changing factors,” Mark Carney emphasized.

It is also worth noting that earlier, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz voiced the assumption that European leaders and Donald Trump were able to reach a common position on the issue of the Russian-Ukrainian war.

According to the minister, partner countries were offered to review some of the planned support, in particular, to supply long-range shells instead of short-range ammunition.

Denmark responded promptly to this request. As a result, the Defence Forces will receive an additional 15,000 long-range artillery rounds. Some of them have already arrived in Ukraine.

Long-range artillery shots are one of the key requests of the front, the minister said. Earlier, the Ministry of Defense reported that the supply of ammunition with a range of at least 30 kilometers is one of Ukraine's priorities.

In the context of the constantly expanding drone kill zone, they make it possible to more effectively strike the enemy, its logistics, and command posts, while reducing the risks for our military.

Mykhailo Fedorov

Minister of Defense of Ukraine

At the end of May 2026, the Defense Procurement Agency contracted a record number of 155-mm long-range artillery rounds. The winners of the tender were six manufacturers.

As insiders have learned, the team of Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky believes that it has been able to enlist the support of Donald Trump.

Moreover, the head of the White House even began to push his Ukrainian counterpart to take decisive action in order to finally force Putin to sit down at the table for real negotiations.

During a private conversation, the US president allegedly urged Volodymyr Zelensky to act "bolder" towards Russia.

Journalists also received information that the President of Ukraine suggested that Trump organize a trilateral summit in the United States with the participation of Trump himself, Zelensky, and Vladimir Putin.

One insider added that the American leader liked the idea. However, American officials said that such a meeting is unlikely to take place anytime soon.

As journalists have learned, developers in the UK are actively working on creating relatively cheap long-range missiles that will not depend on American components or data.

These processes involve companies such as MBDA, MGI Engineering and Rotron Aerospace, and are planned to be tested in the UK and Ukraine in the coming months.

According to preliminary data, approximately a year after the completion of the tests, London will be able to supply these missiles to the Ukrainian Defense Forces.

The new missiles will still be inferior to Storm Shadow/SCALP in accuracy and power, but their cost will be about half that.

What is important to understand is that one Storm Shadow missile costs about a million dollars.

An important feature of the new systems will be the complete absence of American components. This will allow the UK to make its own decisions about their use without the risk of possible restrictions from the US.

Although the new missiles will not be able to effectively hit fortified concrete bunkers, their 225-kilogram warhead is still capable of inflicting significant damage to targets.

The Secretary General of the Alliance drew attention to the fact that Ukraine continues to inflict colossal losses on Russia at the front and beyond.

According to him, every month, SOU soldiers neutralize from 30 to 35 thousand Russian soldiers, reports Special Report .

And these are, of course, incredible numbers,” Mark Rutte emphasized.

Against this background, he officially confirmed that US President Donald Trump has updated the composition of the team that will deal with the settlement of the Russian-Ukrainian war.

This time, she was joined by US State Department Secretary Marco Rubio, who is known for his pro-Ukrainian position.

Trump's son-in-law, special envoy and businessman Jared Kushner, also remained in the team.

However, the Russian dictator has not yet shown any desire to sit down at the negotiating table.

According to insiders, the Russian authorities are considering importing fuel due to the shortage caused by Ukrainian attacks on oil refining infrastructure.

Thus, during a meeting chaired by Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak, the import of gasoline and diesel fuel, as well as state subsidies to contain prices on the domestic market, were discussed.

Putin's team can no longer ignore the fact that supply disruptions, sales restrictions, and rising gas prices have already been recorded in a number of regions.

One of the possible steps the authorities could take is a complete ban on the export of diesel fuel in order to provide the domestic market with the necessary volumes.

The shortage is particularly acute in occupied Crimea. In some areas, restrictions have been imposed on fuel sales, public transport and some municipal services have been reduced.

Russia has previously imposed restrictions on the export of gasoline and aviation fuel, and now, for the first time, is seriously discussing the possibility of importing petroleum products to cover the domestic deficit.

Gazprom is the property of the oligarchs. Ashes are the property of the regime. Oil and gas are not economics. They are the fuel of Putin's war, the foundation of their luxury yachts and a resource for poisonous propaganda. And we have decided to close this valve, — the statement of the LSR fighters says.

What is important to understand is that Operation Torch is a systemic response of the Russian Freedom Legion to the actions of the dictatorship.

Thanks to the successful implementation of this plan, 6 gas distribution stations in the Moscow and Tver regions were immediately put out of service.

This is not a movie, this is reality. The Legion fighters have proven: every critical node of the system is vulnerable. We are turning the "national treasure" into a pile of metal to deprive the regime of fuel for war.

According to LSR soldiers, this operation was made possible thanks to the joint efforts of Legion intelligence, analysts, and comrades operating directly behind enemy lines.

We are not just destroying assets — we are demonstrating the regime's fear and its inability to protect its "gold veins."

This is stated in a statement by the Romanian Ministry of Defense.

Before being put into operation, the system underwent the necessary stages of testing, evaluation, and operational verification.

The General Staff of Defense is constantly improving the airspace surveillance and defense system in order to strengthen the response capacity and increase the level of protection of the population.

Merops is a modern technological solution based on artificial intelligence algorithms, designed to detect, track and neutralize small air targets moving at low altitudes.

The implementation of this system contributes to strengthening the capabilities of the Romanian Armed Forces to detect and counter threats posed by unmanned aerial vehicles, complementing the measures already taken to protect national airspace.

As a reminder, on the morning of June 5, people were evacuated from the port of Constanta in Romania after a naval drone exploded there. No one was injured in the incident.

The Romanian Ministry of Defense indicated that naval drones of this type are used during the Russian-Ukrainian war.

The head of the Polish Foreign Ministry believes that Russia is preparing a staged provocation "under a false flag."

Putin's goal is quite obvious — to justify new aggression and further escalation.

Sikorsky believes that the Kremlin's recent accusations are an informational backdrop for an operation by Russian special services on its own territory to obtain a pretext for new strikes.

The dictator began to invent that Russia would retaliate against European countries if drones were detected being launched from their territory towards Russian facilities.

This sounds like a provocation. I expect an attack under a foreign flag on Russian territory, to which Putin will "respond."

Radoslav Sikorsky

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland

In addition, the head of Polish diplomacy recalled that in August 1939, the Abwehr organized a "Polish" attack on a radio station in Gliwice to give itself a pretext for war.

According to Business Insider, the businessman's fortune has declined sharply and dropped below the one trillion dollar mark.

Analysts have estimated that as of today, Musk has assets worth about $957 billion.

What is important to understand is that the rich man became a trillionaire in early June, when SpaceX's initial public offering valued the space company at over $2 trillion.

For several days in a row, the quotes moved upwards, which provoked a frenzy of interest among retail investors in Elon Musk's new ideas and promises.

It is worth noting that this is almost a third below the daily high of $225, recorded on June 16.

One of the reasons for the drop in share prices is considered to be warnings from analysts and experts.

The latter do not have much faith in the possibility of implementing Musk's ambitious plans — from creating data centers in space to colonizing Mars. All of this is questionable.

Satellite images from Vantor, taken between June 12 and 22, show damage to key logistics routes, fires at oil facilities, destroyed bridges, and other consequences of Ukrainian attacks.

In particular, journalists published footage of a fire at an oil depot in Kerch, the damaged Dzhankoy checkpoint in the village of Predmistne, the destruction on the Chongarsky bridge, and the consequences of a strike on the bridge over the North Crimean Canal in the village of Stavky in the Kherson region.

Journalists paid special attention to the Kerch Bridge. Photos from June 22 showed the operation of several machines with smoke generators, which created a curtain to mask certain sections of the roadway and bridge structures.

"Schemes" notes that the damaged facilities belong to the infrastructure that Russian troops use to support the group in occupied Crimea.

Chronology of the latest strikes by the Ukrainian Armed Forces on Crimea:

• On June 21, President Volodymyr Zelensky reported the destruction of facilities in the Russian Krasnodar Territory and in occupied Kerch.

• The occupation authorities of Crimea have announced that they are introducing a new restriction on the sale of gasoline on the peninsula, under which only representatives of the occupation authorities will be able to purchase fuel.

• Also, on June 21, electricity consumption schedules were introduced in Crimea due to problems with electricity supply.

• In temporarily occupied Crimea, explosions rang out on the night of June 23, a series of fires raged, and the Kerch Bridge was blocked for the entire night.

• On the night of June 21, the Defense Forces struck the port "Kavkaz" in the Krasnodar Territory. A fire was confirmed in the port. In addition, Ukrainian soldiers damaged the railway bridge over the North Crimean Canal in the Rozdolny district, the railway bridge in the Petershagen district of Zaporizhia region, as well as the railway bridge over the Syvash in the Chongar district.

Journalists report that this personnel decision is part of a large-scale reshuffle at the Pentagon, which is being carried out by US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

Donaghue was effectively forced out of his position just two months after the firing of Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George, a move that sparked discontent among the military leadership.

Donaghue is expected to announce his resignation soon, and will officially end his service in July.

In recent years, the general has been one of the key coordinators of American military assistance to Ukraine in countering Russian aggression.

At the same time, there are currently no official explanations regarding the reasons for his resignation.

The Italian Prime Minister said she has no intention of continuing the public conflict with the US president that erupted on social media last week.

According to her, relations between Rome and Washington should return to the usual format of cooperation. Maloney noted that she voiced this position during a meeting of the Council of Ministers, where future international meetings were discussed.

She also supported Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani's decision to cancel a visit to the United States amid the dispute with Trump.

According to the Prime Minister, this step was a clear signal, but there is no need to further aggravate the situation.

Malone is confident that the conflict will not affect the strategic relationship between Italy and the United States. She stressed that the two countries are bound by a long-standing partnership that cannot be called into question by a social media spat.

Italy and the US have a relationship that does not begin and end depending on who is in power at the time; we need to bring foreign policy back to the level of depth it should be at.

George Maloney

Prime Minister of Italy

Moscow and the bunker grandfather (Putin — ed.) will hold on to Crimea until the last, as the main trophy of war, even in the "island" mode. Of course, this is a pillar of the ideology of greatness and a bunch of buns, like plus the "internal Azov reservoir of the Russian Federation", etc.

Robert "Magyar" Brody

Commander of the Unmanned Systems Forces of Ukraine

Despite this, Magyar noted that Crimea as a springboard for attacks on Ukraine is already a military absurdity.

Against this background, he announced that the Defense Forces will continue to actively destroy enemy air defenses, remnants of the fleet, and will finish off the Russian shadow fleet, as well as logistics.

According to the SBS commander, the latest events in Crimea generally indicate that Putin has lost control over the peninsula forever.

Ukrainians in the occupied territory, please excuse the constant anxiety, closed bridges/roads, darkness, silence and stress. Stay away from military facilities and anything flammable, share bark and just be careful — Ptah works like a jeweler, but chips will fly every time the forest is cut down, — warned Madyar.

He also explained that there is simply no other way to demilitarize the enemy and "smoke out 1 million occupiers" from the peninsula at the moment.

The SBS commander does not hide that there is still a lot of work ahead.

Crimea will put Moscow down, this is a psychological breaking point, the needle of the koschya-sukhorebrik is hidden under our noses. All dictatorships collapse suddenly, think of any example. Today, Moscow’s Crimea is “putting down”. A suitcase without a handle is a heavy burden, — emphasized Magyar.

On June 26, the Riga City Court found Svetlana Nikolaeva and taxi driver Sergei Sidorov guilty of collecting undisclosed information in favor of Russia.

The court sentenced Nikolaeva to five years in prison and two years of probation. Taking into account the time she has already spent in custody, Nikolaeva will have to spend another two years and ten months in prison.

Sidorov was sentenced to six years in prison and two years of probation. Taking into account the time he has already spent in custody, he will have to serve another three years and ten months in prison.

The preventive measure applied to Nikolaeva and Sidorov — taking them into custody — was left unchanged until the verdict enters into force.

The verdict can be appealed to higher courts.

Sidorov is accused of asking one of the prisoners to find out the names of other people accused of espionage. Sidorov was later given the personal details of three of these people.

During the court debate, Sidorov's lawyer recalled the defendant's previous testimony, explaining that his words "the same spies as me" should be interpreted as "the same pseudo-spies as me."

Nikolaeva, who was accused along with Sidorov, was involved in this criminal case after it emerged, according to the prosecution, that she had traveled to Russia not only to help her son with various documents, but also, according to her, to receive money from Sidorov's relative, intended to pay for a lawyer's services.

The indictment states that in this way Nikolaeva passed on information about the prisoners, information about which Sidorov received.

According to the indictment, the group "Baltic Anti-Fascists" was created on the Telegram platform along with other channels in October 2022. Together, they collected information to help Russia and its services attack Latvia's security.

Telegram channels run by the "Baltic Anti-Fascists" regularly published invitations for Latvian residents to collect information useful to Russian special services and intelligence. Invitations were also published to collect information about the development of Latvia's defense system, Latvia's international cooperation, NATO defense plans, practical activities of NATO member states in Latvia, as well as information about Latvia's support for Ukraine.

In some cases, the posts indicated that this information would be transferred to the Investigative Committee of Russia or the Federal Security Service (FSB). In turn, information of a strategic and operational-tactical nature is primarily needed by the Main Intelligence Directorate and the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces.

Responding to these invitations, Sidorov, guided by ideological motives, agreed to collect information, knowing that it would be passed on to Russian special services, the prosecutor's office emphasizes.

The US president announced this on his Truth Social network.

A number of European countries are discussing the imminent introduction of a digital services tax on American companies. Some of these countries are already close to actually doing so. Let this statement serve as a warning: any country that introduces such a tax will immediately face a 100 percent tariff on all goods sent to the United States of America.

Donald Trump

President of the United States

Trump clarified that these tariffs will take precedence over trade agreements the US has with these countries, "regardless of whether they have been implemented, signed or not." He said that the US 100 percent tariffs would be implemented "immediately."

The US president has previously made similar threats towards France. Trump warned Paris that the US would have no choice but to impose 100% tariffs on French wine if the country did not repeal its digital tax on American tech giants.

Since 2019, France has been applying a 3 percent levy on digital services revenues generated in the country by companies whose revenue exceeds 25 million euros domestically and 750 million euros worldwide.

French President Emmanuel Macron, in response to the threats of his American counterpart, promised to talk to him about this at the G7 summit, which took place on June 15-17 in Evian. At that time, Macron also emphasized that the issue of digital taxes is exclusively a matter for Europeans, not the United States.

This was announced by Defense Minister Mikhail Fedorov.

Even more long-range artillery for the Defense Forces — we are starting the procurement of a new large-scale batch of 155-mm rounds.

Mykhailo Fedorov

Minister of Defense of Ukraine

According to him, "long-range 155-mm artillery rounds remain one of the main requests of the front. That is why, at the request of the Ministry of Defense, the Defense Procurement Agency of the DOT is announcing a new competitive tender for the purchase of 155-mm artillery rounds of extended range."

The new tender for long-range shots is a continuation of the systemic reform of defense procurement. We are gradually transferring defense procurement to competitive tender procedures to create transparent rules, minimize corruption risks, and use budget funds more efficiently.

He noted that "the first result of this approach was the Agency's largest purchase of long-range 155-mm artillery rounds. The competitive tender made it possible to save more than 16% of the expected cost of the purchase. Thanks to this, it was possible to additionally purchase tens of thousands of rounds for the Defense Forces."

Our goal is to gradually move all categories of defense procurement to competitive tendering procedures, where possible. This will allow for more efficient use of state funds, minimize corruption risks, and provide the Defense Forces with more of the necessary weapons.

This was stated by the President of Finland, Alexander Stubb. The Finnish leader categorically rejected the idea that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin was able to strengthen his positions thanks to this war.

According to him, the Kremlin's actions led to completely opposite results from those planned in Moscow.

He called the European future of Ukraine the first and main defeat of the Russian Federation.

Failure number one — Ukraine will be European. It will be an EU member state and eventually a NATO member state.

Stubb considers the expansion of the Alliance to be the second failure, because it was Russian aggression that forced Finland and Sweden to abandon neutrality.

He emphasized that these countries would never have joined the bloc if Russia had not attacked Ukraine, and now NATO has gained some of the strongest military powers in the region.

The third blow for Moscow was the rapid increase in defense spending in Europe.

So talking about a Russia endowed with power, I simply don't believe in this narrative.

As journalists note, during their conversation with them, the Ukrainian general was noticeably afraid to describe the current situation in the war as a turning point.

I cannot say directly that the war is approaching a turning point. We hope that there will come a moment when the enemy mobilizes all his forces, resources and actions, after which exhaustion sets in, and a turning point may come.

Oleksandr Syrsky

Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine

Describing the tasks of the Ukrainian army at the current stage, Syrskyi named the following:

1. to hold territory,

2. kill more Russians than Russia can mobilize,

3. to strangle Russian logistics with drone strikes,

4. to exhaust the Russian economy with long-range strikes on the oil and gas and military-industrial complex.

According to the commander-in-chief, Ukraine's current window of advantage in the war may be short. Any sudden breakthrough in innovation could dramatically change the course of the war.

War is a constant competition, a competition between technologies, economies, and resources, and a confrontation between armies. This competition takes the form of a race to keep up with new weapons, for which counterweapons are then developed. It is vital not to lose your edge in any of these areas.

At the same time, Syrsky stated that the Russian command has not abandoned its plans to seize Ukrainian territories. The Russians are simply adjusting the timing of achieving these goals.

MBDA has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Ukrainian defence company Luch. The continued collaboration with the Ukrainian company in the field of long-range weapons underlines MBDA’s contribution to supporting Ukraine.

The agreement provides for further development of the Neptune missile.

Luch and MBDA will work on breakthrough innovations to develop Neptune2's long-range capabilities, while deepening strategic defense cooperation with Ukraine.

MBDA noted that the company, as a European leader in the field of complex missile systems, has the necessary technologies, expertise, and international partnerships to create European long-range missile systems.

The press release also emphasizes that Luch Design Bureau has "special knowledge, capabilities, and experience in the design, development, integration, and production of complex weapons systems."

Previously, European missile manufacturer MBDA and Ukrainian defense company Ukrainian Armored Vehicles signed a memorandum of understanding and began negotiations on a strategic partnership to develop capabilities in the areas of long-range strikes (Deep Strike) and counter-drones.

This was reported by the British government.

Britain has announced a £725 million (€836 million) aid package, funded by Ukraine's Emergency Revenue Acceleration (ERA) loan, secured by funds from frozen Russian assets.

The package includes the delivery of 150,000 drones by the end of the year, as well as the transfer of more than 350 missiles for air defense and radar, including light multi-purpose missiles and ground-based radar systems.

"This package of drones, air defense missiles, and radars will help protect innocent Ukrainian citizens from Putin's barrage of drones and missiles," said Defense Secretary Dan Jarvis, who is co-chairing the Ramstein format meeting in Brussels.

The announced package of measures will strengthen Ukraine's air defenses, improve protection against Russian indiscriminate missile and drone attacks, and support Ukraine's domestic defense production.

Britain remains steadfast in its commitment to Ukraine’s security, and the Prime Minister has in recent weeks commissioned work to increase support for Ukraine in all dimensions, from military equipment to energy support and pressure on Putin’s war machine, to ensure Ukraine’s momentum on the battlefield is maintained until next winter.

This was announced by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius before the Ramstein format meeting.

Zelensky noted that Ukraine has recently made great progress in protecting against enemy drones, but Russian ballistic missiles remain a major challenge.

Therefore, today Ukraine and Germany are taking a very important, in my opinion, joint step. We have certain technologies, Germany has certain technologies. And today our defense ministers have already signed an agreement to combine these capabilities together.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy

President of Ukraine

"Mykhailo (Fedorov, Minister of Defense of Ukraine — ed.) and I signed an agreement today that paves the way for the joint development of a new air defense system to counter ballistic missiles — if business can come to an agreement. Several German companies are interested in this project. This could be an important contribution to the security of Europe and Ukraine," Pistorius said.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that he hopes to see concrete results of cooperation with allies in the field of ballistic missile defense by the winter of 2026.

This is something that not only Ukraine needs, but everyone needs, and it is a long-term effort. I ask you to please support this at every level and in every way.

Zelensky also announced new contributions from allies to the American weapons procurement program for Ukraine.

On June 18, another meeting of the Contact Group on Defense of Ukraine will be held in Brussels, chaired by Britain and Germany.

The President of Ukraine and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte are personally present at it.

Rising global temperatures could lead to more frequent so-called hydroclimatic "jumps" - abrupt transitions from dry weather to heavy rainfall and vice versa. This is the conclusion reached by scientists who studied the impact of global warming on river basins in the UK.

As the atmosphere warms, it can hold more moisture, which increases extreme precipitation. After a prolonged drought, dry and compacted soil absorbs water less easily, so heavy rains are more likely to cause surface runoff, localized flooding, soil erosion, and water quality degradation.

Transitions from wet to dry periods are equally dangerous. Heavy rainfall can create the illusion of sufficient water supplies, but a sudden change in weather conditions can quickly lead to water shortages.

In particular, the researchers analysed almost 700 river basins in the UK and modelled their state in the event of a global temperature increase of 2 and 4 degrees. The results showed that the frequency of both dry-wet and wet-dry transitions will increase significantly. In some regions, the number of such events could more than double compared to the end of the 20th century.

The authors of the study note that traditional methods of combating floods and droughts may prove insufficient in the face of climate change. In their opinion, it is necessary to prepare not for individual extreme events, but for their sequential change, as well as to develop water storage systems and regional adaptation programs.

American climatologists are warning that the summer of 2026 could be one of the hottest on record. According to forecasts, the average temperature on Earth will be almost 1.9 °C higher than pre-industrial levels, and the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere will reach record values.

Scientists attribute this to emissions from burning fossil fuels, leading to more frequent heat waves, severe storms and large-scale wildfires.

According to Peter Magyar, no special steps will be required to dismiss the Prosecutor General of Hungary, who was appointed by Viktor Orban.

The new head of the Hungarian government has information that Gabor Balint Nagy will soon resign from his position on his own initiative.

The journalists decided to ask Madyar if this was somehow connected to the scandal involving the detention of collectors from the Ukrainian Oschadbank.

"It may be related," the Hungarian Prime Minister replied laconically.

What is important to understand is that a week ago, Peter Magyar officially confirmed the start of an investigation into the actions of certain Hungarian authorities regarding the seizure of Ukrainian collectors and Oschadbank funds in March 2026.

In this way, he allegedly wanted to get Ukraine to resume the operation of the Druzhba gas pipeline.

By the way, on May 6, official Budapest returned to Ukraine the money and valuables of Oschadbank, which had remained in Hungary since the arrest of the collectors.

This was told to journalists by the spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Heorhiy Tykhyi.

In April, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) detained a number of ships and sailors in the Strait of Hormuz, including the container ship Epimonidas, which had four Ukrainian citizens on board.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, in particular the Department of Consular Service and the Embassy of Ukraine in Greece, immediately identified the Ukrainian sailors and maintained contact with their families, the Greek ship-owning company, and the parties involved to protect our people and find ways to return them.

Since then, the Ukrainian side has been actively and persistently working with all relevant institutions and parties. We are now pleased to announce that these efforts have yielded positive results. Four of our citizens have already left the territory of Iran.

According to him, the Ukrainian sailors are now safe with their families. Their health is satisfactory.

We are grateful to our fellow diplomats from partner countries, representatives of the ship-owning company, and everyone who contributed to the return of our sailors. This is an unchanging principle of the Ukrainian diplomatic service: Ukraine does not abandon its people.

Zelensky said this during a conversation with journalists.

According to the available information, which was reported to me by the commander-in-chief, as well as intelligence, on June 22, the corresponding repeaters stopped working on the territory of Belarus. Whether they were dismantled or not, I, to be honest, do not know yet. But we are working on this, and I am following it very closely and receive daily reports. The fact is that the repeaters are not working today.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy

President of Ukraine

On June 19, President Volodymyr Zelensky issued an ultimatum to the self-proclaimed President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko: remove the repeaters that correct Russian drone strikes on Ukrainian cities within a week, or Ukraine will do it.

On June 24, border guards reported that they had recorded a certain decrease in the intensity of Russian strike drones flying over the Chernihiv region and the absence of mass flights of "Shaheeds" along the Belarusian-Ukrainian border in recent days.

This was reported by the Regional Directorate of the Territorial Defense Forces "South" of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

The blue-and-yellow flag on Kinburn Spit was shown on video.

As a result of the powerful fire damage, the Southern Defense Forces forced the occupiers to retreat from their occupied positions, the surviving personnel are being evacuated, and the occupiers are leaving their defense lines.

The Southern Defense Forces also noted that one day our tanks will still reach Dzhankoy.

All three locations are associated with military unit 81415 — Space Communications Center NIP-16 and the 40th separate command and measurement complex.

The objects were filmed sequentially, despite tight video surveillance and the presence of the military on each section of the route.

• Vitine is the most fortified location: a significant accumulation of military personnel and a strengthened access control regime have been recorded there. It is this density of security that indicates the high importance of the facility for the invaders.

• NIP-16 is a ground station for controlling military satellites. It is from here that the Russian military transmits commands to orbital vehicles: reconnaissance satellites, navigation and communication systems. The command and measurement complex is responsible for precise tracking of satellites and synchronization of their operation. Simply put, it is the control panel of the Russian space group in the region, without which the satellites turn into scrap metal in orbit.

The partisans handed over all the collected information, photos and video materials from the three sites to the Defense Forces of Ukraine.

The Border Committee of the Republic of Belarus stated that Belarusian border guards are fully ready to provide seasonal simplified passage for residents of the Ukrainian border region to the territory of the republican landscape reserve "Olmanskie bolota" in the Stolin district of the Brest region.

This category of Ukrainian citizens will be able to cross the border at three simplified border crossing points: "Mutvitsya", "Khinichev", "Selyshche" in the directions of the Ukrainian villages of Drozdyn, Berezove and Poznan in the Rivne region, respectively, the Border Committee of the Republic of Belarus stated, adding that they had conveyed this information to the Ukrainian side through diplomatic channels.

The State Border Guard Service of Ukraine has not yet received any notifications from the Republic of Belarus regarding the passage of Ukrainians across the border to pick berries and mushrooms in the forests of Belarus, and if it does, it will not agree to this, because it is dangerous to be in the border area.

This was stated by the spokesman for the State Border Service of Ukraine, Andriy Demchenko.

We do not maintain contact with the Belarusian border guards. The State Border Service of Ukraine did not receive anything from them. And it did not receive it through other channels either. Moreover, Ukraine will not agree to this, because this is a line that is dangerous, and passage to a country that supports a terrorist country is impossible.

Demchenko noted that the practice of allowing Ukrainians across the border to pick wild berries and mushrooms had indeed existed for many years, but this was before the full-scale invasion of Russia, whose troops entered Ukraine, including from the territory of Belarus.

Since 2022, neither stationary checkpoints with the Republic of Belarus nor simplified ones have been operational.

Demchenko emphasized that border guards are currently not recording any attempts to cross the border to collect wild berries and mushrooms. And the border between Ukraine and Belarus itself continues to be strengthened.

This was reported by the 413th "Raid" Regiment of the Unmanned Systems Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

The strike was carried out by the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the aerial reconnaissance units of the "Reid" carried out target designation and recorded a hit on the enemy object.

The regiment reminds: the specified formation of Russian troops is known for its participation in the offensive in the Pokrovsky direction, where it suffered significant losses.

"I will only be president for a few weeks, and then I will resign," he said.

At the rally, Vučić said that he would help his Serbian Progressive Party win the presidential election and early parliamentary elections.

The agency recalls that Vučić's statement came after a year and a half of anti-corruption protests led by students, sometimes accompanied by violence.

It is noted that Serbia is a candidate for EU membership, but Belgrade must first improve the rule of law, including conditions for free and fair elections, and eradicate corruption and organized crime.

Serbia should also align its foreign policy with that of the bloc, including imposing sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.

The Slovak Prime Minister described the aid being prepared as "large-scale" and said that within the next week he intends to hold a meeting on this issue at the level of the highest constitutional officials with the participation of Defense Minister Robert Kalyniak.

He intends to negotiate so that the Slovak delegation goes to the summit without a mandate to "engage Slovakia in further military loans or financial contributions."

He also added that he could not prevent other countries that "want to throw themselves into war."

Do you know what could happen? A drone will fly here, intentionally or unintentionally, fall on a residential building, there will be deaths or injuries, and we may have a third world war on the agenda. Therefore, on behalf of Slovakia, I declare: no support for the war, Slovakia will not pay for Ukraine's military expenses.

Robert Fico

Prime Minister of Slovakia

At the NATO summit in Ankara next month, Alliance members are expected to commit to new arms contracts worth billions of dollars and increase arms production, including for Ukraine.

Earlier, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte stated that there will be no separate meeting of the Ukraine-NATO Council during the summit in Turkey.

It is worth noting that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that Ukraine will be represented at the NATO summit by a delegation that he will lead.

This was announced by the Prime Minister of Ukraine Yulia Svyrydenko. According to her, the decision concerns already announced and future international initiatives, including UNITE Brave NATO, Brave Norway, Brave France, Brave Germany, and Brave Lithuania.

It gives the green light for the rapid launch of joint grant competitions within these programs. Not only Ukrainian companies, but also developers and startups from foreign jurisdictions will be able to participate in them.

Yulia Svyrydenko

Prime Minister of Ukraine

The total budget of the first international programs and support instruments within Brave International already exceeds 100 million euros.

Brave International has three key missions:

• search for new technologies and products to meet the current needs of the Ukrainian front;

• attracting additional funding to support Ukrainian defense startups;

• deepening cooperation with partners' innovation ecosystems and deeper integration of Ukrainian defense tech into the global defense technology market.

The Brave International program provides for the creation of joint grant funds based on equal contributions from Ukraine and the partner country, parity supervisory boards, and expert commissions for transparent review and professional assessment of applications.

She also added that applications for competitions are open to both Ukrainian applicants and foreign companies, and the program provides for mandatory testing and verification of all developments in Ukraine on the current Test in Ukraine platform.

Thanks to the established procedure, the Brave1 defense technology cluster will launch the first joint international competitions in the near future.

We want the Russian-Ukrainian war to end as soon as possible through dialogue and on the basis of international law. At the current stage, we see that the diplomatic process has stalled, hostilities have gained momentum, and the parties are focused on achieving military gains.

He noted that the diplomatic process needs to be activated as soon as possible and in this context, Turkey is ready to provide a platform for negotiations.

In this context, I want to declare to the world community, just as we have already informed the parties, that we are ready to once again bring together the delegations of Russia and Ukraine at the negotiating table in our country.

Fidan also touched on the topic of the NATO summit, which will be held in Ankara on July 7-8. According to him, this summit will be historic, and in the context of the Russian Federation's war against Ukraine, the issue of developing the defense industry will become one of the key topics.

"Especially with the Russian-Ukrainian war and other wars, an awareness has been formed at the political and strategic levels of the need to assess the level of NATO countries in the defense industry," Fidan said, adding that this topic has already become an issue of strategic importance.

In addition, the minister reported that the discussion on increasing defense spending has already been completed, so now the allies must demonstrate practical implementation of the commitments they have made.

This was reported by the head of the Zaporizhzhia OVA Ivan Fedorov.

Ten injured already. People injured as a result of the enemy attack on Zaporizhia continue to seek medical help. Medics have already provided assistance to five men, three women, and two children — a 13-year-old girl and a nine-year-old boy.

He added that the lives of the victims are currently not in danger.

Later, the number of victims of the nighttime Russian airstrike on Zaporizhia increased to 12. Among them are 6 men, 3 women, as well as a 17-year-old teenager, a 13-year-old girl, and a 9-year-old boy.

The city's municipal services, together with rescuers, continue restoration work at the scene.