June 25 2024

UPDATE:
Footage has been published of the beach where the intercepted ATACMS missile landed. The Russians have tried to portray it as an intentional ATACMS strike on civilians on the beach, but the dispersal pattern of the falling debris and submunitions demonstrate pretty conclusively that it was intercepted and the interception is the reason the debris landed on the beach. The Russians also claimed at least 150 people were wounded and more than 80 were hospitalized. While viewing the footage, it is hard to identify more than a small handful of people who may have been lightly to moderately wounded. A pair of photos has been published showing the contrails left behind by Russian air defense missiles and the smoke cloud produced when they struck the ATACMS in the air. The Crimean Wind telegram channel estimates the ATACMS was at an altitude of 1500 m, plus or minus 100 m.


The European Council adopted the 14th sanctions package against Russia. This package of sanctions is designed to target high-value sectors of the Russian economy such as energy, finance, and trade, while making it more difficult to circumvent EU sanctions. An additional 116 entities and individuals were sanctioned as well. The main focus will be on sanctioning Russian liquefied natural gas exports.


The European Union and Ukraine concluded a €27 billion loan agreement within the framework of the Ukraine Peace Facility. The document was signed by Minister of Finance of Ukraine Serhiy Marchenko and Chairman of the National Bank of Ukraine Andriy Pishnyi. "The funds received under this agreement will provide predictable and flexible support to our state, adapted to the unprecedented challenges caused by the war with Russia," the bank's press service noted.


Russian military blogger Fighterbomber said that a US reconnaissance drone was shot down over the black Sea, however, it appears its transponder was simply turned off as it reappeared on flight trackers near Italy later in the day.


South Korea is considering supplying Ukraine with weapons following Russia and North Korea's mutual defense agreement. Russia's transfer of weapons to North Korea will lift restrictions on the transfer of arms to Ukraine, National Security Adviser of South Korea Jang Ho-jin said.


Danish Defense Minister Poulsen announced Denmark will stop training Ukrainian pilots at its Skrudstrup air base at the end of the year, as they are transitioning to training Danish pilots on newly acquired F-35 fighter jets. By the end of the F-16 training program, around 20 Ukrainian pilots will have been trained on the F-16.


President Zelenskyy replaced the Commander of the Joint Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Lieutenant General Yuriy Sodol, with Brigadier General Andriy Hnatov. However, Sodol still heads the command of the Khortytsya Defense Forces, which covers a wide area of the south and east, stretching from about Priyutny to Kharkiv.


Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala announced that the first shipment of ammunition from a Czech-led shell initiative has reached Ukraine.


The Russian division of the Bank of China has halted operations with U.S.-sanctioned Russian lenders to avoid secondary sanctions. This may lead to increased fraud risks and higher costs due to reliance on intermediaries. This decision was made due to expanded U.S. sanctions targeting financial institutions dealing with sanctioned Russian individuals and entities. An alternative payment channel involving smaller regional banks near the Russian-Chinese border has been established. The yuan is now used for over a third of Russia’s exports.


A video has been published by Russian media outlet ASTRA showing an ammunition dump in Bolshiye Bazy, Voronezh Oblast, Russia burning. There is a large fire and a large column of smoke, secondary explosions can be seen and heard. The ammo dump was successfully targeted by drones. The location of the ammunition storage dump is at these coordinates 50.2899, 39.2590.


The 3rd National Guard Brigade of Ukraine has recently destroyed 2 Pantsir S-1 air defense systems, both of which were in Belgorod. The crews of both systems were reportedly killed. The first system was destroyed on June 20th in Dubovoye, Belgorod. This one was reported to have been destroyed by a HIMARS strike. The coordinates of this attack are 50.5462, 36.5814. The second system was seemingly destroyed on the 22nd of June in Borysivka, Belgorod. Coordinates for this one are 50.5462, 36.5814. Russian blogger dosye_shpiona published photos of a third Pantsir that was destroyed sometime last week in the Donetsk area.


The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued war crimes arrest warrants for Sergei Shoigu, Secretary of the Russian Security Council, and Valery Gerasimov, Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces.


A fire broke out at the Platan Research Institute building in Fryazino, Moscow region, killing at least six people. The institute has been sanctioned by the U.S. since June 2022 for producing defense-related items. The fire engulfed the fifth to eighth floors, spreading to a total of 4,500 square meters before finally being extinguished. The blaze reportedly began in a rented office on the sixth floor. The number of deaths reached 6. There were a large number of videos of this fire published, including videos of trapped employees jumping out of windows to escape the fire behind them. As of the time of writing, the fire has started back up again.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced the start of the negotiations for Ukraine and Moldova's accession to the European Union. The Danish government is allocating over $21 million to support Ukraine and Moldova's EU membership efforts.


In retaliation to the EU's ban on four Kremlin-funded news organizations, Russia will block access to 81 European media outlets, Russia’s Foreign Ministry announced. The ban includes AFP, Der Spiegel, and Politico's European edition. Russia claims these outlets spread false information about its Ukraine invasion.


Russia’s first openly transgender politician, Yulia Alyoshina, announced in May that she had detransitioned and reverted to her birth-assigned gender, now going by Roman Alyoshin. In an interview with Novaya Gazeta Baltiya, Alyoshina revealed that this decision was made under duress due to threats of being sent to a psychiatric hospital by the Russian government.


In the Sumy region, border guards have observed a decrease in the activity of Russian sabotage and reconnaissance groups, according to Andrii Demchenko, spokesman for the State Border Guard Service.

The EU Council has extended temporary protection for Ukrainian refugees until March 4, 2026, maintaining the rights granted to them under the EU Temporary Protection Directive. This extension, which applies to over 4 million Ukrainians, ensures their access to residence, healthcare, education, and employment in EU countries.


Spain has sent a new batch of military aid to Ukraine, according to El Mundo. This shipment, which arrived last Friday, includes additional military equipment such as Leopard tanks, Patriot missiles, various types of ammunition, anti-drone systems, surveillance and tracking systems, and remote weapon turrets.


Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin has charged Ukrainian lawmaker Mykola Tyshchenko for illegally depriving a former serviceman of liberty in Dnipro. The incident, involving a group acting on Tyshchenko's instructions, occurred on June 20, 2024, resulting in an attack on a former member of the KRAKEN special operations unit. He has so far been sentenced to house arrest and has to wear a GPS tracking bracelet.


Two advisers to Donald Trump have presented him with a plan to end Russia's war in Ukraine if he wins the Nov. 5 presidential election. The plan involves telling Ukraine it will only receive more U.S. weapons if it enters peace talks. The United States would warn Russia that any refusal to negotiate would result in increased U.S. support for Ukraine. The plan includes a ceasefire based on the current front lines during peace talks. The plan was published in a research paper by the America First Policy Institute, a Trump-friendly think tank. The plan would also postpone NATO membership for Ukraine.


The Russian military has reportedly received a second batch of 2S43 Malva 152mm self-propelled guns. It is unknown how many were delivered in this batch. The previous batch was delivered eight months ago. The Malva resembles a Caesar SPG and uses the same gun as the 2A64 gun from Msta-S howitzers. There are no confirmed destroyed or damaged Malvas yet.


The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has issued a verdict in the case of Ukraine v. Russia regarding Crimea, ruling that Russia has committed systemic human rights violations in occupied Crimea, including persecution of Ukrainians for their political views and activities, illegal detentions, disappearances, suppression of Ukrainian media and language, and forced transfers to Russian prisons.


Ukrainian soldier BaluHub777
    “The defense forces of the south will continue to inflict fire damage on enemy locations, firing positions and rears.
During the day, we received confirmation of a reduction in the number of enemy personnel by 88 people. Also, the enemy lost 28 units of weapons and military equipment, including:
- 8 guns
- 3 mortars
- 10 units of armored vehicles
- 1 reconnaissance UAV
- 1 video surveillance camera
- 3 boats
- 2 ATVs.
Observation points, 3 UAV control points and 2 field supply points were destroyed."

Quote of the Day:
“All a poet can do today is write about Hedgehogs.”
― Wilfred Owen