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NATO has invested €37 million in Ukrainian satellite communications systems, including satellite radios, trackers, and services, through its Comprehensive Assistance Package. Project funding will increase to €70 million in the coming months.
The Netherlands announced a €175 million military aid package that will include 100 drone detection radars and 20 semi-autonomous Ermine CASEVAC vehicles. All of the radars are expected to be delivered by the end of the year. The radars can link up to Ukrainian air defense networks. The Netherlands is also providing €80 million through the international drone coalition. This is in addition to previous Dutch donations to the drone coalition worth €20 million and is in addition to the Dutch contracts with Ukrainian drone manufacturers that are worth almost €500 million and provide for the production of 600,000 drones.
Denmark will invest $47 million in a Ukrainian drone factory in Denmark. All drones will be provided to the Ukrainian military.
President Zelensky announced expanded UK defense production agreements following a meeting with Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Britain will provide RapidRanger air defense systems and 5,000 Lightweight Multirole Missiles.
The UK Defense Ministry rejected a petition to transfer surplus Warrior infantry fighting vehicles to Ukraine. Minister Luke Pollard stated that the vehicles would overcomplicate Ukraine’s logistics, cost too much, and wouldn’t be suitable for the conflict in Ukraine. The words of the MoD Public petition collected 18,000 signatures supporting the transfer of the vehicles. The Defence Minister may not be ruling out sending vehicles entirely, his words seem to imply the problems may be with the ones being retired this year, as they are the vehicles in the fleet that are in the worst condition. Most of them will be stripped for parts to keep the rest of the vehicles running for a few more years. The whole fleet is set to be decommissioned by 2030, with over 300 still in active service.
Defence Minister Luke Pollard:
Although small numbers are scheduled for disposal, these will have been selected in line with serviceability and suitability for role. As such, without substantial investment, they are not likely to offer significant capability to Ukraine and providing such small numbers would only increase the diversity of Ukraine’s armoured vehicle fleet – increasing their logistic and training burdens.”
Ukrainian defense company Ukroboronprom signed a cooperation agreement with Airbus at the Paris Air Show 2025. This agreement establishes joint training programs for aircraft maintenance crews to work on Airbus vehicles operated in Ukraine. Airbus employees will travel to Ukraine to train Ukrainian crews to be instructors, to train additional Ukrainian maintenance crews. Ukraine purchased 55 helicopters from Airbus in 2018, but deliveries were halted at the outbreak of war. There are at least 5 Airbus helicopters currently in service with the Ukrainian State Emergency Service. Others are used in combat, including casualty evacuations and Shahed interception.
New Zealand allocated $2.3 million to NATO Security Assistance Training Ukraine and the Drone Coalition. Additionally, the New Zealand company Syos Aerospace pledged $40 million worth of drone supplies.
Ukrainian blogger Cyber Boroshno:
“On May 21, 2025, the Bolkhov Semiconductor Plant (BZNP) was successfully hit. Three hits were recorded in the semiconductor production building and one in the mechanical workshop.
This plant is one of the key manufacturers of components for Russian military equipment. Its products — diodes, transistors, microcircuits — were officially supplied to more than 300 enterprises of the Russian defense industrial complex.
Among the areas that provided components from the BZNP:
- tank sighting systems (in particular, T-72B3, T-90M),
- Iskander, Kh-101, Kinzhal missiles,
- aviation weapons and onboard systems of Sukhoi aircraft,
- radar and electronic warfare systems ("Krasukha", "Zhitel").
In addition, the plant's mechanical workshop produced body parts, fasteners, and mounting elements for assembling final military-industrial complex products.
Satellite imagery of the Bolkhov Semiconductor Plant
Ukrainian milblogger war_home:
The use of a new Iranian series of Shahed-136 strike UAVs — the “MS” (previous series was “M”) — by the enemy has been observed.
This UAV features a new Iranian 4-antenna CRPA satellite navigation system and a camera. The engine, warhead, etc., remain unchanged.
The camera, paired with an Nvidia Jetson module and using machine vision, is responsible for the UAV’s terminal guidance onto the target.
It is likely that Iran has begun supplying Russia with ready-made units in exchange for other, more urgently needed types of weaponry during the active phase of the conflict with Israel.
Chinese made CRPA antenna taken off a downed shahed
Optron-Stavropol, a Russian company that manufactures microelectronics for the Russian military-industrial complex, has suspended operations due to financial difficulties. The company faces bankruptcy and has had its accounts seized. They are struggling under significant debts incurred by taxes, wages, and utility bills. The company produced semiconductor components used in the avionics of MiG, Tupolev, and Sukhoi aircraft, including the Sukhoi Superjet and MS-21 aircraft systems. The company produces “tail technologies,” which are components considered too outdated for the civilian market, but are still in use by the military. According to General Director Alexander Bondarenko, the cost of one of these components is 5,000 rubles, but the government is forcing them to sell them at the price of 2,600 rubles. In 2023, the plant lost 102 million rubles, and in 2024 it lost 149 million rubles. Bondarenko says the company has been cutting staff to save money. The Russian military sets the price it will pay for the components, and the company cannot opt out of procurement, or else it would lose all of its government contracts and face fees and penalties. The company has been on “the brink of collapse” since 2016, and in 2021, it warned of staff layoffs and the risk of facing bankruptcy. Ivan Pokrovsky, director of the Association of Russian Electronics Developers and Manufacturers, said it would be more profitable for the shareholders just to sell the plant and its real estate.
Russia used Shaheds to attack a Ukrainian Ground Forces training center on June 24. The attack injured one serviceman, who was taken to a medical facility. Ukrainian forces avoided significant casualties by enacting security protocols specifically designed to protect personnel in case of missile strikes on the facility. Two days earlier, the Russians launched a missile strike on a training ground of a mechanized brigade during military exercises, killing three soldiers and wounding eleven.
An Iranian-made Arash-2 kamikaze drone crashed in Kazakhstan's Mangystau region. Russian media outlets, including SHOT, incorrectly claimed the wreckage was a British Banshee Jet 80 drone used by Ukraine. The Arash-2 has a range of up to 2,000 kilometers and likely flew across Turkmenistan or the Caspian Sea before crashing due to navigation system failure. Locals reported no casualties or property damage.
Ukraine's Security Service reported that an assassination attempt on President Zelenskyy at Rzeszów Airport in April of 2024 was foiled with the help of Polish intelligence. Polish citizen Pavel K. was recruited decades ago and planned to kill Zelensky with a sniper rifle or FPV drone. The Security Service of Ukraine and Poland's Internal Security Agency prevented the attack. In a separate incident in May 2024, two Ukrainian State Security Administration colonels working for Russia's FSB planned to assassinate Zelensky while on the way to the President's Office. The plan included tracking his movements and helping coordinate missile strikes, followed by drone attacks to finish off any survivors. One of the would-be assassins brought FPV drones, RPG-7 grenades, and MON-90 anti-personnel mines to Kyiv.
The Ukrainian Navy destroyed a Russian boat carrying assault troops along the western coast of the Kherson region. The boat caught fire. The strike was likely carried out by a Bayraktar TB2 attack drone. The number of Russian casualties is unknown.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Ukraine can produce up to 8 million drones annually during his speech at the NATO Summit in The Hague. Ukraine's defense industry production potential exceeds 35 billion dollars and produces about 1,000 defense-related items, including artillery, armored vehicles, drones, and missiles. Only about 45%of Ukraine’s maximum capacity is currently being capitalized on, however, due to a lack of funds. According to Vyriy Drone CEO Oleksiy Babenko, it only takes about 400 employees to build 1 million drones per year from off-the-shelf components.
The United Kingdom and Ukraine agreed to launch joint production of Ukrainian-designed drones under a three-year agreement. The UK government will fund the production of drones for the Ukrainian army, some of which will be produced in the UK. During the war, the focus of the manufacturing will be on Ukraine’s needs, with all the drones being provided to the Ukrainian military, and after the war, production will be split between the two countries. Contracts with drone producers are expected to be signed within the coming weeks. Part of this agreement involves the transfer of information between countries, allowing both sides to contribute to the ongoing improvement and iteration of the drones being made. The drone production will include interceptor drones and recon UAVs, as well as other designs.
The War Zone’s editor-in-chief, Tyler Rogoway, stated that, due to real-world combat experience in Ukraine, both the hardware and the software of the Patriot battery system have been improved significantly, dramatically improving their ability to intercept incoming threats and provide security to the US and its allies.
A Russian milblogger discussed Ukraine's new point system used to reward units that destroy Russian men and equipment. He provides pretty interesting insight and it seems to be a VERY effective system.
Russian blogger ZA_NAS_ZA_VDV:
The new commander of the unmanned systems forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Major Robert Brovdi "MADYAR", is introducing a point system for supplying the units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine with drones.
The system is officially supported by the Cabinet of Ministers and is already operational.
How it works:
Over 500 units participate in the program — the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the National Guard, the Border Service. Each defeat by the enemy must be recorded on video and uploaded to a special application. After verification by the system team, the unit is awarded points.
UAV operators are declared a priority target — the highest number of points are awarded for their elimination. Less points are awarded for the destruction of equipment than for the destruction of personnel.
For example:
For a destroyed drone operator you get 25 points, for a wounded one - 12.
For a destroyed soldier - 12 points, for a wounded one - 8.
For a tank - 8 points if destroyed, if damaged - 6.
For MLRS - 10 or 8 points depending on the result.
For the air defense system - 6 or 4 points.
What you can spend points on:
At the end of the month, a verified pilot can place an order for drones or components directly through the app. The system automatically shows what points are enough for and allows you to select the desired item.
Delivery is carried out to the specified locality.
Price examples:
Daytime FPV drone costs 1.3 points.
Night FPV drone with thermal imaging - 4.5 points.
UAV "Molniya" - 0.8 points.
UAV "Saker Hunter" - 9.5 points.
UAV bomber "Vampire" - 43 points.
Example of use:
By defeating 3 FPV drone operators, the unit earns 75 points. This is enough to buy 57 day drones, or 16 night drones with thermal imaging.
Test results in May 2025:
The system has already been tested in the 414th UAV brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces "Ptahi Madyara". According to official data, more than 6,500 targets have been hit, including 2,221 Russian servicemen. A total of over 25,000 points have been awarded.
For these points, 600 Vampire night drones were ordered, and delivery is already underway to the brigade’s units.
Russian Ria Novosti reporter/blogger Oleksandr Kharchenko :
Unpleasant news from the front.
After "Madyar" was appointed commander of the UAV systems of the AFU (Armed Forces of Ukraine), a hunt for our drone operators began.
From my own experience, I can say that they've now eased pressure on logistics and redirected all efforts toward detecting and eliminating our drone crews.
When they locate the "nests," they use all available jamming tools. They don’t hold back and even strike with HIMARS.
They're paying special attention to fiber-optic systems.
We need to strengthen our camouflage and change positions more frequently.
And of course, we must intensify operations against the enemy’s drone crews.
Getting approval for a missile or FAB (high-explosive aerial bomb) to strike them is almost impossible.
Ukrainian blogger Bakhmutskyy:
Chasiv Yar - we are holding our positions, the enemy is actively using reconnaissance and strike drones on our positions, constant dropping of various shells on our positions, yesterday the aviation was very active on the positions and in the frontline cities they used FABs and KABs, it is also very difficult now on the infantry positions as it is hot season so we are constantly delivering mostly water and medicines by drones. Also the enemy is very actively mining areas where equipment or infantry can go, we are trying to prevent this and immediately demine them, we are also actively mining so that the podars do not try to approach our positions and when they approach they turn into fodder. Positions under control🫡
Ukrainian soldier Bakhmut Demon:
The [Russians are] increasingly active on the flanks of Pokrovsk, there are many of them and they are increasing in number.
…
It's difficult in Yunakivka, the garrison is sending reinforcements, and the battles for meters continue.
Ukrainian soldier Muchnoy Airborn
Pokrovsk Direction: Very difficult situation now in the Udachne-Novoserhiivka area! Near the first one, to the south, the gray zone is expanding around the ponds, the enemy is trying to reach new positions on motorcycles, passes through our battle formations, infantry - this is your side, be more careful. In fact, in the second one, the enemy sits throughout the entire village and managed to reach the western part and demonstrate their rag there[raised a flag], our fighters are working on the pigs with FPVs and Vampires.
On Kotlyne: The adversary doesn't stop climbing, the Cossacks are working on them and assure that the bastards have few chances on this section - so we'll try to kill deeper so they can't accumulate there. We know all routes and approaches, it's not so easy to hide from us!
On other frontlines before the city it's relatively normal, we're holding our positions! The control zone in Sukhyi Yar is being clarified, there to the south a tank was working on our positions, the village is completely ours and we even expanded control southeast of the village!
The fighting continues quite intensively but we will endure, everything will be solid!
…
Novopavlivsk Direction. Interfluve: Our fighters are intensively working on the enemy's rear, destroying various types of equipment with FPV drones. If you see a fundraiser for this direction - don't be lazy to donate, it's very important! It also became clear that the enemy west of Novoserhiivka is trying to fortify along the borders of Dnipropetrovsk region while our fighters are preventing them from doing so!
It's very difficult for the enemy to occupy Muravka, so they strike with artillery and drones to suppress our forces inside the village, fighting continues! Likewise, the Russians fail to advance west of Kotliarivka, between Horikhove-Oleksiivka and north of Novoukrainka + they're trying to push us out of Dachne while it's going shitty for them!
Long live the Cossacks!
…
South Donetsk Direction: On this section of the front compared to the aforementioned directions - very difficult! The enemy continues to strike our positions in the northern part of Yalta, in the eastern part the Russians are partially present - we're also pouring it on them but following the killed comes a new batch of meat and this complicates our work! The enemy is also trying to advance toward Zirka, crawling through plantations along the road!
It's hot now in the Myrne-Voskressenka-Shevchenko area. In the last village, the enemy is trying to cut off the exit to the north, so we'll have to withdraw through fields. For now our UAV units are working and not allowing the enemy to completely control the settlement! My opinion is that the enemy suppressed the main forces and only needs to consolidate. Maybe today or tomorrow they'll take it!
Fighting also continues inside Malynivka, the enemy has advancement through the village + aviation and artillery work hard which doesn't allow assembling the frame. However, we still maintain control over the larger part of the settlement!
…
Situation along the front, additional frontlines on the eastern direction:
Myrnohrad Direction: The enemy advanced south of Myrne and entered the plantation that leads to Mykolaivka and near Novoekonomichne. There was also advancement north of Koptieve, the enemy is trying to exit toward Novotoretske and through the ravine to Volodymyrivka.
Kostiantynivka Direction: The enemy has advancement southwest and east of Leonidivka. There was also an attempt to occupy new positions in the north of Shcherbynivka, our Cossacks met the bastards with fire, fighting continues!
Chasiv Yar Direction: Dense fighting continues in Shevchenko district. The enemy is expanding the control zone and managed to reach the southern part, now they're probably no longer there, if there are further attempts to advance I'll report!
Lyman Direction: The enemy was knocked out of most of Ridkodub. Thanks to titanic efforts of 🇺🇦 3rd OSHBr we managed to improve the tactical situation on this direction! 🇺🇦 3rd company "Karakurt Colony" 🇺🇦 2nd mechanized battalion, honor to you!
…
Pokrovsk Direction: It's getting very hot in the Udachne area! The enemy became active in the eastern part and northeast, there were attempts to pass through "Tranzytna" Station toward Pokrovske mine. Fortunately, our fighters reliably control this defense line and don't allow the enemy to consolidate, all bastards who tried to move were destroyed by drones, the gray zone is expanding!
Likewise in the Kotlyne area combat work continues and doesn't stop, the enemy is increasing infantry assaults, accumulating and trying to snoop around the village, accordingly being destroyed inside!
Other frontlines before the city - no changes. The enemy likewise intensively works with artillery, aviation and drones with optics on our logistics. Sometimes it happens that equipment gets taken out + it's dangerous to drive in and out of positions with vehicles, familiar fighters [people he is familiar with] are already 300 [wounded] for the third time.
Ukrainian soldier Officer Alex
Sumy Direction as of now.
The bastards just can't calm down, commanders are throwing their infantry into hell, there's no other way to call it.
From an assault group of 8-10 people, 2-3 manage to survive, and that's in the best case.
…
Probably for the third time I'll repeat that the Sumy direction now is like Vovchansk exactly a year ago: first failure, chaos, pulling together combat-ready reserves, stopping the enemy and even successful counterattack actions in some moments.
But I want to warn that the situation needs to be assessed soberly and understand that total rout and a front line along the state border is very unlikely, so most likely this will end with freezing the direction and having an unpleasant "appendix" that will suck out reserves.
P.S. The main thing is not to give up on that appendix, as is happening now on the Vovchansk direction, because recurrence is a very shitty thing, I hope we won't see this.
Ukrainian blogger/mapper Petrenko
Kupyansk Direction. On the northern flank, Russian forces advanced in the area of Holubivka settlement and west in forest plantations on a section of up to 4.72 km² to a depth of up to 3.05 km.
Further enemy advancement in the Holubivka area and Radkivka located to the west will allow intensifying pressure on the northwestern outskirts of Kupyansk and logistics to it.
…
Pokrovske Direction. On the left flank, the enemy advanced in Novoserhiivka, in the central part of which they filmed demonstration of the flag and in the western part came under attack by Ukrainian drone operators, and is attempting to break through on motorcycles on the section between Novoserhiivka and Udachne (gray zone added).
On the right flank, fighting continues in the Myrne and Koptieve area. East of the latter, the enemy advanced in the ravine area.
…
Borivske Direction. Besides capturing Hrekivka, Russian forces captured Novomykhailivka and closed the "pocket" between settlements.
Considering the topographical component, the enemy will continue movement toward Cherneshchyna settlement, which is located in the area of the commanding height, taking which will allow intensifying pressure toward the Oskil River and Borivska settlement.
…
Situation on the front by end of day.
On the Sumy direction, fighting is ongoing in the Andriivka, Yablonivka and Yunakivka area.
On the northern flank of the Kupyansk direction, fighting is ongoing in the Holubivka, Kondrashivka area and toward Dolhenke.
On the Borivske direction, 3rd OSHBr fighters conducted counter-actions in the Ridkodub area, knocked out the enemy and occupied a number of positions.
On the Siverskyi direction, Russian forces are storming toward Serebrianka, south of Hryhorivka and the forest belt between Verkhnekamenske and Ivano-Dariivka. On the last section, a gray zone was added.
In Chasiv Yar, the enemy is storming Shevchenko district, fighting shifted to the central and southern parts.
On the Zaporizhzhia direction, fighting is ongoing in the central part of Malynivka.
Ukrainian soldier Stanislav Osman
In the direction of the Dnipro border, the enemy is gradually advancing. Consolidating either in settlements on the administrative border line, or trying with all forces to do so.
Methodical work continues around the clock, however, completely stopping the enemy is not succeeding. Due to the large extent of the combat zone and insufficient number of combat-ready personnel, command is forced to determine priority directions for defense.
…
Finally, on the Sumy direction, at least some interaction and coordinated work of units is beginning to appear. It's still far from ideal, but even minimal coordination has already created considerable difficulties for the bastards - both in defense and offense.
Quote of the Day: