On June 4, Estonia’s parliament pass the law withdrawing from the Ottawa convention, which is a global treaty, the bans the use, production, transfer, and stockpiling of landmines. They joined the convention in 2004, and have left it because of the danger that Russia poses. They noted the effectiveness of land mines in the war between Ukraine and Russia.

Russia claims to have destroyed an IRIS-T defense system using an Iskander-M missile. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius stated Germany was unable to confirm whether or not this is true.

US senator Lindsey Graham suggested threatening China with 500% tariffs if they don’t help Ukraine. 

Ukraine managed to successfully carry out a strike on 3  Russian Iskander missile launchers, destroying one, totally, and damaging two others. Missiles on one of the launchers detonated catastrophically. 8 Russian soldiers were reportedly killed in this attack. 

The Iskander system exploding. 

An area of burned forest is visible in satellite photos. 

The location of the strike on the Iskanders. 

Ukraine’s economic minister, Yumia Svyrdrydenko, said that the investment fund created by the US-Ukraine minerals deal could become operational by the end of this year. The first board meeting will be held in July. In that meeting, they will discover what is initially needed, and they will finalize the investment strategy that will cover the next “several years.” Investment in the fund will be a 50-50 deal where the US and Ukraine will provide half of the funding each.

Russia’s deputy foreign minister, Sergey Ryabkov, said that the planes targeted in the June 1 attack on Russian air bases were “ not destroyed, but damaged,” denying all the video and photo evidence to the contrary. He said these aircraft will be repaired. Officials from the US have stated that the US believes 20 Russian aircraft were destroyed during the operation.  

Ukraine’s defense minister, Rustem Umerov, stated that Ukraine will soon receive $465 million under the “Danish model, “ which will be used to directly fund the domestic production of Ukrainian military arms and equipment, such as, drones, missiles, and anti-tank systems. Not only will this provide equipment to the Ukrainian military that cannot be produced in large numbers by Western countries, but this money also functions as a form of economic stimulus for Ukraine.

Russia's JSC Kronstadt plant’s main workshop was struck by Ukrainian drones. The facility is one of Russia's primary drone production centers. The plant manufactures multiple drone systems, including Orion strike and reconnaissance UAVs that carry Banderol missiles, twin-engine Sirius long-range drones, Grom strike platforms, and high-altitude Helios-RLD patrol units. The facility also produces helicopter systems and swarm loitering munitions, small-caliber guided aerial bomb assembly, parts for Kh-38 missiles, ground control posts, and communication channels for drone systems.

Damage visible at the plant. 



Ukrainian drones struck multiple Russian military targets on June 6, 2025. A drone hit a fuel storage facility at the Rosrezerv Kristall plant in Engels, Saratov Oblast. The facility supplies fuel to the nearby Engels-2 military airbase, where Tu-95MS and Tu-160 strategic bombers operate. Several fuel tanks caught fire. The plant continues to burn as of June 11. The same night, drones attacked the Dyagilevo military air base in Ryazan and caused a fire near the village of Podvyazye.

The fire at Engels


Burning fuel tanks at Engels airfield are seen in low-resolution satellite photos

The tanks that were damaged in the fire. 

Ukraine struck Bryansk International Airport in the village of Oktyabrskoe. On June 5-6, a Mi-8 helicopter was destroyed and a Mi-35 helicopter was damaged. The strike completely destroyed the Mi-8 and caused its ammunition to detonate. The airport's administrative building and rescue service building were also damaged. Secondary explosions suggest the Russians stored ammunition at the airport. 

Satellite imagery of the area of the strike that damaged the Mi-8 and Mi-35. Image taken about a day before the attack.

A gas drilling platform burned in the Black Sea near occupied Crimea on June 6, 2025. The fire was detected by NASA’s FIRMS fire monitoring satellite. The fire marker appeared at 02:22 on the Petro Hodovanets drilling rig at coordinates. A naval engagement occurred in the area overnight but details are scarce. Russia uses these platforms for military purposes including troop deployment, as locations for radar systems, drone signal relays, and reconnaissance equipment.

Coordinates of the platform: 45.67001, 31.66026

Ukraine struck the Russian Savasleyka military air base in Nizhny Novgorod region on June 9. The General Staff reported destroying two aircraft, probably MiG-31 and Su-30/34 jets. The base hosts MiG-31K fighter jets capable of launching Kinzhal hypersonic missiles. The base is 700 kilometers from Ukraine's border. Russian sources confirmed drone threats, but no fires were detected by NASA’s FRIMS satellites.


Strike drones attacked a gunpowder factory in Kotovsk, Tambov region, on June 11. The facility produces over 200 types of products, including nitrocellulose powders for small arms, grenades, and artillery ammunition. Locals reported 15 explosions before fires broke out at the Rostec facility located 360 kilometers from Ukraine's border. This is the fourth attack on the factory, with previous strikes taking place in May 2025, July 2024, and November 2023. On June 8, drones struck the Azot chemical plant in the Tula region, which supplies materials for explosives production to the Sverdlov Plant in the Nizhny Novgorod region.

Ukrainian drones struck industrial facilities near the Lukoil oil refinery in Kstovo, Nizhny Novgorod region. The attack damaged the Bitumen Production units. The fire spread to 200 cubic meters before being extinguished,  according to Russia's Emergency Ministry. Over 70 personnel and 26 pieces of equipment were used to fight the fire. 

Ukraine managed to capture Captain-Lieutenant Alexey Mamayev, a former Russian Navy minesweeper commander from the Caspian Flotilla. Mamayev served as a platoon commander in the 165th Combined Battalion during the war. He was captured near Tyotkino in Russia's Kursk region, after Ukrainian troops advanced and captured Russian positions.


At least 12 Russian regions now fine citizens for reporting Ukrainian drone strikes or the movement of Russian military equipment. Penalties range from 3,000 to 200,000 rubles, depending on the region and repeat offenses. There was an attempt to create a nationwide law punishing these offenders, with fines up to 50,000 rubles and repeat violators facing up to 3 years in prison, but the decision was made to leave it up to individual Oblasts to handle monitoring and punishment. 

During the June 2 talks between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul, Russia’s negotiator, Vladimir Medinsky, denied that Russia had abducted large numbers of children, claiming it was only dozens, or “maybe a hundred.” Ukraine’s deputy foreign minister, Serhiy Kyslytsia, said the actual number is in the thousands. According to an official government database, at least 19,546 children have been identified who have been illegally taken or transferred by Russia. An additional 2,196 are listed as missing. 

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov complained that there isn’t strong international condemnation of the Ukrainian strikes on Russian airfields, calling them acts of terrorism. 

A Ukrainian mining company has found traces of rare earth elements in titanium ore that it mined in Kirovograd. These elements include niobium, vanadium, scandium, lanthanum, yttrium, cerium, neodymium, and thorium. 

The government of Kazakhstan has reported/confirmed that Russia uses Kazakhstan as a testing ground for new drones. Multiple drones have been found outside of Russia’s 926th Testing Center, apparently after Russian operators lost control of them. 

Yuriy Inhat, a spokesman for Ukraine’s Air Force, said “everyone has laughed at” Russia’s attempts at protecting their strategic bombers, specifically referencing the tires Russia put on top of the planes. 

At a NATO meeting in Brussels on June 5, members of NATO pledged an additional $23 billion worth of aid to Ukraine. NATO provided $57 billion in aid to Ukraine in 2024 and $46 billion in aid to Ukraine in 2023. 

Norway has pledged $7 billion in military aid that will be delivered to Ukraine by the end of 2025. Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov says the funding will prioritize joint drone development projects, purchasing Ukrainian-made drones, and financing domestic development of new drones.

Russian Railways' cargo volumes continue falling sharply. In 2024, shipments dropped 4.1%, the worst decline in 15 years. In 2025, the decline doubled to 9.4% through May compared to the same period last year. Nearly every cargo category declined. Coal shipments fell 3.4%, oil and oil products 5.8%, and container traffic 6.2%. Building materials transport dropped 20.7%, ferrous metals 16%, industrial raw materials 19.2%, and grain shipments decreased 34.8%. Sanctions created shortages of parts. Mobilization and war recruitment caused severe labor shortages. Train drivers either left to join Russia's military or moved to defense industry jobs, leaving nobody to operate trains. Falling revenues and rising borrowing costs forced Russian Railways to cut its planned investment program by nearly 40%. Spending was reduced from 1.3 trillion rubles to 834 billion rubles for 2025. In May, the company approved an additional 32.5 billion ruble budget cut, reducing spending on railway tracks, locomotives, and rail cars.

Canadian armored vehicle company Roshel announced that it has already launched production of vehicles in Ukraine. The CEO said that “ the facility opened two months ago, and it is now fully operational.” He added the skills and experience of the labor force in Ukraine can’t be found anywhere else.

Russia struck the city of Ternopil with Kalibr missiles and Shaheds, knocking out power and water to parts of the city. The missiles reportedly targeted industrial and infrastructure sites in the city. 10 people were injured, including 5 emergency workers. 6 of the injured people were hospitalized.  111 first responders and 26 pieces of equipment were working to mitigate the results of the attack. People were asked to limit their time outdoors because the fires severely worsened the city’s air quality. Gas cylinders at an industrial site were ruptured and were burning. This was reportedly the largest attack on Ternopil so far. 

Russian attacks on Kyiv on June 6 killed 3 people and injured 20. One of the injured was a child. 17 people were hospitalized. All 3 who were killed were emergency responders who were working at the site of a Russian missile strike. The rescuers were working to free trapped civilians buried under rubble. The names of the first responders who were killed are Pavlo Yexhor, Danylo Skadin, and Andriy Remennyi. Russian attacks on Kyiv also damaged rail lines, causing delays. 

June 6 was Ukraine’s National Journalist Day. As of May 2025, there are 836 documented crimes against journalists committed by the Russians since the start of the full-scale invasion, including attacks on media offices, printing establishments, cyberattacks, kidnappings, torture, and murder. 28 journalists have been killed in the war, not counting the 97 who died in combat after joining the Ukrainian armed forces. 

Downed Russian Kh-101 cruise missile. 

Canada has announced new aid for Ukraine worth $25.5 million. An additional $3.6 million will go towards purchasing electronic warfare equipment from Canada’s defense industry. 

Soldiers of Ukraine’s 6th Ranger Regiment of the Special Operations Forces attacked a group of Russian soldiers attempting to storm Ukrainian positions in the Sumy region. They offered the Russians the chance to surrender, but all but one rejected the offer. 4 Russians were killed, and one was captured. 

Trump stated that Ukraine provoked the “retaliatory” strikes from Russia after Ukraine attacked Russian airbases in Operation Spider Web. This is pretty odd, considering that, at the time of the strike, several Russian bombers were already preparing for a strike: this strike would have happened either way.

On June 6, the Russians used a drone to drop a bomb on a Ukrainian ambulance in the Kherson region. 2 medics were injured in the blast.

On the night of June 5-6, Russia launched a large drone and missile attack on Ukraine.  In the city of Lutsk, at least 30 people are known to have been injured, and one man was found dead, after moving rubble from a blown-up apartment building. 

On June 6, Russia launched over 30 drone and artillery attacks on Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. A 50-year-old man was injured. 

The Netherlands has set a deadline for people from third-party countries who fled Ukraine to leave the Netherlands. These would be people who were in Ukraine who fled the war, but are officially from a different country. This affects about 1,000 people. Starting on September 4, these people will no longer have temporary protected status and will be expected to leave the country within 4 weeks. 

Zelenskyy is hoping to meet with Trump at the next G7 meeting which will take place in Canada on June 15-17. 

Zelenskyy will visit Austria on June 16 and meet with Chancellor Christian Stocker and Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen. The Freedom Party of Austria, a far-right political party, is reportedly outraged by this. 

In an interview on the 7th, Selenskyy said that the only way for Russia to win the war is for the war to be dragged out for many years, with Western sanctions being revoked. 

Lada, Russia’s major car manufacturer, saw its sales drop 16% in May 2025 as compared to sales in April. The year-on-year decline was 36%. Over the first 5 months of 2025, sales declined by 26%. Reportedly, the cause of the decline was the rising popularity of foreign brands. Originally Lada was planning to make 500,000 cars this year, now they are predicting they will only make 300,000-350,000 this year. 

The Trump administration is reportedly looking to weaken the sanctions that Senator Lindsey Graham has been talking about applying to Russia. One of the changes Trump wishes to make is to be given the power to mold and shape the sanctions; to decide who and what entities will be sanctioned. Trump also wants to replace every instance of the word “shall” with the word “may,” making the sanctions optional. Trump wants the power to create sanctions without any requirement to do so. The Graham’s bill has 82 co-sponsors, giving it a veto-proof majority in the Senate. The bill would also apply massive tariffs to any country buying Russian oil products. There is also bipartisan support in the House of Representatives; a “companion bill” has 33 co-sponsors.

The United States redirected 20,000 APKWS anti-drone missiles originally intended for Ukraine to US Air Force units in the Middle East. The missiles were procured under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, but Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth approved the transfer under "urgent need" provisions. The decision sparked concern among Ukraine supporters in Congress, particularly after the US reached a ceasefire with Yemen's Houthi militants in May.  The APKWS is considered highly effective at downing Shaheds; these 20,000 missiles would have been enough to intercept more than 15,000 shaheds. Ukraine has intercepted over 40,000 shaheds using all means, so these APKWS missiles represented a significant air defense capability.


NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte will call for a 400% increase in air defense capabilities and urge member countries to reach 5% defense spending by 2032, with 3.5% for more standard defense expenditure, with the other 1.5% earmarked for cybersecurity and infrastructure. Spain remains the only NATO country that has not endorsed spending 5% of GDP on defense by 2032. Twenty-one European countries so far have joined Germany's Sky Shield Initiative, which was launched in 2022 to reduce costs through joint procurement. The next NATO summit will be held on June 24-25.

Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo announced plans to raise Finland’s defense spending to 5% of GDP by 2032. The government has already committed to spending 3.5% following NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte's suggestion. Reaching 3% would require an additional €10 billion annually by 2029. Orpo said additional defense spending would be financed through economic growth, not by a tax increase.

On the night of 5–6 June, Russia launched 452 aerial weapons at Ukraine, including 407 Shahed drones, 6 Iskander-M/KN-23 ballistic missiles, 36 Kh-101 cruise missiles, 2 Iskander-K cruise missiles, and 1 Kh-31P anti-radiation missile. Ukrainian air defense downed 406 of the targets: 199 Shaheds were shot down, 169 drones were suppressed or disappeared from radar, 4 ballistic missiles were intercepted, and 2 more failed, 30 Kh-101s were destroyed, and both Iskander-Ks were neutralized. Strikes were recorded in 13 locations, with debris falling in 19 others. Russia used Tu-160s to fire the 36 Kh-101s. Generally, Tu-95s are used for this, for a variety of reasons, many of them involve the relative simplicity and ease of maintenance of the Tu-95s compared to the Tu-160s. Using Tu-160s in this role may imply that Operation Spiderweb knocked out a significant portion of the operational Tu-95 fleet, leaving Russia with little choice but to use the Tu-160s for this role. 

On the night of 6–7 June, Russia launched 215 drones and missiles at Ukraine. The assault included 206 drones, 2 Iskander-M or KN-23 ballistic missiles, 6 Kh-59/Kh-69 air-to-surface missiles, and 1 Iskander-K cruise missile. Of the total launched, 174 failed to reach their targets. Ukrainian defenses destroyed 87 drones, while another 80 were suppressed or disappeared from radar due to electronic warfare. All six Kh-59/69 and the Iskander-K missiles were either shot down or similarly neutralized. Strikes were confirmed at 10 locations, with debris falling in seven additional areas.


On June 7, a Russian airstrike using guided aerial bombs hit central Kharkiv, killing a 30-year-old woman and injuring over 40 people. The woman was an employee of Ukrainian Railways, and four other railway workers were also injured, one of them is undergoing surgery. The bombs struck near the children’s railway at Mala Pivdenna, damaging buildings and railcars. The facility was closed at the time, fortunately.

Seven people near the children’s railway were injured, and three others were hurt in nearby homes. Around 200 emergency workers participated in the rescue efforts.

On June 6, Ukrainian drones struck Russia’s Progress plant in Michurinsk, in the Tambov region. A Single drone hit the facility, starting a fire. Three were reported to be injured, with two hospitalized. Regional head Pervyshov confirmed the casualties and claimed “falling UAV debris” caused damage to the plant. The Plant manufactures military guidance systems for missiles and aircraft alongside electrical equipment and pipeline components.  

A low-resolution photo showing damage at the Michurinsk plant. 

The EU has allocated €30 million for the restoration of the water supply system in the city of Kryvyi Rih, which was damaged when the Russians blew up the Nova Kakhovka dam in 2023.


Ukraine used an unknown weapon system weighing over 100 kg in the Kherson region. Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov published a video of the strike. The weapon was developed in collaboration with the Brave1 project, a manufacturing company, and a frontline combat unit. The strike completely destroyed an enemy strongpoint near a railway bridge; they seemed to have been stationed under the bridge for protection. The weapon seems to have fallen from high altitude, so it was probably a guided bomb or missile. Nineteen Ukrainian companies joined the Brave1 program in February, working on developing missiles, including short-range, medium-range, and ballistic missiles.

The coordinates of the strike were:  46.6632965, 32.8043356. 

Ukrainian AN-196 Liutyi drones struck the VNIIR-Progress plant in Cheboksary, Chuvash Republic, on June 9, 2025. The facility is about 975 kilometers from the Ukrainian border. The attack caused a fire and temporarily suspended production. Head of the Chuvash Republic Oleg Nikolaev confirmed that two drones fell on the premises. The plant produces Kometa modules used in Shahed kamikaze drones, missiles, and guided bombs. It also produces components for Iskander-M and Kalibr missile systems, along with equipment for Yasen-M nuclear submarines and SCADA systems.

The facility’s coordinates are 56.103301, 47.264584. 

The second Lyuty drone is about to strike the already-burning facility. 

Low-resolution satellite imagery showing damage to the facility. 

Ukrohydroenergo, the state owned hydropower company of Ukraine, said it plans to rebuild the Nova Kakhovka dam after the war. They already have initial, tentative plans for restoration work drawn up, including the construction of a temporary replacement dam. They have mapped the Kakhovka reservoir down to a resolution of 1 cm, so they can precisely and accurately predict how the reservoir will refill at any given stage. They estimate refilling the whole reservoir will take about 18 months. 

Russia has begun using a new drone called the V2U. It is guided by artificial intelligence. The drone has a 1.2-meter wingspan, carries up to 3.5 kg payload, and flies for one hour at 60 km/h. Ukrainian analysts investigated downed samples of the drone and found that most components come from China. Chinese parts include the brushless motor from Shanghai Dualsky Models, a circuit board from Leetoptech, and an electronic speed controller from T-MOTOR. Other components come from Japan, Ireland, Switzerland, and the United States. The computing system uses a Chinese Leetop A203 mini-computer with an NVIDIA Jetson Orin processor. The drone uses only one GPS module and relies on a modem-router with Ukrainian SIM cards for navigation. The drone uses terrain scanning for guidance. A camera scans the ground below it, and an onboard computer compares it to known Ukrainian maps/geographical features. 

A Ukrainian drone managed to disable a Russian Molniya-2 kamikaze drone using electronic warfare. The drones never made physical contact with each other. The Russian drone operators lost connection to the Molniya, which then crashed. The number of EW interceptions has reportedly increased since March. Ukrainian operators can identify signal frequencies and jam them with low-power systems mounted on drones. The Molniya-2 has a 60-kilometer range, reaches 120 km/h, and carries payloads up to 10 kilograms; sometimes they use TM-62 anti-tank mines as a warhead. 

Ukraine managed to successfully shoot down a Russian Su-35.  The plane is rumored to have been shot down by a Ukrainian F-16. The plane was on a mission to support the Russian troops in Tetkino, who are at risk of being completely eliminated. The plane crashed near the village of Yurevka, Kursk, according to reports. The pilot supposedly ejected and was rescued. This is the first time in history a Su-35 was shot down by an F-16. The F-16 was supported by one of the Swedish Saab 340 AEW&C planes donated to Ukraine. The Saab detected the Su-35 at a range of 200-300km and provided targeting data to the F-16.

The downed Russian Su-35. 

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that after meeting with members of US’ congress, he is confidant that some of them are completely unaware of the extent to which Russia is rearming and preparing for a broader and larger conflict. He said that Trump told him the US was not planning on leaving NATO. He added that Europe will be dependent upon the US for security “for a long time to come.”


Bruno Kahl, head of the Federal Intelligence Service, said that Russia may deploy "little green men" to NATO countries like Estonia to test the alliance’s collective defense commitment. Intelligence suggests Russia believes NATO’s Article 5 obligations may not hold in practice and is preparing for non-military attacks to exploit this weakness. Kahl said a full-scale invasion is unlikely, but hybrid tactics could challenge NATO's cohesion.

PMC Wagner has announced that it completed it mission in Mali and is going to return to Russia. Wagner spent 3.5 years in Mali, helping “return all of the regional capitals of Mali under the control of the ‘legitimate authorities.’” They also claim to have eliminated thousands of enemy combatants and trained local forces, creating a strong and effective military. This may free up a large number of men and pieces of equipment to be used in the war against Ukraine. 

Ukrainian drone company “Justifier Drones” has produced an FPV interceptor drone that is launched from a mothership/carrier drone. This allows for an increased range and loitering time for the interceptor drone, as well as increasing the altitude it is capable of operating. The increased loiter time means the interceptor drones have an increased likelihood of being airborne at the time an aerial threat is overhead.

Justifier’s interceptor drone.

The Ukrainian company Aviation New Technologies has begun producing a new recon drone called Mercury. Mercury is capable of vertical take-off and has already experienced testing on the battlefield, and the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense has approved its use by the Ukrainian military. The Mercury is reportedly a fully Ukrainian-made drone. 

The MERCURY drone has a maximum flight range of up to 200 km, with  70 km of real-time video transmission, and 100 km is possible without connection using onboard recording. It can be made ready for takeoff within 15 minutes and has a flight duration of up to 3 hours. The drone operates at altitudes up to 1,200 meters and at speeds between 65 and 90 km/h. It is equipped with dual optics, including a daytime camera with 270x zoom and a 640×480 thermal imager. The drone features dual independent communication channels for electronic warfare protection and functions effectively under active EW conditions. Its software allows manual, autonomous, and GPS/GLONASS waypoint navigation modes. It can be launched from any 5×5 meter area without a catapult.

The Mercury Drone

Renault, a French automotive company, will possibly partner with a medium-sized French arms company to set up production lines in Ukraine that will manufacture drones. The drones are for both the French and Ukrainian armies. France’s Defense Minister Sebastien LeCornu said that France will benefit greatly from the field testing and rapid iteration process going on in Ukraine. Battlefield conditions are constantly adapting, so drones being produced in Ukraine will constantly be on the cutting edge of what is needed.  Renault confirmed receiving the government request but said no final decision has been made. 

Canada’s Department of National Defense announced that its new military aid package will include Coyote armored reconnaissance vehicles and Bison armored personnel carriers. The package includes Coyote and the Bison are based on the same platform, which is similar to a BTR-4 or a Stryker. The Coyote is armed with a 25mm cannon similar to the Bradley. The Bison is only armed with machine guns, but has a crew compartment capable of carrying 8 soldiers. The total value of this aid package is $35 million and includes new equipment and ammunition produced by Canadian companies.

Ukraine's National Police Liut Joint Assault Brigade received Spanish Pegaso BMR M-600 armored personnel carriers. The vehicles are equipped with anti-drone cages. In January 2024, Spain provided Ukraine with modernized medical variants of these vehicles. The BMR-600 can carry 11 troops plus a two-person crew, and can reach speeds of up to 100 km/h on land. The vehicle has amphibious capabilities and can reach 9 km/h on the water.


Five countries, including Belgium, Sweden, Italy, Turkey, and Estonia, have joined the international Electronic Warfare Coalition to support Ukraine. The coalition aims to deliver electronic warfare equipment and training to Ukraine.


Mediazona has reported that so far in the year 2025, 26,000 applications have been made to declare Russian individuals as missing or dead. The number of applications for the whole year of 2024 was 22,600. 19,000 of the cases since the start of 2024 have the identities of the missing/dead individuals classified. 12,000 are linked to the commanders of Russian military units, and another 9,000 are linked to various branches of the Russian Ministry of Defense. So about 23,000 of the missing/dead applications can be connected to Russian military personnel. Mediazona estimates that as of June 2025, 30,000-40,000 of these applications have been filed about Russian servicemen.

According to OSINT analyst Covert Cabal, Russia depleted nearly half the towed artillery stored at its largest facility near Shchuchye in the Kurgan region. The base held around 50% of Russia's total towed artillery stock. Covert Cabal reported that 2,753 artillery pieces remain from 4,839 before the invasion. In 2022 and early 2023, Russia withdrew an average of 72 pieces monthly. Since July 2023, the rate has dropped to fewer than 17 monthly. The peak rate in 2022 was driven by mobilization when at least 70 new regiments formed that needed 18-36 artillery systems apiece. The slowdown reflects the worsening condition of the remaining equipment; the pieces being pulled from storage are taking longer to repair and have fewer useful parts to use as spares. Shchuchye once held about 50% of Russia’s towed artillery that was in storage, with 80-90% being held in long-term storage. Despite this, the location has received little attention maintenance-wise, and many of the systems were stored poorly, and their condition declined from exposure to the elements. Most of the usable equipment was already removed back in 2022. 

Russia demanded an explanation from Israel over reports that it supplied Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine, prompting Israel to deny that Israel transferred any systems. Israeli officials stated the systems were merely returned to the U.S. after decommissioning. The confusion arose after Israel's ambassador to Ukraine made a comment suggesting the systems had been provided to Ukraine.

Latvia signed an €81 million contract with the German company EuroSpike to procure additional Spike ATGM systems. The contract includes 30% of the production occurring at  Latvian defense companies. Deliveries will begin in 2028. Latvia currently uses the SpikeLR1 system, but that system is no longer produced, so the contract likely involves the Spike LR2 systems for portable launchers and use with new armored vehicles. 

Ukrainian Magura V7 naval drones shot down Russian Su-30 fighter aircraft using AIM-9X missiles according to intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov. This is the newest Sidewinder variant which was adopted in 2003, not the AIM-9M from the 1980s, as was previously reported. The AIM-9X features a maximum range of 30 kilometers, can lock onto targets after Launch capability, has infrared imaging sensors, and radio frequency receivers for in-flight retargeting. The Magura V7 measures 7.2 meters long, weighs 3,400 kg, and operates at 23 knots with a maximum speed of 39 knots. The drone carries 650 kg payload, operates for 48 hours or seven days with a generator, and has 800 nautical mile range.

Russia will help North Korea establish production of Shahed-136s, according to the head of Ukraine's military intelligence, chief Kyrylo Budanov. Agreements exist to begin manufacturing Garpiya and Geran-2 (the Russian name for Shaheds) on North Korean territory. Russia currently produces 2,000 Shaheds monthly with plans to increase to 5,000 per month. Russia will transfer technology and manufacturing expertise to North Korea, and North Korea could export some of the drones back to Russia while gaining the ability to strike deep into South Korea.

Ukraine’s head of military intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, reported that Russia has received 107-mm Type 75 multiple launch rocket systems from North Korea. These systems were first spotted in early June. Additionally, Russia is also now confirmed to be using North Korean 122-mm D-74 guns.


Ukrainian Defense Intelligence monitored Russian operations South Africa. In December 2022, DIU agents detected that the Russian cargo ship Lady R loading up on weapons at Simon's Town naval base. The information was shared with the United States, prompting a protest from the U.S. Ambassador. Ukrainian intelligence also prevented weapons from being loaded onto a Russian cargo aircraft in 2022. In August, Ukrainian officials considered targeting the Russian training ship Smolny in Cape Town but decided against it.


Norway originally planned to deliver 6 F-16 fighters to Ukraine, but will actually provide 14. The eight additional aircraft may be non-flyable units for training, spare parts, or decoys. Norway previously stated it would deliver only operational aircraft retired in 2021. The Netherlands completed its delivery of 24 F-16s to Ukraine, with the last aircraft leaving in May. Denmark is known to have delivered 12 of 19 F-16s as of February, according to Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen. Belgium will deliver two F-16s this year, one will for parts. More will come after Belgium receives their F-35s.


Ukraine’s K-2 Separate Unmanned Systems Regiments managed to use ground based drones to successfully evacuated 4 wounded soldiers over the course of 4 days. One wounded soldier was carried 12 km by a Targan ground drone. 

Quote of the Day:

“Well, to tell you the truth, in all this excitement I kind of lost track myself. But being as this is a hedgehog, the most powerful critter in the world, and would bite your head clean off, you've got to ask yourself one question: "Do I feel lucky?" Well, do ya, punk?”

  

- David Attenborough