Russia used Iskander-K ground-launched cruise missiles with upgraded Kometa-M satellite navigation antennas during recent strikes on Kyiv. The new “controlled reception pattern antennas” (CRPA) have 16 signal receivers. The old ones had four, but the missile relied primarily on terrain recognition (TERCOM) for guidance. Their installation on the Iskander-K may imply that Russia is now relying on satellite guidance for these missiles as the primary means of guidance. The 16-element antennas resist electronic warfare jamming better. They work like digital grids that filter out interference signals. To jam them successfully takes as many signal interference sources as the antenna has receivers, so in this instance, 16 jammers need to be targeting this missile at the same time. These CRPA antennas cost tens of thousands of dollars. Russia installs them on nearly all its long-range missiles, UMPK glide bombs, and shaheds. On June 9, Ukraine attacked the VNIIR-Progress factory, which produces these CRPA antennas.

A 16-element CRPA from a downed Shahed.





Russia used Shahed drones with live video guidance for the first time in Ukraine. Serhii Flash confirmed the discovery of the downed drone in June 2025. The drone allows direct radio control from Russian territory at ranges up to 150 kilometres. Range could be increased with the use of aerial relays over Ukrainian territory. Analysis revealed it was likely an Iranian-made Shahed-136 equipped with machine vision technology using an NVIDIA Jetson Orin module for target acquisition. The system included an 8-element CRPA antenna system manufactured in Iran. This suggests Iran has resumed delivering complete drones to Russia rather than just components, something they stopped doing in 2023.


Ukrainian drone/EW/radio expert Serhii Flash

“Today, for the first time, a Shahed was discovered with a camera, direct radio control system from Russia, and an artificial intelligence module (machine vision).

Development of such a Shahed has been known about for a long time, but the first application was only recorded now.

The radio modem allows controlling the Shahed at distances up to 150 kilometers from Russia's borders or the front line, or at greater distances if airborne repeaters are used in our airspace.”

Ukrainian blogger/Osint guy War_home:

“Today an interesting Shahed-136 strike UAV was discovered (not Geran). Absolutely 99% certain it was created and assembled in Iran, with a new Iranian 8-element CRPA.

Machine vision based on an NVIDIA Jetson Orin module (like in the V2U UAV) is used as a terminal target guidance system, essentially functioning as a homing warhead like missiles have.

So Iran has for the first time since 2023 resumed supplying Russia with ready-made strike UAVs and not just individual components for them.

Personally, I celebrate every strike on Tehran.”

A Jetson Orion Module recovered from a shahed.



Iranian 8-element CRPA



Someone attacked an EU External Action Service official in Vladivostok in late May. The Romanian diplomat was on official business with a French colleague. Two men got out of a car and assaulted her physically and verbally. She had left her hotel for a walk. EU diplomatic circles believe the attackers were Federal Security Service employees. The diplomat had received threats from Russian security officials before. She was evacuated from Russia after the attack.


Ukraine managed to successfully strike a Russian 1K148 Yastreb-AV artillery counter battery radar with 2 different drones. These help Russia identify the location of Ukrainian artillery and mortars, allowing Russia to launch counterstrikes against these positions.



Russia launched a drone attack on Ukraine on the 19th.
104 drones were launched/88 were downed. 84.6% interception rate

40 drones were shot down, 48 drones jammed/lost via electronic warfare

Russia struck Odesa overnight on June 20 with multiple drones. The attacks damaged about 12 buildings, including apartment blocks, the railway station, and a dolphinarium. A four-story residential building was completely destroyed and collapsed during rescue operations, injuring three firefighters. A 23-story apartment building suffered damage to floors 18-20, with about 600 residents needing to be evacuated. At least five people were injured, including three first responders. The first responders were injured when the building collapsed on them. Mayor Hennadiy Trukhanov stated that six people have been pulled from the rubble of the collapsed building, and rescue operations continue.


Russia struck 36 settlements in Kherson Oblast, including Kherson city itself, on June 17, killing two people and injuring 34 others. Russia targeted civilian infrastructure and residential areas, damaging 12 private homes, plus utility buildings and vehicles. Russia launched a drone attack on the Dniprovskyi district of Kherson that injured 11 people within one hour.


Two Russian missiles struck the veterinarian clinic of the 12 Vartovykh Charitable Foundation in Kramatorsk on June 18. The clinic had 23 animals in it at the time of the attack, with 6 in post-operation recovery. All animals survived, but four were severely injured. Some animals suffered from concussions. The foundation had evacuated 61 animals the previous day. Equipment, including cages, medicine, and vaccines, was damaged.


As previously reported, Russia launched 472 aerial munitions against Ukraine on June 17, including 440 drones and 32 missiles. Ukrainian air defenses eliminated 402 drones and 26 missiles, including two Kinzhal hypersonic missiles. A Russian Kh-101 cruise missile struck a high-rise building in Kyiv's Solomyanskyi district, killing 21 people. The attack also damaged a dormitory at the National Aviation University and multiple residential buildings. Russia has begun to falsely claim that a Ukrainian air defense missile caused the damage. This is a common tactic they use whenever one of their strikes kills a large number of civilians.


Russia is also spreading false claims that nearly no prisoners of war remain in Ukrainian custody. Representative Andriy Yusov stated that Russia holds tens of thousands of Ukrainian prisoners while Ukraine holds thousands of Russian prisoners. Since March 2022, Ukraine has managed to repatriate 5,757 Ukrainians through prisoner exchanges, with an additional 536 returned through informal exchanges.


Russia returned approximately 6,057 bodies of fallen Ukrainian soldiers to Ukraine between June 11-16 as part of agreements made in Istanbul. Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko stated that the identification of all bodies will take 13-14 months. Those working on the identifications will be working in three shifts. Russia has transferred remains of multiple individuals in single body bags or split single bodies across multiple bags. Bodies wearing Russian uniforms with Russian documents were also found among the transfers. Russia routinely provides Ukraine with bodies of “Ukrainian soldiers” that later turn out to be russian soldiers.



Rheinmetall and Anduril have joined up to develop cruise missiles, combat drones, and solid-fuel rocket motors for European countries. As part of this deal, Anduril’s Barracuda cruise missiles and YFQ-44 jet-powered drone will be adapted to integrate into Rheinmetall’s Battlesuite “digital command platform.” Anduril and Rheinmetall will also work on developing new methods of manufacturing solid rocket fuels and propellants. The Barracuda missiles cost approximately $150,000 and have a range of 500 nautical miles. 



The European Union is considering attempting to increase the amount of funding. They can provide to Ukraine by transferring $213 billion worth of frozen assets to a higher-interest but higher-risk investment fund. This $213 billion would be moved from Euroclear in Belgium to an EU-managed fund. That could dramatically increase the amount of money available to Ukraine. This would also protect the funds from Hungarian interference to an extent. It is possible that Hungary could veto extending sanctions on Russia, freeing up some of these frozen funds. This investment scheme would tie up the Russian money without fully confiscating it and risking violating international law.



Mykhailo Hrytsai, a former Ukrainian politician, was found dead in the occupied city of Berdyansk. He was accused of providing the Russians with information about pro-Ukrainian residents of the city. Hrytsai voluntarily joined the Russian occupation government after the capture of the city and served as “temporary mayor“ and in other bureaucratic positions for the Russians. He also helped organize the creation of torture facilities. He had been charged in absentia with high treason in April 2022. He was gunned down, and the pistol with a silencer was recovered at the scene.



Several former members of the Slovakian Ministry of Defense or arrested on Tuesday, including former defense minister Jaroslav Nad. He was accused of illegally transferring military equipment to Ukraine while he was in office. After the investigation, the police found no reason to pursue criminal charges, and he was released from custody. Nad’s lawyer claims that his client was targeted by an unfounded criminal investigation, driven by bad-faith political motives. The aid provided to Ukraine was ammunition that had been previously decommissioned by the Slovakian military and sold to a private company. This ammunition was re-purchased at a higher price and then transferred to Ukraine. The current government of Slovakia claims that previous military aid transfers, such as the provision of S-300 air defense systems and MiG-29 fighter jets, are acts of treason.



Law enforcement officers in Cherkasy Oblast charged a Ukrainian soldier with high treason on June 18 for providing Russian forces with coordinates of Ukrainian military units in four oblasts. The man passed location data for military facilities in Cherkasy, Zhytomyr, Rivne, and Donetsk oblasts, leading to missile strikes that killed Ukrainian soldiers. The defendant faces life imprisonment.


President Zelenskyy discussed with the Prime Minister of Japan, Shigeru Ishiba, where they discussed Russia’s cooperation with North Korea and Iran, and how this partnership provides a threat not only to Europe, but to Asia as well.


Zelenskyy has appointed a new commander of the Ukrainian ground forces. This new commander is Brigadier General Hennadii Shapovalov. He was the commander of Operational Command South from April 2022- February 2025 and has previous experience as the commander of the 59th Motorized Infantry Brigade. 


Zelenskyy is set to meet with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte and various other European leaders after the NATO summit on June 24 through the 25th in the Hague. He is not invited to the main discussion to appease Trump. Zelenskyy was, however, invited to an official dinner for NATO alliance leaders hosted by King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands on June 24. Trump may attend this dinner. Zelenskyy has also been invited to join the European Union leaders' summit in Brussels on June 26 through the 27th. Poland‘s president, Andrzej Duda, said that at the meeting in the Hague, Poland will support Ukraine‘s membership in NATO.


At the meeting in the Hague, NATO is expected to agree to significantly increase its military spending, up to 5% of its total GDP. Spain’s Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, told Secretary-General Rutte that Spain cannot commit to spending 5% of its GDP at the summit. Spain already has the lowest spending of any NATO country, spending just 1.3% of its GDP on defense in the year 2024. Earlier this year, Sanchez said Russia doesn’t pose an immediate security threat to Spain, apparently unaware of how defense agreements function. 


Zelenskyy announced that a new batch of severely ill and wounded Ukrainian soldiers were returned. This includes men from the armed forces, the National Guard, and the state border guard service; most have been in Russian captivity since 2022. These men served in Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, Luhansk, Chernihiv, Sumy, and Kyiv. The Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War said that many of these men are suffering from significant weight loss, dystrophy, ulcers, vision problems, musculoskeletal disorders, cardiovascular diseases, and digestive issues, and will receive medical treatment.


Russian media outlets Verstka and Important Stories reported that a criminal syndicate operating in Russia provided underage sex workers to various Russian oligarchs, with one of their “main” clients being Oleg Deripaska, a close friend and associate of Putin. The network found victims by posing as beauty contests, modeling agencies, dating sites, and various social media groups. The reports say this organization made no attempts to hide the age of the victims, and sometimes forged documents to make 20-year-olds appear underage. The clients of this trafficking ring were aware of the ages of the girls, specifically asking for minors and virgins, and would state that they had no interest in girls who weren’t virgins. Deripaska reportedly made attempts to hide his identity, but it was virtually impossible due to his fame and other factors. He was aware of the age of the victims and would reportedly help them get into universities. He “pushes schoolgirls to enroll in law schools.” He claims he is not a pedophile; he just pursues girls because he views women as potentially dangerous.


Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the Trump administration has put discussions with Russia on “a short pause“to focus on the situation in the Middle East. Putin stated that the next round of Russia-Ukraine talks may occur after June 22. Putin said during a June 18 press conference that negotiating groups remain in contact and the lead Russian negotiator, Vladimir Medinsky, spoke with the leader Ukrainian negotiator on the 18th.


According to a report by Politico, the Head of the President’s Office, Andriy Yermak, is considered rude, demanding, blunt, and “ inadequately informed about US political culture,” according to officials in Washington. They also have expressed concerns that he may not be providing Zelenskyy with accurate representations of discussions he has in Washington. He is also reportedly guilty of doing the same thing, but in the reverse direction, obscuring Zelenskyy’s words and intentions. He has been considered annoying by both the Biden and Trump administrations. According to a US official, it isn’t always clear why he is in the US or what his meetings are supposed to achieve. A former Biden official said that Yermak “fails to grasp the subtlety of diplomacy.“


The Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine has extradited a group of cyber criminals who use ransomware to the United States. They have reportedly committed more than 2400 cyber attacks in numerous countries and have stolen more than $100 million from their victims.


Argentina’s intelligence agency has arrested a group of Russian spies conducting intelligence and disinformation operations in the country. Their goals are to destabilize the country and manipulate public opinion according to the Argentinian government.


The Ukrainian parliament passed Law #11469, which legalized multiple citizenship.


The US Senate has postponed working on a bill that would impose additional sanctions on Russia until at least July. For some reason, the conflict between Israel and Iran has derailed this process.



Quote of the Day:

“Hedgehogs are neither plant nor animal… Most of the body of the hedgehog is beneath the ground, a tangle of tiny threads.”

-David Attenborough