Zelenskyy signed two laws that exempt fiber optics for drones from customs duties and VAT.

Zelenskyy announced Ukraine is preparing for mass production of its Sapsan/Hrim-2 ballistic missiles. The missiles completed testing phases and the focus now is on scaling up production capabilities. Presidential Advisor Oleksandr Kamyshin confirmed serial production has already begun, while Minister Herman Smetanin stated the weapons are deployed monthly. Ballistic missile development ranks among Ukraine's top defense priorities according to Zelenskyy.

The Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal reported that Ukraine received €1 billion from the European Union. This money comes from profits from frozen Russian assets. He said this is the fifth tranche of money provided under the ERA, and the money will be used for the state budget. So far, Ukraine has received $7 billion through the ERA, is entirely funded by frozen Russian assets.

German news magazine Stern reports that, according to the German Federal Statistical Office, the European Union has imported €32.7 billion worth of liquefied natural gas from Russia since the start of the full-scale invasion. The data only goes up to March 2025, however.

The European Union is looking to ban the import of Russian gas by the end of 2027. According to a document from the European Commission, all companies will be required to report any contracts involving Russian gas to the EU, and the EU plans to ban any further Russian gas deals by the end of the year. More information will be published on June 17. Companies will be required to report how long a contract will last, how much they are contracted to import, where the gas is going, and the date of any contract signed. Gas importers will be required to present documentation to customs officials detailing the origin of any gas imported. Current plans will ban European Union liquefied natural gas terminals from accepting Russian gas starting January 1, 2026, though some will have an extended deadline that will end on June 17, 2026.

According to the president of Moldova, Maia Sandu, Russia is likely to use the residents in Transnistria to cause some sort of crisis in Moldova in the upcoming months. Moldova has parliamentary elections this September and Russia is likely to try to influence the outcomes there. In an interview published by Financial Times, the Prime Minister of Moldova, Dorin Recesn, said that Russia wants to station 10,000 troops in Transnistria. Russia hopes that a friendlier government in Moldova would allow Russia to transfer more troops into the region. If they succeed, they will prevent Moldova from entering the European Union and potentially destabilize the country for the foreseeable future. Russia is likely to engage in online propaganda and provide illegal cash to political parties and voters. In 2024, Russia spent the equivalent of one percent of Moldova‘s GDP on influence campaigns in Moldova. According to Recean, Moldovan citizens have been caught at the border returning from Russia with $1.2 million in cash, and 130,000 voters were given money by Russia in last year‘s presidential election. Currently, there are only 1500 Russian troops in the region, but most of those are locals who have joined the Russian forces instead of being soldiers sent there from Russia.

 

Estonia has reported that they provided a new batch of artillery ammunition to Ukraine. They did not publish any details about the quantity and types of ammunition so far.

The Russians have published a video showing a jet-powered Shahed kamikaze drone, whose engine was produced by a Russian manufacturer. The drone is likely to be designated “Geran-3”. Russia uses the standard Shahed “Geran-2” in an attempt to disguise the Iranian origin of the drone design and components. This new shahed has already been used to attack Ukraine, with debris being recovered from Kyiv as far back as February. The engine of the Shahed-238 is the TEM Tolue-10, an Iranian copy of the Czech PBS TJ100 turbojet engine. The Russian version is likely to have a different engine, but something relatively comparable to these. Russian sources claim that the jet-powered shahed can reach speeds of up to 800 kilometers per hour, but this has not been confirmed. Supposedly, the Geran-3 has a wingspan of 3 m, is 3.5 m long, it has a maximum altitude of 9.1 km. It has an estimated flight time of up to two hours, a takeoff weight of 380 kg, which is 130 kg higher than the standard shahed. 

On the morning of June 14, Ukraine used long-range drones to strike a rocket engine production plant in the city of Nevinnomyssk, located in Stavropol Krai, Russia. The plant is located roughly 650 miles from Ukraine. According to the head of the Center for Countering Disinformation, Andrii Kovalenko, the plant synthesizes melamine, acetic acid, methanol, and potassium nitrate; these dual-use substances are often used in the production of high-explosive devices, landmines, and rocket-propelled grenades.

On the same night, a drone damaged the Novokuybyshevsk Catalyst Plant in Samara Oblast, Russia's largest facility for producing catalysts used in petroleum refining and petrochemicals. The plant produces catalysts essential for Russia's oil refineries. Andrii Kovalenko stated that without the facility, Russian refineries cannot produce aviation fuel, diesel for vehicles, and rocket propellant.


Russia's Defense Ministry reported intercepting 66 drones overnight across several regions. The ministry stated it downed 30 drones over Voronezh Oblast, 10 over Belgorod Oblast, 8 over Stavropol Krai, 6 over Crimea, 1 over Samara Oblast, and 11 over the Azov Sea.

Russians struck a warehouse with humanitarian aid in Zaporizhzhia on the night of June 14. The warehouse, belonging to the organization, BELUGA UA, was hit by three shahed drones, which caused a large fire and destroyed about €3 million worth of humanitarian aid, according to the founder, Oleksandra Beliuga. This attack occurred as part of a larger 58-drone attack on Zaporizhzhia. 

Russia launched attacks across multiple Ukrainian regions on 12-13 June. Nine strikes occurred across Kharkiv, Donetsk, and Dnipropetrovsk oblasts.
Missile and Drone interception rate
0/4 Iskander missiles
43/55 drones intercepted; 28 shot down, 15 got “lost”

Russia conducted over 50 attacks on Sumy Oblast, targeting 25 settlements across 11 administrative districts. Two women aged 88 and 57 sustained shrapnel injuries from drone strikes on civilian infrastructure in Mykolaivka. The attacks involved 35 rocket strikes, over 10 guided aerial bombs, and 20 grenade drops from drones.  Over 30 settlements in Kherson Oblast were attacked, killing one person and injuring seven others. Russian strikes damaged four apartment buildings, 13 houses, a gas station, and vehicles using artillery, drones, and aircraft. Additionally, an 11-year-old boy who died from injuries sustained in a drone attack on Bilozerka, and a 72-year-old man killed by artillery shelling in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast's Pokrovske area. Search operations were c concluded in Kharkiv following a 7 June strike, with six confirmed deaths. A 46-year-old man was killed in an FPV drone strike on a border village in Chernihiv Oblast's Novhorod-Siverskyi.

Explosions were reported across Crimea during the night, with drones reported near Simferopol, Sevastopol, and multiple other locations. Social media reports suggested drones reached air bases in Saky, Hvardiiske, and Kirovske.


Yelizaveta Rudnova, believed to be Putin's daughter, works as an intern at L Association, a Paris gallery showcasing anti-war Russian and Ukrainian artists. Her employment is causing controversy within the Russian exile community about security risks and collective responsibility for family connections. Gallery owners defended their decision, stating they evaluate employees on professional merit rather than family background. Many are reasonably concerned that her employment may give her access to information and provide Putin with a method of monitoring political opponents abroad. Rudnova posted an image that said “No to war” on her Instagram page shortly after the start of the full-scale invasion. She is an art student who currently lives in Paris.

The owners of the gallery say they do not heavily investigate the backgrounds of their employees and said that Rudnova “behaves responsibly, expresses reasonable views and helps us support artists, including anti-war artists from Russia and Ukraine.” They said, “We have no evidence or indication that she holds any pro-war, pro-Putin, or anti-Ukrainian views.“ They added that no one has even provided evidence that she is, in fact, Putin’s daughter, though she is the daughter of one of Putin’s former mistresses and is said to bear a resemblance to the dictator. Her mother was a former cleaning lady who, in 2020, was estimated to have about $100 million worth of assets.

It is becoming more difficult for Russian citizens to repay loans taken out during 2023-2024. The number of “problem loans” increased by $2.5 billion in the first quarter of 2025, which amounts to $25.1 million daily. Banks raised credit risk provisions from 2.1% to 3.6% due to increasingly frequent loan defaults from mortgages, consumer credit, and car financing. 

Ukraine received 1,200 bodies from Russia as part of repatriation agreements reached in Istanbul. Russia claims all remains belong to Ukrainian citizens, primarily military personnel, though only 15% of the 6,000 bodies have been identified. Ukrainian law enforcement will conduct forensic identifications of the rest. Zelenskyy stated that, in the past, Russia has given Ukraine the bodies of Russian soldiers they did not want while claiming they were Ukrainians. 

Russia's sea-based oil exports decreased 7% in May 2025, with G7+ country tankers carrying 54% of shipments compared to 35% in January. Russian fossil fuel export revenue dropped 3% to €565 million daily, the lowest since the Ukraine invasion began. Shadow fleet operations declined from 65% to 46% of transport capacity during the same period.

Ukraine is at risk of losing €1.5 billion in EU assistance from the Ukraine Facility program due to reform delays. The government failed to meet three “structural benchmarks” including expanding the High Anti-Corruption Court staff and reforming the Asset Recovery Agency. Only 3 of the 11 second-quarter requirements have been completed.

A Russian Su-25 attack aircraft crashed in Donetsk Oblast after being struck by a rocket from another Su-25 in a friendly fire incident. The pilot reportedly survived the incident and received hospital treatment according to Russian sources. The plane is beyond repair.

The Su-25 exploding upon impact with the ground.

 

Putin conducted phone calls with Iranian President Pezeshkian and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu following Israeli strikes on Iran. Putin condemned Israel's actions as violating the UN Charter and offered condolences to Iran for civilian casualties while proposing Russian mediation services. The strikes reportedly killed several Iranian military commanders and nuclear scientists. 

On June 10, Ukrainian long-range drones attacked the drone factory in the Alabuga Special Economic Zone. This factory is a major producer of Russia’s domestically made Shaheds, along with other drone models. Low-resolution satellite imagery shows no damage to the factory. 

On June 15,  a Ukrainian A-22 Flying Fox UAV struck the shahed factory in the Alabuga Special Economic Zone in Tatarstan. The drone approached from the northwest and dropped an aerial bomb near the Alabuga Polytechnic Institute's main workshops, missing its intended target and hitting a factory parking lot instead. The attack reportedly resulted in 2 deaths and 12 injuries among factory workers. One of the killed was a “student” sent there to “learn” and build drones, and the other death was a permanent, full-time employee, reportedly.

Coordinates of the strike: 55.8203, 52.0666

A Russian convoy of 4 buses and an unarmored trucks was struck by HIMARS M30A1 missiles near Makiivka in Donetsk. Reportedly, at least 20 Russian soldiers were killed. The convoy was 45 km from the frontlines. 

A still image from the footage of some of the aftermath. 

Ukraine’s military intelligence agency, the GUR, released video from drone attacks on Russian air defense systems. The video unambiguously shows successful strikes on a Russian Buk-M3 and a Pantsir. The video also shows an attempted strike on a 9S19 Inbir radar from an S-300 air defense system. They claim the strike was successful, but the video was not very definitive. 

Buk-M3 and Pantsir being targeted. 

An Su-24M crashed in Mali due to a dust storm. It is unclear who the jet belonged to, but it could have been a jet belonging to Russia’s Africa Corps. Their Su-24s are active in the area. The pilots reportedly managed to eject and were recovered.


Russian Africa Corps forces suffered casualties in a Mali ambush near Kidal involving Belgian-made PRB-M3-A1 anti-tank mines and Azawad rebels. Four Russian mercenaries died, and three were reportedly injured. The vehicles were carrying both Russian and local Malian soldiers. There is reason to believe other vehicles may have been damaged, and witnesses reported significant casualty numbers. Wagner PMC recently announced the end of operations in Mali after 3.5 years.


Hackers gained access to documents and records belonging to the Russian Helicopters holding company systems, exposing international deals and supply chains through Operation OpsHackRussia'sDay. Leaked documents reveal Egypt as a key logistics hub for Mi-17V-5 helicopter maintenance, with Bulgaria playing a major role in the company’s supply chain. Contracts, correspondence, and financial details involving Azerbaijan, North Macedonia, India, Algeria, and Indonesia, with signatures from foreign officials and managers, were obtained in the hack, leading to the potential end of contracts and additional sanctions.

In the UK, a petition to transfer decommissioned FV510 Warrior IFVs to Ukraine has received 14,000 signatures, which is enough to make the UK government issue an official response. The petition says that transferring these vehicles will help Ukraine and reduce the tax burden on UK citizens. The FV510 Warrior has a stabilized 30mm autocannon and thermal optics. The decommissioning is set to begin in 2027 and be complete by 2030. 

Russia has begun delivering military equipment to Belarus using Il-76 and An-124 transport aircraft.  The planes are landing at the Machulishchy air base, which has been used extensively by Russia since the start of the full-scale invasion.  These deliveries are believed to be part of the upcoming Zapad-2025 joint military exercises, which are a large joint training exercise usually held every year. These exercises were used as the justification for the Russian troop and equipment buildup ahead of the full-scale invasion. NATO Secretary-General says that it is unlikely Russia will attack NATO at this time, but activity is being closely monitored. Belarus claims the training is strictly defensive in nature. 

An air defense unit from Lviv received an IRIS-T air defense system and the first time they had to use it in combat they successfully shot down seven Russian cruise missiles. Previously, this unit was equipped with an S-300 air defense system. They previously managed to destroy 55 aerial targets using this S-300, destroying five targets in one battle. The air defense unit is impressed with the capabilities of the IRIS-T and expects to down more than 55 targets with the IRIST-T.

Sweden has pledged to increase its defense spending to 5% of its GDP. Sweden is currently investigating around 30 cases of damage, communication equipment that show signs of sabotage. Sweden believes this is part of a Russian hybrid warfare campaign. In each instance, cables were cut and components were damaged, but nothing was taken. Additionally, Sweden will purchase Taurus cruise missiles and integrate them into their Gripen C jets by 2028.


On June 13, Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine has created an arms procurement package where it intends to purchase weapons from the US, but the sale needs to be approved at the “presidential level.“ He stated that Ukraine has been in direct talks with American defense companies about specific weapon systems.

Russia has begun to convert a civilian airport in the Kerch region into a military airbase. On March 4 of 2025, a portion of the airport was indefinitely transferred to the Russian Ministry of Defense for its use. Between February and June, fortifications and camouflage have appeared at the airfield. It’s possible the airfield is being converted to use to assemble, store, and launch Shahed drones. In placements for air defense systems have apparently been built and, dimensionally, seem like they would support Tor and Pantsir air defense systems. This new launch location may give Russian attack drones further reach into Ukraine. In addition to that, it would allow Russia to launch from new sites, making it more difficult to target drone operators and disrupt attacks.

In the Zaliv shipyard bay in Kerch, the Russians have placed barges to function as a shield to block Ukrainian anti-ship missiles. The Russians are also using a “target vessel” as a shield. This ship is equipped with reflectors that are designed to attract anti-ship missiles that have passive or active radar guidance systems. Russia only owns two of these target ships. The use of one in the bay implies Russia is profoundly worried about strikes in this region. Additionally, the Russians have blocked the base entrance with barges to prevent attacks by the Ukrainian naval drones. In April, Russia stationed a Project 1204 Shmel armored artillery boat near these barges. It is armed with a 76-mm artillery gun, machine guns, and a 140-mm MLRS to defend against naval drone attacks.


Ukraine is continuing the work of modernizing Soviet-era air defense systems, including Buk and S-300 platforms, according to Deputy Defense Minister Anatolii Klochko. The Buk system has been equipped with foreign missiles and is already conducting air defense missions, while S-300 upgrades remain in development. Klochko stated that current work remains conceptual and only on paper, but expects concrete results in the second half of 2025.

Ukraine returned another group of wounded and seriously ill servicemen from Russian captivity as part of the second stage of exchanges agreed in Istanbul. The released defenders include personnel from various military branches who had been held for over three years, including Mariupol defenders. All returned servicemen are men of the private and sergeant ranks who will receive medical examination, rehabilitation, and back pay for their captivity period. Some of the men who were returned were listed as missing, and their fates were unknown. 

Hungarian propagandist Georg Spettle, affiliated with the ruling Fidesz party, maintains continued contact with Russian GRU Colonel Oleg Smirnov. Documents show Spettle received propaganda materials from Smirnov that gave him anti-Ukrainian talking points that he later used in the media, including Hungarian government-operated media. Spettle traveled to Russia and occupied Ukrainian territories multiple times, visiting restricted military facilities that require GRU and FSB approval for foreign nationals. Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó publicly endorsed Spettle's podcasts despite his ministry's report that revealed Spettle’s Russian intelligence connections.


Russian strategic aviation relocated to Far East bases following Ukraine's Operation Spider's Web, forcing bombers to fly over 12,000 kilometers for missile strikes. Two Tu-160 bombers moved to Anadyr airfield while five others relocated to Elizovo base. Anadyr is over 6,700 kilometers from Ukraine, while Elizovo is over 7,200 km away. These extended flight distances and times increase aircraft wear, crew fatigue, and maintenance costs while potentially reducing strike frequency. The extra flight time may put significant enough wear on Russia’s bombers that some may end up being decommissioned from wear and tear.


Russia has increased its targeting of Ukraine's second defensive line between Pokrovsk and Kostiantynivka. OSINT analyst Clément Molin recorded about 950 airstrikes along this section of the front. The bombardment focuses primarily on the Pokrovsk direction, with reduced intensity near Druzhkivka and Kostiantynivka. Russia may be targeting reinforced Ukrainian positions around Pokrovsk that need to be destroyed before they can successfully attack, or the bombing campaign is meant to prepare the battlefield for an encirclement attempt from Pokrovsk's eastern flank. Russia's guided bomb usage has increased from 3,370 in February to over 5,000 in April. Reportedly, Russian guided bombs now reach ranges up to 95 kilometers.

From the Defense Forces of Southern Ukraine Telegram channel:

Over the past day, in the operational zone of the Tavria air defense unit, 7 Shahed-131/136 attack UAVs were destroyed.

The Defense Forces of Southern Ukraine continue to strike enemy deployments, their firing positions, and rear areas.

Over the past day, enemy losses amounted to:

- 87 occupiers

- 12 artillery systems, incl. "Hyacinth-B"

- 1 tactical anti-aircraft missile system (TOR M-2 SAM)

- 1 anti-tank vehicle 

- 15 units of cars and armored vehicles 

- 4 reconnaissance UAVs "Supercam" and "Zala"

- 6 motorcycles 

- 4 quad bikes 

- 1 buggy 

- 1 generator 

- 5 communication antennas 

- 1 electronic warfare device

- 1 Starlink antenna 

- 4 UAV control antennas.

Destroyed: 

- 48 shelters/blindages 

- 1 observation post 

- 3 ammunition storage sites 

- storage sites for property and fuel.

Glory to Ukraine!

Quote of the Day:

 “Masamune’s hedgehogs do not thirst for blood. They bring peace.”

-Japanese legend about Gorō Nyūdō Masamune