Ukraine managed to pull off a successful missile strike in Donetsk, with the strike landing somewhere near the railroad in Yasynuvata. Reports say that jet engines were heard before the explosion. There are conflicting rumors as to what sort of missile was used, including the Sapsan/HRIM-2 and the Korshun-2. We will need to wait for further information to confirm if any of these rumors were true, or if perhaps some other type of missile was used.

The strike in Yasnyuvata.

Ukrainian missiles struck occupied Donetsk late Monday, targeting a former research institute building. The building was reportedly used to produce Russian drones and electronic warfare systems. Explosions and fires broke out at the site. Storm Shadows were reportedly used in this strike. The building formerly belonged to the Donetsk State Institute of Non-Ferrous Metals. Colonel Ruslan Goryachkin, commander of Russia's 8th Combined Arms Army, was killed in this strike as well.

Coordinates of the strike: 47.9889, 37.8022

The burning building.

Ukraine managed to launch a successful drone strike in Luhansk Oblast, targeting an oil depot. This depot was targeted with drones and is positioned 87 km from the front lines.


The burning oil depot.



Another picture of the burning depot

Ukraine submitted defense projects to the EU's new SAFE initiative, a €150 billion loan program designed to boost European defense capabilities. The proposals include drone production, ammunition, and missile programs aimed at supplying Ukraine with military supplies while strengthening Europe's defense sector. The SAFE program requires at least two procurement partners and mandates that 65% of costs come from EU countries or Ukraine, with funding through 2030.

 

It was reported that Ukrainian-made UJ-26 Beaver drones successfully attacked Russian air defense systems in Saki, Crimea.
The strikes destroyed multiple targets, including:

-Pantsir-S1 anti-aircraft missile system
-Niobiy-SV radar station
-Pechora-3 coastal radar station
-Protivnik-GE radar station
-Su-30 fighter jet

The Su-30 being targeted by a UJ-26 Beaver. The canopy being open may imply the vehicle was being prepared for a mission, or they were trying to move it to somewhere safer. 

A fire erupted on the Kerch Peninsula in eastern Crimea overnight on July 1. NASA FIRMS fire-detecting satellites recorded the blaze south of Kurortne village. AnS-300/S-400 air defense system and a Kasta-2E2 radar were previously reported and photographed in this location. Both systems may have been hit. Residents in Kerch and Feodosia also reported explosions.

 

Air defense systems in the area

FIRMS imagery showing the location of the fire/fires.

Ukraine managed to successfully strike the Izhevsk Kupol Electromechnical plant with An-126 Lyutyi drones. The plant specialized in anti-aircraft missile systems, including the Tor-M1, Tor-M2, Tor-M2KM, and Osa systems. It also produces Garpiya and Harpy UAVs, the Harpies are a copy of the Shahed. Garpiyas were developed with Chinese assistance. The plant is 1270 km from the front. 2 drones hit the plant, with workers reportedly killed and injured.

The Kupol plant is burning.

Photo taken inside the plant showing Harpy UAVs being produced.

Ukrainian drones attacked multiple Russian regions overnight on July 1. Russian sources reported attacks on Rostov-on-Don, Taganrog, Novoshakhtinsk, Millerovsky, Myasnikovsky, Aksai, Neklinovsky, and Matveyevo-Kurgansky districts. Air raid alerts and explosions occurred in Saratov and Engels. Russia's Federal Air Transport Agency restricted flights at Saratov, Ulyanovsk, and Kazan airports. The Russian Defense Ministry claimed 60 drones were destroyed across multiple regions and occupied Crimea.

Russia launched 52 Shahed drones and decoy UAVs on the night of June 30 to July 1

47 of the 52 were downed. 14 were shot down, and 33 were brought down with electronic warfare.

Ukrainian commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrskyi has band gatherings of Ukrainian military personnel and vehicles at military training facilities. He’s also banned the use of tent camps to house Ukrainian soldiers.

A report by the UN concluded that the killing of Ukrainian POWs at the Volnovakha Correctional Colony No. 120 near Olenivka, Donetsk Oblast, in July 2022 was planned and intentional. Russia struck the prison to accuse Ukraine of war crimes and hide evidence that they were torturing and executing prisoners. This strike on the prison was ordered and approved by Russia’s Ministry of Defense and the regional occupation government. It states the attack was “planned at the Moscow level” and that the purpose of the attack was to decrease the amount of Western aid being supplied to Ukraine and was timed to take place immediately before a United Nations Security Council meeting. The report rejects Ukraine’s Military Intelligence assessment that attributed the attack planning to Wagner PMC, but adds that members of Wagner could have been involved in the planning of the attack, since they would have relevant experience and their involvement would provide deniability for the Russian government if the plan went awry.

 

The attack killed more than 50 POWs and injured 130 more. The report concludes that the munition/munitions that struck the prison flew from the Southeast, Russian-held territory. The report further concludes that the strike was not caused by a HIMARS strike, as the Russians claimed. The report states that, based on testimony from POWs who saw debris from the munitions in situ, at the site of the explosion, the munitions used likely came from barreled artillery and were thermobaric. Survivors of the attack described the explosive power to be similar to standard artillery shells, which produce a significantly smaller blast than a HIMARS. More specifically, the witnesses claim the explosive blast was similar to a 152mm-155mm artillery shell.  The type of thermobaric round used was fired by a 120mm artillery piece, but the thermobaric nature gives them a blast comparable to a larger caliber artillery shell. The report states that the Russians likely believed 2 simultaneous strikes from thermobaric artillery shells would closely resemble a HIMARS strike and fool survivors and witnesses. The report implicates high-placed members of the Russian military and members of the occupation government as being involved in the cover-up of the attack.


From the report:

The only barreled artillery ammunition available to Russian forces that can produce intense thermal effects matching the attack parameters is the 3VOF119, a 120mm rifled round containing a 3OF74 thermobaric high-explosive fragmentation projectile. This ammunition can only be fired from the 2A51/60/80/80-1 gun-howitzer-mortar system, which has been in service since 1981 and exists in both towed (Nona-K) and self-propelled versions, including Nona-S, Nona-SVK, Vena, and Hosta platforms used by Russian units in Ukraine.

Analysis of the projectile's descent angle indicates the barracks were shelled from 2 to 8 kilometers away, with the trajectory pointing to the village of Liubivka. The southwest outskirt of Liubivka, located 2,300 meters from the barracks, contains two large buildings that could have housed the attacking team and their equipment.

The attack involved 10-14 experienced military personnel using one or two self-propelled 2A51/60/80/80-1 platforms and a UAV for targeting. They first fired two adjustment rounds (practice or smoke) that landed west of the barracks, followed by two 3OF74 thermobaric projectiles that hit the building almost simultaneously. The sound of their fire was masked by a BM-21 Grad rocket system operating nearby.

The attacking team likely belonged to Russian units equipped with 2A51/60/80/80-1 systems positioned near the prison colony, with particular focus on the 61st and 155th separate naval infantry brigades and the 11th Separate Guards Motor-Rifle Regiment - all experienced units with Nona-S and Nona-SVK platforms located closest to Olenivka.”

 

President Zelenskyy reported that the German government now supports Ukraine’s entry into NATO. 

A Russian Su-34 crashed during a training flight in the Nizhny Novgorod region. The plane’s landing gear failed to properly deploy. The pilots managed to eject, but there are reports that the navigator died after crashing into a tree.


Debris from the crash.

Canada provided Ukraine with $1.7 billion accumulated from the interest on frozen Russian assets on June 30, 2025.

Ukraine will receive $500 million from the International Monetary Fund following completion of the eighth Extended Fund Facility program review. So far, Ukraine has received over $10 billion under the EFF. Ukraine has satisfactorily instituted new reforms required to unlock this money. These reforms include passing a law to enable the taxation of electronic monetary transactions and the publishing of a report made by external auditors about the National Anti-Corruption Bureau. The program has provided Ukraine with 8 tranches of money now, and is on schedule to provide Ukraine with $15.5 billion by 2027.

Retired U.S. Air Force Lieutenant General David Deptula stated that no legal barriers prevent American pilots from flying under Ukrainian command. Deptula explained that while no active-duty restrictions exist for veterans, practical integration challenges include command systems, engagement rules, and the language barrier etc. He said  American pilots could contribute through advisory roles, training, or combat operations if flying under Ukrainian command with proper diplomatic agreements.

Russian source Astra confirmed that Ukrainian drones struck Marinovka air base in the Volgograd region on June 27, and destroyed three Su-34 fighter-bombers completely and damaged two others. One Russian serviceman was injured. Satellite images show the destruction. Traces of secondary explosions were visible at the location of one of the planes.

Satellite imagery of the damaged aircraft. The secondary explosion is marked by the yellow square.

Russia used a Chernika drone to strike Kharkiv for the first time, according to mayor Ihor Terekhov. The drone damaged vehicles in a garage complex. Terekhov stated the warhead was similar to the Molniya drone in power but was a different model.

The Chernika-1 is capable of carrying 0.7 kg warheads to a range of 80 kilometers at a speed of 75 km/h. It can reach altitudes of 1,500 m. Chernika-2 carries 2.5-3.5 kg warheads to a range of 100 km at a speed of 60 km/h. Its battery life allows for two-hour reconnaissance flights. Russian units received over 7,000 Chernika-1 and 4,500 Chernika-2 drones by April 2024. Russian units began receiving modernized Chernika-2s with terminal-phase homing systems in April 2025. These homing systems help guide the drone in the final leg it its journey if it loses contact with its operator; electronic warfare is often insufficient to stop these drones.

Ukraine has “codified” the use of a special type of anti-drone ammo for the military. This means this ammunition is officially approved for use. The ammunition is 5.56x45mm, a NATO standard round, meaning many NATO-provided firearms can fire it, including AR-15 style rifle and the Czech Bren 2. The ammunition apparently works by firing multiple projectiles into a single casing, or one projectile that breaks apart mid-flight, creating a shotgun-like effect, increasing the likelihood that near-misses will damage the drone and that any hit may damage multiple components.

German company Quantum Systems will begin Twister drone production in Ukraine in July 2025. Quantum Systems already provides Ukraine with Vector drones and already has drone assembly facilities in Ukraine, as well as an R&D center and a drone maintenance and development center. The Twister weighs 3.8 kg, has a 15km range, and a 90-minute flight time. It takes 2 minutes to set up and deploy. The drone is capable of vertical takeoff and landing. The Twister is already in use in Germany.  The Twister carries daytime and thermal cameras and is modular in the field. The drone can also function as a repeater, relaying signals to extend the range of other Quantum Systems UAVs, including Vector drones. It can be equipped with LiDAR systems to map terrain and create 3D models of the battlefield. The company is integrating a microphone system into the drones that identifies artillery up to 15 kilometers with 5-degree accuracy at a 5-km distance. This allows for approximate targeting of mortars/artillery, which can then further be pinpointed by optical sensors.

Quote of the Day:

“A hedgehog, 30 meters long and weighing over 200 tonnes. It’s far bigger than even the biggest dinosaur. Its tongue weighs as much as an elephant, its heart is the size of a car, and some of its blood vessels are so wide you could swim down them. Its tail alone is the width of a small aircraft’s wings.”

- David Attenborough