Man detained in Poland for calling for Zelenskyy's assassination

"Polish police have detained a 40-year-old man who insulted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on social media and called for him to be killed." msn

North Korean missile likely used in Russian strike that killed 6 family members in Ukraine

"Preliminary information indicates that a North Korean missile may have been used in a strike that killed at least six family members in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast during Moscow's mass attack on Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

While North Korean missile have previously been used by in Russian attacks against Ukraine, the strikes marks the first such use in nearly a year. Military sources told Reuters that the last confirmed use occurred in August 2025.
Local media reported that six family members had been confirmed killed in the village of Radushne outside Kryvyi Rih as of 6 p.m. local time, while identification work continued. Zelensky previously identified two parents and three children as victims, as searches continue underneath the rubble of the home.
"Of course, more examinations will follow, and everything will be verified, but as of now – it is a North Korean ballistic missile," the president said " KI

Zelensky says meeting with Trump was 'good,' covered Patriot licenses, diplomacy

"President Volodymyr Zelensky met U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House to

discuss a renewed diplomatic effort to end Russia's war against Ukraine.
"It was a good meeting," Zelensky said. "The President and I discussed licenses for Patriot interceptor production and several other ideas that could help. We also spoke about diplomacy — it's important that the diplomatic process be reinvigorated. Our teams will arrange the details of their further communication."
The meeting began at 9:47 a.m. Washington time (4:47 p.m. Kyiv time), lasted about an hour, and was held behind closed doors, a White House official said." KI

Zelensky denies drug use, comments on his former press secretary's accusations

"President Volodymyr Zelensky

has denied using drugs, an accusation levelled against him by his former press secretary Yuliia Mendel. He also denied using cocaine together with French President Emmanuel Macron." Pravada

Zelenskiy creates new role with expanded powers for ex-defence minister Fedorov

"After a week of chaos, scandal and protest, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy acknowledged the effectiveness of sacked ex-Defence MinisterFedorov and announced his appointment to an expanded national security role with real powers.
Following a wave of public debate, a press conference by Fedorov a day after he was dismissed as part of a surprise governmentreshuffle, caused widespread debate and tension in Bankova as thousands took to the streets to protest against the decision. In his six months on

the job, the former tech entrepren€showed himself to be highly effective and began to turn the tide on the battlefield – something he himself pointed out with a list of 22 achievements he posted online in his farewell message on social media.
Under pressure from volunteer groups, business leaders of Ukraine's western allies, Zelenskiy changed his stance again and publicly praised Fedorov’s record at the Ministry of Defence on July 18, announcing that he would return to government in a new more powerful role. At the end of last week, Zelenskiy offered Fedorov a job as advisor, but that was refused as Fedorov said he wanted the authority to continue his reforms of the venally corrupt and highly inefficient Defence Ministry.
The Presidential Office said an agreement on Fedorov’s future had been reached after he rejected a conventional advisory position, insisting that he needed executive authority if he was to continue his military reforms." msn

Wartime Protests Across Ukraine As Zelensky Moves To Oust Defense Chief

"Wartime protests have broken out in Ukraine in the wake of President Zelensky sacking his

popular Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov - which is reportedly in process but not finalized yet.
The 35-year old defense chief was only six months into his tenure, and is widely hailed as a reformist innovator who has turned the tide of war, having overseen a strategy of punishing wave after wave of devastating drones on Russian energy infrastructure.
The NY Times on Thursday said that "thousands of people took to the streets of cities across Ukraine on Thursday to protest" his dismissal." ZH

NATO summit — Trump rages at allies but hands Ukraine a win

"Despite all expectations, Ukraine seems to be leaving the NATO summit in Ankara with a major win.

The alliance itself, less so.
At The Hague summit in 2025, the allies agreed to Trump's request to raise defense spending to 5% of GDP — only to face further demands and threats over the coming months.
Few deny that the U.S.-European relationship has irreversibly changed.
Alongside an allied pledge of $80 billion in defense aid for 2026, President Volodymyr Zelensky has also secured an apparent green light from U.S. President Donald Trump to produce Patriot missiles, sorely needed amid increasingly deadly Russian attacks.
This year's summit saw Zelensky conclude new Drone Deals with three NATO members — Denmark, Estonia, and the Netherlands.
Even Trump, who once scoffed at Kyiv's offers of unmanned technology, turned around and said Washington would also purchase Ukrainian drones.
While Trump later expressed confidence that Ukraine could produce the missiles quickly, he also said he had not coordinated with the manufacturer, Lockheed Martin, ahead of the announcement." KI

Ukraine launches drone barrage at Moscow as Zelensky heads to NATO summit

"Ukrainian

forces launched more than 430 kamikaze drones towards Moscow overnight,
Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said. The attack came as Vladimir Zelensky traveled to Ankara, Türkiye, where NATO leaders are gathering for a summit." RT

Zelensky’s top rival vows to challenge him in election

"Former top Ukrainian General Valery Zaluzhny has told Vladimir Zelensky he will challenge him in the next presidential election, with current polling suggesting he would win in a run-

off, Ukrainskaya Pravda reported on Wednesday, citing sources. Zelensky’s presidential term expired more than two years ago, and he has since been reluctant to hold a new election despite repeated calls from the US.
Zaluzhny, now ambassador to the UK, was summoned back to Kiev last week – officially to discuss the political turmoil in London, where Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced that he would soon step down. The real reason, the outlet said, was Zelensky’s concern that Zaluzhny will run for president." RT

Volodymyr Zelensky announces replacement for toppled Lenin monument

"A pedestal that once supported a Lenin monument in Kyiv that has remained empty ever since 2013 may soon host a statue of a Cossack leader Ivan Mazepa, who is revered by many in Ukraine as a national hero.
A 12-foot-tall red quartzite sculpture of Vladimir Lenin stood on the pedestal at the

intersection of two main roads in Kyiv for almost 60 years, until it was toppled during the Euromaidan Uprising. The Euromaidan demonstrations had begun the previous month when then-president Viktor Yanukovych declined to sign an agreement with the European Union, thereby strengthening the country's ties with Russia.
Over the weekend, during a speech commemorating Ukraine's Constitution Day, President Volodymyr Zelensky proposed that a bust of Mazepa should take the place of the toppled Lenin monument in Kyiv. Zelensky wrote on X that Mazepa, who served as head of the Cossack state from 1687 to 1709, deserves a full-fledged monument in the country's capital." msn

Zelensky to skip key ‘Ukraine recovery’ event over Nazi-collaborator scandal

"Zelensky

will skip a major gathering of Kiev’s key backers in Poland to keep it free of“scandals,” the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has said. His absence is linked to Kiev’s honoring of Nazi-collaborators who murdered over 100,000 Polish men, women, and children during World War II." RT

Belarusian opposition warns Ukraine of plans for Minsk to enter war

"Belarus' exiled opposition has handed President Volodymyr Zelensky a list of warning signs that Minsk soon plans to enter Russia's war against Ukraine.
The document, created by the United Transition Cabinet of Belarus and handed to Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha on June 22, outlines clear policy areas pointing to Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko's domestic shift towards a wartime posture.

The points that the exiled cabinet drew attention to included constitutional changes cancelling Belarus' status as a neutral, non-nuclear state, a two-fold increase in the recruiting of new contract soldiers, a five-fold increase in military spending in the state budget, and the militarization of society, including children.
"Belarus has ceased to be a neutral and non-nuclear country," the report says.
The report notes that Belarus adopted a new military doctrine in 2024 that officially allows pre-emptive strikes in response to an "imminent threat."
On June 18, President Zelensky gave a public ultimatum to Lukashenko, giving his Belarusian counterpart a week to remove signal repeator equipment on Belarusian territory used to help guide Russian drone strikes.
Russia's Shahed-type long-range strike drones are known to use mesh radio stations to navigate, communicating both with each other and ground stations on their way to Ukrainian citiies." KI

Starmer 'always a welcome guest in Ukraine' Zelensky says, after British PM announces resignation

"Keir Starmer announced on June 22 that he would resign as the U.K. prime minister and Labour Party leader, a step that follows months of mounting internal pressure.
The departure is likely to trigger a leadership contest and deepen political uncertainty in one of

Ukraine's most vital allies.
Andy Burnham, Starmer's Labour Party rival, has been discussed as the likely next prime minister after securing a seat in parliament in last week's by-election.
During his resignation speech, Starmer listed "standing with Ukraine" and rebuilding relations with European allies as one of his government's main achievements.
"Keir, thank you for all our cooperation, your support, and the joint decisions that have helped make our Europe and our protection of life stronger," President Volodymyr Zelensky said, adding that the outgoing prime minister would always be a "welcome guest in Ukraine." KI

Ukraine’s backer blasts Zelensky over tribute to Nazi collaborators

"Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has warned that Warsaw’s support for Kiev could become increasingly driven by hard national interests. The criticism follows Zelensky’s move to honor World War II-era Ukrainian nationalist paramilitaries responsible for massacres of Poles and Jews by naming a commando unit after them.
In May, Zelensky decreed that the Special Operations Center North would bear the honorary title ‘Heroes of the UPA,’ referring to the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), the armed wing of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN).

The OUN sought to establish an ethnically and religiously homogeneous Ukrainian state and collaborated with Nazi Germany during the early stages of the invasion of the Soviet Union. The UPA was formed in 1942 following a split between much of the OUN leadership and the Germans.
Ukrainian nationalists killed an estimated 100,000 Polish civilians in what is now western Ukraine from 1943-44. The massacres remain a major source of tension between Warsaw and Kiev.
President Karol Nawrocki has called for Zelensky to be stripped of the Order of the White Eagle, the country’s highest state distinction, highlighting that a nation honoring “bandits and murderers” is not yet fit to join “the European family.”
Earlier in May, the Ukrainian authorities rolled out full state honors for the remains of Andrey Melnik, the leader of the OUN, and his wife, Sofia Fedak-Melnik. Exhumed in Luxembourg, the couple was reburied in Kiev’s main military cemetery. At the same time, the Ukrainian authorities announced plans to rebury Evgeny Konovalets, one of the founders of the, whose remains will be transferred from Rotterdam, the Netherlands." RT

'Enough of the war' — Zelensky throws down gauntlet to Putin in open letter

"President Volodymyr Zelensky issued a personal invitation to Russian President Vladimir Putin in an open letter published June 4, offering to meet face-to-face to put an end to five

years of full-scale war.
The letter was published a day after Ukraine launched a large-scale attack on St. Petersburg, striking a major oil terminal and military targets on the same morning Putin welcomed world leaders to the city for his flagship economic forum.
In it, Zelensky lays out his case for Putin's need to end the fighting and sets terms for the reopening of negotiations.
"Almost half of your 26 years of power in Russia you have spent in the war against Ukraine," Zelensky wrote.
"Whatever you say about NATO, geopolitics and the Russian language, this war is your personal choice — a war without a real reason. This is how history will remember it." KI

Massive Russian missile and drone attack across Ukraine, including Kyiv

"Russia launched one of the largest aerial attacks of the full-scale war overnight targeting

various Ukrainian cities, including Kyiv, with missiles and drones. Across the country, at least 13 people have been killed and more than 100 others injured, officials said.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said Kyiv bore the brunt of the attack. At least four people were killed and another 58, including two children, were injured in the capital, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said. Zelensky said 38 people remained hospitalized in Kyiv." KI

Zelenskyy rejects associate status for Ukraine as unfair

"Ukraine should not be given a lesser “associate” status in the European Union without full

voting rights, President Volodymyr Zelensky told EU leaders in a letter, calling a reported German proposal “unfair.”
The letter was addressed to European Council President António Costa, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU.
“It would be unfair if Ukraine were present in the European Union but remained without a voice. It is time to move forward on Ukraine’s membership in a full and meaningful way,” Zelensky wrote." Pravada

Largest Ukrainian Drone Attack On Moscow In Over A Year Leaves Four Dead

"The Russian capital has just suffered possibly its single biggest and deadliest Ukrainian drone

attack of the war - and certainly the largest attack wave on Moscow in the last year. It ironically comes exactly a week after President Zelensky signed on to a three day Russian 'Victory Day' ceasefire at the behest of President Trump.
At least four people have been killed in the overnight large-scale assault wave, with dozens more wounded. Regional airports have been shut down, and there's been a sense of panic as the threat lingered into the daylight hours Sunday, with onlookers filming drones flying uncontested over Moscow airspace." ZH

France ready to develop ballistic missile defense with Ukraine, says Zelensky, calling it 'important step'

"France is prepared to cooperate with Ukraine on developing a ballistic missile defense
system, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on May 16 following a phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron.
The announcement comes as Kyiv seeks to unite international partners around the creation of an air defense shield within what Zelensky has described as an "anti-ballistic coalition."
"France is ready to work on anti-ballistic measures. This is a strong decision and an important step. We discussed strengthening our capabilities to repel Russian attacks right now," Zelensky said." KI

NATO member’s government collapses after Ukrainian drone incident

"Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silina has announced her resignation amid a government crisis caused by an incident involving Ukrainian kamikaze drones hitting an oil depot near the Russian border.
Silina announced the decision at a press briefing on Thursday. Just hours earlier, Interior Minister Rihards Kozlovskis, a member of Silina’s liberal-conservative Unity party, stated that the prime minister has no intention of leaving office. Meanwhile, the opposition was planning a procedural maneuver to circumvent the five-day pause required under Latvian law before a request for a no-confidence vote is granted.

The crisis in the Baltic state was triggered by an incident last week in which two Ukrainian long-range kamikaze drones hit an empty oil depot near the town of Rezekne, around 40 km from the Russian border. No casualties were reported on the ground.

MP Andris Suvajevs, who leads the Progressives parliamentary faction, stated earlier in the day that the ruling coalition was certain to collapse if a no-confidence motion is put to a vote. The prime minister was expected to take part in a session of parliament, but instead invited the media to her office to announce her resignation. She blamed “political jealousy and narrow party interests” for the crisis.
Moscow has accused NATO nations of tacitly allowing Ukraine to use their airspace to conduct strikes on targets in northwestern Russia, particularly oil export terminals in Leningrad Region. Officials in several countries where incidents involving Ukrainian drones were reported since mid-March have expressed concerns with Kiev’s military planning.
Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said he told Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky that Helsinki regards Ukrainian aircraft entering its airspace as unacceptable. Estonian Defense Minster Hanno Pevkur said the Ukrainians should “keep their drones away from our territory [and] control their activities better.”

RT