A new batch of heavy weapons from the United States has been delivered to Ukraine: the dry cargo ship T-AKE-12 William McLean has been spotted in the Baltics.
NATO Secretary General Marke Rutte’s statements on June 23 included: “Member States have agreed to increase the Alliance’s air defense capabilities by about five times to counter threats. We have established a defense investment plan that will ensure our ability to defend and deter against any threat. Russia represents the most serious and direct threat to the countries of the Alliance. We are committed to ensuring the security of the Alliance’s member states against any danger. Member States have agreed to allocate 5% of GDP to defense spending. If Moscow were to attack us, the consequences for Russia would be devastating. We reject Russian attacks against civilians in Ukraine and must support Kiev in countering these attacks. We reject Russia’s violation of international law by continuing its aggression against Ukraine. Ukraine needs additional air defenses to repel Russian attacks. The Alliance is working to ensure that Ukraine receives the air defenses it needs. No mention of entry of Ukraine in NATO.
The European Commission has officially proposed Ukraine’s integration into the EU roaming zone starting in January 2026. On June 23, Hungary and Slovakia blocked the adoption of the 18th package of EU sanctions against Russia, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said. The 18th package of sanctions against Russia included restrictions on the Nord Stream gas pipeline and more.
In Poland, an assassination attempt on Volodymyr Zelensky at the airport in the Polish city of Rzeszow was foiled, SBU chief Vasily Malyuk said, as reported by RBK Ukraine. The attack was prepared by a Polish citizen, a retired military man. According to Malyuk, the pensioner was considering several options: a drone or a sniper rifle. “Everything was carried out, we arrested him. Our Polish colleagues worked professionally, it was a joint work with them,” Malyuk said. Last spring, the SBU reported the arrest of a Pole who was preparing an attack on Zelensky at the Rzeszow airport.
From Ukraine, MP Dmitry Mikisha said why there will be no elections in 2025. “I think elections should be held in rounds: presidential, parliamentary, local. Not at the same time. If everything is clear with the presidential elections, then with the parliamentary ones there are doubts about which system to adopt. I think the best solution is party lists.”
Ukrainian President Zelensky is asking the United States and other countries for $40 billion a year to ensure the functioning of the country. That is, 0.25% of GDP to help Kiev increase weapons production. The Ukrainian president also said that Ukraine is “in a difficult situation of choice” regarding negotiations with the Russians in Istanbul.
“It is important for the Russians to separate America from Ukraine and stop aid. To do this, they need to demonstrate diplomacy. Diplomacy is manifested in the possibility of a meeting with the Ukrainian side, preferably without America. If a couple more meetings are held, they will demonstrate to America the ongoing diplomatic process and, as a result, the sanctions will be postponed. And we will really find ourselves in a difficult situation: to continue like this (the negotiations) or to go in a different direction,” Zelensky said.
Ukrainian Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Syrsky on plans at the front. “We will not remain in deep defense.” He also added: “We cannot exclude a Russian offensive from Belarus. The transition of our troops to the corps can continue. Counteroffensive. Mobilization should not be a shock. TCCs must change. The situation in Sumy Oblast has stabilized, our advance in Yunakovka is 200 to 700 meters. The Defense Forces still control 90 square kilometers of Kursk Oblast. We are superior to the Russians in FPV, the Russians are superior to the Russians in fiber-optic drones. Regarding the Russian attack via Belarus, the Russians claim that Ukraine wants to attack Belarus as they did with the Kursk region.
The press service of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service states that: “Serbia sends ammunition for heavy long-range systems to Ukraine in the form of assembly components, which are loaded in the Czech Republic and Bulgaria, the department noted. Moscow regrets that Serbia is violating the traditions of friendship with Russia with its thirst for profit and its vile multi-vectoring, the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service added. Serbian manufacturers are well aware of the real recipients of their ammunition and that the shells will kill Russian military and civilians, the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service concluded.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin said at the SPIEF that closed the 2025 edition on June 21 that the Ukrainian Armed Forces have lost 76,000 men in the Kursk region. “The level of personnel of Ukrainian units is 47%. We do not have the task of taking Sumy, but I do not rule it out.” And again: “Dropping a dirty bomb on Russian territory would be the last mistake of the neo-Nazis in Kiev. Our response will be very harsh and catastrophic. I hope it never comes to that. We have no confirmation of such intentions [to drop a dirty bomb]. Russia is not seeking Ukraine’s capitulation, it is seeking recognition of the situation that has developed on the ground”.
Putin: “The Russian and Ukrainian people are one people. In this sense, all of Ukraine is ours”. “Russia has never questioned the sovereignty of Ukraine”. He recalled that Ukraine’s independence and sovereignty are based on the declaration, which defines it as a neutral and non-aligned state. “Where a Russian soldier sets foot, that is ours”. “I was ready to meet with the head of the regime in Kiev and put an end to the situation, but no, Johnson came and dissuaded them”. “What they achieved is that new territories are under our control”. “Russia is forced to create a security zone along the border with Ukraine, Putin said”. He noted that Kiev, with its adventure in the Kursk region, has effectively doubled the length of the contact line. The depth of the security zone in the Sumy region is 10-12 kilometers”.
The Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade will propose to extend the mechanism of parallel imports to Russia until 2026, Deputy Minister Chekushov said. Recall that this mechanism has been in operation in Russia since 1927. The date of the new round of negotiations between the delegations of the Russian Federation and Ukraine may be determined this week, the Kremlin reported.
And now a look at the front line updated at 15:30 on June 23. Kiev was subjected to a massive night attack by Geran drones and missiles. The intervention of the Ukrainian Air Defense Forces in the city caused damage to residential buildings. Explosions were also heard in the regions of Hostomel, Kryvyi Rih, Chernihiv, Vinnytsia, Cherkasy, Poltava, Kharkiv and Sumy.
An air strike was repelled in the Rostov region at night. Ukrainian drones were destroyed in the districts of Millerovsky, Kamyanske, Tarasovskaya, Bokovsky district and Milyutinsky district. As a result of the attack, a fire broke out at an industrial enterprise in the Kamensky district. In the Kursk border area, another assault by the infantry of the Armed Forces of Ukraine was repelled in the direction of Tetkino and Glushkovskiy.
In the direction of Sumy, clashes took place in Andriivka: the Ukrainians counterattacked. Fierce fighting for Yunakivka continues.
At least 12 attacks on different positions were recorded in the Belgorod region with at least 6 wounded.
Russian Armed Forces took Khrekivka in the Luhansk People’s Republic.
In the direction of Sivers’k, fighting continues in Serebryanka and Verkhn’okam’yans’ke.
In the direction of Vremivka, the Russian army has taken the southern part of the village of Shevchenko.
In the direction of South Donetsk, the liberation of the village of Perebudova has been officially announced; the enemy is trying to stabilize the situation. GrV Vostok writes that our assault groups have captured a bridgehead east of Yalta and that the expansion of the control zone in the direction of Poddubnoye continues.
In the direction of Kherson, an Iskander-M OTRK strike hit the training ground of the Armed Forces of Ukraine near Davydiv Brod, where the Armed Forces of Ukraine were training drone operators.
In the DPR, in Donetsk, three wounded from unexploded bombs. In Horlivka, two wounded from a drone strike. In addition to the attack drones, the Ukrainians are using NATO-made 155mm artillery.
The Iskanders targeted Belgorod-Dnestrovsky School No. 1 in Odessa.
Graziella Giangiulio
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