Tuesday, June 25

Russia’s war against Ukraine

A firefighter works to suppress a fire at a warehouse caused by a Russian missile strike in Odesa on June 24, 2024. (Nina Liashonok/Ukrinform/Future Publishing via Getty Images)

Zelensky to sign EU-Ukraine security agreement in Brussels this week. President Volodymyr Zelensky will attend the European Union summit in Brussels on June 27 and sign a security agreement with the EU, Polish media RMF reported, citing an unnamed senior EU diplomat.

US to announce $150 million military aid package to Ukraine, AP reports. The new package, which is set to unveiled on Tuesday, will include new HIMARS (High Mobility Artillery Rocket System) rockets, anti-armor weaponry, small arms and grenades, as well as 155 mm and 105 mm artillery shells, AP reported, citing its sources.

Ukraine to receive profits from Russia’s frozen assets in 2 tranches starting next week, Borrell says. “We have a process in order to make this work quickly. The first tranche of money will come next week, in July. The second will come some months later,” Josep Borrell said during the press briefing in Luxembourg.

Ukraine reports increase in Russian chemical weapon attacks on battlefield.

Ukraine recorded 715 cases of Russian chemical weapons use on the battlefield in May, 271 more than in the previous month, the Ukrainian military’s Support Forces said on June 24.

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Zelensky dismisses Lieutenant General accused by soldiers of heavy losses. President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on June 24 that he had replaced the Commander of the Joint Forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Lieutenant General Yurii Sodol, with Brigadier General Andrii Hnatov.

Ukraine returned only 800 out of about 20,000 children abducted by Russia, minister says. “We do not know the exact number of children who were taken away. We have managed to establish that it is about 20,000 children, of whom 800 have already been returned,” Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said.

Dagestan official removed after sons suspected of Makhachkala and Derbent Attacks. Sergei Melikov, head of the Dagestan Republic, announced the dismissal of the Sergokalinsky district’s head, Magomed Omarov, after his sons were suspected of participating in yesterday’s terrorist attack in Makhachkala and Derbent.

US will finance printing of 3 million textbooks for Ukrainian students. The United States, through USAID, will finance the printing of over 3 million textbooks for primary school students in Ukraine, U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan announced.

Read our exclusives

Ukraine war latest: Russia increases use of chemical weapons on battlefield, Kyiv says

Ukraine recorded 715 cases of Russian chemical weapons use on the battlefield in May, 271 more than in the previous month, the Ukrainian military’s Support Forces said on June 24.

Photo: Stringer/Anadolu via Getty Images

Ivana Kupala: Ukrainians celebrate midsummer amidst war (Photos)

In stark contrast to the grim reality of air raid sirens and blackouts amid Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukrainians gathered to celebrate one of the most magical and ancient rituals of their ancestors that dates back to pagan times.

Photo: Yurii Stefanyak/ The Kyiv Independent

Human cost of war

63-year-old woman killed in Russian attack on Toretsk, Donetsk Oblast. Toretsk, the strategically important town located less than 8 kilometers (5 miles) from the front line, had a population of around 31,000 before the start of the full-scale invasion.

Russian guided bomb attack on Kurakhovo in Donetsk Oblast kills man. A 62-year-old man was killed and another person injured after a Russian guided bomb attack on the town of Kurakhove in Donetsk Oblast, Governor Vadym Filashkin said on June 24.

At least 5 dead, 41 wounded after Russian missile attack on Pokrovsk. At least five people have been killed and 41 wounded after a Russian ballistic missile attack on the city of Pokrovsk in Donetsk Oblast, local authorities said on June 24.

Opinions and insights

Opinion: The Putin-Kim pact is an opportunity for the West

The Russia-North Korea defense pact could strain the Kremlin’s relations with China, potentially disrupting Sino-Russian efforts to undermine Western unity.

Photo: Vladimir Smirnov/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Opinion: The new EU leadership must unite on China

If China were ever allowed to annex Taiwan at the barrel of a gun, the international order would be in ruins, and the kind of instability emanating from Russia would spread rapidly to Asia and beyond.

Photo: Mikhail Metzel/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

International response

EU Council announces 14th round of sanctions against Russia. The new package adds 116 individuals and entities to the sanctions list, and adds a number of additional measures, including the prohibition for any EU facilities to be involved in the transshipment of Russian liquified natural gas (LNG) to any third-party countries.

Work on 15th sanctions package against Russia to ‘start immediately,’ Finnish FM says. The EU Council adopted the 14th round of sanctions against Russia on June 24, aimed at tackling the circumvention of existing measures and to further restrict profits from Russia’s energy industry.

EU devises workaround for possible Hungary veto of funds for Ukraine, FT reports. The EU has developed a legal workaround to prevent Hungary vetoing a move to use profits from frozen Russian assets to aid Ukraine, the Financial Times reported on June 24.

Scholz says his party’s support for Ukraine is connected to its declining popularity. Many voters do not agree with the government’s support for Ukraine and sanctions against Russia, which is “also reflected by the election results,” German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said.

EU blocks access to 4 Russian media outlets. The four outlets are Rossiyskaya Gazeta, Voice of Europe, RIA Novosti, and Izvestiya.

Germany supplies Ukraine with over 40 trucks for border guards on front line. “Germany stands with Ukraine. Forty-one Mercedes Arocs trucks will help State Border Guard Service units provide logistics at the front,” German Ambassador to Ukraine Martin Jaeger said.

Russian subsidiary of Bank of China stops accepting payments from Russian banks, sources say. According to Kommersant’s sources, Bank of China will refuse to accept payments from any sanctioned Russian bank starting on June 24.

In other news

Kyrgyz man sentenced to 5 years in prison for fighting for Russia in Ukraine. Under Kyrgyz law, participating in conflicts on foreign territory is forbidden.

Multi-story building catches fire in Moscow Oblast, at least 8 people dead. Moscow Oblast Governor Andrey Vorobyov said that the administrative building of the Platan Research Institute, where electronic devices are manufactured, was on fire at around 3:30 p.m. local time.

Education Ministry changes postgraduate enrolment conditions to fight draft evasion. The number of state-sponsored (free) spots will be increased from 3,200 to 7,000 for those who are “really motivated to study,” Education Minister Oksen Lisovyi said. A postgraduate program on a contract basis (paid) will only be available part-time and will not provide a deferral from military service, the minister added.

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Today’s Ukraine Daily was brought to you by Sonya Bandouil, Dmytro Basmat, Oleksiy Sorokin, Kateryna Hodunova, Elsa Court, Nate Ostiller, Teah Pelechaty, and Chris York.

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