Ukraine’s UN envoy, Andrii Melnyk, warned that Kyiv could reconsider its current ceasefire proposal if there was no meaningful international push to end the war, saying “our patience is not endless”.
Melnyk said Ukraine remained open to direct negotiations with Russia but cautioned that its offer of a ceasefire along the current front lines was already a significant concession. “If the security council would further choose a wait-and-see approach, I cannot exclude that Ukraine may recalibrate and modify its offer. Ceasefire along the de facto front line is already a great compromise,” he said.
The warning comes as Ukraine projects growing confidence after a series of strikes on Russian oil facilities, supply routes and military infrastructure. Ukrainian attacks have disrupted fuel supplies in Russian-occupied Crimea, where authorities have restricted civilian gasoline sales.
Meanwhile, an Egyptian chef was killed when the Turkish dry cargo vessel Victress caught fire during Russian attacks in the Black Sea, according to Ukrainian officials. Eight crew members, including Turkish and Indian citizens, were evacuated.
Russian strikes overnight wounded six people in Sumy, Zaporizhzhia and Kharkiv, while Kyiv briefly issued an air raid alert. In Sumy, a drone strike killed three members of a family.
Key Points
- Kyiv says ‘our patience is not endless’
- Egyptian sailor killed in Russian attack on Turkish-owned cargo vessel
- Ukraine strikes near Crimea bridge as Zelensky warns of ‘new massive strike’ by Russia
- Ukraine drone attacks kill five in Crimea, Krasnodar region, Russian authorities say
- Donald Tusk warns Poland-Ukraine political row will damage both countries
- Ukraine's battlefield shift has not solved its humanitarian crisis, IRC says
- Zelensky issues warning to Belarus to dismantle tech used by Russia – or face force
Ukraine strikes deepen fuel crisis in Russia, reaching Siberia
05:30 , Maroosha Muzaffar
Ukrainian attacks on Russian energy infrastructure and supply routes are worsening fuel shortages across Russia, with the crisis now spreading from Russian-controlled Crimea to Omsk in southwestern Siberia, Reuters reported.
Authorities in Omsk have imposed fuel purchase limits “to avoid artificially creating panic buying at gas stations and speculation”, restricting gasoline and diesel sales and banning fuel can refills.
Six injured in Russian strikes on Ukraine as Kyiv warns of major new attack
05:00 , Maroosha Muzaffar
Russian strikes overnight wounded six people across Sumy, Zaporizhzhia and Kharkiv, while Kyiv briefly issued an air raid alert.
The attacks came a day after a Ukrainian strike on a missile electronics plant in Russia’s Voronezh region, which local authorities said killed five people and injured dozens.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned that Russia is preparing another major attack even as Ukraine seeks Western support for a peace deal and closer integration with the EU.
Kyiv says ‘our patience is not endless’
04:26 , Maroosha Muzaffar
Ukraine’s UN envoy, Andrii Melnyk, said Kyiv is still willing to negotiate directly with Russia and has already made a major concession by offering a full and unconditional ceasefire along the current front lines.
However, he warned that “our patience is not endless”.
“If the security council would further choose a wait-and-see approach, I cannot exclude that Ukraine may recalibrate and modify its offer. Ceasefire along the de facto front line is already a great compromise.”
His comments come as Ukraine feels increasingly confident militarily after striking Russian oil facilities, supply lines, and military infrastructure, putting pressure on Russia, experts say.
Ukrainian attacks prompt Russian-held Crimea to halt civilian gasoline sales
03:00 , Alex Croft
Officials in Russia-occupied Crimea suspended civilian gasoline sales Sunday as Ukraine ramped up attacks on fuel supplies on the Black Sea peninsula.
The Russia-appointed Crimean governor Sergei Aksyonov said that overnight Ukrainian strikes killed four people and wounded 28. He later wrote on social media that local gas stations would halt all sales to non-state companies and individuals for an undefined period.
“Fuel will be sold only to government agencies that ensure the functioning and security of the Republic of Crimea,” Aksyonov said. “I ask everyone to remain calm and to only trust official sources of information.”
Ukrainian forces have repeatedly targeted fuel supplies to Crimea in recent weeks, triggering the worst energy crisis in the region since it was illegally annexed by Russia in 2014.
Read our full report:
Ukrainian attacks prompt Russian-held Crimea to halt civilian gasoline sales
Tusk warns Poland-Ukraine political row will damage both countries
02:00 , Alex Croft
Polish prime minister Donald Tusk has warned that a growing political dispute between Poland and Ukraine is a strategic error that risks damaging both countries, as he attempts to ease renewed tensions over events dating back to the Second World War.
The row escalated after Polish president Karol Nawrocki on Friday revoked Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky's highest Polish state honour. In response, three former Ukrainian presidents and several senior officials returned the awards they had previously received from Poland.
Nawrocki withdrew the Order of the White Eagle after Zelensky drew criticism in Poland for renaming a Ukrainian military unit in honour of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, a nationalist force responsible for massacres of Poles during the Second World War.
“Wading into a conflict between politicians in Poland and Ukraine is a strategic mistake that will harm both sides: business-wise, geopolitically, and reputationally. And in politics, as we know, a mistake is worse than a crime,” Tusk wrote in a post on X.
The pro-European leader returned to power in 2023 after heading a coalition that defeated the nationalist Law and Justice party, with which Nawrocki is politically aligned.
In an interview published on X, Zelensky stressed that Ukraine and Poland could only remain “partners and friends”, warning that political tensions could lead to a “very dangerous escalation”.
“Our service members choose a heroic name for their unit themselves, and as president and supreme commander-in-chief, I must support them,” he said.“Without Ukraine, no one will be able to defend Poland. It is simply impossible.”
Watch: Zelensky tells Belarus to dismantle tech used by Russia
01:00 , Alex Croft
Russian troops infiltrate key eastern Ukrainian city, report says
Tuesday 23 June 2026 00:01 , Alex Croft
Russian forces have entered the strategic eastern Ukrainian city of Kostyantynivka and are attempting to encircle it, according to a BBC report citing Ukrainian soldiers and military officials.
The city, regarded as a gateway to the wider Donbas region, has become a focal point of fighting as Moscow seeks to secure full control of eastern Ukraine.
Ukrainian troops told the BBC that Russian soldiers have established positions within parts of the city, making it increasingly difficult to remove them in urban combat.
While Russia has claimed rapid advances and the encirclement of Ukrainian units, Kyiv has rejected those assertions.
Brig Gen Oleksandr Bakulin, commander of Ukraine’s 19th Corps, said "the situation remains under control" and "the enemy has no success", though he acknowledged that 130 Russian troops were operating inside the city.
Ukrainian soldiers told the outlet that supply routes were under sustained pressure and described growing logistical challenges.
In pictures: Ukraine launches attack on production facility in Russia's Voronezh
Monday 22 June 2026 23:01 , Alex Croft
As we earlier reported, Ukraine's military said it had hit a plant producing electronics for missiles in Russia's Voronezh region on Monday.
It is the latest blow on Russia's military-industrial complex inflicted by Ukraine's growing long-range strikes.
We can now bring you images of the strike:
Moscow beginning 'intense' work to combat fuel shortage in Crimea
Monday 22 June 2026 22:01 , Alex Croft
The Kremlin has said it is beginning intense work to try and minimise the consequences of fuel disruption in Russian-held Crimea.
The peninsula is suffering a fuel crisis following Ukrainian drone attacks targeting energy infrastructure,
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also said that there was a coordination mechanism between the government and oil companies when it came to fuel prices nationwide and that all necessary measures were being taken.
Full report: A Russian drone strike in Ukraine kills 3 from one family, including a 13-year-old boy
Monday 22 June 2026 21:00 , Alex Croft
A Russian drone strike on the city of Sumy in northeastern Ukraine killed three members of the same family, including a 13-year-old boy and his father, and wounded another two, a regional official said Monday.
Russia has pounded civilian areas of Ukraine with drones and missiles since it launched its all-out invasion of its neighbor more than four years ago, and a United Nations tally says more than 16,000 civilians have died in the war. U.S.-led peace efforts have failed to stop the fighting.
The Sumy attack hit a home and killed a 36-year-old man, his 13-year-old son and a 73-year-old woman who was the mother of the man’s partner, according to Oleh Hryhorov, the head of the regional military administration. The man’s partner and 10-year-old son were wounded, he said.
Read our full report:
A Russian drone strike in Ukraine kills 3 from one family, including a 13-year-old boy
Russian-held Crimea suspends summer camps amid fuel crisis due to Ukrainian attacks
Monday 22 June 2026 20:02 , Alex Croft
Russian-held Crimea, a popular tourism destination, has suspended children's summer camps and tourist activities until September 1, its governor said on Monday.
It comes as the peninsula reels from a fuel crisis due to Ukrainian attacks on its supply routes.
Supplies of fuel and other products to Crimea have become strained as Ukraine has targeted both sea routes and supply roads from the north.
Availability of gasoline and diesel in Russia, the world's third-largest oil producer, has also been undermined by Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian oil refineries, including in Moscow.
Fuel stations in Crimea halted all fuel sales to individuals and businesses from Sunday, including cash, non-cash and voucher purchases.
Governor Sergei Aksyonov said on Monday that the closing of children's camps was in the interests of public security.
So far, there has been no public outrage over the fuel shortages in Russia, where protests are largely restricted during what Moscow calls its special military operation in Ukraine.
Production facilities damaged in Ukrainian attack on Voronezh
Monday 22 June 2026 19:00 , Alex Croft
Ukraine's military said it had hit a plant producing electronics for missiles in Russia's Voronezh region on Monday.
It is the latest blow on Russia's military-industrial complex inflicted by Ukraine's growing long-range strikes.
In a statement on Telegram, the Ukrainian General Staff said it had used air-launched cruise missiles to hit the facility, which it described as a "critical component" in Russia's defence production.
Alexander Gusev, local governor of the Voronezh region, said on Monday that production facilities had been damaged and three people injured in the attack.
Gusev did not specify what the damaged facility typically produces.
He said in a post on Telegram, that air defence forces had destroyed several high-speed targets in the skies over Voronezh and warned residents of the danger of missile attacks.
Zelensky says Ukraine will decide who represents Europe in negotiations with Russia
Monday 22 June 2026 18:01 , Alex Croft
Ukraine will decide who represents Europe in any negotiations with Russia, Volodymyr Zelensky has said.
Kyiv has been trying to reinvigorate the diplomatic push to end Russia's more than four-year-old war by including Europeans, as US-backed negotiations stalled amid the Iran war and Ukraine refused Russian demands to cede its territory.
The Ukrainian president said that Ukraine was discussed "at greater length than ever before" at a European Council meeting last week.
"We discussed Europe's role in the dialogue with the Russians and what that role should be," he said, relaying his comments to the Ukrainian media on social media platform X.
"Europe will consider the format and propose several options, but Ukraine will decide who represents Europe in the negotiations. That is fair."
Inside the bitter historical feud between Ukraine and Poland amid war against Russia
Monday 22 June 2026 16:15 , Alex Croft
A deep historical rift is now challenging the strong alliance between Poland and Ukraine, despite their shared war against Russia.
The dispute centres on Kyiv's renaming of an army unit after a nationalist force, responsible for Second World War massacres of Poles, which has soured relations and exposed rival historical interpretations.
Here's how their rival interpretations of history have soured relations:
The bitter historical feud between Ukraine and Poland amid Russia war
Kremlin accuses Ukraine of threatening sovereignty of ally Belarus
Monday 22 June 2026 15:28 , Alex Croft
The Kremlin has accused Ukraine of threatening the sovereignty of close Russian ally Belarus - but said it had no doubts that Minsk was in a position to defend itself.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday threatened to take action against Belarus if it did not quickly remove equipment which Mr Zelensky said was being used by Russia to help coordinate its own attacks on Ukraine.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russian president Vladimir Putin and Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko would discuss Zelensky's remarks.
Ukraine strikes satellite communications centre in Russia
Monday 22 June 2026 14:45 , Alex Croft
We’re hearing that Ukraine's military has struck Russia's Dubna satellite communications centre, as reported by the Ukrainian military's General Staff.
The centre is in Russia’s western Moscow region.
Heavy smoke was observed at the site and the extent of damage was being assessed, it added.
Russia downs 301 drones, 60 of which were headed for Moscow
Monday 22 June 2026 14:01 , Alex Croft
Russia downed 301 drones overnight, Russian news agencies are saying, quoting the defence ministry.
Nearly 60 of these downed drones were headed for Moscow, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on Telegram.
He said emergency services had been dispatched to the areas where drones were downed but gave no further information.
In pictures: Blaze in Sumy after Russian drone strike kills family
Monday 22 June 2026 13:16 , Alex Croft
Starmer's exit unlikely to change UK's hostile approach to Russia - Kremlin
Monday 22 June 2026 12:39 , Alex Croft
The departure of British prime minister Keir Starmer, a strong supporter of Ukraine, is unlikely to change London's hostile attitude towards Russia, the Kremlin said on Monday.
Starmer announced his resignation on Monday, promising to ensure an orderly transfer of power to a new leader by September at the latest to try to avoid political instability as Britain prepares for its seventh leader in 10 years.
"Starmer has not done anything to distinguish himself on the issue of British-Russian relations," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
"He has always been in favour of keeping relations at a zero level. It is unlikely that anyone on the British political scene will hold a position on our country that differs from Starmer’s," said Peskov.
Ukraine's battlefield shift has not solved its humanitarian crisis, IRC says
Monday 22 June 2026 12:29 , Namita Singh
Ukraine's stronger position in the war with Russia has yet to relieve the humanitarian crisis felt by millions of displaced Ukrainians and worsened by a plunge in aid spending, the head of the International Rescue Committee said.
Ukraine has slowed Russia's advances on the battlefield to a virtual halt in recent months, prompting G7 leaders to recognise at a summit last week that momentum in the war has shifted.
Speaking during a visit to Ukraine, David Miliband, the IRC's president and CEO, said it was still vital to recognise the impact of aid cuts, led by the US, that have halved the IRC's budget in the country to a current estimate of $20m in 2027 from $40m last year.
"It feels particularly important at a time when there is this new sense of a different geopolitical narrative to recognise the brutality and strain that's being faced by millions of Ukrainians," Miliband said on Saturday, World Refugee Day.
The UN calculates roughly 118 million people are displaced globally, often as a result of conflict, violence and persecution. Ukraine accounts for around 10 million, with nearly four million of those internally displaced inside the country.
Russian drone attack kills three members of family including boy, 13
Monday 22 June 2026 11:00 , Alex Croft
A Russian drone attack has killed three members of one family, including a 13-year-old boy, in Ukraine's northern Sumy region, regional prosecutors have said.
The boy's 36-year-old father and 73-year-old grandmother were killed, while his mother and two siblings were injured in the attack, which occurred close to 4:50 a.m. (0150 GMT) local time, the prosecutors said.
We’re working to bring you more on this attack.
Egyptian sailor killed in Russian attack on Turkish-owned cargo vessel
Monday 22 June 2026 10:38 , Alex Croft
We’re hearing news that a Turkish dry cargo vessel, called Victress, has been struck in a Russian drone attack, causing a major fire aboard.
An Egyptian cook was killed in the attack, deputy prime minister Oleksii Kuleba said.
The ship was sailing under the Panamanian flag, the Ukrainian navy said in a Telegram post on Monday.
There were casualties among the nine crew members who are nationals of Egypt, Turkey and India, it said.
The post did not provide details on the casualties.
Pictures: Aftermath of Russian missile strike in Odesa region
Monday 22 June 2026 10:15 , Namita Singh
One killed, three injured as Russia hits Odesa region with Iskander missile, governor says
Monday 22 June 2026 09:30 , Namita Singh
One person was killed and three were injured after Russia hit Ukraine's southern Odesa region with an Iskander ballistic missile on Sunday evening, Oleh Kiper, the regional governor, said on Telegram.
He said vehicles and fuel storage tanks caught fire after the strike hit an agricultural facility in the Odesa district.
The details could not be independently verified.
Russian forces launch missile and drone attacks as fighting continues across eastern U
Monday 22 June 2026 09:00 , Namita Singh
Russian forces carried out three missile strikes, 84 air strikes and dropped 275 guided aerial bombs across Ukraine over the past day, according to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
In its operational update released on Sunday morning, the military said Russian troops also deployed 9,629 kamikaze drones and launched 2,932 attacks, including 55 using multiple-launch rocket systems.
Ukraine said its Air Force, rocket forces and artillery struck four Russian command posts, five areas where troops and equipment were concentrated, six artillery systems, two drone command posts and two other military targets.
Fighting continued along several sections of the front line. In the North Slobozhansky and Kursk directions, four combat engagements were recorded, while Russian forces carried out 54 shelling attacks.
The General Staff reported 13 Russian assaults in the South Slobozhansky direction, including near Izbytske, Lyman, Starytsia and Vovchansk. In the Kupiansk sector, Russian troops launched eight attacks towards Glushkivka, Kurylivka, Shykivka and Mala Shapkivka.
Russian troops infiltrate key eastern Ukrainian city, report says
Monday 22 June 2026 08:15 , Namita Singh
Russian forces have entered the strategic eastern Ukrainian city of Kostyantynivka and are attempting to encircle it, according to a BBC report citing Ukrainian soldiers and military officials.
The city, regarded as a gateway to the wider Donbas region, has become a focal point of fighting as Moscow seeks to secure full control of eastern Ukraine.
Ukrainian troops told the BBC that Russian soldiers have established positions within parts of the city, making it increasingly difficult to remove them in urban combat.
While Russia has claimed rapid advances and the encirclement of Ukrainian units, Kyiv has rejected those assertions.
Brig Gen Oleksandr Bakulin, commander of Ukraine’s 19th Corps, said "the situation remains under control" and "the enemy has no success", though he acknowledged that 130 Russian troops were operating inside the city.
Ukrainian soldiers told the outlet that supply routes were under sustained pressure and described growing logistical challenges.
Pictures: Firefighters attempt to put out blaze in Odesa after Russian strike
Monday 22 June 2026 07:30 , Namita Singh
Russian-held Crimea to halts civilian gasoline sales amid Ukraine attacks
Monday 22 June 2026 07:00 , Namita Singh
Authorities in Russian-controlled Crimea on Sunday suspended civilian petrol sales after Ukraine intensified its attacks on fuel infrastructure across the Black Sea peninsula.
Sergei Aksyonov, the Moscow-installed governor of Crimea, said overnight Ukrainian strikes left four people dead and 28 others injured. In a subsequent post on social media, he announced that petrol stations across the region would temporarily stop selling fuel to private individuals and non-governmental organisations, although no timeline was given for the restriction.
“Fuel will be sold only to government agencies that ensure the functioning and security of the Republic of Crimea,” Aksyonov said. “I ask everyone to remain calm and to only trust official sources of information.”
Report:
Ukrainian attacks prompt Russian-held Crimea to halt civilian gasoline sales
Russian drone hits Turkish dry cargo vessel, Ukrainian Navy says
Monday 22 June 2026 06:43 , Namita Singh
A Russian drone attack hit a Turkish dry cargo vessel called Victress which was sailing under the Panamanian flag, the Ukrainian navy said in a Telegram post on Monday, causing a major fire aboard.
There were casualties among the nine crew members who are nationals of Egypt, Turkey and India, it said, adding that everyone was rescued. The post did not provide details on the casualties.
Video: Ukraine releases drone footage of attacks on Crimea
Monday 22 June 2026 06:26 , Namita Singh
Moscow reopens airports after shooting down nearly 60 drones
Monday 22 June 2026 06:11 , Namita Singh
Russian air defences in the Moscow region shot down dozens of drones in the early hours of Monday as the capital briefly suspended flights at all its major airports, local authorities said, just days after Ukraine hit the city's oil refinery again.
Nearly 60 drones heading for Moscow were downed, mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on Telegram. Sobyanin did not provide further details, adding that emergency services had been dispatched to areas where drones were downed.
The airports of Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo and Vnukovo, as well as Zhukovskiy near the capital, had suspended flights, although those were later resumed, the aviation watchdog said separately.
The attack comes after drones again hit Moscow's sole oil refinery last week. In that offensive, Moscow's defence systems shot down nearly 200 drones in one of the biggest air attacks on the city since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The city of Sevastopol in Russia-annexed Crimea cancelled all open-air public events on Monday and will keep street lights switched off, Mikhail Razvozhayev, the city governor, said on Telegram as he called on people to curb electricity usage.
Crimea, a popular tourist destination for Russians, has suspended fuel sales to the public and businesses, with supplies restricted to government agencies responsible for essential services and security, as Ukraine's drone attacks on its supply routes and energy facilities elsewhere led to a fuel crisis.
Zelensky tells Belarus to dismantle tech used by Russia
Monday 22 June 2026 05:53 , Namita Singh
Tusk warns Poland-Ukraine political row will damage both countries
Monday 22 June 2026 05:22 , Namita Singh
Polish prime minister Donald Tusk has warned that a growing political dispute between Poland and Ukraine is a strategic error that risks damaging both countries, as he attempts to ease renewed tensions over events dating back to the Second World War.
The row escalated after Polish president Karol Nawrocki on Friday revoked Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky's highest Polish state honour. In response, three former Ukrainian presidents and several senior officials returned the awards they had previously received from Poland.
Nawrocki withdrew the Order of the White Eagle after Zelensky drew criticism in Poland for renaming a Ukrainian military unit in honour of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, a nationalist force responsible for massacres of Poles during the Second World War.
“Wading into a conflict between politicians in Poland and Ukraine is a strategic mistake that will harm both sides: business-wise, geopolitically, and reputationally. And in politics, as we know, a mistake is worse than a crime,” Tusk wrote in a post on X.
The pro-European leader returned to power in 2023 after heading a coalition that defeated the nationalist Law and Justice party, with which Nawrocki is politically aligned.
In an interview published on X, Zelensky stressed that Ukraine and Poland could only remain “partners and friends”, warning that political tensions could lead to a “very dangerous escalation”.
“Our service members choose a heroic name for their unit themselves, and as president and supreme commander-in-chief, I must support them,” he said.“Without Ukraine, no one will be able to defend Poland. It is simply impossible.”
Ukraine strikes near Crimea bridge as Zelensky warns of ‘new massive strike’ by Russia
Monday 22 June 2026 05:16 , Namita Singh
Ukraine targeted the energy and military infrastructure near the Crimean Bridge, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed on 21 June.
"This night, our long-range sanctions were applied to the occupiers' military logistics, oil industry, and air defence," Zelensky said in a Telegram post.
"Targets on both sides of the Crimean Bridge were hit: maritime logistics for oil transportation in the Krasnodar region and an oil depot in temporarily occupied Kerch," he added.
Zelensky warned the citizens to be vigilant earlier on 20 June about a possible Russian attack.
"Tonight and in the coming hours, we must pay particularly close attention to air raid alerts," Zelensky has said on Saturday. "The Russians have prepared for a new massive strike. Please, stay safe."
Ukraine drone attacks kill five in Crimea, Krasnodar region, Russian authorities say
Monday 22 June 2026 04:55 , Namita Singh
Four people were killed and 28 wounded in a Ukrainian drone attack on the Russian-controlled peninsula of Crimea, the Russian-installed governor said.
Separately, local authorities in Russia's Krasnodar region said a Ukrainian drone attack killed one person on a passenger ferry and set an oil terminal ablaze.
The ferry service across the Kerch Strait, separating Crimea from the Krasnodar region, has been temporarily suspended, the authorities said.
Ukraine attack kills five as Crimea halts public fuel sales
Monday 22 June 2026 04:40 , Namita Singh
Four people were killed and 28 wounded in a Ukrainian drone attack on the Russian-controlled peninsula of Crimea, the Russian-installed governor said.
Separately, local authorities in Russia's Krasnodar region said a Ukrainian drone attack on an oil transport facility, confirmed by Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy, killed one person on a passenger ferry and set an oil terminal ablaze.
The Russian defence ministry said 239 Ukrainian drones had been shot down overnight.
Crimean governor Sergei Aksyonov said fuel stations across the peninsula suspended sales to the public and businesses, with supplies restricted to government agencies responsible for essential services and security.
Ukraine has recently intensified drone attacks on Crimea, home to Russia's Black Sea Fleet, targeting the peninsula's supply routes and triggering a fuel crisis as the holiday season starts.
A local power grid operator reported outages in several areas after damage to electricity networks, while ferry traffic across the Kerch Strait, separating Crimea from the Krasnodar region, was temporarily suspended.
Authorities also halted traffic on the bridge linking Crimea with Russia's Krasnodar region for more than nine hours, leaving 11 trains running behind schedule.
Ukraine's battlefield shift has not solved its humanitarian crisis, IRC says
Monday 22 June 2026 04:22 , Namita Singh
Ukraine's stronger position in the war with Russia has yet to relieve the humanitarian crisis felt by millions of displaced Ukrainians and worsened by a plunge in aid spending, the head of the International Rescue Committee said.
Ukraine has slowed Russia's advances on the battlefield to a virtual halt in recent months, prompting G7 leaders to recognise at a summit last week that momentum in the war has shifted.
Speaking during a visit to Ukraine, David Miliband, the IRC's president and CEO, said it was still vital to recognise the impact of aid cuts, led by the US, that have halved the IRC's budget in the country to a current estimate of $20m in 2027 from $40m last year.
"It feels particularly important at a time when there is this new sense of a different geopolitical narrative to recognise the brutality and strain that's being faced by millions of Ukrainians," Miliband said on Saturday, World Refugee Day.
The UN calculates roughly 118 million people are displaced globally, often as a result of conflict, violence and persecution. Ukraine accounts for around 10 million, with nearly four million of those internally displaced inside the country.
One killed, three injured as Russia hits Odesa region with Iskander missile, governor says
Monday 22 June 2026 04:04 , Namita Singh
One person was killed and three were injured after Russia hit Ukraine's southern Odesa region with an Iskander ballistic missile on Sunday evening, Oleh Kiper, the regional governor, said on Telegram. He said vehicles and fuel storage tanks caught fire after the strike hit an agricultural facility in the Odesa district.
The details could not be independently verified.
Post office and apartments damaged as 8 injured in attack on Sumy - ICYMI
Monday 22 June 2026 03:00 , Alex Croft
Russia launched a fresh attack on Sumy on Sunday, with several buildings damaged.
Eight people were injured in the overnight attacks, according to Serhii Kryvosheienko, head of Sumy City Military Administration.
A post office, petrol station, apartment blocks and houses were damaged in the attack, he said.
Ukraine's strengthening position in war has not relieved humanitarian crisis - IRC
Monday 22 June 2026 01:30 , Alex Croft
Ukraine's stronger position in the war with Russia has yet to relieve the humanitarian crisis felt by millions of displaced Ukrainians and worsened by a plunge in aid spending, the head of the International Rescue Committee said.
Ukraine has slowed Russia's advances on the battlefield to a virtual halt in recent months, prompting G7 leaders to recognise at a summit last week that momentum in the war has shifted.
Speaking during a visit to Ukraine, David Miliband, the IRC's president and CEO, said it was still vital to recognise the impact of aid cuts, led by the U.S., that has halved the IRC's budget in the country to a current estimate of $20 million in 2027 from $40 million last year.
"It feels particularly important at a time when there is this new sense of a different geopolitical narrative to recognise the brutality and strain that's being faced by millions of Ukrainians," Mr Miliband said on Saturday, World Refugee Day.
Watch: Zelensky warns Ukrainians of ‘massive attack’ from Russia as strikes kill at least six people
Monday 22 June 2026 00:00 , Alex Croft
Ukraine drone attacks kill five in Crimea and Krasnodar region
Sunday 21 June 2026 23:00 , Alex Croft
At least four people were killed and 28 wounded in a Ukrainian drone attack on the Russian-controlled peninsula of Crimea, the Russian-installed governor said.
Separately, local authorities in Russia's Krasnodar region said a Ukrainian drone attack killed one person on a passenger ferry and set an oil terminal ablaze.
The ferry service across the Kerch Strait, separating Crimea from the Krasnodar region, has been temporarily suspended, the authorities said.
Bulletin | Zelensky tells Belarus to dismantle tech used by Russia – or face force
Sunday 21 June 2026 22:02 , Alex Croft
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has urged Belarus to dismantle relay stations he claims are crucial for Russian drone attacks on Ukraine.
Here’s all you need to know in five bullet points:
Zelensky tells Belarus to dismantle tech used by Russia – or face force
Former Ukrainian PM latest to return Polish state honour
Sunday 21 June 2026 21:00 , Alex Croft
Former Ukrainian prime minister Volodymyr Hroisman is the latest Ukrainian politician to return the Knight's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland.
Mr Hroisman received the honour in 2011 while serving as mayor of Vinnytsia, for developing regional cooperation with Polish cities during this time.
"I am returning the order as a sign of solidarity with Ukraine and President Zelensky. Not out of resentment towards the Polish people, but with deep respect for them and gratitude for all the years of support, for the millions of Poles who opened their hearts and homes to our people after 24 February,” he said on Facebook.
It comes as part of an ongoing dispute over Poland and Ukraine’s shared history, after Polish president Karol Nawrocki stripped Volodymyr Zelensky of the Order of the White Eagle after he named a Ukrainian military unit after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army - which Warsaw says carried out a genocide of Poles in the 1940s.
Russia frees 24 Filipinos after Marcos talks with Putin
Sunday 21 June 2026 20:01 , Alex Croft
Russia has freed 24 Filipinos who were detained for months without charges in a Siberian city, after Philippine president Ferdinand Marcos Jr. raised concern for them in a meeting with president Vladimir Putin, Philippine officials said on Saturday.
The 24 arrived in Manila aboard two flights early Sunday, and the first batch was welcomed by Philippine foreign secretary Theresa Lazaro, who accompanied Marcos in his talks with Putin on Wednesday in the Russian city of Kazan, the department of foreign affairs in Manila said.
Migrant Workers secretary Hans Cacdac welcomed the final batch of freed workers before dawn. His agency provided unspecified aid to the workers, who were detained in a Russian region known for its extreme winter temperatures.
Trump claims Moscow losing more troops than Kyiv as he admits Putin on ‘the offensive’ - ICYMI
Sunday 21 June 2026 19:02 , Alex Croft
Recap: Ukraine accepts proposal from Brazil's Lula to work for peace, Kyiv adviser says
Sunday 21 June 2026 18:00 , Alex Croft
President Volodymyr Zelensky has accepted an offer from Brazilian leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to help work for a peace deal in Russia's war in Ukraine, a Ukrainian presidential adviser said on Friday.
Zelensky and Lula met on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit in the French resort of Evian-les-Bains on Wednesday, where the Ukrainian leader urged allies to increase pressure on Russia to end the more than four-year-old war.
The two presidents discussed what could reactivate diplomacy and Lula proposed several ideas, including contacts with permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, presidential communications adviser Dmytro Lytvyn told reporters.
"They agreed that, in particular, based on such ideas and contacts, they would try to achieve something and later they would discuss it based on the results," Lytvyn said.
Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant says external power link restored
Sunday 21 June 2026 17:02 , Alex Croft
The Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southeastern Ukraine said yesterday that external power had been restored after the station had been obliged to rely on diesel generation for a time.
Russia seized the plant in the first weeks of the war and each side has since regularly accused the other of military action that compromises nuclear safety.
A statement issued by the plant's Russian management on Telegram said the plant was operating normally after the transition back to external power. Radiation levels were normal.
The UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, also reported the restoration of the external line after a break of four and a half hours.
Ukraine's energy ministry said Russian military activity was responsible for the disconnection, the 20th such occurrence since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The plant, Europe's largest with six reactors, produces no electricity, but needs power supplied by two external links to keep nuclear fuel at the plant cool.
How Ukraine’s new drone tactics are causing chaos in Russia after largest-ever attack on Moscow
Sunday 21 June 2026 16:01 , Alex Croft
Ukraine launched a powerful barrage of drones on Moscow on Thursday, triggering a huge explosion in one of the Russian capital’s key oil refineries.
Kyiv’s strategic deployment of medium-range drones is inflicting significant damage on Russia's struggling war effort, experts have said as Moscow’s ground offensive stalls.
Kyiv has scaled up its targeting of Russia’s critical oil infrastructure, the lifeblood of the Kremlin’s wartime economy, as part of a wider campaign to weaken its capacity to continue its war on Ukraine.
"One of the most popular questions asked by Muscovites this morning is 'What is going on?' I can answer. Your country started a war of aggression against ours. For years, it has been killing our people. Now that you know what's going on, ask Putin when he is planning to end it," Ukraine's foreign minister Andrii Sybiha posted on X. on Thursday.
Take a look at how Ukraine’s new drone tactics are causing major problems for Russia:
How Ukraine’s new drone tactics are causing chaos in Russia
Watch: Kherson emergency services put out fires as Ukraine reports Russian attack
Sunday 21 June 2026 15:02 , Alex Croft
IAEA says Zaporizhzhia NPP loses power for 20th time
Sunday 21 June 2026 14:00 , Alex Croft
The International Atomic Energy Agency said on Saturday Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant lost off-site power for the 20th time during the conflict with Russia due to an issue with the site's internal power lines affecting its only remaining 330 kV connection, Ferosplavna-1.
Emergency diesel generators were activated to maintain reactor cooling and other essential nuclear safety functions, the agency said in a post on X.
Ukraine's strengthening position in war has not relieved humanitarian crisis - IRC
Sunday 21 June 2026 13:01 , Alex Croft
Ukraine's stronger position in the war with Russia has yet to relieve the humanitarian crisis felt by millions of displaced Ukrainians and worsened by a plunge in aid spending, the head of the International Rescue Committee said.
Ukraine has slowed Russia's advances on the battlefield to a virtual halt in recent months, prompting G7 leaders to recognise at a summit last week that momentum in the war has shifted.
Speaking during a visit to Ukraine, David Miliband, the IRC's president and CEO, said it was still vital to recognise the impact of aid cuts, led by the U.S., that has halved the IRC's budget in the country to a current estimate of $20 million in 2027 from $40 million last year.
"It feels particularly important at a time when there is this new sense of a different geopolitical narrative to recognise the brutality and strain that's being faced by millions of Ukrainians," Mr Miliband said on Saturday, World Refugee Day.
