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Morning Headlines
Reuters: Japan imposed trade restrictions on China-based companies as part of a fresh round of sanctions against individuals and groups supporting Russia's war on Ukraine, the foreign ministry said in a statement on Friday.
AP News: South Korea summoned the Russian ambassador to protest the country’s new defense pact with North Korea on Friday, as border tensions continued to rise with vague threats and brief, seemingly accidental incursions by North Korean troops.
ISW: The Russian military's increased over-reliance on infantry-heavy frontal assault tactics has greatly degraded the distinctions between various Russian combat services on the battlefield in Ukraine, minimizing the operational efficacy of frontline troops.
The Kyiv Independent: Drones attacked the Yeysk military airfield in Russia's Krasnodar Krai in the early hours of June 21.
The Kyiv Independent: A fire broke out at the Ilya oil refinery in Russia's Krasnodar Krai after a drone attack on the facility the morning of June 21.
More News
POLITICO: The U.S. has told Ukraine it can use American-supplied weapons to hit any Russian forces attacking from across the border — not just those in the region near Kharkiv, according to U.S. officials.
The Hill: Two days after Putin and Kim Jong Un signed a new defense agreement, Sens. Lindsey Graham and Richard Blumenthal introduced a bill to declare Russia a state sponsor of terror.
Reuters: Officials in Moldova, a fierce critic of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, pledged on Thursday to crack down on athletes and cultural figures who have travelled to Russia to compete or perform without official permission.
Human Rights Watch: Russian authorities are imposing the Russian curriculum and Kremlin propaganda in Ukrainian schools in occupied areas, and have retaliated against school workers if they refuse to implement the imposed Russian curriculum.
The Kyiv Independent: Russia is considering changes to its nuclear doctrine due to developments "related to lowering the threshold for the use of nuclear weapons," Putin claimed while speaking on June 20 in Vietnam, a day after he visited North Korea.
Reuters: Russia-China trade options have narrowed since the U.S. imposed sanctions last week on the only Russian bank branch in China, but Putin's Chinese visit last month has helped ensure the two countries have payment alternatives for now.
AFP: Putin on Thursday said he "does not rule out" sending weapons to North Korea, a day after signing a treaty with Kim Jong Un, calling it repercussions for the West arming Ukraine.
POLITICO: EU leaders will call for increased military aid to Kyiv to help thwart a wave of Russian attacks that have leveled power stations and plunged millions of Ukrainians into darkness.
Swissinfo: Swedish authorities say Russia is behind “harmful interference” deliberately targeting the Nordic country’s satellite networks that it first noted days after joining NATO earlier this year.
AFP: Lithuania's parliament on Thursday voted to raise taxes in order to increase defence spending next year to three percent of gross domestic product, amid security concerns over neighbouring Russia.
Reuters: Germany plans to order 105 Leopard 2 A8 tanks from armsmaker KNDS for 2.93 billion euros, according to a confidential budget draft seen by Reuters on Thursday. The draft still needs parliamentary approval.
The Kyiv Independent: Ukraine's IT Army, a volunteer cyberwarfare group, said it had targeted Russian banks and Russia's Mir payment system on June 20, rendering a range of services "non-functional."
Reuters: Ukraine's international bondholders could suffer a writedown of between 30% and 42% in a debt restructuring deal, but Kyiv is likely to avoid a hard default, JPMorgan said in a note published on Thursday.
POLITICO: The Romanian government today promised to send a full Patriot air defense system to Ukraine to bolster its defenses — on the condition that the United States help cover the gap.
Reuters: The Biden administration on Thursday announced plans to bar the sale of antivirus software made by Russia's Kaspersky Lab in the United States, with Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo saying that Russia's influence over the company poses a significant security risk.
POLITICO: The Biden administration is moving Ukraine ahead of other countries that were slated to receive air defense missiles, the latest move in its effort to rush urgently needed weapons to Kyiv.
AP News: South Korea said Thursday that it would consider sending arms to Ukraine, a major policy change that was suggested after Russia and North Korea rattled the region and beyond by signing a pact to come to each other’s defense in the event of war.
Reuters: A Russian-American woman arrested earlier this year while visiting family in Russia went on trial for alleged treason on Thursday after authorities accused her of raising money to send to the Ukrainian army.
Euronews: The European Union agreed on Thursday to slap a new raft of sanctions against Russia, targeting for the first time supplies of liquefied natural gas, which several member states continue to buy despite the war in Ukraine being well into its third year.
worth mentioning
Balloon crossed into Polish airspace from Russia, Warsaw said
Norway opens new missile factory as global tensions soar
Rheinmetall receives order for 155 mm shells, calls it 'largest in company's history'
Heiskanen outed as Lebedev: the fake Finn who serves Russian propaganda
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