Dear Reader, if you find this email interesting, helpful or of value, please do consider forwarding it to your friends or colleagues and encouraging them to subscribe. Thank you.
Morning Headlines
Reuters: Putin said on Sunday that Russia will press ahead with its battlefield aim of fully capturing four Ukrainian regions, rejecting what he said was a new proposal by Ukraine to rein in hostilities in the more than four-year-old war.
Politico: Prominent conservative law professor John Yoo has agreed to advise Justice Department prosecutor Joseph diGenova on his probe of what Trump’s allies have described as a “grand conspiracy” to upend his first term in office through allegations of ties between his campaign and Russia.
Reuters: Russia is grinding its way into Kostiantynivka, a key stronghold in Ukraine's eastern "fortress belt" long coveted by the Kremlin, even as its gains across the rest of the 1,200-km front line have largely stalled.
The Kyiv Independent: The commander of Ukraine's 154th Separate Mechanized Brigade, Colonel Volodymyr Kononnikov, was found dead on June 28, Ukrainian military and law enforcement authorities said.
28.06.2026
Reuters: Russian attacks killed at least four people on Sunday in Ukraine's southeast and northeast, regional officials said.
The Kyiv Independent: Ukraine struck oil refineries in Russia's Krasnodar Krai and Yaroslavl Oblast overnight on June 28, President Volodymyr Zelensky said, as Kyiv continued its campaign against Moscow's oil infrastructure.
United24 Media: Ukraine’s General Staff said on June 28 that Ukrainian forces struck a railway bridge near Ichki in temporarily occupied Crimea, describing it as a key logistics route used by Russian troops to transport personnel, equipment, and military supplies.
The Kyiv Independent: Kuwait ratified its agreement with Ukraine on cooperation in the military and other spheres, allowing it to enter into force, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on June 28.
CNN: Peruvians say they were promised jobs in Russia, but landed on the front lines in Ukraine.
The Kyiv Independent: Russia once again unleashed a barrage of ballistic missiles strikes on Kyiv overnight on June 28, damaging several sites within the city and injuring at least two people, officials said.
27.06.2026
The Kyiv Independent: Slovak PM Fico spoke out on June 27 against NATO's plans to commit large-scale financial and military aid to Ukraine at the Alliance's upcoming summit in Ankara.
Reuters: Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Saturday he would resign within weeks and the country will hold early presidential and parliamentary elections, following 18 months of anti-government protests.
The Kyiv Independent: A member of the Russian State Duma accused Finland of becoming "a second Ukraine" on June 27, warning that Moscow has the military might to destroy half the country.
United24 Media: Ukraine’s Navy said on June 27 that it had destroyed a Russian logistics boat attempting to resupply occupation forces on the Tendra Spit, a strategically important sandbar off the coast of the occupied Kherson region.
Ukrainska Pravda: Eighteen people, including two children, were injured in Russian attacks on the city of Sumy on the morning of 27 June.
The Korea Herald: South Korea scrambled fighter jets Saturday after more than 10 Chinese and Russian military aircraft entered its air defense identification zone over the East Sea and waters off the country’s south, Seoul’s military said.
United24 Media: Ukraine’s Security Service struck the Vtorovo fuel pumping station in Russia’s Vladimir region on June 27, hitting a key logistics hub that supplies diesel fuel to Moscow.
The Kyiv Independent: Ukrainian-made long-range Flamingo FP-5 missiles "successfully struck" a key Russian military-industrial facility in the city of Volgograd overnight on June 27, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
26.06.2026
RFE/RL: Moscow is building a new missile defense complex near a research institute linked to Putin's daughter, in what appears to be the latest effort to bolster the capital's defenses against potential Ukrainian missile attacks.
Business Insider: Ukrainian soldiers, defense companies, and foreign governments are rushing to sign up for a new portal where Kyiv is offering access to captured Russian military hardware — and what's inside.
Ukrainska Pravda: Two people were killed and 13 others, including children, were injured in a Russian FPV drone attack on Nikopol on 26 June.
The Kyiv Independent: Ukrainian long-range drone strikes hit Russia's military supply vessels in the city of Kerch and air defense systems in the Kerch Strait area in occupied Crimea, Ukraine's Security Service said on June 26.
The Moscow Times: Russia's timber exports to China, its largest overseas market, fell sharply in the first four months of 2026 as Beijing's prolonged property downturn weighed on demand, adding to mounting pressure on an industry already struggling with sanctions, high borrowing costs and weak profitability.
Reuters: Seething over Ukrainian drone strikes and angered by what they see as a failed U.S. promise to broker an end to the war on favourable terms, Russian hardliners are urging Putin to abandon diplomacy and escalate.
France 24: Russia will no longer take part in the rhythmic gymnastics World Challenge Cup in Romania, the team said Friday, after accusing the event's organisers of banning their flag and anthem.
The Moscow Times: Kremlin-backed authorities in annexed Crimea declared a state of emergency on Friday following days of intense Ukrainian attacks that have knocked out power in parts of the peninsula and compounded ongoing challenges for local residents, including widespread fuel shortages and restrictions on public transit.
Reuters: The European Commission proposed on Friday to extend temporary protection for Ukrainians who have sought refuge in the European Union until March 2028, but curb access to protection for men of military age.
Russa-Ukraine Daily Briefing is sent 5 days a week. Do you think your friend or colleague should know about this newsletter? Forward it to them, please. They can also sign up here.
Please consider supporting my work
