- It appears the Russians are not currently making much progress from Izium in the north towards Sloviansk, despite repeated attempts to break through Ukrainian lines. Even so, Ukrainian officials cautioned Sunday that Russian forces were “accumulating” north of Sloviansk. The Russian military can quickly mobilize a handful of battalion tactical groups sitting across the border.
- The Kremlin continues to manipulate Russian legislation to carry out “covert mobilization” to support operations in Ukraine without conducting full mobilization
- As Putin’s first trip details are revealed, four G7 nations – Britain, Canada, Japan, and the United States are inching closer to banning Russian gold exports in a bid to stop oligarchs from buying the precious metal to avoid the impact of sanctions against Moscow
- One person died and at least six were wounded in a Russian missile strike that hit a residential apartment block in Kyiv. The city’s Deputy Mayor, Volodymyr Bondarenko, said four of the injured were admitted to the hospital as search and rescue operations continue
- Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to urge delivery of more heavy weapons when he addresses the G7 group of wealthy nations later. Speaking via his daily video address he also called for air defence systems and new sanctions on Russia
- Ukraine has reeled from last week’s fall of Severodonetsk, a small town in the Donbas in eastern Ukraine. For two months, Ukrainian forces held off the Russians, who scored an important symbolic win in a region that the Kremlin says is central to victory in Ukraine
- Nastassia Nasko says she came up with the idea by accident. She had posted on Twitter asking if someone with a car could help evacuate an acquaintance out of the Kharkiv, one of the first Ukrainian cities to be besieged by Russian troops. When nobody responded to her, the 23-year-old tweeted, half-jokingly, that she would send a nude picture of herself to whoever was able to help
The Russian State Duma announced plans to review an amendment to the law on military service on June 28 that would allow military officials to offer contracts to young men immediately upon “coming of age” or graduating high school, thus circumventing the need to complete military service as conscripts. Russian forces continued attacks against the southern outskirts of Lysychansk and consolidated control of Severodonetsk and surrounding settlements. Russian occupation authorities are escalating measures to stem Ukrainian partisan activity in occupied areas through increased filtration measures and the abduction of civilians.
Russian forces continued to conduct attacks against the southern outskirts of Lysychansk on June 26. Russian sources claimed that Russian troops are fighting on the territory of the Lysychansk Gelatin Plant, as well as in Bila Hora (directly southeast of Lysychansk) and Privillya (directly northwest of Lysychansk).
