Here is the current state of affairs on Friday, June 27:
Fighting
- Ukraine’s southern region of Kherson saw one person killed and two wounded due to Russian air strikes, according to regional governor Oleksandr Prokudin, who reported this on Telegram.
- In eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region, Russian troops have taken control of the village of Shevchenko, close to a lithium deposit, following intense resistance from Ukrainian forces, as stated by a Russian-backed official in the occupied region.
- Additionally, Russian forces have claimed control of the settlement of Novoserhiivka in Donetsk, as per the Russian Ministry of Defence.
- Ukraine’s forces successfully halted Russian advances in the northern Sumy region this week, as announced by the country’s top general, Oleksandr Syrskii.
- Syrskii has also mandated the quick construction of defensive lines in the Sumy region, as Russian forces press onward toward the industrial Dnipropetrovsk region.
Military
- North Korea is set to deploy more troops to assist Russia in its conflict with Ukraine, potentially beginning in July, according to information cited by a South Korean lawmaker from Seoul’s intelligence agency.
Politics and diplomacy
- Ukraine and Russia carried out a new prisoner exchange, marking the continuation of prisoner swaps agreed upon during peace negotiations in Istanbul earlier this month. The exact number of prisoners released remains undisclosed, but both sides had pledged to exchange at least 1,000 soldiers each in their direct meeting on June 2.
- No progress has been reported in setting a date for the next round of peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, as per Interfax news agency. Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, however, expressed Russia’s support for continued U.S. mediation efforts in these talks.
- The European Union leaders have extended sanctions against Russia for an additional six months, ensuring the continued freezing of over $234bn in Russian central bank assets until at least early 2026.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called on the European Council to send a strong political message supporting Kyiv’s efforts to join the EU.
- Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, in contrast, stated that a state-organized consultation provides him a mandate to oppose Ukraine’s EU accession at the Brussels summit, according to a report.
- The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) verified the presence of a banned tear gas in samples provided by Ukraine, which accused Russia of using the chemical weapon on the front line. This is the third confirmation of CS gas use in conflict zones in Ukraine by the OPCW.
- Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski suggested that a new arms race could lead to the downfall of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s regime, similar to the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Press freedom
- A Russian court found photographer Grigory Skvortsov guilty of treason and sentenced him to 16 years in prison, after it was alleged he provided detailed information about former Soviet-era bunkers to an American journalist.
- Moscow intends to summon the German ambassador to inform him of retaliatory measures against Russian journalists in Germany, which Russia perceives as harassment, according to Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.
