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By Fleur Elizabeth Philip
WAR ON THE GROUND
On 22 June, Ukrinform reported that there had been an exchange of fire between Russia and Ukraine. Russia launches airstrikes on Lemkivshchyna, Ulanove, and Miropolski in the Sumy region; Zarichia in the Chernihiv region; and Lemishchyne in the Kharkiv region. Ukraine repelled nine attacks, and Russia has conducted three airstrikes, five guided bombs, and six barrages from multiple launch rocket systems in the Northern Sloboz Hansh Chyna and Kursk sectors, whereas in the southern region, Russia attacked six times at Volchansk, Stroika, and Fiholivka regions. Russia has also launched attacks in the Novopavlivka, Orikhiv, Pokrovsk, Toretsk, Siversk, Lyman, and Kupiansk sectors.
On 22 June, Russia launched drone strikes on the Zaporizhzhia district, leaving 5000 households without power. The head of the Zaporizhzhya Regional Military Administration, Ivan Fedorov, said that the repair work will begin, depending on the security situation. Apart from the lack of electricity, there have been fires sparked at five buildings, but no casualties have been recorded.
On 21 June, Ukrinform reported that Russia attacked the Zaporizhzhia region by launching 343 attacks on 11 regions. The head of the Zaporizhzhia Regional Military Administration said that Russia launched 10 airstrikes on Huliaipole, Shcherbaky, Mala Tokmachka, Novohryhorivka, and Charivne, along with 207 UAVs on Matviivka, Lobkove, Kamianske, Prymorske, Huliaipole, Shcherbaky, Novodanylivka, Mala Tokmachka, and Charivne, 119 artillery shells on Lobkove, Kamianske, Huliaipole, Shcherbaky, Novodanylivka, Mala Tokmachka, and Charivne. There have been no reports of casualties, but there is severe damage to the private homes, apartment buildings, and several infrastructure.
On 21 June, Reuters, President Zelenskyy confirmed the rapid development of interceptor drones that will counter the Russian drones that have been attacking the region in recent weeks. Ukrainian officials have noted the use of Iranian Shahed drones deployed by Russia, which pose a threat to Ukraine, and to counter them, Ukraine is developing separate interceptor drones to protect itself from the Iranian drones. It has been noted that more than 440 drones and 32 missiles were launched on Kyiv, resulting in the death of 28 people.
On 20 June, Ukrinform reported that Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had a meeting with the Supreme Commander in Chief, where they discussed in detail the activities on the front lines and protection for the Sumy region. Zelenskyy said that the Sumy region must receive special attention and expressed his gratitude towards the military for their resilience. Zelenskyy also mentioned that along with the Commander, theory reviewed all agreements on arms supplies, contracts, financing, and the commitments made to other partners. He said that the volume of support has been the largest since the beginning of the war, and emphasized that Ukraine looks forward to more investments in the domestic production of arms and the development of new manufacturing initiatives. The Ukrainian government is also preparing a list of instructions for the National Security and Defence Council. Zelenskyy concluded by stating that they have developed a new package of sanctions to be imposed on individuals and legal entities that are helping Russia.
THE MOSCOW VIEW
Claims by Russia
On 21 June, Russia’s Defence Ministry confirmed that they launched a heavy missile and drone strike targeting the Ukrainian military airfield and their energy facilities. They confirmed that the attack was carried out with utmost precision, targeting land, air, and sea weapons, along with several UAVs, their military airfield, and their energy facility that supplies fuel to the Ukrainian military. The ministry also claims that Russian warplanes, drones, missiles, and artillery were used to destroy several UAV production bases, as well as ammunition depots in Ukraine. The energy facility was located in Kremenchuk, Poltava region.
On the same day, Putin said that all those countries that support Kyiv are not interested in ending the war, as they are using the country for their own goals. In the St Petersburg Forum, Putin said that he does not want Ukraine to surrender, but emphasizes that they recognize the ground realities that are currently going on. He added that Kyiv should respect the demands of the people and join Russia. Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, in the St Petersburg International Economic Forum, said that the whole of Ukraine belongs to Russia and Ukraine and Russia “are one.”
On 20 June, Moscow’s Chief negotiator for Ukraine, Vladimir Medinsky, said that Russia is ready to transfer the last remaining 3000 bodies of the Ukrainian soldiers, if Kyiv agrees to accept them. He also rejected all claims made by Kyiv on the presence of Russian bodies among the Ukrainians that were exchanged. He also said that they have returned a total of 6060 bodies, whereas Kyiv has only returned 79 Russian soldiers. This comes following the agreement made by both parties in the Istanbul talks, where they have agreed exchanging the same number of bodies. Medinsky added that Kyiv jeopardized the first set of transfers on 07 June by refusing to take in the soldiers, who are around 3000.
On 20 June, RT reported on the seven takeaways from the St Petersburg International Economic Forum. Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, said that Moscow does not look for an unconditional surrender of Ukraine, but to acknowledging the “realities on the ground.” They include Russia’s goals and the potential directions for resolving the crisis. There are five takeaways from the forum. The first is that Putin does not want Ukraine to surrender unconditionally, but to understand the ground realities. Second, Russia has consistently attempted to settle the conflict in Donbass, a former region in Ukraine, but the issue escalated after the western-backed 2014 Maidan coup. These efforts were undermined by Kyiv and its backers. Third, the negotiations held in Istanbul at the beginning of 2022 fell due to the pressure from the imperialists. Fourth, Ukraine had developed its sovereignty, following the fall of the USSR, and Russia accepts its right to exist and be an independent nation, but the country has drifted from the foundational principles, from which it sought its independence. Fifth, Putin said that if Kyiv goes nuclear, it would be their biggest mistake, as there would be “catastrophic” consequences for Kyiv. Sixth, the number of Ukrainian military personnel has drastically reduced, and they are suffering from man-power shortages. Putin added that the attack in the Kursk region is politically driven and not military reasoning. This has led the situation to worsen, and the frontlines have stretched with more soldiers. Seven, Russia has the upper hand and could further advance into Ukraine, using it as a buffer zone, to protect Russia from any attacks. Russia has already defeated the Ukrainian troops in the Sumy region and has created a buffer zone that is 12 kilometres deep.
THE WEST VIEW
Claims by Europe and the US
On 22 June, Ukraine’s Deputy Finance Minister, Olha Zykova, announced that the country will need around USD 17.3 billion to recover the housing, energy, and transport infrastructure. She also noted that around USD 7.4 billion has been secured through the state budget as well as their international partners. There needs to be a raise of USD 10 billion. According to her, the funding must be used for housing, transportation, energy infrastructure, and social protection. These sectors are of utmost importance and need funding. She also emphasized the government's engagements with the private sector, developed reforms for their recovery, and introduced new financial instruments.
On 22 June, The Moscow Times reported that Ukraine has pledged to increase its strikes on Russia. Ukraine’s top military commander-in-chief, Oleksandr Syrsky, said that the depth and the scale at which Ukraine attacks Russia will increase. He added that they will not just defend themselves, as this has only gotten them to lose more people. He comments that talks between the two regions have not led to significant changes, and the end to the war looks distant. He also said that Russia has the upper hand in terms of drone warfare, especially in the development of the fibre optic drones, making it difficult to detect in their radar systems.
On 22 June, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported that Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrsky said that Ukraine’s attack in the Kursk and Sumy regions has disabled Russia’s redeployment of forces from Kursk to Lyman, Toretsk, Pokrovsk, Zaporizhia, and Kherson regions. He acknowledged a Russian milblogger who said that the “summer offensive” has the same number of operations, and the situation will not change shortly. He also said that Ukrainian forces are conducting organized defence tactics on the front lines.
On 22 June, Syrsky said that there are around 695,000 Russian troops in Ukraine, along with 13 divisions, regiments and brigades in their strategic reserves. On this, he said that Russia is taking significant steps to increase their military and make up the losses, to establish the reserves, but are not directly involved in the combat. He added that Ukraine remains unsure if the Russian forces are going to use them for specific reasons, or they are to be dedicated to the front lines. Another possibility is that Russia may use its forces in preparation for a conflict with NATO. Syrsky on Ukraine said that they are on the defence, conducting counterattacks in vulnerable areas, in the front lines. The ISW said that the Russian military may prioritize recruitment as a part of their long-term process, especially to be used against NATO. They could also be used against Ukraine, if they could keep up with replacing the fallen
On 21 June, Ukraine’s Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food released a report citing the data on agricultural exports. Ukraine exported 15.56 million tons of wheat, 2.31 million tons of Barley, 10.8 thousand tons of rye, 21.56 million tons of corn, and 68.7 thousand tons of flour. There has been a decrease in exports compared to the 2024 export levels.
On 20 June, the UN Security Council met and discussed Ukraine, following the drastic attack on Kyiv. UN Assistant Secretary General Miroslav Jenča said that the last meeting was held three weeks ago, and since then, Russia has launched attacks across Ukraine. The UN Human Rights Office has released a report stating that 13,438 people were killed, 33,270 injured, since the beginning of the war in 2022. Ukrainian authorities have reported that since the beginning of June, Russia has launched at least 3,340 long-range drones, decoy drones, and 135 missiles.
References
“Ukraine requires $17.3B in 2025 for priority recovery efforts,” Ukrinform, 23 June 2025
“Russian drone attack on Zaporizhzhya region cuts power to 5,000 households,” Ukrinform, 22 June 2025
“War update: 69 clashes on frontline since morning; fighting ongoing in five sectors,” Ukrinform, 22 June 2025
“Russia conducts heavy missile and drone strike on Ukrainian military airfield – MOD,” RT, 21 June 2025
“Kiev’s backers don’t want the conflict settled – Putin,” RT, 21 June 2025
“Ukraine Army Chief Vows to Expand Strikes on Russia,” The Moscow Times, 22 June 2025
“‘All of Ukraine is ours,’ says Putin as Russia captures eastern Ukrainian village,” Firstpost, 21 June 2025
“Ukraine: Security Council hears of escalating attacks, diplomatic developments,” United Nations, 20 June 2025
“Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, June 22, 2025,” Institute for the Study of War, 22 June 2025
“Russians launch 343 strikes on Zaporizhzhia region in 24 hours, woman injured,” Ukrinform, 21 June 2025
“Ukraine’s grain exports surpass 40M tonnes since marketing year began,” Ukrinform, 21 June 2025
“Zelensky holds Staff meeting: Detailed report on battlefield, special focus on Sumy region,” Ukrinform, 20 June 2025
“Zelenskiy says Ukraine developing interceptor drones to counter Russian attacks,” Reuters, 21 June 2025
“Russia ready to hand over 3,000 more bodies of fallen Ukrainian soldiers – top negotiator,” RT, 20 June 2025
“Ukrainian sovereignty, worsening positions and ‘final mistake’: Key takeaways from Putin’s Q&A,” RT, 20 June 2025
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