Photo : Yves Herman/The Guardian
Photo : Yves Herman/The Guardian
By Fleur Elizabeth Philip
WAR ON THE GROUND
On 23 June, Ukraine’s Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko in a social media post said that the Russian airstrikes have resulted in the deaths of nine and 33 injuries. The Ukraine air force said that Russia has launched 352 drones and 16 missiles that targeted Kyiv. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has travelled to the UK and held talks with Prime Minister Keir Starmer, where they discussed military support to Ukraine.
On 23 June, Al Jazeera reported that drone attacks from Russia have resulted in the deaths of 10 people in Kyiv. Ukrainian officials said that the airstrikes targeted residential areas in various regions across Kyiv. They also said that Russia is increasing its pressure, as the global spotlight is on the Middle East crisis, following the actions of the US on Iran. According to Ukraine’s air force, Russia fired 352 drones, 11 ballistic missiles, and six cruise missiles at midnight. These attacks were intercepted or jammed before they could reach the ground.
THE MOSCOW VIEW
Claims by Russia
On 23 June, Reuters reported that, according to Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, Russia is to begin the production of the Oreshnik intermediate-range hypersonic missile. He said that the production of these missiles is “underway,” and they work well in combat conditions. This missile was previously launched in November 2024, at a defence enterprise in the city of Dnipro. The strike was launched as a response to Ukraine’s first use of US-made ballistic missiles and British cruise missiles. Putin warned that he will increase the number of strikes if Kyiv continues using long-range weapons. These missiles have a range of 5,500 kms, enabling them to strike anywhere in Europe or the Eastern Coast of the US.
THE WEST VIEW
Claims by Europe and the US
On 23 June, NATO's Secretary General Mark Rutte said in a press conference that Ukraine’s path to membership is “irreversible,” despite the US demanding that Ukraine not join the military alliance. Before the summit commences, Rutte said that NATO will do its best to support Ukraine and deliver assistance even from the US. There has been no request for new aid from US President Donald Trump, and the aid that was delivered so far was approved by former US President Joe Biden during his term. He added that there has been an increase in the funds from Europe and Canada, which enables a security assistance fund worth EUR 35 billion will be given to Ukraine.
On 23 May, The Guardian reported that Ukraine and the UK are to deepen their defence cooperation by collaborating on the production of long-range drones. This was confirmed after the talks between Starmer and Zelenskyy in Downing Street. Zelenskyy in the UK said that the goal is to save as many lives as possible and to end “Russian terror.” He confirmed the production of drones, but has not given further details on the same. Starmer expressed his happiness at the strong relations between both countries. Zelenskyy arrived in the UK a couple of hours after the Russian attack on Kyiv. He said that in this attack, 14 are confirmed dead, and there has been massive damage to the infrastructure. He added that, “Everyone in countries neighbouring Russia, Iran and North Korea are murderers.”
References
Joel Gunter & Jaroslav Lukiv, “Nine killed in Kyiv in intense Russian air attack,” BBC, 23 June 2025
“‘Massive’ Russian air assault kills at least 10 in Ukraine’s capital Kyiv,” Al Jazeera, 23 June 2025
“Ukraine and UK to jointly produce long-range drones, Zelenskyy says,” The Guardian, 23 June 2025
“NATO chief: Ukraine’s path to alliance still ‘irreversible’” Politico, 23 June 2025
“Putin says Russia is ramping up production of Oreshnik missile,” Reuters, 23 June 2025