This week, Ukraine returned soldiers from Russian captivity, as well as more than a thousand bodies of dead Ukrainians. President Volodymyr Zelensky appointed a new prosecutor general and commander of the Ground Forces, and the Verkhovna Rada passed a law on multiple citizenship.
The United States intervened in the conflict in the Middle East and struck Iranʼs nuclear facilities, which exacerbated the conflict in the region.
Babel has collected the main events of the week in Ukraine and the world and tells you about them.
Exchanges with the Russian Federation
During the week, on June 19 and 20, another prisoner exchange took place — most of the released Ukrainian soldiers had been in Russian captivity since 2022.
Many experience significant weight loss, dystrophy, ulcers, vision problems, musculoskeletal diseases, cardiovascular diseases, and digestive problems.
Another 1 245 bodies were returned to Ukraine on June 16, which, according to the Russian side, belong to Ukrainian citizens, including military personnel. The repatriation part of the Istanbul Agreements has been completed. In total, Ukraine received 6 057 bodies of the fallen within the framework of the latest exchanges.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs reported that the Kremlin is returning the bodies of the dead in a severely mutilated state, and during the recent repatriations, the bodies of the occupiers were also handed over. It will take Ukraine more than a year to identify the bodies.
International support for Ukraine and sanctions against the Russian Federation
The Dutch House of Representatives has passed a resolution recognizing the mass deportation of Crimean Tatars by the Soviet regime in 1944 as genocide.
The European Commission proposes to integrate Ukraine into the EU roaming zone from January 2026. This will allow Ukrainians to make calls and use mobile internet from Ukrainian phone numbers in 27 EU countries without additional charges.
In addition, on June 17, the European Commission officially presented a legislative proposal to stop imports of Russian gas and oil by the end of 2027. More details here.
At the same time, the Council of the EU extended the sanctions imposed in response to the illegal annexation of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol by the Russian Federation until June 23, 2026.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky imposed new sanctions twice this week. The restrictions on June 20 concerned Russian defense companies, including drone manufacturers. And on June 22, people and companies doing business in the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine, including Crimea, were added to the sanctions lists.
Among them are fugitive MP Artem Dmytruk, former MP Oleksandr Onishchenko, as well as Ukrainian producer and president of the Star Media film company Vladyslav Ryashyn. More details about the sanctions here and here.
This week, Zelensky reported that Ukraine and partners are synchronizing sanctions against Russia,
The UK also imposed new sanctions against Russia on June 17. The restrictions apply to four people, six organizations, and 20 vessels, including oil tankers, shipping companies, and suppliers of goods to Russia.
On the same day, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney also reported new sanctions against Russia and $1.5 billion in military aid to Ukraine. According to him, the restrictions were imposed against a number of individuals and more than 40 organizations in Russia and abroad.
Australia imposed sanctions on Russiaʼs shadow fleet for the first time on June 18, targeting 60 vessels. G7 leaders failed to persuade Trump to tighten sanctions on Russia. Meanwhile, Pakistan has nominated the US president for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize.
New Prosecutor General and Commander of the Land Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky appointed Brigadier General Gennady Shapovalov as Commander of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Prior to that, he was the commander of the troops of the Operational Command "South".
Shapovalov Gennady
Zelensky also signed a decree appointing Ruslan Kravchenko as Prosecutor General of Ukraine. His appointment was previously supported by 273 MPs.
In addition, this week, Ukraine created the Unmanned Systems Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine group, which unites all military units of the UAS and the "Drone Line". This will help to harmonize approaches, establish joint work and more effectively use unmanned systems in combat. The commander of the group is UAS commander Robert "Madyar" Brovdi.
Multiple citizenship in Ukraine
On June 18, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine passed in the second reading Bill No. 11469 on multiple citizenship. Now Ukrainians will be able to officially hold the citizenship of another country without losing their Ukrainian one, if this other country is included in a special list that will be approved by the Cabinet of Ministers. More details about this here.
Massive attacks by the Russian Federation
Russia massively attacked the capital and other regions of Ukraine with drones and missiles on the night and morning of June 17. In the Solomyansky district of Kyiv, a Russian strike destroyed the entrance to a 9-story building.
Мовенко Сергій / Telegram
At this location, the bodies of 23 victims were pulled from the rubble. In total, 28 people died in the capital as a result of Russian shelling on June 17, and more than 140 were injured. 2 women died from Russian strikes that day in Odesa.
And on June 22, the Russian Federation struck a training ground. 3 people were killed, 14 more were injured. The Russian Federation used an “Iskander-M” missile, this is preliminary information. A few minutes before the strike, almost all the personnel were dispersed and were in shelters. However, some servicemen neglected safety measures. Most of them ended up injured.
Released political prisoners
On June 21, opposition blogger Sergei Tikhanovsky was released in Belarus, as well as 13 other political prisoners. Among those released are former teacher Natalya Dulina, activist Akihiro Gaevsky-Hanada, and journalist of the Belarusian service of Radio Liberty Igor Karney.
According to journalists, the release of citizens was due to the visit to Minsk of the US President Donald Trumpʼs special representative Keith Kellogg.
On June 22, the Russian Federation released Ukrainian journalist Vladyslav Yesypenko, who had been detained since 2021. In February 2022, a Russian occupation court in Crimea sentenced him to six years in prison.
Vladislav Yesipenko after his release from a Russian prison on June 22.
«Радіо Вільна Європа»/ «Радіо Свобода»
Conflict between Bihus.Info and Oleksiy Honcharenko
MP Oleksiy Honcharenko stated on June 18 that investigative journalist Denys Bihus is a public freelance employee of the operational unit of the Security Service of Ukraine, and showed the relevant agreement and receipt. The MP called the journalist a “snitch” and “a whistleblower who obediently carries out relevant assignments”.
Journalist Denys Bihus confirmed on June 19 that he is indeed a public freelance employee of the SBU operational unit of the Military Counterintelligence Department (MCD) of SBU. And he emphasized that it was the data about the department that Honcharenko had drawn with a marker on the published photos.
"Probably, with these words in a country that knows what the MCD SBU does, all the shit he added would sound somehow less impressive. Let me be specific: I am proud that I can — even a little — help the MCD SBU in the war. This, in particular, means to me that I did not spend two years on the front line in vain and did learn something," the journalist says.
The US struck Iranʼs nuclear facilities
On the night of June 22, the United States attacked three Iranian nuclear facilities in the cities of Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. Trump claimed that all three facilities were “completely and irreversibly destroyed”. However, the Pentagon later said that all three facilities suffered “extremely serious damage and destruction,” but it was too early to give an exact estimate of the damage. Read more about the operation here.
NBC News wrote that the US is preparing for a possible Iranian retaliatory strike in the next 48 hours.
Following the US strike, Iran attacked Israel, launching at least 27 missiles in two salvos. More than 80 people were injured.
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