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Ukraine attacked a Russian drone factory in the Tatarstan region, located about 1,200km away from the frontline.
At least one person was killed and 13 others wounded in Sunday’s attack, according to regional governor Rustam Minnikhanov. He said the Ukrainian drone was destroyed, but falling debris ignited a fire and struck a vehicle manufacturing plant in the Yelabuga district.
The Ukrainian military said the Russian factory produced, tested, and launched drones at Ukraine. Russia launched 183 drones and decoys, along with 11 missiles, according to the Ukrainian Air Force, which said its air defences destroyed 111 drones and eight missiles, while another 48 drones were jammed.
Meanwhile, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has urged the G7 nations to ramp up sanctions on Russia to secure a ceasefire in Ukraine. “Last week, we put forward a proposal for an 18 sanctions package. I will invite all G7 partners to join us in this endeavour,” she said.
The EU is set to adopt a new sanctions package on Russia, but has so far failed to convince US president Donald Trump, who has been reluctant to pressure Russian president Vladimir Putin into imposing new American sanctions.
Zelensky plans to discuss weapons purchases with Trump on G7 sidelines
Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday he planned to discuss new weapons purchases for Ukraine with Donald Trump.
Zelensky, who is visiting Austria, would attend the Group of Seven summit in Canada on Tuesday, where he hopes to meet Trump on the sidelines of the meeting.
“One of the questions that I will discuss with President Trump during the meeting is the defence package that Ukraine is ready to buy,” Zelensky told a news conference in Vienna.
(APA/AFP via Getty Images)
Tom Watling16 June 2025 15:57
Russia says US has cancelled next round of talks on easing tensions
Russia has said that upcoming talks aimed at easing tensions between Moscow and the US have been cancelled at Washington’s request.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that Moscow “hopes that the pause they have taken will not last too long”.
The US and Russia recently began talks aimed at defusing long-running tensions, which have soured since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
However, President Donald Trump has indicated that he is keen to rebuild relations with Moscow despite the war.
Russia says it has handed over 6,060 Ukrainian soldiers’ bodies
Russia has handed back the bodies of 6,060 Ukrainian servicemen under agreements reached at Russia-Ukraine talks in Istanbul earlier this month, a Kremlin said on Monday.
Vladimir Medinsky said Moscow is ready to hand over another 2,239 bodies.
Russia has so far received the remains of 78 of its own soldiers in return, Medinsky and the ministry of defence said.
Daniel Keane16 June 2025 13:50
As Putin ramps up his summer offensive in Ukraine, will he succeed?
Not so, Dmitry Peskov pouted; the conflict is an “existential question” for Russia. “This is a question of our security and the future of ourselves and our children, the future of our country,” continued Putin’s spokesman, who has grown more accustomed to preening with pleasure at the relentless assaults on Ukraine from the White House this year.
He is right. Victory for Russia was once defined as regime change in Kyiv. But it really need only be a messed up Ukraine, unstable, violent and impoverished.
Tom Watling16 June 2025 13:00
G7 needs to raise pressure on Russia, von der Leyen says
More pressure must be exerted on Russia to secure a ceasefire in Ukraine, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Sunday, and urged the G7 nations to ramp up sanctions to achieve that goal.
Leaders of the world’s largest industrial nations are meeting in Canada’s Rockies with European countries seeking to keep the war in Ukraine firmly on the mind of U.S. President Donald Trump, despite fighting breaking out between Israel and Iran in the Middle East.
With diplomacy at a standstill, the European Union is set to adopt a new sanctions package on Russia, but has so far failed to convince Trump, who has been reluctant to weigh in on Russian President Vladimir Putin, to impose new US sanctions. Trump has said he did not want the sanctions to interfere with getting a ceasefire.
“We must put more pressure on Russia to secure a real ceasefire, to bring Russia to the negotiating table and to end this war, sanctions are critical to that end,” von der Leyen told a news conference before Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States begin talks on Monday.
“Last week, we put forward a proposal for an 18 sanctions package. I will invite all G7 partners to join us in this endeavour.”
President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen speaks during a press conference during the G7 Leaders’ Summit in Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada (EPA)
Tom Watling16 June 2025 12:08
Crimean bridge attack and Operation Spiderweb show Zelensky has a fist full of wild cards against Russia
The eruption of 1.1 tons of explosive on the logistical artery dealt a physical blow, but it’s the psychological effect that will be longer lasting.
Tom Watling16 June 2025 11:30
Russian shelling wrecks homes in Donetsk
Russian forces carried out 21 shelling operations across civilian areas of eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region, Kyiv’s emergency services have reported.
The state emergency service posted photos of the aftermath of the strikes, which you can see below.
At least one person was injured in the village of Dmytro-Daryivka.
Tom Watling16 June 2025 10:44
In pictures: On the frontline with Ukraine’s drone pilots 
A soldier from the drone battalion of the 225th Ukrainian Separate Assault Regiment fighting near the Russian border in the Kursk region, assembles modified drone components in an undisclosed location (AFP via Getty Images)
(AFP via Getty Images)
Tom Watling16 June 2025 10:02
Former CIA director says Donald Trump’s plan for war in Ukraine is ‘naive and unsophisticated’
In the first five months of his second term, the U.S. president has aggressively pushed for peace but refused to offer unconditional support to Kyiv in its defence against Russian aggression.
Tom Watling16 June 2025 09:31
Russia will attack Ukraine’s energy grid while the world is distracted by Israel-Iran, says Kyiv
Russia intends to attack Ukraine’s civilian energy infrastructure while the world is distracted by the conflict between Israel and Iran, Kyiv’s foreign minister Andriy Sybiha has claimed.
Ukraine’s top diplomat said Russia’s Sunday attacks on energy and agricultural infrastructure facilities in the central city of Kremenchuk showed Moscow’s plan.
“Yesterday’s barbaric attack on Kremenchuk’s energy infrastructure is part of Russia’s campaign to bomb Ukrainian civilian energy infrastructure,” he said.
“Moscow intends to attack Ukraine’s energy grid while the world’s attention is on the Middle East. This is especially cynical given Putin’s ongoing attempts to imitate constructiveness toward US peace efforts. In reality, he shows complete disregard for them by ramping up terror against Ukraine.”
He called on Ukraine’s supporters to ramp up sanctions on Russian energy.