Ukraine Breaking News Today Live on 06-27-2024

Despite a hard-fought match against Belgium, a draw was not enough for Ukraine to progress to the knockout stages in this year’s competition.

The Ukrainians were impressive on Matchday 3 in Stuttgart. Throughout the strongly contested match against Belgium on Wednesday, they looked the better side. They had several chances against the third-best team in the world, and they came close to taking the lead on several occasions. The opportunities would be missed, however, and the match eventually resulted in a goalless draw.

The points would be shared between Belgium and Ukraine. Meanwhile, group opponents Romania and Slovakia also fought to a draw. The results meant that all four teams in Group E ended up with one victory, one draw, and one loss. Of the four sides, Ukraine had the worst goal difference.

Between priests openly supporting the Kremlin and Russia’s persecution of other Christian denominations, Ukrainians are leaving the Moscow-linked Church in droves.

A draft law proposed by the Ukrainian parliament to restrict the activities of the Moscow-linked Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) has the support of 85 percent of Ukrainians, but some foreign observers are concerned about the religious freedom implications of the law.

As believers from around the world gather in Kyiv for the Ukrainian Prayer Breakfast, this is a good opportunity to shed light on the extent of the malign influence of Russian religion.

Slavutych, once a city of nuclear scientists near the Belarusian border, has become a development center for many businesses, both Ukrainian and foreign.

This story is about a factory for the production of agricultural machinery, which an Irishman built in Ukraine right on the border with Belarus – a key ally of Putin’s.

Kyiv Post looks at economic progress in the border zone of the Chernihiv region.

When an Azov officer called out one of Ukraine’s top generals for “killing more Ukrainians than Russians,” Zelensky had to choose between the Azov officer and the general.

• More than a little has gone wrong in Ukrainian ground operations since Lt. Gen. Yuriy Sodol got appointed in February.

Although Ukrainian forces have managed to hold the line and inflict more casualties on a more powerful Russian army than they have taken in the past four-and-a-half months, not all has gone well. A Kremlin offensive launched in May into the Kharkiv region captured around 100 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory against minimal resistance. Russian media reported some Ukrainian troops fled. Ukrainian media later documented that fortifications and strong combat forces weren’t there at all.

In the southern Dnipro River sector, despite near-overwhelming Ukrainian drone superiority, the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) has struggled to supply – never mind expand – a toehold bridgehead on the left bank of the river.

Ukraine has signed 17 similar bilateral security agreements, including with the United States, France, Germany, Britain and Japan.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said a security agreement to be inked between Kyiv and the European Union on Thursday would advance peace and prosperity across the continent.

Zelensky was visiting Brussels, days after the EU said it was opening formal membership negotiations with Kyiv, where he will meet some of Ukraine's staunchest supporters in the face of the Russian invasion.

Rate reduction on hold.

Yesterday, the Ministry of Finance borrowed UAH15.1bn, more than half in foreign currency. Rates for all bonds have remained relatively the same pending the revision of the NBU's macro forecast.

The Ministry reopened the one-year bills sold last year. This instrument expectedly gathered the most bids yesterday. In total, the Ministry received UAH4.2bn of bids, refused to satisfy two competitive bids with rates higher than 14.74%, but satisfied all non-competitive demand in full. The Ministry sold only UAH3.6bn of bills and attracted almost UAH4bn to the budget, reducing the cut-off and the weighted average rates by 1bp to 14.74% and 14.71%, respectively.

Russian soldiers tried to hide from Ukrainian drones in a house and then escape in a car, but the “ruthless drones” caught up with them.

Aerial scouts from the 71st Separate Hunting Brigade of the Ukrainian Airborne Assault Forces reported via Telegram the destruction of a large concentration of Russian troops using FPV drones.

“The enemy infantry tried to hide, but in the end, they were buried in the Ukrainian land,” read the accompanying caption to the released video.

Putin urges increased protection for the fleet against long-range missiles, after Ukraine eliminates another missile ship in Sevastopol, forcing Moscow to move the fleet to mainland Russia.

Russia's Navy needs to be protected from long-range missile attacks as soon as possible, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting discussing shipbuilding on Wednesday, June 26.

"It is necessary to protect our fleet from possible attacks already on the far outskirts of naval bases and areas of operation of our ships," he said.

French President Emmanuel Macron has called snap elections with polls showing a surge in support for Ukraine-sceptic far right parties.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told AFP Thursday he believes France will continue to support his country on the battlefield and that its next government should be independent from Russian influence and pro-European.

French President Emmanuel Macron -- now one of Ukraine's most prominent advocates in Europe -- has called snap elections with polls showing a surge in support for Ukraine-sceptic far right parties.

This is not the first time similar news has circulated in the Ukrainian market, though this time preparatory work might actually be underway.

Swedish furniture giant IKEA might soon be returning to Ukraine, though it’s not clear when or how it might happen.

The decision was made by IKEA’s head office in May, according to Forbes UA, citing two shopping center top managers and two commercial real estate consultants.

Poland increasingly sees war with Moscow as being inevitable and it doesn’t intend for its armed forces or its citizens to be found wanting as it prepares to defend itself.

Poland has seen what has happened to its Ukrainian neighbor since Russia's full-scale invasion and doesn’t intend to be caught unprepared as Kyiv was.

Even before Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine began in February 2022 Poland had decided to modernize and rearm its armed forces, but that process really took off because of the invasion, with Warsaw declaring it wanted to create the largest, best-equipped armed forces in Europe by 2035.

A claim on Monday, June 24 by a Russian news site that its military had shot down the US surveillance drone was quickly reposted as fact by pro-Kremlin milbloggers.

The Russian news site Pravda ran a story on Monday claiming: “The Russian Aerospace Forces may have shot down an American drone over the Black Sea.” The piece quickly gained traction on social media with so-called Russian “Z-bloggers.”

The “Military Observer,” who titles himself as a “new military journalist,” said on his Telegram channel that it was certain that a Russian MiG-31 fighter on patrol over the Black Sea had “shot down a US Air Force reconnaissance drone.” He said that this was presumably “a high-altitude reconnaissance drone RQ-4B Global Hawk,” later confirming there had been “a certain incident” but that the “Pentagon denies the incident.”

The world in focus, as seen by a Canadian leading global affairs analyst, writer and speaker, in his review of international media.

NATO will offer Ukraine a new headquarters to manage its military assistance at its upcoming 75th anniversary summit in Washington, officials said, an assurance of the alliance’s long-term commitment to the country’s security that has been heralded as a “bridge” to Kyiv’s eventual membership. President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine — along with some Central European nations — had fervently hoped his country would be offered membership negotiations by NATO at the summit, which runs from July 9 to 11. Instead, the alliance will announce that it has agreed to set up a mission in Germany to coordinate aid of all kinds to Ukraine over the longer term, American and NATO officials said. The move is intended to send a strong signal of allied commitment, both to Kyiv and to Moscow, which hopes the West will grow tired of supporting the war. Because the mission will be under NATO’s auspices, it is designed to function even if Donald J. Trump, a sharp critic of the alliance and of aid to Ukraine, wins the U.S. presidency in November. - NYT

Bolivia’s president Luis Arce has urged citizens to take to the streets to defend the country’s democracy from an apparent coup attempt after heavily armed army troops seized control of La Paz’s political heart and military police were filmed trying to force their way into the former government palace. “We need the Bolivian people to mobilize and organize themselves against this coup d’état and in favour of democracy,” Arce said in a video message filmed at the Great House of the People, the official presidential residence in Bolivia’s de facto capital of La Paz. Flanked by members of his cabinet, Arce declared: “We cannot allow, once again, attempted coups to claim Bolivian lives.” - The Guardian

When the Russian assaults began, life in the town, some 40 kilometres (25 miles) north of Donetsk city, deteriorated drastically.

Compared to others in war-scarred east Ukraine, Galyna Poroshyna had been lucky to live in Toretsk, a mining town nestled in a relatively sleepy sector of the front line.

Then, suddenly, the Russian assaults began, and life in the town, some 40 kilometres (25 miles) north of Donetsk city, deteriorated drastically.

However, it remains to be seen how long the negotiations will last and whether they will culminate in accession. Commentators discuss the next steps.

On Tuesday, the EU officially began accession talks with Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova. Belgium's Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib talked of this being a "historic moment for us all." However, it remains to be seen how long the negotiations will last and whether they will actually culminate in accession. Commentators discuss the next steps.

Vital for our country

All four teams finished level on four points in Group E, but Ukraine finished bottom on goal difference after a damaging 3-0 loss to Romania in their opening match.

Ukraine coach Serhiy Rebrov said he could not fault his players as they were eliminated from Euro 2024 on Wednesday following a 0-0 draw with Belgium.

All four teams finished level on four points in Group E, but Ukraine finished bottom on goal difference after a damaging 3-0 loss to Romania in their opening match.

After Kyiv’s success in creating a sustainable grain corridor last year, economists now worry about a GDP drop caused by Kremlin attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure in 2024.

After Ukraine succeeded in establishing a sustainable grain corridor, economists’ attention was drawn to energy shortages after Russia repeatedly attacked the electrical infrastructure and power grid.

The real GDP growth rate slowed to 3.8 percent year-on-year due to “significant damage caused by Russian attacks on electricity generation.”

NATO’s advantage against a potential Russian attempt to undermine Europe is only on paper. Ukraine provides an opportunity to learn what is necessary for it to survive.

There is something slow but inevitable in the strategic changes in the Russo-Ukrainian War. Two years have shown that Russia’s horrific invasion will not be stopped by anything but force. Russia’s military industry has ramped up faster than the West’s, providing Russian forces with an overwhelming weight of fire.

Western capitals have responded more slowly, but have provided support that has kept Ukraine and the fight and given the Ukrainian Armed Forces long-range strike capabilities and superior Western armaments, and it remains to be seen if this, and increased munitions production, can turn the tide again. Deploying Western troops – either as a NATO operation or more likely in a coalition of the willing – would provide obvious aid to Ukraine, but it would be an unparalleled opportunity for Western governments and militaries, and that bears great consideration.

Latest from the Institute for the Study of War.

Key Takeaways from the ISW:

• The likely Islamic State (IS) affiliate Wilayat Kavkaz terrorist attacks in the Republic of Dagestan on June 23 have increased fears within the Russian information space about further attacks and instability in the North Caucasus.
• The June 23 terrorist attacks in Dagestan also prompted Chechen Republic Head Ramzan Kadyrov to double down on his image as a ruthless autocratic strongman capable of protecting the North Caucasus from religious extremism.
• North Korea will reportedly send military construction and engineering forces to participate in "reconstruction work" in occupied Donetsk Oblast as early as July 2024.
• Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov reiterated that Russia is not interested in any negotiations that do not result in Ukrainian territorial concessions beyond the parts of Ukraine Russian forces already occupy.
• New Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov used his first phone call with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on June 26 to reiterate standard Russian threats meant to coerce the US out of supporting Ukraine as part of the wider Russian reflexive control campaign targeting Western decision-making.
• Russia and Ukraine exchanged 90 prisoners of war (POWs) each in a one-to-one POW exchange on June 25 amid United Nations (UN) reports of Russia's continued abuse of POWs.
• Russia and Iran signed a memorandum on June 26 regarding the supply of Russian gas to Iran, following reported disagreements between Russia and the People's Republic of China (PRC) on the Russian supply of gas to the PRC.
• Ukraine’s pervasive shortage of critical air defense missiles is inhibiting Ukraine’s ability to protect its critical infrastructure against Russian strikes.
• Russian forces recently marginally advanced near Kupyansk.
• Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) published a report on June 26 detailing a significant increase in Russia's military equipment and weapons production in 2023.