Ukraine War News Today - Top Stories and Breaking Updates from Kyiv Post

The move came two days after it was announced that the French car maker was considering a partnership with a defense company to produce unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in Ukraine.

Following the announcement that Renault was in line to work in partnership with a French defense company to manufacture drones in Ukraine a member of Russia’s State Duma put forward a motion to declare the company’s logo as a fascist symbol.

French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu announced shortly after the 28th “Ramstein” Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting on June 4 the possibility of a new partnership between a French car manufacturer and a French SME defense company to produce unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in Ukraine, which he described as a “win-win partnership.”

Ukrainian farmers are trying to save their fields from fire, but the heat, the vast dry areas, and continued drone attacks are making the task nearly impossible.

Around 5,000 hectares of fields in the Kherson Region were burned after Russiaʼs drone attacks for the three days in a row, Vitalii Pichura, head of the Department of Ecology and Sustainable Development at Kherson State Agrarian and Economic University, told SuperAgronom on June 9.

Along with frost, drought, the draining of the Kakhovka Reservoir after Russiaʼs attack on the dam in 2023, and the lack of irrigation, it further damages Ukrainian crops. 

Ukraine and Russia exchanged seriously wounded POWs, including some of the gravely injured defenders of Mariupol from 2022, who are now returning home.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine and Russia continue exchanging prisoners, following the agreements reached at the second round of talks in Istanbul.

On Tuesday, June 10, the first stage of the exchange of seriously wounded soldiers between Moscow and Kyiv began, as announced by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who also published the first footage of Ukrainian military personnel returning home.

In yet another confirmation of systematic torture, Ukrainian officials verified that Russians branded “glory to Russia” on the abdomen of a Ukrainian prisoner while in captivity.

The photo of a Ukrainian soldier who returned from Russian captivity with the phrase “Glory to Russia” branded onto his body is real, Ukrainian officials have determined.

The photo showing a man’s abdomen with the inscription “Glory to Russia” burned into the now-scarred skin began to circulate on social media. It was published with captions and explanations that this is a Ukrainian soldier who was exchanged and returned from Russian captivity.

The denial came after Ambassador Michael Brodsky told a Ukrainian blogger that Israel had sent Patriot systems to Ukraine.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry on Tuesday, June 10, denied reports that the country transferred Patriot anti-aircraft missile systems to Ukraine, despite earlier claims by Israel’s ambassador to Kyiv.

The denial came after Ambassador Michael Brodsky told a Ukrainian blogger that Israel had sent Patriot systems, originally acquired from the United States and used by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in the 1990s, to Ukraine.

A Russian intelligence agent who called for the creation of buffer zones and adjusted Russian air attacks on cities has been detained in Kharkiv under suspicion of treason.

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has detained an FSB agent who was coordinating Russian air attacks in Kharkiv.

According to the SBU press service, a local unemployed woman was directing enemy fire. She came to the attention of Russian intelligence when she called on social media for the creation of so-called “buffer zones” in Ukraine.

Russian attacks hit Kyiv and Odesa, with thick smoke rising over Kyiv from multiple fires. Odesa’s maternity hospital was targeted, while residential areas, medical facilities suffered severe damage.

Updated with information on casualties in Odesa

The death toll from Russia’s overnight attack on Odesa has risen to two, according to the press service of the State Emergency Service in the Odesa region and the Odesa regional prosecutor’s office.

At least nine people were injured, and another nine were rescued thanks to the quick actions of emergency responders.

The head of Germany’s foreign intelligence service says Russia continues to test the resolve of the NATO alliance, with the invasion of Ukraine just the first step to extending confrontation.

Bruno Kahl, head of Germany’s Federal Intelligence Service (BND), said that there are clear intelligence indications that the Kremlin is preparing to test the ability of NATO’s members to enforce its Article 5 – the collective defense obligation that considers “an attack on one is an attack on the whole.” The comments came while speaking to the German current affairs channel Table Media’s “Table Today” YouTube podcast on Monday,

The intelligence has assessed that the hawks in President Vladimir Putin’s regime – having seen what it categorizes as the Alliance’s weak collective response to its “special military operation” in Ukraine – are becoming increasingly determined to test NATO’s resolve by extending its actions beyond the borders of Ukraine.

HUR’s Chimera unit thwarted a Russian offensive in Kupyansk, killing dozens, wounding over 40, and capturing 2 soldiers. Over 40 Russian fortifications were destroyed as fierce fighting continues.

Ukraine’s Chimera special unit, part of the Tymur Special Unit of the Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR), successfully thwarted a Russian offensive in the Kupyansk sector of the Kharkiv region, eliminating dozens of Russian soldiers.

HUR shared a video of the special operation on Telegram, captioned: “Chimera is in action: HUR special forces eliminate the enemy in the Kupyansk sector.”

Officials reported that a blast wave from an arial attack destroyed the cornice on the main apse of the cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of Ukraine’s most important historical sites.

A historic symbol of Ukraine, St. Sophia Cathedral, was damaged overnight as a result of one of the largest Russian air attacks on Kyiv since the start of the full-scale invasion, Ukrainian officials said Tuesday.

Officials reported that a blast wave destroyed the cornice on the main apse of the cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of Ukraine’s most important monuments. The cathedral, which has stood for nearly a thousand years, has been under constant threat since the war began.

It has been revealed that the French defense ministry is negotiating terms with the previously unnamed car manufacturer although the details of the discussion have not been revealed.

Kyiv Post previously reported on French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu’s announcement of a new partnership between a French car manufacturer and a French SME defense company to produce unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in Ukraine, which he described as a “win-win partnership.”

He added that France was building on Ukraine’s expertise in designing and manufacturing battlefield drones along with its “ongoing tactical and operational training that reflects the reality” of the war in Ukraine.

The NBU strengthened the hryvnia last week, despite a significant shortage of hard currency and large interventions remaining. Weekly Insight for June 9.

Bonds: MoF pauses offering of reserve bonds

The Ministry of Finance updated its offer of military and regular bonds while pausing the offering of reserve bonds.Last week, the MoF sold the usual 15-month and 20-month bills and replaced the three-year note with a new 3.5-year paper.

Meanwhile, the MoF withheld the offer of the four-year security, which may soon be designated by the NBU as a reserve bond.The size of bids for the new 3.5-year bond maturing in November 2028 was below the cap. Even so, the demand was concentrated in the shortest and the longest paper, as they accounted for nearly 89% of all proceeds.

Russian help to North Korea to produce Shahed-type drones and upgrade ballistic missiles is shifting the regional power balance and fueling Moscow’s war against Ukraine.

The head of Ukraine’s military intelligence directorate  (HUR) Kyrylo Budanov said that North Korea is being given the ability to produce Shahed-type drones – the same long-range loitering munitions that have been a persistent threat to Ukraine. Russia now produces around 2,000 Shaheds per month with plans to increase output to 5,000, while continually improving their range, payload, connectivity, and strike tactics.

In an interview with The War Zone Budanov says the ability to produce the Shahed family of drones, in particular, which has been the most prolific long-range aerial threat to Ukraine since 2022, is being given to North Korea.”

The Irish banking corporation IBRC has sold two of its assets in the center of Kyiv for approximately $70-100 million to Israeli entrepreneur Ofer Kerzner.

City Capital Group, owned by Israeli entrepreneur Ofer Kerzner, is about to purchase two properties in the center of Kyiv from the Irish banking corporation IBRC: the first phase of the Leonardo business center and one of the country’s oldest shopping malls – “Ukrainа” – according to Forbes Ukraine sources.

While the Leonardo business center is considered one of the most luxurious situated in Kyiv’s old town, the Ukrainа shopping mall is located near the central railway station and key Kyiv’s central avenues. 

In a poll conducted from May 15 to June 3, 52% of Ukrainians said they are strongly opposed to any territorial concessions to achieve peace.

Most Ukrainians remain firmly against giving up any territory to Russia, according to a new survey by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS). The numbers have stayed largely the same in recent months.

In a poll conducted from May 15 to June 3, 52% of Ukrainians said they are strongly opposed to any territorial concessions to achieve peace. That’s slightly up from 50% in February. Another 38% said they would accept some territorial losses, compared to 39% earlier this year.

Errol Musk also slammed Western “fake media” for propagating what he said was “complete nonsense” about Russia being an enemy to the West.

Elon Musk’s father, Errol, described Russian President Vladimir Putin as a “very stable and pleasant man” at a nationalist event in Moscow, according to the UK newspaper The Times.

The Times wrote on Monday that Musk Sr had attended the Forum of the Future 2050 event, scheduled to run on Monday and Tuesday, along with high-profile US conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and the leader of the Workers Party of Britain, George Galloway.

Russia launched 322 drones and missiles at Ukraine, including a strike on Odesa’s maternity hospital. Zelensky calls for global action to stop Russia’s aggression.

Russian forces launched a massive attack on Ukraine from 8:00 p.m. on June 9 to the morning of June 10, firing 322 drones and missiles, according to the Ukrainian Air Force.

In a report on Telegram, it was revealed that Russia deployed 315 Shahed attack UAVs, various types of simulator drones, two KN-23 ballistic missiles, and five Iskander-K cruise missiles.

NATO head urges a “quantum leap” in defense spending, including a 400% increase in air and missile defense.

NATO head Mark Rutte on Monday urged a “quantum leap” in defence capabilities including a “400-percent increase” in air and missile defence to shield the alliance against Russia.

His comments came as he pushes for NATO members to commit to ramping up defence spending at a key summit of the western military alliance later this month.

Nova Poshta’s new logistics hub in Lithuania has the capacity to process over 1,000 shipments daily.

Ukraine’s largest private postal service provider Nova Poshta (known as Nova Post outside Ukraine), has opened a 24/7 operating logistics hub in Kaunas, Lithuania. With the new hub, the business can now send over 1,000 shipments daily.

The company reported the news on its Telegram account on June 9.

Long considered by the West as being pro-Russian, the Hungarian Prime Minister said in an interview on French TV on Sunday that he did not fear an attack on NATO as Moscow is currently too weak.

During a weekend visit to France to attend a “Patriots for Europe” leaders meeting on June 8-9, Hungary’s Prime Minister Orbán gave an interview with the French TV channel LCI, in which he expressed his views on several EU and NATO related issues as well as the war in Ukraine.

The meeting was hosted by Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella from the right-wing French National Rally. In addition to Orbán, former Czech premier Andrej Babis, Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini and the leader of Spain’s Vox party Santiago Abascal also attended.

Latest from the Institute for the Study of War.

Key Takeaways from the ISW:

• Russian forces recently advanced to the Dnipropetrovsk-Donetsk administrative border as Kremlin officials continued to demonstrate that Russia has wider territorial ambitions in Ukraine beyond Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhia, and Kherson oblasts and Crimea.
• The Kremlin appears to be dangling the prospect of bilateral arms control talks with the United States to extract preemptive concessions from the United States about the war in Ukraine.
• Western security officials continue to assess that Russia is preparing for a protracted confrontation with NATO.
• Russian forces conducted the largest combined missile and drone strike of the war overnight on June 8 and 9.
• Ukrainian forces continue to conduct drone strikes against Russian military and defense industrial targets that are involved in Russia’s long-range drone and missile strikes against Ukraine.
• Ukraine and Russia on June 9 conducted the first round of the prisoner of war (POW) exchanges that the parties agreed to during the latest bilateral talks in Istanbul on June 2 as Russian officials continued to baselessly accuse Ukraine of failing to repatriate the bodies of killed in action (KIA) soldiers.
• Ukrainian forces recently advanced near Lyman. Russian forces recently advanced near Chasiv Yar, Toretsk, Novopavlivka, and Kurakhove.

The parade on Trump’s birthday is expected to cost some $45 million, while US Congress grapples with spending cuts, but the president said it was “paid for by me, I don’t know if you knew that.”

Tanks, fighting vehicles, howitzers and other equipment have been rolling into the US capital since this weekend in preparation for an unprecedented military parade to honor the 250th anniversary of the founding of the first US Army and, incidentally, the birthday of US President Donald Trump.

It is the first such parade in the capital in 34 years and the first to fall conveniently on a US president’s birthday.

Given the hard-won minerals deal, Washington seeks assurances that its adversary won’t get involved in Ukraine. China may decide to offer generous terms to expand its position, policy expert warns.

WASHINGTON DC – US President Donald Trump’s administration has asked Ukraine for assurance that it will not allow China, under any circumstances, to enter its rare-earth market, in particular under the name of reconstruction after Russia’s war ends, Kyiv Post’s Washington correspondent has learned from diplomatic sources.

White House officials suspect that China has been quietly laying the groundwork for its potential involvement in Ukraine after a possible ceasefire or a peace deal between the war-torn country and Beijing’s regional partner, Russia.