Executive Summary
Ukraine has intensified its deep-strike campaign against Russian territory and occupied Crimea, causing significant disruptions to Russian logistics, fuel supply, and military infrastructure, which has prompted a state of emergency in Crimea and widespread fuel rationing in Russia. Domestically, President Zelenskyy announced a new 40-day Security Service (SBU) operation designed to pressure Russia into ending the war, coinciding with the successful return of 160 Ukrainian prisoners of war. Geopolitical tensions continue to mount as Russian hardliners urge escalation in response to Ukrainian strikes, while the EU moves to extend temporary protection for Ukrainians but restricts newly arriving military-age men at Kyiv's request.
Key Events
- Zelenskyy authorized a 40-day SBU operation aimed at compelling Russia to end the war, describing it as a period to "exert pressure on Russia." → link
- 160 Ukrainian POWs were returned from Russian captivity; all had been held since 2022, including defenders of Mariupol and Azovstal. → link
- A state of emergency was declared in occupied Crimea following successful Ukrainian drone strikes on the Kerch airfield, energy infrastructure, and Russian military supply vessels. → link
- Ukrainian drone strikes hit the Novomoskovsk power plant in Tula Oblast and caused near-total destruction of four floors at the VZPP-Sborka plant in Voronezh. → link
- Satellite imagery confirmed major damage to Russia's Vladimir space communications center and a Russian Project 15310 ship in occupied Kerch following Ukrainian strikes. → link
- Massive 20-mile traffic jams of vehicles fleeing occupied Crimea were reported, while Russian military bloggers complained about deteriorating frontline logistics and fuel shortages reaching deep into Russia. → link
- The EU proposed extending temporary protection for Ukrainians until March 2028 but excluded newly arriving military-age men at Ukraine's request; meanwhile, Hungary blocked an EU working group from approving negotiation clusters for Ukraine. → link
- Ukrainian troops raised the flag on the Kinburn Spit in Mykolaiv Oblast as Russian forces withdrew under heavy fire. → link
Analysis
Ukraine is visibly capitalizing on its asymmetric drone warfare capabilities to degrade Russia's strategic depth, specifically targeting fuel infrastructure, logistics hubs, and military command nodes. The cascading effects of these strikes are evident in the state of emergency in Crimea, massive civilian and military evacuation queues from the peninsula, and fuel rationing spreading 5,000km into Siberia. The removal of the Pantsir air defense system from the Russian Defense Ministry roof and the apparent demolition of Putin's Valdai residence underscore how deeply these strikes are felt within Russia's inner security calculus.
The escalation curve is steepening: Zelenskyy's public authorization of a 40-day pressure operation signals a deliberate, strategic campaign rather than opportunistic strikes, while Russian hardliners are publicly demanding full mobilization and strikes on European drone factories in retaliation. However, the EU's internal friction—highlighted by Hungary blocking accession clusters and the restriction of military-age men—shows the political complexities Ukraine navigates for continued Western support.
What to watch: The operational impact of Russia's fuel crisis on their frontline logistics in the coming weeks; the execution and results of Zelenskyy's 40-day SBU operation; Belarus's completion of military infrastructure along the Ukrainian border; and potential Russian escalatory responses, including mass missile attacks on Ukrainian critical infrastructure.
Tweet Feed
Ukrainian Deep Strikes & Russian Rear
@Osinttechnical · 2026-06-26T04:01
Ukrainian attack drones successfully hit Russia's Novomoskovsk power plant in Tula Oblast overnight, setting the facility ablaze. → link
@Osinttechnical · 2026-06-26T05:46
Ukrainian attack drones blew up the Russian drone base at Kerch Airfield in occupied Crimea again last night, the second time just this week. FIRMS shows a fire burning on the main runway. → link
@Osinttechnical · 2026-06-26T13:49
Locals report a 20-mile-long traffic jam of vehicles attempting to leave Russian-occupied Crimea over the Kerch Bridge today. Follows major fuel, power, and goods shortages caused by Ukraine's drone campaign. → link
@NOELreports · 2026-06-26T15:17
Astra sources confirmed near-total destruction of four floors at the VZPP-Sborka plant in Voronezh after the June 22 Ukrainian Air Force missile strike. Three of the destroyed floors were production areas and one was administrative. → link
@NOELreports · 2026-06-26T14:59
Satellite images confirm major damage to Russia’s Vladimir space communications center after a June 22 strike near Gus-Khrustalny in Vladimir region. The strike critically damaged the 25-meter main antenna and a rooftop antenna, and hit satellite modem halls. → link
@NOELreports · 2026-06-26T14:17
Satellite imagery obtained by Radio Svoboda from June 26 shows signs of possible damage on a Russian Project 15310 ship, either Volga or Vyatka, moored at the Zaliv shipyard in occupied Kerch. A dark spot visible on the vessel was not present in June 24 imagery. → link
@NOELreports · 2026-06-26T12:36
High-resolution satellite imagery published by Radio Svoboda shows the Pantsir air defense system has been removed from the roof of Russia’s Defense Ministry headquarters in Moscow. → link
@NOELreports · 2026-06-26T12:54
CyberBoroshno analysis finds Putin’s residence in Valdai has been demolished. Analysts said the logic remains unclear, but suggested fear of a drone strike on the site as a possible motive. A section of the M-11 highway near the residence was also closed today. → link
@wartranslated · 2026-06-26T09:08
Russian milblogger Alexander Kharchenko believes Ukraine is preparing a major counteroffensive, possibly in the second half of July. He argues that recent strikes on Russian oil infrastructure are intended to deepen fuel shortages and disrupt frontline logistics. → link
@wartranslated · 2026-06-26T09:02
Footage from the ground shows a massive queue of vehicles waiting to exit occupied Crimea. Russian state media reports that, as of 26 June, the queue had already grown to around 2,800 vehicles, including cars and fuel tankers. → link
@wartranslated · 2026-06-26T08:16
Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandr Novak claimed on TV that the recent 20–30% "artificial" increase in fuel demand across the country was caused by "panic buying". Notably, he made no mention of Ukraine's ongoing strikes on Russia's oil and fuel infrastructure. → link
@NOELreports · 2026-06-26T16:52
Fuel shortages have spread to Chita in Russia’s Zabaykalsky Krai, 5000km from Ukraine's border, with long queues reported at gas stations. Extended delays could begin affecting civilian logistics and freight movement. → link
@NOELreports · 2026-06-26T11:48
Russian pro-war bloggers are complaining about worsening battlefield logistics, saying even an assault is no longer as frightening as reaching an assembly point. They cited fewer effective drone teams, weak UAV data analysis, shortages of drones for infantry and poor visibility of the front. → link
@Osinttechnical · 2026-06-26T00:30
Another major Ukrainian drone raid into western Russia and Crimea is ongoing tonight. → link
@wartranslated · 2026-06-25T21:27
Once again, hundreds of Ukrainian drones are heading toward Russia and the occupied territories. → link
@IAPonomarenko · 2026-06-26T05:45
Judging by the deafening roar from the Kremlin's online propaganda machine — from useful idiots in the West and professional anti-'escalation' crusaders to hordes of trolls and bots on this hellsite — Ukraine's strikes at the very foundation of Russia's war machine are really painful and the Kremlin is getting really nervous. → link
@wartranslated · 2026-06-26T12:39
The "authorities" in occupied Crimea and Sevastopol have declared a state of "region-level emergency". Occupied Crimea's head, Sergey Aksyonov, said the measure is primarily intended to "streamline financial activity", while urging residents to "remain calm". → link
@WarNewsPL1 · 2026-06-26T09:22
Minionej nocy ukraińskie bezzałogowce zaatakowały kilka regionów Federacji Rosyjskiej. Obronę przeciwlotniczą uruchomiono w Moskwie i obwodzie moskiewskim, w obwodzie tulskim i Krymie. → link
Frontline & Battlefield Updates
@KaterynaLis · 2026-06-26T14:25
Ukrainian troops raise flag on Kinburn Spit in Mykolaiv Oblast held by Russian forces since 2022, military says. Russian forces retreated under "heavy fire," with the evacuation of surviving personnel continuing. → link
@NOELreports · 2026-06-26T17:01
Ukraine’s Pomsta Border Guard Brigade struck a Russian D-30 howitzer that occupation forces had hidden in a forest belt. Operators from the Strazh unit detected the concealed artillery piece and targeted the position. → link
@NOELreports · 2026-06-26T15:50
A Russian FPV drone struck Nikopol, killing two people and injuring 12, regional authorities said. Two 12-year-old girls were among the wounded and were hospitalized in moderate condition after the strike. → link
@NOELreports · 2026-06-26T14:33
Ukraine’s Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said the turning point in the war with Russia has not yet arrived. He said Ukraine expects a moment when Russia mobilizes all available forces, resources and capabilities, after which exhaustion sets in and a decisive shift can follow. → link
@war_monitor_ua · 2026-06-26T16:10
🛫 Зліт МіГ-31К ВПС рф. МіГ-31К — носій гіперзвукової аеробалістичної ракети Х-47м2 комплексу "Кинджал", яка становить загрозу для всіх регіонів країни. → link
@war_monitor_ua · 2026-06-25T22:00
‼️ Кременчук — спуск балістики! Третя → link
@KyivIndependent · 2026-06-26T11:40
Russian attacks kill 4, injure 38 across Ukraine over past day, Romania scrambles helicopter amid attack near border. → link
@KaterynaLis · 2026-06-26T03:11
I’m not sure which target exactly was hit, but not every smoke plume is bad. This one is from Ukrainian air defense - it hit either a Shahed drone or a Russian missile. Likely, no one was injured. Video from my family in Kyiv. → link
@NOELreports · 2026-06-26T12:18
Ukraine’s Air Force released official footage showing a Patriot PAC-3 system intercepting two Russian Iskander-M ballistic missiles during yesterday’s attack on Kyiv. → link
@Euan_MacDonald · 2026-06-26T17:53
RT @Gerashchenko_en: The total number of Russian forces on Ukrainian territory currently stands at 721,300 personnel - Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief → link
@NOELreports · 2026-06-26T15:22
Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces carried out another series of long-range strikes across occupied Crimea, targeting radar systems, power substations and gas infrastructure. Footage also shows strikes on Russian logistics assets, including multiple supply and fuel vehicles. → link
@MakowiecPawe · 2026-06-26T18:59
To jest film bardzo dobrze pokazujący proces targetingu na współczesnym, transparentnym polu walki w wydaniu rosyjskim. Dobry materiał poglądowy dla naszych artylerzystów, aby byli świadomi zagrożeń w przypadku braku efektywnych środków C-UAV. → link
Geopolitics, POWs & Diplomacy
@KaterynaLis · 2026-06-26T03:19
“I approved a 40-day influence operation for the Service against the aggressor state aimed at compelling it to end the war,” - ZELENSKYY said after a conversation with Major General Yevhenii Khmara, acting head of Security Service of Ukraine. → link
@NOELreports · 2026-06-26T12:27
Ukraine returned 160 defenders from Russian captivity, including 115 Mariupol defenders. All had been held since 2022. The group includes troops from the Armed Forces, Territorial Defense, Border Guard, National Guard, transport service and Azov. → link
@KaterynaLis · 2026-06-26T18:25
ZELENSKYY: Ukraine’s top priorities during the NATO summit in Ankara will be strengthening air defense, securing anti-ballistic systems and missiles for Ukraine, and advancing a joint European project for anti-ballistic missile production. → link
@KaterynaLis · 2026-06-26T18:36
ZELENSKYY: Russia must take this war to themselves away from Ukraine. We don't need this war. Ukraine has made proposals to key partners, and Putin's friends have heard from us that there's a chance for a meeting and an end to this war. → link
@NOELreports · 2026-06-26T15:51
Russian hardliners are urging Putin to abandon US-mediated diplomacy and escalate the war after Ukrainian deep strikes hit Moscow, St Petersburg and Crimea, Reuters reports. Nationalist commentators are calling for full mobilization, heavier bombing, strikes on Kyiv’s leadership and attacks on European drone factories. → link
@NOELreports · 2026-06-26T13:47
The European Commission proposed extending temporary protection for Ukrainian refugees until March 2028 while excluding newly arriving military-age men who are not authorized by Ukraine to leave the country. The proposed restriction would apply only to new arrivals. → link
@NOELreports · 2026-06-26T12:38
Hungary blocked an EU Council working group from approving screening results for negotiation clusters 2-6 for Ukraine and Moldova. The move prevents the next step in the accession process. → link
@KaterynaLis · 2026-06-26T15:53
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is claiming that the United States is not fulfilling agreements reached in Alaska. Of course, this entire situation needs to be clarified. But the fact remains: US proposals were discussed in Alaska, and they were accepted by the Russian Side. → link
@KaterynaLis · 2026-06-26T18:03
ZELENSKYY: Ukraine now has 160 agreements worth more than €10 billion for the energy sector and regional recovery. This summer, we need to make the most of regional and community resilience plans. → link
@NOELreports · 2026-06-26T16:50
A new inspector report says the Pentagon failed to obligate $910 million in Biden-era USAI funding for Ukraine weapons production before the funds expired. Congress had allocated $33.5 billion for the program, with $32.5 billion ordered in time. → link
@KyivIndependent · 2026-06-26T03:37
Belarus 'nearing completion' in constructing military infrastructure along Ukraine's border, Zelensky says. → link
@FaytuksNetwork · 2026-06-26T18:17
Earlier today a former high-ranking SBU official, Col. Dmytro Kozyura, has been sentenced to life in prison for high treason. The former chief of staff of Ukraine's anti-terrorism centre was found guilty of spying for Russia’s FSB. → link
@KyivIndependent · 2026-06-25T23:20
Update: Skelia spox confirms noncombat deaths of 25 servicemembers amid investigation. → link
@Euan_MacDonald · 2026-06-26T18:00
Thousands of lives could have been saved, and the war could have been shortened by years, had Biden allowed Ukraine to attack Russia's oil industry, and given Kyiv the weapons to do it. → link