United 24 Media:
European Commission Vice President Kaja Kallas responded to Russia’s use of the Oreshnik missile by saying that the EU is preparing to increase international pressure on Moscow.
Kallas described the missile as a tool of political intimidation and a reckless act that risks escalation to the level of a nuclear threat.
😡🌾 The Russian vessel ZAID is transporting more than 35,000 tons of Ukrainian wheat allegedly taken from occupied Crimea to a Turkish port, SeaKrime reports.
According to the report, the bulk carrier loaded cargo in Sevastopol and is heading to İskenderun in Türkiye. Before that, the vessel reportedly called at Russia’s Port Kavkaz to obtain falsified cargo documents.
SeaKrime also says that ZAID switched off its AIS transponder and used spoofing to conceal its route.
Since 2023, the vessel has reportedly been involved in transporting grain from temporarily occupied Crimea to Türkiye, Syria, Iran, and Egypt.
🇭🇺👏🏼 Hungary has condemned Russia’s massive attack on Kyiv.
“Russia’s brutal nighttime attack on Kyiv is another horrific reminder of the human cost of this war. Peaceful people should never wake up to missiles, drones, explosions, and fear for their lives.
Destroyed homes, broken families, killed and injured innocent people are unacceptable. We strongly condemn the attack and stand with the victims and the entire people of Ukraine,” the Hungarian Foreign Minister said in a post.
French President Emmanuel Macron held a phone conversation with Belarusian ruler Alexander Lukashenko for the first time since 2022, French media TF1 and LCI report.
According to the reports, Macron “underlined the risks for Belarus associated with being drawn into Russia’s aggressive war against Ukraine” and called on Lukashenko “to take the necessary steps to improve relations between Belarus and Europe.”
The Belarusian side issued only a brief statement, saying that the two leaders discussed “regional issues” as well as Belarus’ relations with the European Union and France.
No further details were provided by Minsk.
The previous conversation between Macron and Lukashenko took place on February 26, 2022, when the French president demanded the withdrawal of Russian troops from Belarusian territory.
Ukraine is calling for extraordinary meetings of the UN Security Council and the OSCE following Russia’s massive strike on May 24, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said.
“I have instructed all our missions to international organizations to fully use the multilateral toolbox in response to last night’s barbaric Russian missile strike on Kyiv.
The UN, OSCE, Council of Europe, and UNESCO must provide an adequate and decisive response to an aggressor that is trying to compensate for its lack of military success on the battlefield with terror against civilians.
We are immediately initiating an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council, as well as a joint meeting of the OSCE Forum for Security Co-operation and the OSCE Permanent Council.
Putin is trying to intimidate Ukraine by attacking civilians and destroying residential buildings, museums, schools, and critical infrastructure.
He is also trying to intimidate the world by using medium-range ballistic missiles against peaceful cities.
All this requires a strong and coordinated response from the international community.
We call on our partners to take decisive multilateral action to deter Russia and force it toward a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace,” Sybiha said.
❗️About 40% of the museum items from the exposition of the National Museum “Chornobyl” were irretrievably lost as a result of the Russian attack, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine reported.
State Emergency Service rescuers spent more than 15 hours extinguishing the fires. The dismantling of dangerous structures is still ongoing.
The number of injured has also increased. In Kyiv alone, more than 80 people, including three children, sought medical assistance.
Police in the capital have already received more than 540 reports of damaged property.
In terms of the number of locations damaged, the latest attack has become the largest carried out by Russia since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, said head of the Kyiv City Military Administration Timur Tkachenko.
“For the first time, the enemy has resorted to systematic strikes on our historical architecture and places of remembrance.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs building, the Chornobyl Museum, the Art Museum, the International Center for Environmental Studies, the Cabinet of Ministers, and dozens of other buildings were damaged.
Today, everyone feels the pain over the destruction in Podil — the greatest damage to Kyiv’s historical pearl in all these years.
Once again, the war has left scars on Lukianivska metro station and the surrounding streets,” Tkachenko said.
He added that thousands of rescuers, city and district service workers, and volunteers worked throughout the day at nearly 50 locations.
“In the coming days, the entire social and engineering infrastructure of district institutions will focus on eliminating the consequences and organizing assistance for people.
Given the scale of the attack, the city will seek additional resources to help the victims,” he said.
Culture Minister Tetiana Berezhna said the overnight attack on May 24 was the most extensive in terms of damage to cultural institutions in Kyiv during the full-scale war.
In addition to the sites already mentioned, significant damage was also reported at the National Philharmonic of Ukraine, the National Academy of Music of Ukraine, the Yaroslav the Wise National Library of Ukraine, Kyiv Opera, and numerous architectural landmarks, including Kontraktovyi Dom and the Post Office.
Some façade windows of Ukrainian House were also damaged.
“Russia is systematically attacking culture and the spaces that shape Ukrainian identity. They are trying to destroy our memory.
But Ukrainian culture has endured before, and it will endure now,” Berezhna said.
According to the minister, Russia has already destroyed or damaged 1,783 cultural heritage sites and 2,540 cultural infrastructure facilities across Ukraine since the start of the full-scale war.
Britain, France, Spain, Italy, and Canada have opposed a proposal requiring NATO member states to allocate 0.25% of GDP to military aid for Ukraine, The Telegraph reports.
The initiative, proposed by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, was expected to be ratified at the Alliance summit in Ankara in July. However, Rutte later said that the proposal would not move forward for now.
According to the publication, during consultations among NATO ministers this week, at least seven member states that already spend more than 0.25% of GDP on military aid to Ukraine supported the proposal.
However, five countries opposed it, and any NATO decision requires unanimity.
The Telegraph notes that this could be seen as a setback for Britain’s reputation as one of Ukraine’s strongest allies.
At the same time, the newspaper stresses that British military aid to Ukraine itself remains unchanged.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has pledged to allocate at least £3 billion annually in the coming years.
According to the Kiel Institute, the Netherlands, Poland, and the Nordic and Baltic countries provide support to Ukraine at the level of 0.25% of GDP or more.
Rutte argued that aid to Ukraine “is not distributed evenly within NATO” and that many countries “are not spending enough” on supporting Kyiv.
He has also said that Europe should take on greater responsibility for supporting Ukraine amid President Donald Trump’s decision to distance the United States from further aid.
Things are becoming increasingly difficult inside Russia: parts of the elite are growing disillusioned with Putin, the economy is slowing, and the Kremlin is increasingly warning of an “impending catastrophe,” The Guardian writes.
According to the publication’s sources, Putin still believes Russia can seize all of Donbas by the end of the year, although even some members of his inner circle reportedly doubt that such plans are realistic.
The newspaper also notes that Russian generals may be presenting an overly optimistic picture of the battlefield, as the system often operates on the principle that “only good news reaches the bosses.”
At the same time, internet restrictions inside Russia are intensifying, prices are rising, businesses are closing, and public discontent is becoming more noticeable, including in pro-government circles.
Despite this, The Guardian notes that there are currently no signs of an imminent “palace coup,” as Putin still maintains full control over the system.
This morning, Belarusian opposition leader in exile Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya arrived in Kyiv on her first official visit.
She began her trip to the Ukrainian capital by visiting the Lukianivka military cemetery, where 24-year-old Belarusian volunteer and activist Maria Zaitseva, who was killed in Donbas, is buried.
According to EuroPravda, Tsikhanouskaya’s visit includes meetings with President Zelenskyy, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, the leadership of the Verkhovna Rada, EU diplomats, as well as the opening of the Mission of Democratic Forces of Belarus in Ukraine.
❗️The Russian Federation launched a missile strike on Derhachi in the Kharkiv region, the Regional Military Administration reported.
There is currently no information about casualties.