In June, Kharkiv was underthe heaviest Russian air attacks in years of the full-scale war

In June 2025, Kharkiv endured its worst month of aerial assaults since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, suffering 142 strikes in total, according to Mayor Ihor Terekhov.

He stated that the attacks included missile strikes, drone assaults, and airstrikes, making it the highest monthly number since the war began.

The human toll was devastating: 15 civilians were killed and 157 injured, including 25 children.

Terekhov also highlighted the most destructive single attack, which occurred on June 7, when a facility producing soft containers for agriculture was hit. The strike triggered a large fire and a collapse of the structure, leaving the site in ruins. Firefighters battled the flames for 12 days. Two people were rescued, while six others were found dead under the rubble.

He noted that the severity and technical difficulty of the situation were comparable to the earlier Epicentr hardware store tragedy.

Terekhov added that Kharkiv’s residents, utility workers, emergency services, medics, volunteers, and local businesses were all operating at the limits of their capacity.

The US lawmakers press for action on Russian abductions of Ukrainian children

A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers has introduced a congressional resolution demanding the immediate return of Ukrainian children abducted by Russia, according to a press release issued on June 30.

Kyiv estimates that at least 19,500 Ukrainian children have been forcibly deported to Russia, Belarus, or Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories since the onset of the full-scale invasion in 2022.

The resolution—brought forward in the U.S. House of Representatives by Democratic Congressman Gregory Meeks and Republican Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Michael McCaul—strongly condemns these abductions and urges the repatriation of the children even ahead of any potential peace settlement. Senators Chuck Grassley (Republican) and Amy Klobuchar (Democrat) introduced a corresponding resolution in the Senate.

According to McCaul, the children “have been stripped of their national identity, adopted into Russian families, or indoctrinated as soldiers for the Kremlin.” He described the mass abductions as “nothing short of evil” and emphasized that the United States must show moral leadership by ensuring every child is returned to their family in Ukraine before lasting peace is possible.

Meanwhile, the Yale-based Ukraine Conflict Observatory, which has been tracking such abductions, is facing shutdown due to defunding by the Trump administration. Nathaniel Raymond, executive director of Yale’s Humanitarian Research Lab, said the program will cease operations on July 1 without renewed funding. Since its creation in May 2022, the observatory has documented extensive evidence of Russian war crimes, including deportations of Ukrainian minors to reeducation camps or for forced adoptions in Russia. Their findings suggest the real number of abducted children could exceed 30,000, significantly more than the 19,500 recorded in Ukraine’s official Children of War database. So far, over 1,360 children have been returned to Ukraine.

The newly introduced resolution argues that Russia's abduction and forced Russification of Ukrainian children reveals Moscow's intent to erase Ukrainian national identity. It also highlights how the war has exposed children to heightened risks of trafficking, exploitation, child labor, sexual violence, hunger, trauma, and death.

Andriy Yermak, head of President Volodymyr Zelensky’s Office, welcomed the resolution as “an important step in support of justice and peace.”

The abductions have been widely condemned as violations of international law. In 2023, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and children’s rights commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova for their roles in the deportation of Ukrainian children.

Russians occupied over 500 sq km of Ukrainian territory in June

In June 2025, Russian forces occupied 556 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory — the largest monthly gain recorded this year — according to the Ukrainian military analysis group DeepState.

"The trend from May, unfortunately, continued in June," the analysts noted, adding that the only month with more territory lost was November, when Russian forces advanced by 730 square kilometers.

The bulk of the June gains were concentrated on three fronts: Novopavlivka (29%), Pokrovsk (27%), and Sumy Oblast (18%), accounting for roughly 75% of the total territorial expansion. The remaining 25% was spread more evenly across other frontline sectors, each contributing 4–6%.

DeepState analysts emphasized that the Russian advance appears largely fueled by acute manpower shortages affecting both sides. At the same time, they noted a noticeable decline in the scale of mechanized assaults.

"Enemy assaults involving just one to three infantrymen are no longer surprising," the analysts said. "However, the number of such small groups remains significant."