Russian troops beheaded Ukrainian soldier in Donetsk Oblast

Ukraine's Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin accused Russian forces of beheading a Ukrainian soldier in Donetsk Oblast on June 18, describing it as part of a "planned strategy" by the Kremlin. His office released further details on Telegram, stating that the gruesome discovery was made during "aerial reconnaissance at one of the combat positions in the Donetsk region."

Kostin condemned the act as "terrible barbarism that has no place in the 21st century" and emphasized that these war crimes are not isolated incidents but a deliberate strategy by the Russian regime. He asserted that such criminal orders were issued at the battalion and company leadership levels of the occupying forces.

Ukraine, according to Kostin, will "not leave these crimes unpunished" and called on the international community to "isolate and punish the terrorist country." He underscored that Russia has been accused of numerous war crimes during its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, including the execution of captive Ukrainian soldiers.

Earlier this month, Ukraine’s Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets appealed to the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to investigate videos showing the mistreatment of Ukrainian prisoners of war by Russian soldiers, reportedly in the Kharkiv direction. Lubinets highlighted that such treatment is a common tactic used by the occupiers.

Lubinets has previously called on the UN and the ICRC to investigate other crimes against Ukrainian prisoners of war, including the execution of at least five POWs in Avdiivka in February.

As of March 2024, Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office has collected pretrial information on over 128,000 victims of war crimes.

Zelensky signs law on single roaming zone with EU

President Volodymyr Zelensky signed into law a bill on June 17 establishing a single roaming system between Ukraine and the European Union.

The Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament, passed the bill in late May as part of the requirements for Ukraine's European integration in electronic communications. Negotiations for Ukraine's accession to the single roaming zone are still pending.

Under the "roam like at home" (RLAH) program, Ukrainians will not incur additional fees for using their mobile phones for communication and internet services in the 27 EU countries. Similarly, users of European operators traveling to Ukraine will enjoy the same benefits.

Digital Transformation Minister Mykhailo Fedorov highlighted the significance of this development, noting that "no country outside the EU had joined the 'roam like at home' policy. This is another confirmation that Ukraine is a powerful digital player on the European stage."

The exact date when the law will come into effect is currently unknown.

The draft law outlines Ukraine's transition to European roaming regulations, a necessary step to establish a single roaming zone between Ukraine and the EU.

Currently, Ukrainians in the EU benefit from temporary free roaming, a measure introduced following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Two people wounded in Russian attacks on Dnipropetrovsk Oblast

On 18 June, the Russian army struck the Nikopol district in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, injuring one person, as reported by Serhii Lysak, the Head of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Military Administration, on Telegram. A Russian Shahed drone also caused injuries during a night attack in the Dnipro district.

Details from local authorities indicate that the Russian army targeted the hromadas of Nikopol, Myriv, Pokrovsk, and Marhanets (a hromada is an administrative unit designating a town, village, or several villages and their adjacent territories). A 37-year-old man was injured and hospitalized with shrapnel wounds in moderately grave condition.

The attacks caused a fire, which was quickly extinguished. The assault resulted in damage to a car and a residential apartment building. Additionally, early shelling of Nikopol caused damage to 14 private houses, destroyed a household building, and wrecked four more buildings. Two greenhouses, a garage, power lines, and gas pipelines were also damaged.