Russian attacked Kharkiv children's facility

One person was injured after two Russian glide bombs targeted a children's facility on the outskirts of Kharkiv, the city's mayor, Ihor Terekhov, reported on June 19.

The injured woman is receiving medical care, Terekhov added in a post on Telegram.

Moscow has recently intensified attacks against Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, and Kharkiv Oblast, using missiles, glide bombs, and drones to destroy energy infrastructure and kill civilians.

Nearly 50,000 residents in Kharkiv Oblast are without electricity due to the destruction caused by Russian attacks, according to Governor Oleh Syniehubov.

Local authorities are working to restore the power supply, but efforts are complicated by the proximity to the Russian border, Syniehubov noted.

Russia launched a new offensive in northern Kharkiv Oblast on May 10, involving as many as 30,000 troops, according to a Ukrainian official.

Russian forces suffered approximately 4,000 casualties, including both killed and injured troops, during their offensive in northern Kharkiv Oblast between May 10 and June 10, according to the Ukrainian military.

Russia, North Korea sign strategic partnership agreement

Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signed the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Agreement in Pyongyang on June 19, according to the Kremlin's press service.

Under the treaty, the two countries pledge to provide aid to one another if either is attacked, Putin announced at a press conference following the signing ceremony.

Putin arrived in North Korea on June 18, signaling deepening relations between the two countries as Pyongyang has been supplying Moscow with extensive military supplies for use in Ukraine.

The two leaders held hours-long talks before signing the treaty. Kim described the agreement as "peaceful and defensive" and called Russia North Korea's "most honorable friend and ally."

While details of the treaty remain unclear, Putin mentioned that Russia "does not rule out the development of military-technical cooperation with North Korea" in connection with the newly signed agreement.

"I have no doubt that the treaty will become a driving force in creating a new multipolar world. Times have changed. The status of North Korea and the Russian Federation in the global geopolitical structure has also changed," Kim said at the press conference.

Kim also stated that the agreement includes cooperation in the economic, political, and military spheres.

With Russia's military stocks running low and domestic production capacity hampered by Western sanctions, North Korea is emerging as a key weapons supplier for Russia.

Moscow has reportedly received extensive military packages from Pyongyang, including ballistic missiles and around 5 million artillery shells.

During Putin's visit to North Korea, he and Kim also signed agreements on cooperation in healthcare, science, and the construction of a border bridge across the Tumannaya River.

According to the Russian state-controlled news agency Interfax, the new partnership agreement replaces previous documents signed between the two countries in 1961, 2000, and 2001.

Only 11% of Russians say sanctions have personally affected them or their family - Poll

Only 11% of Russians say that sanctions have personally affected them or their family, according to a poll released on June 18 by the independent Russian polling firm, the Levada Center.

This figure has steadily declined from a high of around 30% shortly after the beginning of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine in March 2022. A higher percentage of Russians, about 34%, said sanctions had personally impacted them or their families in 2015.

Despite widespread sanctions, Russia's economy has remained surprisingly resilient, which may explain the decreased level of concern among average Russians.

The poll found that only 29% of respondents were very or somewhat worried about the sanctions, down from 45% in March 2022.

Sentiments varied across the political spectrum, with 57% of those who disapproved of Russian President Vladimir Putin expressing worry about sanctions.

Even among those who said they did not have enough money for food, only 34% were worried about sanctions.

When asked about the specific problems created by sanctions, 30% of respondents cited "the departure of brands, the inability to buy goods, and the closure of stores and factories," 29% mentioned inflation and rising prices, 13% cited restrictions on traveling abroad, and 12% mentioned difficulties with card payments and other banking issues.

The vast majority of respondents (78%) said that Western sanctions should not deter Russia from continuing its current policies.

Polish attitudes toward Ukrainian refugees deteriorating

In over two years of the full-scale war, Poles have become more negative toward Ukrainian refugees in almost all aspects, except for accepting Ukrainian children in schools, according to a survey by the University of Warsaw and the University of Economics and Humanities in Warsaw, published by Rzeczpospolita on June 18.

Approximately 4.2 million Ukrainian refugees reside in the EU under temporary protection status, with nearly 1 million in Poland.

Poles initially welcomed the refugees after the outbreak of the full-scale war, and Warsaw has recently extended their legal stay along with various support programs.

According to the survey, social benefits for Ukrainian refugees have been the most contentious issue, with the vast majority of Poles (95%) believing they should be reduced.

Only 17% of Poles now support allowing Ukrainian refugees the possibility of long-term settlement, down from 37% more than a year ago. About 61% of respondents want Ukrainians to return to their home country after the war.

"Such results are not surprising; they result from discrepancies in the perception of foreigners after a longer period of their stay in the country," said Jan Brzozowski, head of the Jagiellonian Center for Migration Studies at the Jagiellonian University in Cracow, as reported by Rzeczpospolita.

The only area where attitudes remain positive is education for Ukrainian children. About 82% of Poles support providing education to Ukrainian children, though there is little support for teaching them based on a Ukrainian core curriculum.

Half of the respondents believe the children should be taught the Polish core curriculum, while 40% support a compromise between Polish and Ukrainian education.

Around 72% of respondents said that despite Ukraine's war with Russia, Poland should primarily take care of its own interests, especially regarding food trade. Only 15% hold the opposite view.

Disputes over trade, particularly Ukrainian agricultural imports, have strained relations between Kyiv and Warsaw since 2023, leading to intermittent border blockades by Polish protesters.

Around 31% of Poles believe Poland must definitely help Ukraine (down from 62% in January 2023), while 43% "rather agree." About 19% oppose assistance to Ukraine, according to the survey.

There is still strong support (62%) for helping Ukraine materially, such as by donating food and clothing, though these numbers have been decreasing compared to previous surveys.

These trends are not unique to Poland. Surveys in other countries that have accepted Ukrainian refugees show a similar decline in solidarity, though overall support remains strong.

Russian propaganda has sought to exploit skepticism toward refugees in host countries, demonizing Ukrainians to create rifts between local populations and their governments, according to the Ukraine Crisis Media Center.