Armed Forces of Ukraine

Volodymyr Putin stated that the Russian army does not have the task of occupying Sumy, but he does not rule out such a possibility. He explains the actions in the Sumy Oblast by "constant shelling" of border territories by the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

A new grouping of the Unmanned Systems Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has been created in Ukraine, uniting all military units of the USF and Drone Lines under a single command. This is intended to ensure unified approaches and systematic combat use of UAVs; most units are already performing combat missions under the leadership of Robert "Madyar" Brovdi.

Since the beginning of the day, 91 battles have taken place at the front. About two-thirds of the combat engagements were recorded in the Pokrovsk, North-Slobozhansky, Kursk, and Lyman directions. The Defense Forces of Ukraine are holding back the advance of the Russian occupiers, repelling their attacks.

Today, June 20, Ukraine conducted a prisoner exchange, bringing home servicemen who have severe injuries or serious health problems, among them defenders of Mariupol. The oldest released is 60 years old, and all of them will receive necessary medical assistance and rehabilitation.

President Zelenskyy announced the return from Russian captivity of most of the soldiers who had been there for more than two years. Among them are defenders of Mariupol, Donetsk Oblast, Luhansk Oblast, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Kherson Oblast, Kharkiv Oblast, and Chernihiv Oblast.

Police uncovered approximately 100 cases of forged disability care certificates to avoid military service. Eight individuals have been charged with draft evasion.

Over the past day, 176 combat engagements took place on the front lines, with more than half of them occurring in the Pokrovsk, Lyman, and Toretsk directions. The enemy launched over 5,000 artillery strikes and deployed almost 2,800 kamikaze drones.

Ukraine's defense forces repelled an overnight attack of 86 Shahed-type drones and simulators. 70 enemy drones were neutralized in the north, east, and south of the country.

As of the morning of June 20, 2025, Russian ships have not been recorded in the waters of the Black and Azov Seas. Instead, 2 Russian Federation ships are in the Mediterranean Sea.

Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree appointing Brigadier General Hennadii Shapovalov as Commander of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The President emphasized the importance of implementing the combat experience of warriors.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy appointed Hennadiy Shapovalov as the Commander of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Specialists discussed the critical problem of the Ukrainian aviation industry's dependence on Soviet components. Spare parts stocks are being depleted, and domestic manufacturers require state support for modernization.

Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets and the State Border Guard Service showed a video of the first conversations of Ukrainian defenders after their liberation from Russian captivity. Most of the soldiers had been in captivity for over 3 years.

Ukraine and Russia held another exchange of prisoners, as a result of which Ukrainian servicemen from various branches of the military, as well as defenders with injuries and significant health problems, returned home.

Ukrainian Armed Forces, National Guard, and State Border Guard Service soldiers released from Russian captivity. Most of the military personnel had been in captivity since 2022, fighting on various fronts.

A 33-year-old serviceman who was recruited by the GRU has been detained by the Ukrainian Armed Forces. He passed the coordinates of the Neptun complexes to the Russians, preparing a combined drone and missile strike. The SBU counterintelligence foiled this plan.

Last day, 163 combat clashes were recorded, the most on the Pokrovsk, North Sloboda, and Kursk directions. The enemy carried out 40 airstrikes and conducted 5111 shelling attacks.

Since the beginning of the day on June 18, the AFU have repelled 136 Russian attacks, the enemy carried out 32 airstrikes. The most tense situation persists in the Pokrovsk direction, where 36 assaults were repelled.

The Cabinet of Ministers has approved the procedure for granting combatant status to foreigners and stateless persons. The Ministry of Veterans Affairs will become the sole body authorized to grant such status.

A deputy of the Dnipropetrovsk regional council organized a fictitious service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine for the sake of image. She did not attend training, received a title and more than 200,000 hryvnias from the budget.

At night, Russia attacked Ukraine with 58 drones, 30 of which were neutralized. Hits were recorded in 9 locations, the main directions of the attack were Donetsk region, Dnipropetrovsk region and Zaporizhzhia region.

No enemy ships were recorded in the Black and Azov Seas on June 18. There are three enemy ships in the Mediterranean Sea, one of which is a carrier of cruise missiles.

On June 17, 155 combat clashes took place at the front. Russian troops are actively storming the positions of Ukrainian defenders in the Pokrovsky, Novopavlivsky and Toretsk directions.

A number of EU countries still use Soviet helicopters and airplanes, which are important for Ukraine in the war. They are needed for the evacuation of the wounded and strikes against the enemy, but their support is becoming more difficult.

On June 18, a donor campaign will be held in Kyiv to replenish the blood reserve for wounded soldiers and civilians. Anyone can join the initiative by filling out a form.

In the Kyiv region, DTEK restored power supply to houses de-energized as a result of the night attack by the Russian Federation. Due to damage to electrical equipment, 1148 houses remained without electricity.

The Ministry of Defense has approved the "SHABLYA MK19(M)" combat module, which can be installed on ground platforms and equipment, for operation. The module fires 40 mm grenades.

The Verkhovna Rada has adopted Law No. 12066, which will create a digital space for the military. The register will contain data on military personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the State Special Transport Service.

Ruslan Kravchenko stated that Russia has put him on the wanted list for his work on the Yanukovych case.

On the night of June 17, the Russian Federation attacked Ukraine with 472 air attack weapons, including 440 drones and 32 missiles. Air defense neutralized 428 targets, but hits were recorded in 10 locations.