The war in Ukraine entered another week shaped less by dramatic breakthroughs and more by a widening struggle to wear the opponent down. Russia continued to push forward in limited areas along the front, while Ukraine intensified its campaign against Russian logistics, energy facilities, and military infrastructure far beyond the battlefield.
While the main battle remains in eastern Ukraine, both sides are increasingly focused on weakening each other’s ability to sustain the war through strikes on fuel supplies, railways, power networks, drone production facilities, and command infrastructure.
On the battlefield, Russian forces maintained offensive operations along several axes, particularly in Donetsk Oblast. The heaviest pressure remained around the Pokrovsk, Kostyantynivka, Toretsk, and Lyman directions. Monitoring groups reported that Russia achieved limited territorial gains during the week, although at a much slower pace than Moscow’s claims of growing operational momentum might suggest.
According to Russia Matters, citing battlefield mapping data, Russian forces captured approximately 10 square miles of Ukrainian territory during the week of June 16–23, following gains of seven square miles the previous week. At the same time, Ukrainian forces were assessed to have recaptured small areas, while Ukraine’s foothold inside Russia’s Kursk and Belgorod regions remained largely unchanged.
The Pokrovsk sector continued to be one of the most important areas of the war. Russian troops launched further attacks there on June 23 and 24, but battlefield assessments found no confirmed advances on those days. The sector remains strategically significant because of its road and rail connections and because Russian pressure there is linked to Moscow’s broader objective of capturing the remainder of Donetsk Oblast and pushing deeper into Ukrainian defensive positions.
Further north and east, Russian forces continued offensive operations near Lyman and Toretsk while also pressing attacks in parts of the Sumy and Kharkiv regions. Russian attacks also caused power outages across Donetsk, Kherson, Sumy, Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, Chernihiv, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts.
These attacks reflect a familiar Russian pattern: applying pressure along the front through infantry assaults and glide-bomb strikes while simultaneously targeting civilian and energy infrastructure to strain Ukraine’s air defenses and emergency services.
Civilian casualties once again marked the week.
On June 23, a Russian missile strike on Kryvyi Rih killed three people and injured 25 others, according to Ukrainian officials. The attack reportedly involved a ballistic missile fitted with a cluster-munition warhead and struck a civilian area, leading local authorities to declare a day of mourning.
In Sumy region, a Russian drone strike on a family home killed three people, including a 13-year-old boy, and injured others. Additional attacks in the Sumy, Kherson, and Poltava regions also killed and wounded civilians, including children.
Ukraine, meanwhile, significantly expanded its long-range strike campaign against Russian energy and military-support infrastructure. Ukrainian forces struck the Orenburg Gas Processing Plant, one of Russia’s largest gas-processing facilities and home to the country’s only helium plant, reportedly setting parts of the complex on fire.
Kyiv also reported strikes against satellite communications facilities, including the Dubna Space Communications Center near Moscow and another installation in the Vladimir region. These operations formed part of Ukraine’s broader effort to degrade Russia’s war-making capacity by targeting infrastructure used for command, communications, fuel distribution, and military production.
President Volodymyr Zelensky told reporters on June 24 that communications equipment which Ukraine said had been supporting Russian drone strikes from Belarusian territory had ceased operating. The development came days after Zelensky issued an ultimatum to Belarusian ruler Alexander Lukashenko, warning that Belarus had one week to remove the equipment or face unspecified action from Ukraine.
The campaign against Russian fuel infrastructure continued to produce increasingly visible effects. Industry sources told Reuters that Moscow’s oil refinery, the largest fuel supplier to the Moscow region, is expected to remain offline for at least six months after suffering extensive damage in Ukrainian drone attacks. The refinery, located on the southern outskirts of the Russian capital, was struck twice this month, forcing it to halt operations.
The wider impact is now being felt across Russia’s domestic fuel market. Bloomberg reported that “Russia has recorded its largest weekly increase in gasoline prices in 20 years. The surge, along with fuel shortages and panic on the market, was triggered by successful Ukrainian drone strikes on oil refineries.” According to Russia’s Federal Statistics Service, average gasoline prices rose by 3 percent in just one week, from June 16 to June 22, reaching 71.20 rubles ($0.95) per liter. This marked the largest weekly increase in domestic fuel prices since at least 2006, while diesel prices rose by 2.7 percent.
The fuel squeeze has become serious enough that Russia is reportedly in talks with Kazakhstan to import approximately 50,000 metric tons of AI-92 gasoline to ease domestic shortages caused by refinery outages and unscheduled repairs. Reuters reported that shutdowns at several large refineries in central Russia following Ukrainian drone attacks have reduced gasoline output by roughly 25 percent year-on-year as of late June.
Crimea became another major focus of Ukrainian operations this week. Ukrainian strikes targeted power infrastructure in Sevastopol and disrupted electricity supplies in parts of the occupied peninsula. Kyiv also attacked transportation and logistics links, including a railway bridge used to move military supplies. Russian-installed authorities reportedly suspended civilian gasoline sales and cancelled some public events and summer activities as pressure on the peninsula intensified.
Russia responded with continued large-scale drone and missile attacks across Ukraine.
Recent waves targeted civilian areas, energy facilities, railway infrastructure, and industrial sites. Ukrainian officials reported damage to electrical systems and power outages in multiple regions, while railway workers and emergency responders were among those killed or injured.
Russia’s air campaign has become one of the defining features of the war in 2026. Moscow increasingly relies on drones, missiles, and glide bombs to compensate for the slow pace of ground advances.
Ukrainian air defenses remain under significant strain, particularly as Russia launches mixed attacks designed to overwhelm interception systems through sheer volume and complexity.
On the diplomatic front, there were no visible signs of a breakthrough.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky continued to argue that Russia would only negotiate seriously if the costs of continuing the war increased. He also stated that Ukraine would carry out pre-emptive strikes against facilities supporting Russia’s military operations.
Moscow, meanwhile, continued to reject ceasefire proposals that fall short of its maximalist demands. The result remains a familiar but increasingly dangerous stalemate, with diplomatic discussions continuing while military activity intensifies.
Deputy Chairman of Russia’s Security Council Dmitry Medvedev, during the St. Petersburg International Legal Forum, argued that “Western countries used Georgia against Russia in 2008, but they did not satisfy their bloodlust, and they learned from their mistakes.” He added that “whether Western countries like Russia, Iran, or any other country does not matter to us. However, the threat of a global war as a result of such provocative actions increases dramatically. It is important to curb the destructive ambitions of Western opponents and restore the balance of power in the world.”
The remarks echoed Moscow’s longstanding narrative that the conflict forms part of a wider confrontation with the West rather than a purely bilateral war between Russia and Ukraine.
International support for Ukraine remained active this week, particularly from Europe. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced that “Ukraine has received €3.2 billion as the first disbursement under the EU’s €90 billion support loan.” According to von der Leyen, the funds will help cover Kyiv’s budgetary shortfalls and ensure financial stability as the war continues.
A second disbursement, worth approximately €6 billion and dedicated to expanding Ukraine’s drone-production capabilities, is expected to be unveiled in the coming days. The EU has also continued urging member states to maintain bilateral support and help close Ukraine’s remaining financing gaps.
NATO continues to coordinate military assistance from allies and partners, including air-defense systems, ammunition, and other critical support. Air defense remains Kyiv’s most urgent requirement after another week of sustained Russian missile and drone attacks against Ukrainian cities.
Compiled by Ana Dumbadze
