Tuesday, June 24. Russia’s War On Ukraine: News And Information From Ukraine

Dispatches from Ukraine. Day 1,217.

Russian Attacks on Ukraine.

Dnipropetrovsk region. A Russian ballistic missile attack in southeastern Ukraine on Tuesday, June 24, killed at least 17 people and wounded an estimated 280 civilians, including 27 children. The attack damaged estimated 46 apartment buildings and 41 residential houses, several dormitories, administrative buildings, eight medical facilities, more than three dozen educational institutions, ten kindergartens, and other civilian facilities.

Ukraine’s national railway company, Ukrzaliznytsia, said that a train traveling from Odesa to Zaporizhzhia was damaged in the attack. No passengers or railway workers were killed in the attack, though several people sustained injuries and are receiving medical care.

In an overnight attack on June 23, Russia launched 352 Iranian-designed Shahed drones and decoys, along with 16 ballistic and cruise missiles on Kyiv, killing at least nine people and injuring 33 others. Ukraine’s Air Force intercepted 158 drones and missiles, as well as electronically jamming 196 drones, but direct strikes were recorded at six sites. The assault came just six days after the third deadliest strike on the Ukrainian capital, which killed 28 and wounded over 130 residents.

In addition to intensified overnight drone strikes, daytime attacks by the Kremlin across Ukraine killed at least 10 and injured more than 100 civilians between June 18-22, according to daily reports by Ukrainian regional officials. On June 22, Russian forces struck a temporary training ground in southern Ukraine, where a mechanized brigade was conducting exercises, killing at least three troops and injuring 14, according to Ukraine’s Ground Forces command. While most brigade members sheltered in time, some, who ignored safety protocols, wound up among the casualties. The attack follows a string of deadly strikes on Ukrainian training facilities in recent weeks.

International

The NATO Summit. Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, arrived at the Nato summit in the Netherlands for meetings with European leaders. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte warned on June 23 that Russia remains the alliance’s most immediate and long-term threat. The White House confirmed the meeting between Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky and his American counterpart Donald Trump.

Zelenskyy traveled to London on June 23, where he met with Prime Minister Keir Starmer and King Charles III for high-stakes defense discussions. Zelenskyy’s trip is part of a broader European tour, with possible stops in Strasbourg, France, for a Council of Europe parliamentary session and at the European Union leaders’ summit in Brussels, Belgium. It remains unclear, however, whether he will attend the NATO summit scheduled for June 24–25 in The Hague, Netherlands.

Norway will invest $400 million in Ukraine’s defense industry, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on June 22, following a visit by Norwegian defense minister Tore Onshuus Sandvik. The funding will be used primarily to boost the domestic production of drones. The deal also includes joint manufacturing of missiles for NASAMS, the U.S.-Norwegian surface-to-air missile system used to intercept Russian cruise missiles and drones. Norway’s co-developer of the missiles, Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace, has already opened an office in Ukraine and signed a production agreement with a major local firm. “We are working together to create all the necessary conditions to produce air defense systems in Ukraine … jointly with Norway,” Zelensky said, calling the partnership a critical step toward securing Ukraine’s defense supply chain in the face of dwindling U.S. aid.

Struggling to replenish its military losses, Ukraine is quietly turning to a new source of manpower: foreign recruits from Latin America and beyond. According to reporting by Britain’s weekly The Economist, Ukraine’s defense ministry has launched a digital recruitment campaign targeting the Global South, hoping to bring in thousands of international fighters each month to help close the gap with Russia’s faster mobilization rate.

At a newly established training center in western Ukraine, men from Colombia, Brazil, and other countries prepare to deploy to the front lines, driven by a mix of ideology, adventure, and the lure of salaries several times higher than back home. Although the initiative has gained some traction, getting 100 applications a day, recruits face steep challenges, including visa complications, cultural differences, harsh combat conditions and language barriers.

Culture Front.

Ukrainian Ivan Franko Theater brings 'The Witch of Konotop’ from Kyiv to New York as part of its global tour. As Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv got bombed by Russia on June 23rd, Ukraine’s renowned Ivan Franko National Academic Drama Theater played two sold-out shows in New York City this week. The Witch of Konotop production is a musical satire, based on the classic novella by Hryhorii Kvitka-Osnovianenko

"This is more than a performance. It’s more than acting," said Yevhen Nyshchuk, General Director of the Franko Theater to New York’s audience, "These are artists who carry with them a vast history, a profound culture, a rich musical heritage—and the resilience we all share today."

The performance is part of a broader cultural diplomacy effort to showcase Ukraine’s artistic identity on the world stage, particularly amid ongoing geopolitical challenges. Following the New York debut, the company is set to bring the production to audiences in Toronto and Montreal.

By Danylo Nosov, Karina L. Tahiliani