Victorious news of 854th day of war: Defense forces destroy seven Russian boats, Lithuania approves allocation of 0.25% of GDP to Ukraine 

Ukraine establishes Unmanned Systems Forces within Armed Forces

On June 25, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a decree to establish the Unmanned Systems Forces within Ukraine's Armed Forces, as decided by the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC)

The decree, No. 382/2024, is available on the President's Office website.

Zelenskyy approved the NSDC's decision to create the Unmanned Systems Forces as a distinct branch within the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

The Secretary of the NSDC, Oleksandr Lytvynenko, is responsible for overseeing the implementation. 

Defense forces destroy hundred Russian soldiers, seven boats and ATV in south

Southern Ukrainian Defense Forces reported significant losses for the Russian forces over the past day. 

The Ukrainian military confirmed 89 Russian personnel killed and the destruction of 32 pieces of equipment, including 8 guns, a mortar, an anti-tank missile system, 7 armored vehicles, 5 UAVs, 2 electronic warfare stations (including a Pole-21), 7 boats, and an ATV.

Ukrainian defenders also destroyed 4 observation posts, a field ammunition depot, a storage facility, and 8 dugouts.

Lithuania approves allocation of 0.25% of GDP for defense assistance to Ukraine 

Lithuania will allocate at least 0.25% of its GDP to support Ukraine's defense and security, announced President Gitanas Nausėda.

He stated that during a State Defense Council meeting on June 26, Lithuania agreed to allocate "at least 0.25% of GDP to support Ukraine's security and defense."

 "Lithuania will continue to stand firmly with Ukraine until victory. We will always support freedom," Nausėda emphasized.

​​Ukrainian forces destroy Russian artillery near Bakhmut 

Ukrainian troops in the Bakhmut sector destroyed Russian military equipment, including three artillery pieces, reported the Third Border Guard Detachment named after Hero of Ukraine Yevhen Pikus.

"In the Bakhmut direction, Russian weaponry was destroyed by the Phoenix unit. Over the past few days, our border guards eliminated two 122-mm D-30 howitzers, one 152-mm D-20 howitzer, a vehicle belonging to the Russian forces, and a 120-mm mortar," the statement said.

Finland confirms it trained Ukrainian military on its territory

For the first time, Finnish Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen confirmed the fact that Ukrainian military were conducting drills on Finnish territory. He told STT about it.

He noted that Finnish military instructors had trained thousands of Ukrainian servicemen to full combat readiness. 

"We held small training events in Finland. In practice, it was technical training related to specific equipment. This is part of the usual operational training on the transferred combat systems," said Häkkänen .

According to the head of the Finnish defense ministry, instructors in his country trained Ukrainian military in various areas, from basic to special forces. He added that it was more effective than the Finnish model of training conscripts.

"The key goal of any training operation is that as Ukraine mobilizes troops more often, the West will also take more care of their training," Häkkänen said.

Ukraine charges Russian serviceman who tortured Ukrainians in Kyiv region

A Russian serviceman who tortured a local resident during the occupation of Kyiv region has been notified of suspicion

This was reported by the press service of the Prosecutor General's Office.

According to the investigation, the suspect served in the 239th Tank Regiment of the 90th Tank Division of the Vitebsk-Novgorod Division of the Central District of the Russian Armed Forces.

In March 2022, he and other Russians occupied the village of Velyka Dymerka, Brovary district, Kyiv region. 

At one of the set up checkpoints, the suspect, along with other Russian military personnel, stopped a local resident.

Threatening him with a weapon, he forced him to a nearby house and tied his hands. He used physical force, threatened to kill, humiliated and interrogated the victim, demanding information about the man's affiliation with the Ukrainian Defence Forces.

"In order to obtain the desired information, the suspect inflicted three stab wounds and two gunshot wounds to the man's leg. Continuing the interrogation, he inserted a part of the knife into the civilian's gunshot wounds and twisted it several times. After that, he forced the wounded man into the basement, from where the victim later managed to escape," investigators found.