Stories from Ukraine

Ukraine is implementing a project to provide monthly payments for childcare services, private kindergartens, or additional services in state educational institutions. Families will receive 8,000 hryvnias per month for each child. For families raising a child with a disability, the payment amount is 12,000 hryvnias. These funds are not restricted to special Diia cards and can be used exclusively for service payments and care. Funds are restricted to service payments and cannot be used on special Diia card accounts.

The Ukrainian Cabinet of Ministers has approved a decree allowing citizens to include periods of work performed in other countries toward their insurance seniority for pension eligibility. Authorized doctors approved by the Pension Fund board will be involved in assessing medical documents. If the Pension Fund determines sick leave was issued without proper grounds, it may suspend insurance payment funding within five days of identifying the violation. Medical facilities or doctors have 10 days to respond to such findings. Medical institutions or doctors have 10 days to address the issue of unlawfully paid amounts. The decision aims to adjust how retirement seniority is calculated for citizens. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that details regarding the opening of weapons exports have been agreed upon at the level of state institutions.

Ukrainian forces are targeting grouped objectives using available ammunition. The direction of potential strikes remains uncertain, with possibilities including the Donbas region or attempts to enter Belarus. There is also speculation regarding potential attacks on NATO countries. The effectiveness of these maneuvers is currently being assessed.

Russian forces are attacking both banks of the Siverskyi Donets River. Fighting near Kostiantynivka and around Pokrovsk is reportedly resulting in heavy losses for both sides without territorial gains. The presence of drones is complicating troop movements as concentrations are quickly identified and targeted. A potential Russian offensive is also being considered toward Slovyansk. Analysts suggest Ukraine may seize the initiative this summer, potentially prompting a Russian mobilization within a month.

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has detained an IT specialist in the Cherkasy region. The individual is accused of recruiting informants to assist Russian interests. A resident in the Cherkasy region was recruited to work for the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB).

Expert Serhiy Kuyun stated that if Russian forces capture Liman, they will pose a threat to the north.

A 17-year-old male student attacked two female gymnasium students with a knife inside a school building in Mariampol. The attacker stabbed both girls in the back, according to a local commissariat representative. Both victims were transported to a hospital, though their injuries are not considered life-threatening. Authorities are currently investigating the motives behind the incident. A knife attacker wounded two people during an incident at a school in Mariampol, Lithuania. Police evacuated all students from the school following the attack. The incident occurred approximately 30 km from the Polish border.

Russia is expected to attempt capturing Kostiantynivka during its summer campaign, where attacks have intensified over the last month. However, the Russian army currently lacks sufficient numerical advantages in that area. Fighting near Kostiantynivka and around Pokrovsk continues with high casualties and no progress, as both sides struggle to accumulate forces. Slutkov stated in Sargrad that effective attacks require five times more strength than the opponent, including personnel, artillery, and ammunition. Deficits are being felt across all directions. Battles near Kostiantynivka and around Pokrovsk are reportedly occurring with heavy losses and without success. Military experts Mikhail Prityla and David Sharp discussed whether Ukraine could seize the initiative from the Russian army during the upcoming summer offensive.

Trolleybus overhead lines have been dismantled in Sloviansk to protect the infrastructure from ongoing shelling.

Ukrainian drone commander Robert Provedi operates from a high-tech underground command center. Local efforts and support from SKH are being used to maintain resilience in the supply systems. The situation has worsened with an increase in drone strikes specifically targeting water supplies. Switzerland is providing support for local water supply efforts. The complexity of attacks on water supply, including channels and power plants, can lead to the destruction of water supply transformers. Understanding these connections is critical to understanding how quickly clean water access can be affected during war. Ukrainian forces successfully counterattacked in the south to halt a dangerous Russian offensive in the Gulaypolya area of the Zaporizhzhia region. The effectiveness of such maneuvers depends heavily on the availability and use of reserves.