This week in the Russia-Ukraine war (June 28)

A snapshot of the latest news from around the world regarding the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.

Political developments

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for high-ranking Russian politicians. Former Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov are accused of war crimes in connection with attacks on Ukrainian civilians.

On Monday, Moscow summoned the US ambassador to protest against Ukraine’s use of American weapons against targets in Crimea, an attack on Sunday that reportedly killed four people and injured more than 150.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov after the attack in Crimea. It was the first time in 15 months that the defense ministers of both countries spoke. Lloyd’s last phone call with Russian Defense Minister, then-Sergei Shoigu, was in March 2023. The Pentagon said it was important that the US and Moscow maintained their communication channels during the war.

For the second year in a row, Russia has cancelled the MAKS military exhibition, which is usually held annually at Zhukovsky Airport near Moscow. Authorities again cited “security reasons” as the reason for closing the air show.

In a grim imitation of the terrorist attack on Crocus City Hall three months ago, Islamist militants carried out twin attacks on two towns in Russia’s Dagestan on Sunday. Moscow blamed Kyiv, as it did in the Crocus attack, but several of the attackers in Dagestan were related to a local Dagestani official.

Military aid for Ukraine

The European Union has signed a security assistance package worth up to 1.4 billion euros, to be drawn from a pool of frozen Russian assets. The money will flow through the Ukraine aid fund, which is normally used for repayments. This time, the money will be used to buy new equipment for the Ukrainian armed forces, such as coveted air defense systems. A quarter of the total will be used to procure domestic equipment. Hungary is also blocking a repayment of 6.6 billion euros for weapons bought for Ukraine.

The United States is preparing a $150 million ammunition donation to Ukraine to replenish its dwindling stockpiles. The shipment is expected to include more HIMARS ammunition, possibly including the Army Tactical Missile System, which can be fired from HIMARS launchers. A U.S. official said the aid package will not include cluster munitions. The shipment is also expected to include anti-tank weapons, artillery shells, small arms and grenades.

Since the beginning of the war, Serbian ammunition worth 800 million euros has been delivered to Ukraine. Financial Times Investigation revealed that although Belgrade did not supply Ukraine directly, Serbia exported to third parties who later delivered the ammunition to Kyiv.

“This is part of our economic recovery and important for us. Yes, we export our ammunition. We cannot export to Ukraine or Russia … but we had many contracts with the Americans, the Spanish, the Czechs and others. What they ultimately do with it is their decision,” said Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, referring to Serbian arms exports.

General Dynamics European Land Systems has submitted an offer to Spain to produce 50 ASCOD infantry fighting vehicles for the Ukrainian army.

AM General delivered a Hawkeye-105 mobile howitzer system to Ukraine for two weeks of combat testing. The artillery system combines a 105mm gun with a HMMWV chassis to provide rapid and mobile artillery support.

Battlefield Updates

Ukrainian Lieutenant General Yuri Sodol was removed from his post as commander of the Joint Forces on Monday. Although no reason was given, press reports expressed internal criticism of Sodol’s conduct of the war.

The Russian Defense Ministry warned on Friday that US drone flights over the Black Sea “multiply the likelihood of incidents involving aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces, thereby increasing the risk of a direct confrontation between the alliance and Russia.” The statement followed claims by pro-Russian bloggers that a US drone was shot down over the Black Sea this week.

The Institute for the Study of War has produced a map showing Russian airfields and other potential targets that would be within range of ATACMS missiles if Ukraine were given free rein to attack Russian targets. The United States recently gave Ukraine authority to attack a limited number of Russian targets using donated equipment.

Pentagon press secretary Major General Patrick Ryder answered questions from reporters on Tuesday on a range of topics, including the alleged impending deployment of North Korean engineer troops to Ukraine.

“It’s certainly something to keep an eye on. I think if I were the head of the North Korean military personnel, I would question my decision to send my troops as cannon fodder in an illegal war against Ukraine,” General Ryder said.

On Tuesday, Russia and Ukraine agreed to another prisoner exchange of 90 people each under a deal brokered by the UAE.

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