Society & Culture

President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the return of another group of Ukrainian servcemen to their homeland. According to the President, most of the servicemen had been in captivity since 2022. The head of state reported this on Telegram, as cited by Ukrinform. "Our people are returning home from Russian captivity. These are warriors of the Armed Forces, the National Guard, and the State Border Guard Service. Most of them had been held captive since 2022. They are defenders of Ukraine who fought in the Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Luhansk, Kharkiv, Sumy, Chernihiv, and Kyiv regions. We are working to bring our people back.…

President Volodymyr Zelensky honored the memory of those killed in the Russian strike on a building in Kyiv. The head of state announced this on Telegram, according to Ukrinform. “Today, I visited the site where a Russian high-explosive missile struck a high-rise building in Kyiv. I paid tribute to the victims. This despicable strike on the building in the middle of the night took the lives of 23 civilians. My condolences to their families and loved ones. All those affected continue to receive assistance,” Zelensky said. [embedded content] He noted that this shelling is a reminder to the world that…

As of now, a total of 273,200 civilians remain in part of Donetsk region under Ukrainian government control, including 20,200 children. This was reported during an online briefing on June 18 by Serhii Honcharov, Head of the Department for Civil Protection, Mobilization, and Defense Work of the Donetsk Regional Military Administration (RMA), according to a Ukrinform correspondent. "From February 26, 2022, to June 13, 2025, about 1,223,000 civilians were evacuated from Donetsk region. Among them were approximately 192,000 children and 46,700 people with disabilities... As of June 16, 2025, 273,200 people remain in the Ukrainian-controlled territory of the region, including…

An Orthodox church in Pokrovsk, Donetsk region, has been destroyed by Russian attacks. That’s according to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Ukrinform reports. "As a result of hostilities, churches operated by the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Donetsk region continue to suffer” the report reads. On June 18, 2025, the Pokrovsk Vicariate published photos of the heavy damage suffered by a Pokrovsk Church. Read also: Kremlin actively using Russian Orthodox Church as tool of hybrid influence in Africa – intel The Telegram channel of the Pokrovsk Vicariate states that the religious building has been practically destroyed. As Ukrinform reported earlier, the Church…

Romanian President Nicusor Dan has sent a letter of condolences to the Ukrainian Embassy in relation to the the massive Russian attack that targeted Kyiv on June 17. The Ukrainian diplomatic mission in Romania reported this on Facebook, Ukrinform saw. It is noted that the Embassy has received many e-mails over the tragedy, including a letter of condolences from the President of Romania. "On my own behalf and on behalf of the citizens of Romania, I express my condolences and deep sorrow over the loss of human lives as a result of the brutal attack on the city of Kyiv.…

The Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) will conduct background checks on individuals who were formerly citizens of the Russian Federation or the Republic of Belarus, lived in temporarily occupied territories, and now seek to obtain Ukrainian citizenship. This was stated by Ruslan Horbenko, Deputy Head of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Human Rights, in a comment to Ukrinform. “Some MPs opposed the adoption of the law on multiple citizenship, as they believe certain provisions are flawed. They worry that former citizens of Russia or Belarus, who now hold citizenship of another country — for example, a European one — might…

The law on multiple citizenship will allow foreign legion soldiers, ethnic Ukrainians, and members of the diaspora to obtain Ukrainian citizenship. At the same time, Ukrainian refugees will be able to acquire foreign citizenship. This was stated by Ruslan Horbenko, Deputy Head of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Human Rights, in a comment to Ukrinform. “Passing the law on multiple citizenship — the ability to hold two or more passports — is an extremely important step for millions of Ukrainians. This especially concerns those who were forced to leave the country because of the war. Today, around six million of…

As a result of the massive Russian strike on June 17, the most severely damaged buildings in Odesa were located in the historic city center. This was reported on Telegram by Odesa Mayor Hennadii Trukhanov, according to Ukrinform. “As a result of the massive strike on Odesa on June 17, dozens of residential buildings in the Prymorskyi district were affected. The most extensive damage occurred on Oleksiia Markevycha and Novoselskoho streets,” Trukhanov stated. According to him, damage was recorded in 51 residential buildings, with at least six sustaining significant destruction. Over 130 apartments were affected, many of them with shattered…

As of Wednesday, June 18, a total of 207 damaged sites have been registered in Kyiv as a result of the massive Russian attack on June 17, with 106 of them located in the Solomianskyi district. According to Ukrinform, this was reported by the Kyiv City State Administration, citing Deputy Head Viacheslav Nepop. Nepop stated that residents of Solomianskyi district whose property was damaged in the June 17 attack have submitted 95 claims to the Register of Damaged and Destroyed Property seeking compensation through the government’s eRecovery (eVidnovlennia) program. He noted that the government provides up to UAH 350,000 (approx.…

All fires that broke out as a result of Russian strikes on the capital on Tuesday have already been extinguished. This was announced during a briefing by Alexander Khorunzhiy, press officer of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine (SES), according to a correspondent for Ukrinform. “All fires have been extinguished. In fact, one of the fires that broke out was extinguished this morning. This large-scale operation is ongoing, including rescue and search efforts. The Solomianskyi district was the most affected. Psychologists are working very actively at this residential building in the Solomianskyi district,” Khorunzhiy said. According to him, about 150…