Ukraine has announced its decision to withdraw from the Ottawa Convention banning anti-personnel landmines, citing national security needs and the ongoing Russian invasion. The move requires parliamentary approval and UN notification. Other Eastern European nations — including Finland, Poland, and the Baltics — are also stepping away from the treaty, citing modern warfare realities. Analysts suggest these countries may begin producing and stockpiling landmines by 2025, further intensifying militarization along NATO’s eastern front.

Leonid Pasechnik, the Russian-appointed official in Ukraine's Luhansk region, has claimed that Russian forces now fully control the territory. If confirmed, Luhansk would be the first Ukrainian region entirely under Russian control since the full-scale invasion began over three years ago. The area was one of four regions Russia claimed to annex in September 2022. Earlier on June 20, President Putin reiterated his ambition to absorb all of Ukraine into Russia.

The Russia-Ukraine conflict, now over 1,220 days long, has seen Russia escalate its military actions, aiming to fully annex Ukraine. Ukrainian forces face nearly 700,000 Russian troops, especially around strategic areas like Pokrovsk. The US has paused military aid, but Europe and Canada pledged $35 billion in support for early 2025. The UK and Norway are providing technical assistance, while Ukraine develops its own missile technology. Ukraine’s ambitions to join NATO and the EU continue, despite Russia’s concerns and EU’s sanction disagreements.

Russian forces claim to have seized control of a village near lithium deposits in eastern Ukraine, despite fierce Ukrainian resistance. The Russian Defense Ministry said on Thursday that they have taken control of Novoselivka and Shevchenko in Donetsk. Meanwhile, both Russia and Ukraine have conducted another prisoner exchange, with soldiers returning to their respective countries. However, there has been no progress on peace talks.

At least 10 people have died following a large-scale Russian drone and missile strike on Kyiv and surrounding areas, according to Ukrainian officials. Tymur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv’s military administration, described it as another major assault directly targeting residential zones. Ukraine’s Air Force reported that Russia deployed 352 drones, 11 ballistic missiles, and 5 cruise missiles during the attack.

Following peace talks in Turkey, Russia and Ukraine announced on Tuesday that they had completed a prisoner exchange involving seriously wounded and sick soldiers. This exchange came a day after the two countries carried out a swap of prisoners under the age of 25. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that this marks the first phase of repatriating Ukraine’s critically injured soldiers, all of whom require immediate medical attention. "We are making every effort to locate and bring back all our prisoners," he said. Russia’s Defense Ministry stated that Russian prisoners were first transported to Belarus, located between the two warring nations, before being returned to Russia for treatment and rehabilitation.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused the Trump administration of diverting 20,000 promised anti-drone missiles meant for Ukraine to U.S. forces in the Middle East. These missiles, Zelensky said, were crucial for countering Iranian-designed Shahed drones frequently used by Russian forces. The Biden administration later signed a new deal to address the shortfall. Meanwhile, Russia launched its largest single-night drone and missile attack on Ukraine on Monday, firing 479 drones and 20 missiles in what has been described as the heaviest assault since the war began.

Russia launched a large-scale overnight air assault on Ukraine, firing 14 ballistic missiles and 250 drones, according to Ukraine’s Air Force. Although most of the threats were intercepted—6 missiles and 245 drones—several large explosions still occurred. CNN reports that 13 people were killed: 4 in Donetsk, 5 in Kherson and Odesa, and 4 in Kharkiv. Meanwhile, Russia claimed to have downed 94 Ukrainian drones. Notably, both countries also completed the largest prisoner exchange of the war, swapping over 1,400 detainees in two phases.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has dismissed Russian President Vladimir Putin’s proposal for a three-day ceasefire as a "staged show." Russia has not accepted a broader 30-day unconditional ceasefire proposed by Kyiv and Washington. “We are not playing games to help Putin appear less isolated during his May 9 Victory Day celebration,” Zelensky said. Nearly 20 foreign leaders, including China’s Xi Jinping, are expected to attend the Moscow event. Zelensky warned that Russia might orchestrate incidents on that day and blame Ukraine.

Russian military chief Valery Gerasimov announced during a video conference with President Putin that Russian forces have liberated the last Ukrainian-held village, Gornal, in the Kursk region. Putin declared Ukraine’s counter-offensive “a total failure.” Ukraine’s senior staff, however, dismissed Russia’s claims as mere propaganda, admitting that battlefield conditions in the area have become increasingly difficult. Meanwhile, Russia praised North Korean soldiers, with around 10,000 troops reportedly engaged in combat.

Russia has launched its largest assault on Kyiv this year, using drones and missiles that killed at least 12 and injured 90. Former U.S. President Donald Trump responded by directly appealing to Vladimir Putin, saying, “Vladimir, stop! Five thousand troops are dying every week. Let’s make peace first.” Trump condemned the attack as unnecessary and poorly timed.

Russia resumed military strikes on Ukraine on Monday, ending President Putin’s 30-hour unilateral Easter ceasefire. Three civilians were reportedly killed. Both sides had accused each other of violating the temporary truce. The Ukrainian military noted a reduction in Russian activity but stated that the war had not ceased entirely.

Just hours after President Vladimir Putin announced a unilateral 30-hour Easter ceasefire, Russia and Ukraine traded accusations of violating it. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported 59 shellings and five assaults by Russian forces. Ukraine claims Russia also used 48 drones during the truce, while over 900 drone attacks were reported in Russia’s border regions of Belgorod, Bryansk, and Kursk.

The death toll from a Russian strike on Sumy, Ukraine, has climbed to 35, with 117 injured. While Russia claimed it targeted a military meeting, Ukrainian officials say the attack took place on Palm Sunday as civilians headed to church. President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the attack as cowardly. Western leaders including those from the UK, Germany, and Italy have denounced the strike. Donald Trump called it “horrible” but added, “I heard it was a mistake.” According to the UN, over 12,654 civilians have been killed and 29,392 injured in Ukraine during the first three years of war.

A devastating missile strike by Russian forces on a residential area in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine, has killed at least 18 people, including six children. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called on Western allies to increase pressure on Moscow as rescue operations continue. Regional Governor Serhiy Lysak reported on Telegram that several residential buildings were damaged in the attack, sparking fires and injuring at least 50 people. The Russian Defense Ministry claimed the missile targeted a gathering of Ukrainian troops and foreign instructors in Kryvyi Rih, alleging that the strike resulted in the deaths of 85 foreign military personnel and officers, as well as the destruction of over 20 vehicles.