KYIV, UKRAINE – JUNE 12: Members of German delegation are seen laying flowers to pay respects to the … More
Dispatches from Ukraine. Day 1,206.
Russian Casualties Reach One Million
Russia’s military losses in its war against Ukraine have surpassed 1,000,000 personnel killed or wounded since 2022, according to Ukraine’s governmental estimates. The UK Ministry of Defence has corroborated a more modest figure of about 250,000 dead or missing Russian servicemen while BBC News Russian portrays Moscow’s verified losses at nearly 113,500 servicemen. However calculated, these staggering casualties, the highest toll on Russian forces since World War II, have not induced the Kremlin to end the war.
Despite the losses, Russia last year captured just 0.5% of Ukraine’s territory, approximately 1,270 square miles. The devastating cost of Russian advances has led many analysts to consider the territorial gains very poor return for the scale of battlefield losses, which reportedly have reached record levels so far this year of more than 200,000 casualties.
Military leaders and analysts alike are questioning whether any level of battlefield attrition can alter Russia’s efforts to occupy still more of Ukraine. Former Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhnyi admitted in November, 2024, that he had overestimated the impact of Russia’s losses on the Kremlin’s policymakers, calling his belief a “strategic misjudgment.” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has echoed this sentiment, stating that Russia appears indifferent to human losses and that only intensified sanctions, particularly those targeting its oil revenues, are likely to force meaningful changes.
Russia’s Attacks in Ukraine
Overnight on June 11, Russian forces launched at least 17 drone strikes on Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, killing at least four people and wounding more than 50 others, including children, while causing damage to homes and public areas. Meanwhile, systematic Russian attacks from June 10 to June 12 in the embattled eastern Donetsk province killed at least six civilians and wounded 15 others.
International News
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on June 12 issued formal congratulations to the Russian people on Russia Day, a national holiday celebrating Russian sovereignty and independence. “The United States remains committed to supporting the Russian people as they continue to build on their aspirations for a brighter future,” said Rubio. Such statement disregards widespread war crimes committed by Russian forces in Ukraine. Rubio’s move drew swift criticism from Ukrainian officials; Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called such congratulations to an “aggressor country” both “unpleasant” and morally indefensible.
The message, the first such gesture from Washington since 2022, indicates a shift in U.S. foreign policy under President Donald Trump, who now stresses diplomatic outreach to Russian President Vladimir Putin rather than isolating him.
Germany plans to commit $10.4 billion in financial aid to Ukraine in 2025, significantly increasing its defense support package while stopping short of supplying long-range Taurus missiles. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, speaking alongside President Zelenskyy in Kyiv on June 12, said that the initial $4.6 billion pledge has grown to more than $10 billion, with a substantial portion earmarked for Ukraine’s procurement and production of long-range weaponry. “We must ensure the funding for the Ukrainian armed forces to acquire what they need,” Pistorius added.
When pressed about delivering Taurus cruise missiles, capable of striking as deep as 300 miles into Russian territory, Pistorius firmly ruled out such a transfer. Despite prior parliamentary support and endorsements from new German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, the German government remains cautious, citing concerns over war escalation. Former Chancellor Olaf Scholz raised persistent doubts over the depth of his military support for Kyiv by consistently opposing the missile transfer.
Most members of the Group of Seven, led by the EU, Britain, and Canada, are reportedly prepared to slash the $60-a-barrel price cap on Russian oil to $45 even if the U.S. declines to join them. As global oil prices have fallen to the brink of the current threshold imposed for Russian oil products, European leaders argue that the cap has become toothless and are pushing to reinvigorate its impact ahead of the June 15–17 summit in Canada. “We will use the Group of Seven to try to get the U.S. on board,” one European source said.
The White House, however, remains noncommittal despite calls from some lawmakers, including Senator Lindsey Graham, to back tougher sanctions on Moscow. European officials say they can move forward without Washington, relying on London’s dominance in maritime insurance and the EU’s influence on the global tanker fleet.
Ukrainian public opinion has shifted against President Trump: only 16% of Ukrainians view his presidency positively, marking a dramatic reversal from 54% in December, 2024. According to a new poll by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology, about 72% of Ukrainians now believe Trump’s return to the White House is bad for Ukraine, reflecting widespread concern over the future of American support under his leadership.
By Danylo Nosov, Alan Sacks
