Newsletter 08/06/2026
Zelensky shares details of meeting with Russian oligarch Abramovich. New Ukrainian drone system automates 95% of Shahed interceptions. Russian strike on Zaporizhzhia: Two killed, 18 wounded.
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Zelensky shares details of meeting with Russian oligarch Abramovich
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky shared details of his meeting with Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich.
“Abramovich came to Kyiv. He said: ‘I have a message directed to you and want to get a message, take it from you and to give it Putin.’ But he said that it has to be ‘silently,’ without any kind of public messages,” Zelensky said.
According to him, the Russians were trying to understand what Ukraine was ready to do. “I said: ‘The question is not about us. You are fighting against us on our territory.’ I said to him about Donbas, that was the key message, I said: ‘No, we will not leave and we will not go out of our own territory. We will not give you victory in such way, and you will not get it,’” the President noted.
Zelensky added that Abramovich wanted to negotiate a compromise between Ukraine and Russia. “We spoke about any kind of compromises. I said that all the compromises come after a ceasefire. The ceasefire is the biggest compromise from our side,” he stressed.
The President of Ukraine also noted that during that meeting he proposed to Putin that they hold a personal meeting, but not on the territory of Russia or Belarus. “You can choose any time from tomorrow, you can choose any day, choose any format. We can choose [a meeting] with President Trump - I am sure he will be ready to come. We can do it with Europeans - I am sure everybody wants to help. Or we can choose a bilateral way,” he said.
According to media reports, Roman Abramovich held a personal meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv last month.
EU Commissioner Kos names date for official launch of Ukraine’s accession talks
European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos has officially confirmed that the European Union will formally open accession negotiations with Ukraine on June 15.
Trump reportedly backs new mediator for Ukraine–Russia talks – media
The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump is reportedly considering the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, Theophilos III, as a potential mediator in negotiations between Ukraine and Russia.
Grossi calls situation at Ukrainian NPPs ‘extremely challenging’
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said on Monday that the situation at Ukrainian nuclear power plants remains “extremely challenging.”
Grossi highlighted a number of dangerous incidents that have occurred recently, including a strike by a Russian drone on a spent nuclear fuel storage facility located a few kilometers from Chornobyl.
The IAEA chief said that part of the fuel reception building suffered “significant structural damage,” while spent fuel is “stored in casks just a few hundred metres” away.
“Attacking a facility with large amounts of nuclear material is extremely dangerous. It must not happen,” Grossi said.
He also emphasized that external power supply at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant has “been the most serious concern,” noting that the plant has been operating for several months on only one backup line after damage sustained in March.
Grossi recalled that on Friday, the sixth local ceasefire agreement between Russia and Ukraine was reached in order to restore the “Dniprovska” power line. According to him, without this line, the external power supply situation at Zaporizhzhia NPP remains “fragile.”
The IAEA head also noted that in recent days the plant experienced its 18th external power outage since the start of the full-scale war.
“With a duration of 15 hours, it was also one of its longest, necessitating the use of emergency diesel generators to cool the six shut down reactors until offsite power was restored on Saturday morning,” Grossi said.
War
Ukrainian Defense Forces strike oil facilities in Krasnodar and Volgograd regions
On June 7 and during the night of June 8, units of the Ukrainian Defense Forces struck the Grushovaya oil depot in the Krasnodar region, the Krasny Yar LPDS in the Volgograd region, a radar station, and other facilities in the Russian Federation and in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.
Defense Forces strike oil depots in Crimea, FSB command post, and other Russian military facilities
Units of the Ukrainian Defense Forces struck oil depots in the temporarily occupied Crimea, an FSB command post, and other Russian military facilities.
SOF strike strategic Russian oil pipeline hub 500 kilometers from border with Ukraine
On the night of June 7, Special Operations Forces struck a junction of two Russian main oil pipelines in the Volgograd region, a radar station in the Krasnodar region of the Russian Federation, and an oil depot in occupied Crimea.
Ukraine’s USF strike locomotive in Russia’s Bryansk region
Pilots of the 413th Raid Regiment of the Unmanned Systems Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine struck a locomotive in Russia’s Bryansk region that Russian invaders were using to transport military cargo.
AFU liberate over 600 square kilometers from the enemy since year started, Syrskyi says
War update: 240 clashes between Ukrainian Defense Forces and Russian army reported on front lines
ADF neutralizes 124 of 155 drones launched by Russia overnight
Shellings
Russian strike on Zaporizhzhia: Two killed, injury toll rises to 18
In Zaporizhzhia, 18 people were injured and two were killed as a result of Russian drone attacks.
"As a result of the attack, two women were killed. Eighteen people required medical assistance, including four children aged 5, 10, 12, and 13, as well as a 17-year-old boy and a 15-year-old girl. All victims are receiving the necessary medical care," the statement said.
It is noted that Russian drones damaged residential buildings and vehicles and destroyed market kiosks.
Russians strike grain elevator in Velykyi Burluk, Kharkiv region, with drone; casualties reported
In Sumy region, 15 people wounded and one person killed in Russian shelling
Russia loses 1,330 troops, two air defense systems in war against Ukraine over past day
Politics
Zelensky congratulates Pashinyan on election victory
President Volodymyr Zelensky congratulated Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on his party’s victory in the parliamentary elections.
Zelensky reveals details of meeting with British, French, and German leaders
President Volodymyr Zelensky discussed defense, the frontline situation, and efforts to intensify diplomacy with the leaders of Britain, France, and Germany.
FM Sybiha on Armenian election results: Russia’s influence continues to fade
Attempts by Russia to influence election in Armenia have failed, just as they previously did in Romania, Moldova, Hungary, and other countries, demonstrating a weakening of Moscow’s geopolitical influence.
Economy
Ukraine receives another €2.8 billion under Ukraine Facility program
Ukraine has received the seventh tranche of funding from the European Union under the Ukraine Facility program, totaling €2.8 billion.
Defense
New Ukrainian drone system automates 95% of Shahed interceptions – DM Fedorov
A participant in Ukraine’s Brave1 defense technology cluster has developed a system that automates 95% of the entire Shahed interception process – from drone launch to target destruction. The next-generation interceptor drones are now being scaled up for wider deployment.
Stats
Over 8.5M Ukrainians leave country since start of Russian aggression – Ombudsman
A total of 8.5 million Ukrainians have left the country since the beginning of Russia’s aggression in 2014.
“I joined the Global Ukrainian Summit and would first like to thank the organizers for this important initiative. We are dealing with alarming figures: according to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, more than 5.7 million Ukrainians have left the country since 2022, and if we count from the beginning of Russian aggression in 2014, the number reaches 8.5 million people. This is a global challenge that requires coordinated action,” reported by Dmytro Lubinets, the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, on Telegram following the Global Ukrainian Summit.
According to the Ombudsman, “the first key protection mechanism must remain the international temporary protection status. It should remain in force as long as active hostilities continue in Ukraine and should primarily apply to vulnerable categories of citizens. For its part, the Ombudsman’s Office is developing a systematic international support network of representatives and advisers who provide direct assistance and consultations to Ukrainian citizens abroad to help protect their rights.”