Day 125: ongoing missile terror, Zelenskyi’s urge for missile defense, NATO summit

Missile strike on Dnipro. Russian missiles hit Autodiesel auto repair shop in Dnipro, mayor of the city Borys Filatov said. “Russian bastards just struck Autodiesel auto repair shop with a missile, the city’s best auto repair shop where all Dnipro residents serviced their diesel vehicles,” the mayor wrote on Facebook. 

There were no military personnel, weapons or military equipment where the missile hit. Civilians are trapped under the rubble, Filatov said. 

Russia is waging a missile terror campaign against civilians, spokesperson of Ukraine’s Defense Ministry Oleksandr Motuzyanyk said. Russia’s goal is to break Ukrainians’ spirit and unity, he added.

Russia conducts a strike against thermoelectric power plant in Kryvyi Rih. Russia struck the Kryvyi Rih thermoelectric power plant, head of the Dnipropetrovsk regional council Mykola Lukashuk said.  

Russian forces shelled Zelenodolsk and Velyka Kostroma in Kryvyi Rih district from tube artillery. One civilian was wounded. He has a shrapnel injury to his leg, Lukashuk said. 

Ahead of NATO summit, Zelenskyi urges for missile defense. It’s important to supply Ukraine with missile defense systems, President Zelenskyi said in a phone call with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg ahead of the NATO summit. 

“Had a phone conversation with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. [We] coordinated positions on the eve of the NATO Summit in Madrid. I stressed the importance of a powerful missile defense system for Ukraine to prevent Russian terrorist attacks,” Zelenskyi twitted Tuesday.

Explaining Ukraine podcast. What is it like to come home to a destroyed town?

The team at the Explaining Ukraine podcast is traveling through the villages in towns around Kyiv which heavily suffered from the battles in March. We describe our impressions and share the stories told to us by people who lived through the war. Here is the story of Borodyanka, a town near Kyiv. Hosts: Volodymyr Yermolenko, Ukrainian philosopher, chief editor of UkraineWorld.org, and Tetyana Ogarkova, Ukrainian scholar and journalist in charge of international outreach at the Ukraine Crisis Media Centre.

Russian assault on Ukrainian Constitution through the years. Ukraine in Flames #110

The Consitution Day, which is celebrated annually on June 28, is extremely important for Ukraine, as it has come a long way in establishing constitutionality despite all the challenges often created by Russia. Ukraine in Flames #110delves into the ways Russia has undermined Ukrainian constitution through the years, the differences between the constitutions of Ukraine and the aggressor state, and what “surprises” Russia may prepare for Ukrainians on this holiday. 

Speakers: 

Olexiy Haran, Professor of NaUKMA, Research Director of Democratic Initiatives Foundation 

Mykola Davydiuk, political expert and activist