Verdict in Handziuk case, liberation of Rivnopil and new military aid: highlights of the day

The verdict in Handziuk case

The Dniprovskyi District Court of Kyiv handed down a verdict in the murder of prominent Kherson activist Kateryna Handziuk. The suspects - former head of the Kherson Oblast Council Vladislav Manher and assistant to the regional council member Oleksiy Levin - were sentenced to 10 years in prison, including preliminary imprisonment.

Earlier in the case, five suspects in the organization and execution of the attack on Handziuk have already been convicted: Viktor Horbunov, Viacheslav Vyshnevskyi, Volodymyr Vasyanovych, Mykyta Hrabchuk - the perpetrators, and Serhiy Torbin ("Oper") - the organizer. All of them pleaded guilty, made a deal with the investigators, and received 3 to 6.5 years in prison.

Liberation of Rivnopil

Ukrainian troops returned the village of Rivnopol, Donetsk Oblast, to Ukrainian control. The settlement is located at the junction of Donetsk and Zaporizhzhya oblasts.

"This settlement was surrounded by minefields of a very complex nature from all sides. Engineer troops broke through the corridor and, in fact, de-occupation took place in this way. Stabilization measures are currently underway," said Valeriy Shershen, spokesman for the joint press center of the Tauride Defense Forces.

Over the past week, June 19-25, Ukrainian troops increased the area of liberated territories by 17 square kilometers. In total, since the beginning of the counteroffensive, the liberated area in the south is 130 square kilometers.

Shelling

On the morning of June 26, Russian troops attacked the temporarily occupied Oleshky in Kherson Oblast. The shelling killed two residents and wounded nine others.

In the afternoon, the occupiers shelled Nikopol in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast with heavy artillery. They hit a private enterprise. A 51-year-old woman and a 50-year-old man were killed.

New aid

The Australian government has announced a new support package for Ukraine, designed to "make a real difference on the battlefield."

According to The Guardian, the package includes $100 million in military aid and $10 million in humanitarian aid.

In particular, the Australian government will provide 70 military vehicles for Ukraine, including 28 M113 armored vehicles, 14 special purpose vehicles, 28 MAN 40M medium trucks, and 14 trailers. In addition, 105-millimeter artillery ammunition will be sent.

The Bulgarian Council of Ministers also approved a new package of military assistance to Ukraine.

Prigozhin's explanation

The owner of the private military company Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, made his first statement after the attempted coup in Russia.

The mercenary leader said that the Wagner men were heading to Moscow to "demonstrate protest" and not to overthrow the government. At the same time, self-proclaimed President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko proposed to grant "legal jurisdiction" to the Wagner PMC.

Prigozhin considers his failed rebellion "a perfect example of how the invasion of Ukraine should have taken place."

At the same time, the American Institute for the Study of War believes that it would be difficult for Wagner fighters to completely capture Moscow or to conduct prolonged hostilities there with the personnel and equipment they have.

Other news

• On June 26, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a working visit to Donetsk Oblast. He visited units that had distinguished themselves in heavy fighting on the Bakhmut axis.
• Mobile operators in Ukraine will reserve the numbers of killed or missing soldiers for two years.
• A serviceman from Kherson who participated in repressions against Ukrainians during the occupation of the city was detained.
• Three Ukrainian manufacturers will receive $1 million each to implement developments that will help fight the enemy Shahed kamikaze drones.
• Sweden presents a new humanitarian aid package for Ukraine worth SEK 380 million (over 32 million euros).