Prisoner exchange and new Ukrainian sanctions against Russia - Friday brief

Ukrainians released from Russian captivity in another POWs exchange

Ukraine and Russia have held a new stage of a major prisoner exchange. On June 20, wounded and severely ill Ukrainian defenders returned home.

"Most of the warriors returning today from Russian captivity had been held for over two years. And now, at last, they are home," the President says.

These are the defenders of Mariupol, Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Kharkiv, and Chernihiv regions. Representatives of the Navy, Army, Airborne Forces, the Special Forces, the Unmanned Systems Forces, as well as the Border Guard and the National Guard, have returned home.

Ukraine imposes sanctions against those involved in drone production in Russia

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has signed a decree imposing sanctions on individuals and companies involved in the production of unmanned aerial vehicles in Russia.

A new package of sanctions was imposed on individuals involved in the development and production of drones, Geran, Orlan-10, SuperCam and others, including FPV systems and suppliers of the limited liability company (LLC) Alabuga Machine Tools.

In particular, the sanctions affected persons who:

• import and supply components to the sanctioned Kronshtadt Joint Stock Company (JSC) for the production of Banderol;
• participate in sanctions circumvention schemes for the import of dual-use goods.

Putin presents his 'peace formula' for Ukraine: Not capitulation, but acceptance of realities

Moscow reportedly does not seek Ukraine’s capitulation. However, the Kremlin wants recognition of the "realities on the ground," according to a statement from Russian President Vladimir Putin.

During his speech at the plenary session of SPIEF 2025 (St. Petersburg International Economic Forum), the Russian President once again addressed the topic of the war in Ukraine. This time, Putin claimed that Russia allegedly does not seek Ukraine’s capitulation.

"We are not seeking Ukraine’s capitulation. We insist on the recognition of the realities on the ground," he said.

'I don’t rule it out': Putin reveals Russia’s plans for Ukraine's Sumy

Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that Russia allegedly does not plan to capture Sumy. However, he cynically added right away that he "does not rule out" such a possibility.

Specifically, the Kremlin leader stated that Russia allegedly plans to create a "security zone" along the border of Ukraine’s Sumy region, 10 to 15 kilometers wide. At the same time, he once again lied about the "huge losses" suffered by the Armed Forces of Ukraine during the Kursk operation.

'All of Ukraine is ours': Putin makes another statement filled with imperial delusions

The Russian President, Vladimir Putin, laid claim to the entire territory of Ukraine, explaining this by saying that Ukrainians and Russians are supposedly "one people."

Putin was asked how far the Russian army might go in the context of the war against Ukraine, since Russian soldiers are entering territories of those Ukrainian regions that Russia has illegally claimed as "its own."

"You mentioned the regions in Ukraine that we consider ours. I have said many times already that I consider the Russian and Ukrainian people to be one people, actually. In that sense, all of Ukraine is ours," the President fantasized.

He claimed that Russia 'has never questioned" the rights of the Ukrainian people to independence and sovereignty. But Ukraine supposedly became independent and sovereign based on the principles of non-alignment, non-nuclear status, and neutrality.

The head of the Kremlin also cynically added that Russia has an "old rule: wherever the foot of a Russian soldier steps, that is ours."

Switzerland may end protection for Ukrainian refugees — Reports

The Swiss People's Party (SVP) this week submitted a proposal to the National Council to completely revoke S protection status for Ukrainian refugees, arguing that large parts of Ukrainian territory have been spared from fighting and can be considered stabilized.

As of May 2025, more than 69,000 people in Switzerland held S protection status. Since the beginning of the year, 3,300 new applications for protection have been submitted, while around 2,600 individuals have returned to Ukraine.

Ukraine ramping up production of interceptor drones to stop Russian Shaheds - Zelenskyy

Ukrainian defense enterprises are already increasing the production of interceptor drones to strengthen protection against enemy Shaheds.

"In particular, we are also working on interceptor drones to enhance protection against Shaheds. Several of our domestic enterprises - and thus different drone models - are already showing results," Zelenskyy said.