Alive with Clive

“All 27 EU members agreed to launch the first cluster of negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova during an Intergovernmental Conference on June 15, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced.” ~ @kyivindependent_official 🇺🇦👏💙💛🙏🇪🇺

#Repost @mfa_ukraine with @use.repost_ . . . 🇺🇦🇪🇺 Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha welcomed the unanimous approval by all 27 EU Member States of the European Union’s Position on Negotiation Cluster 1 for Ukraine at today’s COREPER meeting.

💬 “I am grateful to the Cypriot Presidency of the Council of the EU, the European Commission, and all EU Member States for their leadership, unity, and continued support for Ukraine’s EU accession.

This decision recognizes Ukraine’s reform efforts and demonstrates the EU’s commitment to a credible and merit-based enlargement process.

We now look ahead to the Intergovernmental Conference in Luxembourg on June 15, where Cluster 1 is expected to be formally opened for Ukraine. We remain focused on delivering reforms and advancing the accession process at a steady pace.

Together, we are bringing the reunification of Europe closer and building a stronger, more secure, and more united European future”, the Minister stressed.

“[Over] the past year alone – from June to June – [the number of Russian targets struck thanks to Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces] amounts to more than 356,000.” ~ Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky 🇺🇦👏💙💛🙏🇺🇦

#Repost @ukraine.ua with @use.repost_ . . . Pioneering, unique, and efficient. Controlling land, sea, and air at the same time. Today, the Unmanned Systems Forces of Ukraine mark their day – for the first time.

Created in 2024, this brand new branch of the Ukrainian military has shown impressive results – its UAV units rank among the top 10 most effective ones in our army. Equipped with unmanned systems and robotic complexes, the Unmanned Systems Forces account for neutralising every third enemy target.

Integrating people and technology, the USF succeed in preserving lives of military personnel, while also setting a new standard of drone warfare. Their scale of work is impressive – from reconnaissance and targeting to deep strikes on enemy logistics, and their experience is already shared with foreign partners.

Glory to every warrior of the Unmanned Systems Forces! May your wings fly smoothly, and your engagements be 100% precise – leading to victory 🇺🇦

“An oil refinery in the Russian city of Samara was [also] struck by Ukrainian drones ... overnight on June 10.” ~ @kyivindependent_official 🇺🇦👏💙💛🙏🇺🇦

#Repost @kyivindependent_official with @use.repost_ . . . President Volodymyr Zelensky on June 10 confirmed that Ukrainian-made FP-5 Flamingo missiles struck a military manufacturing facility in Russia’s Chuvash Republic overnight, as Ukrainian forces and intelligence agencies carried out a series of long-range attacks against Russian military and energy infrastructure.

“Ukrainian FP-5 Flamingo missiles hit a military plant in Cheboksary that supplies the occupying army with components for drones and missiles,” Zelensky said, adding that the target was located more than 900 kilometers (560 miles) from the front line.

Ukraine’s General Staff later identified the target as the VNIIR-Progress plant in Cheboksary and confirmed a fire at the facility.

The company, which has been sanctioned by Kyiv, the U.S., and the European Union, produces satellite navigation receivers and Kometa antennas used in Shahed-type attack drones, Kalibr cruise missiles, Iskander-M ballistic missiles, and guided aerial bombs.

The strike followed earlier reports from Russian media and local authorities that an industrial facility in Cheboksary had been hit. Officials reported three injuries.

Photo: Exilenova Plus/Telegram.

“In May, long-range operations hit 111 military-industrial, fuel, and energy facilities supporting Russia’s war effort, causing more than $1 billion in direct and indirect losses.” ~ @ukraine.ua 🇺🇦👏💙💛🙏🇺🇦

#Repost @ukraine.ua with @use.repost_ . . . Ukraine’s Defence Forces liberated nearly 100 square kilometres of territory in May alone. Since the beginning of 2026, more than 600 square kilometres of Ukrainian land have been returned to Ukrainian control.

At the same time, Ukrainian forces continue to strike military targets far behind the front line. In May, long-range operations hit 111 military-industrial, fuel, and energy facilities supporting Russia’s war effort, causing more than $1 billion in direct and indirect losses.

Russia continues to throw more troops, more drones, and more missiles into its war against Ukraine. But the battlefield reality is more complicated than the Kremlin would like the world to believe.

Despite constant pressure, Ukraine is holding the line, inflicting heavy losses on the invaders and continuing to liberate its land.

“Russia’s gains are tiny, while the cost of its aggression is staggering – it has failed to achieve any of its strategic goals, yet it is willing to waste hundreds of thousands of lives for its imperial obsession.” ~ @mfa_ukraine 🇺🇦👏💙💛🙏🇺🇦

#Repost @mfa_ukraine with @use.repost_ . . . Ukraine’s Defence Forces continue to hold the line and inflict heavy losses on the invader. Russia’s gains are tiny, while the cost of its aggression is staggering – it has failed to achieve any of its strategic goals, yet it is willing to waste hundreds of thousands of lives for its imperial obsession.

Russia’s aggression is about destroying Ukraine’s identity, language, culture, and right to exist. And for that goal, the Kremlin has shown it is prepared to burn through limitless resources and human lives.

That is why the world must stay united. Russia’s aggression must be stopped through stronger pressure, stronger sanctions, and stronger support for Ukraine.

Within the past three days, more accomplishments by Ukrainian military defenders deep inside Russia, where now the consequences of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine are becoming increasingly more palpable every week. 🇺🇦👏💙💛🙏🇺🇦

#Repost @kyivindependent_official with @use.repost_ . . . Ukraine’s military carried out large-scale strikes across multiple Russian regions overnight on June 6, reaching up to 1,000 kilometers deep into Russian territory and hitting several targets, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

The attack comes ahead of the final day of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, the annual event in the former hometown of Russian President Vladimir Putin, as concerns mount over the safety of major Russian cities.

According to Zelensky, Ukrainian drones flew around 1,000 kilometers and targeted Russian naval arsenals and bases in the historic port city of Kronstadt near St. Petersburg. Drones also hit an oil depot in Krasnodar Krai, some 500 kilometers from the Ukrainian border, he added.

“It is time to end this war. But Russia’s ruler wants to keep fighting. That is why Ukrainian sanctions against this aggression are working,” Zelensky said on social media.

Local residents reported seeing clouds of smoke rising from the area around the Kronstadt Marine Plant — a Russian naval shipyard located approximately 30 kilometers (19 miles) from St. Petersburg, Russian Telegram media channels reported.

Photo: Exilenova_plus/Telegram.

Video: President Volodymyr Zelensky/Telegram.

“We are grateful to all journalists who continue their work despite the serious risks, helping ensure that facts prevail over propaganda and that the truth is heard.” ~ @mfa_ukraine 🇺🇦👏💙💛🙏🇺🇦

#Repost @mfa_ukraine with @use.repost_ . . . As Ukraine marks Journalists’ Day today, we underscore the vital mission of telling the truth about Russia’s war against Ukraine, documenting the crimes of the aggressor state, and sharing the realities faced by the Ukrainian people with the world.

This mission is not easy and is often carried out under extremely dangerous conditions. We are grateful to all journalists who continue their work despite the serious risks, helping ensure that facts prevail over propaganda and that the truth is heard.

Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, at least 149 media professionals have been killed, including 21 while carrying out their journalistic duties. Around 30 Ukrainian journalists and media workers remain in Russian captivity.

Eternal memory to all those who lost their lives due to Russia’s aggression. Ukraine works every day to secure the release of every media employee from Russia’s brutal captivity.

“Ukraine is grateful to everyone who helps make these exchanges possible. Bringing every Ukrainian home remains our priority.” ~ @mfa_ukraine 🇺🇦👏💙💛🙏🇺🇦

#Repost @mfa_ukraine with @use.repost_ . . . 185 Ukrainian defenders and 1 civilian have returned home from Russian captivity.

Among those released are servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the National Guard of Ukraine, and the State Border Guard Service. They include privates, sergeants, and officers who defended Ukraine in Mariupol and at Azovstal, as well as on the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kharkiv, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Sumy, Kyiv, and Kursk sectors. Some of them are returning home after years in Russian captivity, having been held since 2022.

Ukraine is grateful to everyone who helps make these exchanges possible. Bringing every Ukrainian home remains our priority.

You can read excerpts from the open letter in the carousel for this post at @kyivindependent_official, or read the letter in its entirety here on @instagram at zelenskyy_official. 🇺🇦💙💛🇺🇦

#Repost at @kyivindependent_official with @use.repost_ . . . President Volodymyr Zelensky issued a personal invitation to Russian President Vladimir Putin in an open letter published June 4, offering to meet face-to-face to put an end to five years of full-scale war.

“Almost half of your 26 years of power in Russia you have spent in the war against Ukraine,” Zelensky wrote.

The letter was published a day after Ukraine launched a large-scale attack on St. Petersburg, striking a major oil terminal and military targets on the same morning Putin welcomed [certain visitors from other countries] to the city for his flagship economic forum.

Read more at the link in bio.

Photos: Nicolas Tucat/AFP/Getty Images; Ralf Hirschberger / AFP via Getty Images; Coordinating Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War

“[The Ukrainian drone attack in Russia] coincided with the beginning of the 2026 St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, an annual conference of business leaders and government officials hosted by Russian President Vladimir Putin.” ~ @kyivindependent_official 🇺🇦👏💙💛🙏🇺🇦

#Repost @kyivindependent_official with @use.repost_ . . . The St. Petersburg Oil Terminal in Russia’s Leningrad Oblast came under fire in the early hours of June 3, with eyewitnesses reporting large-scale explosions and fires at the site.

The attack coincided with the beginning of the 2026 St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, an annual conference of business leaders and government officials hosted by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

St. Petersburg residents posted photos and video footage of loud explosions and a massive fire as the city came under attack by Ukrainian drones the morning of June 3. The images show black smoke rising over the St. Petersburg Oil Terminal.

An analysis by the Russian independent Telegram news channel Astra concluded that drones struck the St. Petersburg Oil Terminal, causing a fire.

The oil terminal, located on the Gulf of Finland at the city’s Great Port of St. Petersburg, is one of Russia’s largest fuel storage and export facilities. It receives and ships petroleum products river, rail, and motor transit, and boasts a reported throughput of 12.5 million tons per year.

Photo: Exilenova-Plus / Telegram.

Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, reported that across the country 22 people were killed and 130 injured. 🇺🇦💔😢💙💛😢❤️‍🩹🇺🇦

#Repost @kyivindependent_official with @use.repost_ . . . Kyiv residents spent the night sheltering in metro stations as Russia launched one of the largest coordinated aerial assaults of the full-scale war overnight on June 2.

The massive attack targeted cities across Ukraine with a total of 73 missiles and 656 drones, according to Ukraine’s Air Force. While air defenses successfully intercepted 40 missiles and 602 drones, multiple regions suffered severe damage and heavy casualties.

Photo: Tetiana Dzhafarova / AFP via Getty Images.

“The interception marks one of the most significant actions taken by a Western navy against Russia’s sanctions-evasion network in international waters.” ~ @kyivindependent_official 🇺🇦👏💙💛🙏🇫🇷

#Repost @kyivindependent_official with @use.repost_ . . . The French Navy, with support from allied countries, intercepted a Russian shadow fleet tanker in the Atlantic Ocean on May 31, French President Emmanuel Macron announced on June 1.

The vessel, Tagor, has been transporting Russian crude oil and petroleum products and is sanctioned by the EU, the United Kingdom, and Ukraine, according to Ukraine’s military intelligence agency’s database of shadow fleet vessels.

The interception marks one of the most significant actions taken by a Western navy against Russia’s sanctions-evasion network in international waters.

“It is unacceptable for ships to circumvent international sanctions, violate the law of the sea, and fund the war that Russia has been waging against Ukraine for more than four years,” Macron said.

The French president noted that the tanker had departed from Russia.

Moscow has relied on a so-called shadow fleet since launching its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 to sustain oil exports despite Western sanctions.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov condemned France’s move as unlawful.

Photo: Emmanuel Macron / X.

“The IRIS-T is an integral part of Ukraine’s layered air defense system which consists of multiple different systems, most supplied by Western allies.” ~ @kyivindependent_official 🇺🇦👏💙💛🙏🇩🇪

#Repost @kyivindependent_official with @use.repost_ . . . President Volodymyr Zelensky said on May 31 that Ukraine had received a new IRIS-T air defense system from Germany the previous day.

“We thank Germany for its constant contribution to protecting people; thousands upon thousands of lives have been saved thanks to such strong support,” Zelensky said on X.

“But we also need missiles for air defense systems so that we have sufficient capabilities to repel Russian attacks.”

The IRIS-T is an integral part of Ukraine’s layered air defense system which consists of multiple different systems, most supplied by Western allies

The short-range system can hit a target at a distance of 12 km (8 miles) and at an altitude of up to 8 km (4 miles), while the medium-range system can reach targets at 40 km (24 miles) and at an altitude of 20 km (13 miles).

The IRIS-T launchers, which can carry eight missiles, are portable and can be transported on tracked platforms or trucks made by its German manufacturer, Diehl Defense.

Photo: Gregor Fischer/Getty Images (photo for illustrative purposes).

“Ukrainian drones have destroyed two Russian Tu-142 naval aircraft and an Iskander ballistic missile system, overnight on May 30, Unmanned Systems Forces commander Robert “Magyar” Brovdi reported.” ~ @kyivindependent_official 🇺🇦👏💙💛🙏🇺🇦

#Repost [screenshot from video at]  @kyivindependent_official . . . Ukrainian drones have destroyed two Russian Tu-142 naval aircraft and an Iskander ballistic missile system, overnight on May 30, Unmanned Systems Forces commander Robert “Magyar” Brovdi reported.

The Iskander and two Tu-142 aircraft were attacked at a military airfield in Taganrog, a port city on the Sea of Azov in Rostov Oblast, Brovdi said.

The strike was achieved by the 1st Center of the Unmanned Systems Forces, a unit that specializes in deep strikes on Russian military targets and oil and gas infrastructure.

The Tu-142 is a long-range marine reconnaissance anti-submarine aircraft operated by the Russian navy, based on Russia’s Tu-95 strategic bomber platform, which is often used for mass cruise missile attacks on Ukraine.

The Iskander operational-tactical missile system is a Russian system capable of launching ballistic missiles up to 500 kilometers.

The weapon, which can only be reliably shot down by the advanced U.S.-built Patriot system, has played a key role in attacks against Ukrainain cities and energy infrastructure.

Video: Robert “Magyar” Brovdi / Telegram

“Many [Ukrainian peacekeepers] who once served in peacekeeping missions abroad are now defending Ukraine against Russia’s full-scale invasion. Today, Ukrainian soldiers are fighting for the peace, freedom, and security of their own country and people.” ~ @ukraine.ua 🇺🇦👏💙💛🙏🇺🇳

#Repost @ukraine.ua with @use.repost_ . . . Today, on the International Day of UN Peacekeepers, we honour everyone who has dedicated their lives to protecting peace around the world 🇺🇳

For more than three decades, Ukraine has been a reliable contributor to international peacekeeping missions. Since our first participation in 1992, nearly 45,000 Ukrainian servicemen and servicewomen have taken part in more than 27 UN and international operations across the Balkans, Africa, the Middle East, and Central Asia.

Ukrainian peacekeepers helped protect civilians, clear mines, restore infrastructure, transport humanitarian aid, and save lives.

Many of those who once served in peacekeeping missions abroad are now defending Ukraine against Russia’s full-scale invasion. Today, Ukrainian soldiers are fighting for the peace, freedom, and security of their own country and people.

We are grateful to all Ukrainian peacekeepers and honour the memory of those who gave their lives in peacekeeping missions.

“Today, we have a new support package [worth $2.7 billion] from Sweden, and this support opens a new level for us in protecting the lives of our people – in defending our cities and communities.” ~ Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky 🇺🇦🛩️👏💙💛🙏🛩️🇸🇪

#Repost@mfa_ukraine with @use.repost . . . 🇺🇦🇸🇪 Thank you, Sweden, for your consistent support in strengthening Ukraine’s defence capabilities!

We deeply appreciate Sweden’s decision regarding Gripen fighter jets, which will significantly strengthen Ukraine’s ability to defend our people from Russian attacks. The first step includes the possibility of purchasing up to 20 Gripen E/F aircraft, while Sweden will additionally provide 16 Gripen C/D fighter jets as part of bilateral assistance.

We also thank [Sweden] for supporting the development of integrated air defence capabilities, cooperation within the Drone Deal framework, defence industry partnership, and other crucial aid!

Your support contributes to the security of all of Europe!

“[Special Operations Forces] warriors operate deep behind enemy lines, conduct reconnaissance, destroy critical targets, and create advantages for Ukrainian forces.” ~ @mfa_ukraine 🇺🇦👏💙💛🙏🇺🇦

#Repost @mfa_ukraine with @use.repost_ . . . Today, we honour the warriors of the Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine – those who carry out the most difficult missions every day, where a cool head, maximum focus, and readiness to act in the most dangerous conditions are crucial.

SOF warriors operate deep behind enemy lines, conduct reconnaissance, destroy critical targets, and create advantages for Ukrainian forces.

Honour to the defenders who gave their lives defending the independence of our state. We thank each and every one who continues to protect the freedom of Ukraine and all of Europe.

Slava Ukraini! 🇺🇦