Nexus Europa — Jun 26, 2026, 07:00 AM UTC

Ukraine repels Russian aerial attacks, reports on losses, as Iran targets vessel

Ukrainian authorities reported that Russian forces launched 196 aerial targets, including seven Iskander-M ballistic missiles and 189 drones, at Ukraine overnight on June 26. Attacks impacted Kyiv and Poltava regions, with Ukrainian air defense intercepting 177 targets, including three ballistic missiles. Separately, Russian forces struck energy and civilian infrastructure in Odesa region's Vylkivska community, causing a fire and injuries. Ukraine's General Staff updated Russia's total military personnel losses to 1,398,370, with 1,310 occurring in the past day, alongside 12,059 tanks. Internationally, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps reportedly attacked a Singapore-flagged commercial vessel in the Strait of Hormuz on June 25. Sources: Громадське, Радіо Свобода, Українська правда

Constitutional court judge's 2010 opinion on constitution's return revealed

Journalists have revealed that current Constitutional Court of Ukraine judge Yuriy Barabash, as a scholar in 2010, authored an expert opinion arguing for the automatic reinstatement of the 1996 Constitution. Barabash states his views have since transformed.

Journalists from "Schemes" (Радіо Свобода) have uncovered that Yuriy Barabash, a current judge of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine (CCU), prepared an expert opinion for the court in 2010 while working as a scholar. This assessment argued for the unconstitutionality of the 2004 political reform, which would have led to the "automatic" restoration of the 1996 Constitution, originally adopted under Leonid Kuchma. These findings were discovered during an examination of state archives by journalists ahead of Ukraine's Constitution Day. When questioned about his past position, Judge Barabash informed reporters that his perspectives on the matter have since "transformed." Sources: Радіо Свобода