On March 11, the Trump administration lifted its pause on military and intelligence support for Ukraine after Kyiv supported a US ceasefire initiative aimed at launching a path to end the three-year war.
But this is not the path Russia decided to take.
On the contrary, it has resumed terror tactics:
In early June, after the Ukrainian special operation "Spiderweb" there were thoughts of "escalation" and "answering" from the aggressor country.
But facts tell a different story. Russia's terror never paused, only intensified.
Let's look at the statistics:
The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine confirms that in the first five months of 2025, the number of civilian casualties is 50% higher than in the same period in 2024. It is no coincidence that this is a methodical destruction against the backdrop of "peace talks".
As of June 29, 2025, in June 2025, Russian occupying forces launched 5,331 attack drones against Ukrainian cities, which is the highest number of drones used in a single month since the start of the full-scale invasion. According to daily reports by Ukraine's Air Force, this surpasses the previous record of 4,192 drones in March 2025. In total, Russia carried out 29 air attacks and used 244 missiles during the first month of summer.
Ukraine's air force reported that on June 29, Russia launched 537 aerial weapons at Ukraine, including 477 drones and 60 missiles overnight, naming it the largest airstrike since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022.
All of these attacks affected the entire territory of Ukraine, making no city or town a safe place. Playgrounds, high-rise buildings, infrastructure, hospitals, in other words, everythingexcept military targets.
In the second half of June, Russia resumed large-scale attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure. For example, on June 27, Russia attacked a critical energy facility in Kherson Oblast, causing large-scale power outages in several communities.
According to Deep State, in June, Russia tried to maintain a high intensity of hostilities: the average daily number of attacks increased from 184 in May to 186, and from 10 to 14 June, Russian troops carried out more than 200 attacks daily.
As of June 30, 2025, Russia's estimated total combat losses since the start of the full-scale invasion amount to approximately 1,020,010 personnel.
And all this is happening alongside Putin's words about "readiness to negotiate", but these statement comes with ultimatums that Ukraine must:
On 20 June, Putin told the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum that he considered Russians and Ukrainians to be one people and "in that sense the whole of Ukraine is ours". He also quoted a saying "Where the foot of a Russian soldier steps, that is ours." ( Reuters)
But let's not forget: Russia continues to demand that Ukraine surrender territories where not a single Russian soldier has ever stepped.
This is not a readiness to end the war, but rather a pressure on Ukraine to surrender, backed by attacks on civilians and intensified assaults on the front line, a pressure aimed at exhaustion and buying time.
If the Kremlin gets a ceasefire on its own terms, it will send a global signal:
terror + ultimatums = success for the aggressor.
Will it set an example for others? Undoubtedly. This model can spread and inspire others to do the same: attack, pressure, terrorise, blackmail at the same time, demanding new and new "peace talks".
This publication was compiled with the support of the International Renaissance Foundation. It's content is the exclusive responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily reflect the views of the International Renaissance Foundation.
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