The Akhmat military unit of Ramzan Kadyrov, the Kremlin-backed authoritarian ruler of the North Caucasus region of Chechnya, signed a contract with Russia's Defense Ministry on June 12.
Several independent media outlets in Russia are holding a marathon event on June 12, which is commemorated as Russia Day in the country, to raise funds to support political prisoners and Russian citizens who openly condemn Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
Romanian Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca on June 12 submitted his resignation as part of a scheduled plan to swap premiers following the 2020 parliamentary elections that left the two leading parties with near-equal strength.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on June 12 he is concerned that Russia will on July 17 quit a deal allowing the safe wartime export of grain and fertilizers from three Ukrainian Black Sea ports.