Society
Church holiday on 6 July 2026: what not to do on Sysoi’s Day
On 6 July 2026, according to the New Julian calendar, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine commemorates the Venerable Sisoes the Great and the Venerable Sisoes, the hermit of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. In folk tradition, this day is known as Siso’s Day and is associated with preparing the farm for the new harvest, weather omens and a number of ancient customs.
A bas-relief has been stolen from Bohdan Lepky’s grave in Kraków
On the night of 5 July, at the Rakowicki Cemetery in Kraków, unknown individuals stole a bronze bas-relief from the gravestone of the Ukrainian writer, poet and public figure Bohdan Lepkyi. The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has described the incident as a deliberate provocation aimed at worsening Ukrainian-Polish relations
In Indonesia, a couple were punished with a public beating for kissing on TikTok
In the Indonesian province of Aceh, a 22-year-old man and a 25-year-old woman were publicly punished with canings after a Sharia court found them guilty of violating Islamic law. The offence was a kiss during a live broadcast on TikTok
A woman is to stand trial in Volyn for selling her own 6-year-old son
In the Volyn region, an indictment has been filed against a 38-year-old woman suspected of selling her own young child. According to the investigation, she received 25,000 dollars for her 6-year-old son
A record was set in Kyiv with the unfurling of the Ukrainian Navy’s largest flag
In the capital, to mark Ukrainian Navy Day, the largest Ukrainian Navy flag in history was unfurled. The ceremony took place on the Ukrainian People’s Avenue of Freedom and was the centrepiece of the celebrations
A wave of arrests of journalists and activists took place in Turkey ahead of the NATO summit
In Turkey, the security forces carried out a large-scale special operation on the eve of the NATO summit. During raids in various regions of the country, journalists, academics, trade union representatives and members of left-wing civil society organisations were detained
An explosion occurred in the Odesa region during an arrest: police officers were injured
On 5 July 2026, a grenade exploded in the Podilskyi district of the Odesa region whilst a moped driver’s documents were being checked. Two police officers and the man himself were injured; according to preliminary reports, he was the one who triggered the explosion
Israel has deployed the ‘Iron Dome’ to another country for the first time
For the first time in history, Israel has deployed its ‘Iron Dome’ air defence system outside its own territory. The system was handed over to the United Arab Emirates to strengthen defences against missile and drone attacks
In Kryvyi Rih, a man threatened law enforcement officers with a weapon
In Kryvyi Rih, law enforcement officers detained a man who, whilst investigative measures were being carried out, threatened police officers and resisted arrest. A separate criminal case has been opened in connection with this incident
Ukraine celebrates Armed Forces of Ukraine Navy Day
On the first Sunday in July, Ukraine celebrates Ukrainian Navy Day. This is a professional holiday for naval personnel who defend the country’s maritime borders and carry out combat missions during the full-scale war with Russia
A special tribunal on Russia’s aggression will be based in the Netherlands
The Dutch Government has agreed to host on its territory not only the preparatory stages but also the full operational phase of the Special Tribunal on Russia’s crime of aggression against Ukraine
Tusk called on Poland to refrain from making any new financial commitments to Ukraine
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has urged the Polish delegation not to agree to any new financial commitments regarding Ukraine during the NATO summit. According to him, Warsaw is already spending significant resources on supporting Kyiv and defending the European Union’s eastern border
