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Russia’s war against Ukraine
Defense Minister Rustem Umerov holds a press conference, flanked by Deputy Foreign Minister Serhii Kyslytsia, following the second round of direct Russia-Ukraine peace talks in Istanbul, Turkey on June 2, 2025. (Arif Hudaverdi Yaman/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Ukraine, Russia conclude talks in Istanbul, a 1,200-for-1,200 prisoner exchange is in the works, Zelensky says. President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the next prisoner exchange would feature at least 1,000 people on each side, and might reach a 1,200-for-1,200 swap that would possibly also include imprisoned journalists and political prisoners held in Russia.
Russia proposes 2-3-day ceasefire in some areas of front to retrieve bodies of the fallen, Medinsky says. According to a source in the President’s Office, who spoke on condition of anonymity, Russia declined a ceasefire proposed by Ukraine.
‘Idiots’ — Zelensky slams Russia’s proposal for brief truce to retrieve fallen soldiers’ bodies. “They just don’t see a ceasefire as such at the moment,” President Zelensky said on June 2, commenting on Russia’s proposal. “I think they’re idiots, because, fundamentally, a ceasefire is meant so that there are no dead.”
Zelensky says he’s ready to meet with Putin, Trump in Turkey. “I told (Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan) that I support a meeting at the level of leaders, because I have the impression that there will be no ceasefire without our meeting,” Zelensky said on June 2.
Russia admits to taking Ukrainian children during latest peace talks, Zelensky says. The president said that during the June 2 negotiations in Istanbul, Russian representatives dismissed Ukraine’s efforts to raise the issue of abducted Ukrainian children as a “show for childless European old ladies.”
Zelensky urges Trump to enforce tougher sanctions if peace talks with Russia stall. “If the Istanbul meeting brings nothing, that clearly means strong new sanctions are urgently needed,” Zelensky said.
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Destroyed Russian bombers seen in first satellite images after Ukrainian drone strike. The photos, captured by U.S. aerospace company Umbra Space, appear to confirm the destruction of at least three Tu-95MS strategic bombers and one Tu-22M3 aircraft, with an additional Tu-95MS visibly damaged. Another image shows two more likely destroyed Tu-22M3 bombers on the field.
Over 160 Ukrainian drones downed across Russia, Moscow claims day after mass strike on airfields. The wave of drones targeted multiple cities and industrial facilities, according to Russian Telegram channels.
After Ukraine’s strike on Russian bombers, governor mulls rewarding citizens for attacking UAVs with stones. “In the operational staff, we will evaluate the actions of concerned citizens who tried to interfere with the work of drones and decide on their recognition,” Governor of Russia’s Irkutsk Oblast Igor Kobzev wrote on Telegram.
5 Ukrainian regions, ban on NATO, limits on Kyiv’s army — Russian media publishes Moscow’s official peace demands. Among Russia’s key demands, according to the document, is the official recognition of Russia’s annexation of Crimea, as well as the annexation of Ukraine’s Kherson, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Luhansk oblasts, none of which Moscow controls in full.
Russia recruiting Ukrainians for illegal activities in Europe, Ukrainian intel warns. “The recruitment of Ukrainians for hostile operations in Europe is yet another tool of hybrid aggression that the Russian Federation is waging against Ukraine and the entire European community,” Ukraine’s military intelligence agency (HUR) said.
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Operation Spiderweb — everything we know about Ukraine’s ‘audacious’ attack on Russia’s heavy bombers
A year-and-a-half in the planning, and reportedly personally overseen by SBU Chief Vasyl Malyuk and President Volodymyr Zelensky, Operation Spiderweb was, in Zelensky’s words, an “absolutely unique operation.”
Photo: Nizar al-Rifai/The Kyiv Independent
‘Closer to victory’ – Operation Spiderweb gives much-needed morale boost after 3 years of full-scale war
Codenamed “Spiderweb,” the operation targeted the strategic aircraft that Russia uses for long-range missile attacks on Ukrainian cities. The damage dealt could potentially hinder Moscow’s ability to carry out such mass strikes in the future.
Photo: Source in Ukraine’s Security Service
Who is Nawrocki, Poland’s new president, and what could his narrow victory mean for Ukraine?
The result marks a significant shift in Polish politics, with consequences for both the domestic and international landscape — particularly in dealings with neighboring Ukraine, fighting off Russia’s full-scale invasion.
Photo: Jaap Arriens / NurPhoto via Getty Images
Russian propagandists split between downplaying devastating Ukrainian attacks and issuing threats
Russian officials and propagandists have chosen different strategies for dealing with the unprecedented Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian airfields. Top officials, including President Vladimir Putin, did not comment on the operation at all.
Photo: Natalia Kolesnikova / AFP via Getty Images
Human cost of Russia’s war
Russian double-tap attack injures 12 emergency workers in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Oblast. Russian drone attacks against a State Emergency Service building in Zaporizhzhia Oblast on June 2 injured 12 employees, Governor Ivan Fedorov reported.
Ahead of Istanbul peace talks, Russia kills 9, injures 49 civilians across Ukraine. Russia attacked Ukraine with 80 Shahed-type attack drones and decoys, as well as three Iskander-M or KN-23 ballistic missiles and one Iskander-K cruise missile, the Air Force reported.
General Staff: Russia has lost 989,700 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022. The number includes 1,140 casualties Russian forces suffered over the past day.
Ukrainians celebrate ‘Spiderweb’ operation that hit dozens of Russian bombers
International response
Trump reportedly wasn’t informed in advance about Ukraine’s drone strike on Russian bombers. The White House was not notified about the plans, which were being prepared for a year and a half, Axios reported, citing a Ukrainian security official. CBS News’ sources in the Trump administration also confirmed that the Trump administration was not informed.
‘We face war in Europe’ — UK announces major defense spending boost amid Russian threat. Every part of society, every citizen of this country, has a role to play because we have to recognize that things have changed in the world of today… The front line, if you like, is here,” U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said.
Norway to help Ukraine cover 1 billion euro gas shortfall, Zelensky says. “We agreed that we will look for opportunities to close any deficit, which may arise if everything is not restored (Ukrainian gas production infrastructure affected by Russian attacks), if we cannot fully provide our population with gas,” Zelensky said.
In other news
Russian central bank head under pressure to slash key interest rate, Bloomberg reports. The reason is the growing toll on the federal budget and civilian industries, three officials told Bloomberg, with some calling for the decision to be made at the bank’s meeting on June 6.
Portnov family bought Dubai properties worth over $2 million, media investigation says. According to property records leaked from Dubai’s Land Department and state-owned utilities, six properties were purchased in 2022–2023 by Portnov’s civil partner, Anastasiia Valiaieva, and his daughter, Liliia Portnova, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported.
DTEK to build one of Europe’s largest energy storage facilities, company announces. Ukraine’s largest private energy company DTEK secured a $72-million loan to build one of the largest battery energy storage complexes in Eastern Europe, the company said on June 3.
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