[🇺🇦] Monitoring Russian and Ukraine War.

[Saif]

Russia, Ukraine each free first 390 prisoners in start of war's biggest swap

Russia and Ukraine each released 390 prisoners on Friday and said they would free more in the coming days, in what is expected to be the biggest prisoner swap of the war so far. The agreement to exchange 1,000 prisoners each was the only concrete step towards peace to emerge last week from the fir

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Russia, Ukraine each free first 390 prisoners in start of war's biggest swap

REUTERS
Published :
May 24, 2025 11:54
Updated :
May 24, 2025 11:54

A still image from a video released by the Russian Defence Ministry shows what it said to be Russian service personnel captured by Ukrainian forces and released during the latest exchange of prisoners of war in the course of Russia-Ukraine conflict, as they sit in a bus at an unknown location in Belarus, in this image taken from handout footage released May 23, 2025 — Russian Defence Ministry/Handout via REUTERS

Russia and Ukraine each released 390 prisoners on Friday and said they would free more in the coming days, in what is expected to be the biggest prisoner swap of the war so far.

The agreement to exchange 1,000 prisoners each was the only concrete step towards peace to emerge last week from the first direct talks between the warring sides in more than three years, when they failed to agree a ceasefire.

Both sides said they had each released 270 soldiers and 120 civilians so far, with more due to be released on Saturday and Sunday.

The released Ukrainians arrived at a hospital in the northern Chernihiv region in buses and filed out, pale, most of them with shaven heads and wrapped in Ukrainian flags.

"I have no words to describe (my feelings). I was in captivity for 22 months,” said Ukrainian soldier Oleksandr Nehir. He embraced his wife who said she had not been informed of his release and came from their home in Sumy region out of hope.

"You can’t make it out if you don’t believe. You have to believe every day," Nehir said.

Another soldier, Oleksandr Tarasov, 38, from Mykolaiv, said he had been captured a year and nine months ago on the Kherson front after its recapture by Ukraine in 2022.

"I didn’t believe until this moment that it could happen," he said of his release.

The freed Russians arrived in Belarus, which neighbours Ukraine, where they were receiving psychological and medical assistance, the Russian Defence Ministry said.

They include civilians captured inside Russia's Kursk region during a Ukrainian incursion.

Video released by the ministry showed civilians on a bus, some smiling and others crying. "This is our gift, happiness," one woman said.

Another video showed released soldiers wearing military fatigues holding up a Russian and a Soviet flag and shouting "Hurrah!"

"Everything will be all right! Glory to Russia!" said one soldier.

TRUMP HAILS RELEASE

Referring to the prisoner swap earlier on Friday, US President Donald Trump, who had pressed the sides to meet last week, wrote on Truth Social: "Congratulations to both sides on this negotiation. This could lead to something big???"

Hundreds of thousands of soldiers on both sides are believed to have been wounded or killed in Europe's deadliest war since World War Two, although neither side publishes accurate casualty figures. Tens of thousands of Ukrainian civilians have also died as Russian forces have besieged and bombarded Ukrainian cities.

Ukraine on Friday reiterated that it is ready for a 30-day ceasefire immediately.

Russia, which launched the war by invading its neighbour in 2022 and now occupies about a fifth of Ukraine, says it will not pause its assaults until conditions are met first. A member of the Ukrainian delegation called those conditions "non-starters".

Trump, who has shifted US policy from supporting Kyiv towards accepting some of Moscow's account of the war, had said he could tighten sanctions on Russia if it blocked peace. But after speaking to Putin on Monday he decided to take no action for now.

Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov told reporters at the hospital that the swap was "the first stage" and that Kyiv still hoped to secure a ceasefire.

"We hope that the U.S. will support Ukraine in achieving the ceasefire," he said.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday that Moscow would hand Kyiv a draft document outlining its conditions for a long-term peace agreement once the prisoner exchange is completed.

STILL HOPING

Near the hospital in the Chernihiv region, dozens of people, mostly women, stood in line along a street holding up photographs of men they hoped would be included in the swap.

Many said they had relatives who were missing in action and that they had come to find out any news they could from those who had just been released.

"It’s very difficult," said Oksana Astapenko, carrying her daughter Anhelina on her shoulders and tearing up as she spoke.

"We're still hoping. We don't know if he's in captivity or not… he's just missing. We're hoping for positive news that he's there."​

 

[Saif]

Ukraine’s Zelensky expected to visit Berlin on Wednesday, sources say

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to visit Berlin on Wednesday, several sources told Reuters on Monday. A spokesperson for the chancellery declined to comment on the planned meeting, which was first reported by news outlet Spiegel. Spiegel said Zelensky would hold talks with Germ

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Ukraine’s Zelensky expected to visit Berlin on Wednesday, sources say

REUTERS
Published :
May 26, 2025 19:33
Updated :
May 26, 2025 19:33

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to visit Berlin on Wednesday, several sources told Reuters on Monday.

A spokesperson for the chancellery declined to comment on the planned meeting, which was first reported by news outlet Spiegel.

Spiegel said Zelensky would hold talks with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz about possible steps towards further technical talks between Ukraine and Russia as well as briefing him on plans for a new EU sanctions package against Russia, Spiegel reported.

The leaders are also expected to discuss further military support for Ukraine, the report said, adding that Zelensky would also meet with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

Shortly after taking office earlier this month, Merz travelled with his French, British and Polish counterparts to Kyiv where they declared that Russia would be hit by new punitive measures if it did not heed calls for a 30-day ceasefire within days.​

 

[Saif]

Russia fired record barrage of 355 drones at Ukraine overnight: Kyiv

In the western Khmelnytsky region, local authorities said that 18 residential buildings were damaged by Russian drones.

en.prothomalo.com

Russia fired record barrage of 355 drones at Ukraine overnight: Kyiv
AFP Kyiv, Ukraine
Published: 26 May 2025, 15: 08

People look at a multistory residential building damaged following a drone strike in Kyiv on May 25, 2025, amid Russian invasion in Ukraine. Russia launched a record number of drones against Ukraine and killed 12 people across the country, officials said on May 25, even as Kyiv and Moscow completed their biggest prisoner exchange since the start of the war. AFP

Russia fired 355 drones at Ukraine overnight in the biggest such attack since Moscow’s 2022 invasion, Kyiv said on Monday, a day after Russian strikes killed 13 people.

US President Donald Trump earlier said that Russian leader Vladimir Putin had gone “absolutely crazy” in a rare rebuke of the Kremlin chief as Moscow bombed Ukraine during a major prisoner exchange.

Ukraine’s air force said Russia had launched “355 Shahed-type drones”, including decoys, as well as nine cruise missiles, with its spokesman Yuriy Ignat confirming to AFP that it was the largest drone attack since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.

The drone strikes on Monday came after what Kyiv described as a weekend of “terror”.

Kyiv has so far not reported deaths from the drone attack, but said that Russian shelling in the last 24 hours had killed one civilian man in the north-eastern Sumy region, which has been under relentless Russian attack for several months.

Air alerts in Kyiv lasted for six hours, the capital’s authorities said.

In the western Khmelnytsky region, local authorities said that 18 residential buildings were damaged by Russian drones.

The head of the southern Odesa region said a 14-year-old boy was wounded there.​

 

[Saif]

Russia says Ukraine, backed by Europe, is trying to wreck peace talks

Russia's defence ministry said on Tuesday that Ukraine, backed by certain European countries, had taken several 'provocative steps' aimed at derailing Moscow-initiated direct peace talks with Kyiv. The first direct talks between Russia and Ukraine in over three years took place on May 16, but fail

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

Russia says Ukraine, backed by Europe, is trying to wreck peace talks

REUTERS
Published :
May 27, 2025 16:58
Updated :
May 27, 2025 16:58

Russia's Defence Minister Andrei Belousov attends a military parade on Victory Day, marking the 80th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two, in Red Square in central Moscow, Russia, May 9, 2025. Photo : REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov/Files

Russia's defence ministry said on Tuesday that Ukraine, backed by certain European countries, had taken several 'provocative steps' aimed at derailing Moscow-initiated direct peace talks with Kyiv.

The first direct talks between Russia and Ukraine in over three years took place on May 16, but failed to produce a ceasefire agreement.

"At the initiative of the Russian Federation, direct Russian-Ukrainian dialogue on a peaceful settlement of the conflict in Ukraine has been resumed," the ministry said.

"At the same time, the Kyiv regime, supported by certain European countries, has taken a number of provocative steps aimed at disrupting the negotiation process."

According to the Russian ministry, since May 20, Ukraine has significantly increased drone and missile attacks on Russian territory, using Western-supplied munitions and targeting civilian areas.

Between the evening of May 20 and the morning of May 27, Russian air defence systems intercepted and destroyed 2,331 Ukrainian drones, including 1,465 outside the immediate conflict zone, the ministry said.

Ukraine has also reported a sharp escalation in Russian attacks on its territory, including a record barrage on Sunday night.

The intensification prompted U.S. President Donald Trump to comment that Russian President Vladimir Putin had "gone absolutely CRAZY," while also threatening new sanctions.

Russia's defence ministry on Tuesday said that its strikes were retaliatory, precise, and targeted solely at military facilities and enterprises within Ukraine’s military-industrial complex.​

 

[Saif]

Kremlin on Trump's 'playing with fire' comments: National interests paramount for Putin

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, in comments about US President Donald Trump's remark that Vladimir Putin was "playing with fire" by refusing to engage in ceasefire talks with Kyiv, said the national interest was paramount for the Russian leader. He also said in a conference call with reporters on

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

Kremlin on Trump's 'playing with fire' comments: National interests paramount for Putin

REUTERS
Published :
May 28, 2025 20:53
Updated :
May 28, 2025 20:53

Russian President Vladimir Putin gives a statement to the media at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia May 11, 2025. Photo : Sergey Bobylev/Host agency RIA Novosti/Handout via REUTERS/Files

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, in comments about US President Donald Trump's remark that Vladimir Putin was "playing with fire" by refusing to engage in ceasefire talks with Kyiv, said the national interest was paramount for the Russian leader.

He also said in a conference call with reporters on Wednesday that a possible meeting of Putin with Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy should take place only following preparations and talks.​

 

[Saif]

Is Trump’s approach to the Russia-Ukraine war a geopolitical gamble or a strategic withdrawal?

Trump’s strategy has devolved into a pattern of contradictions and disengagement.

www.thedailystar.net

Is Trump’s approach to the Russia-Ukraine war a geopolitical gamble or a strategic withdrawal?

An explosion of a drone lights up the sky over the city during a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine May 24, 2025. PHOTO: REUTERS

When Donald Trump returned to the White House in January 2025, he vowed to end the Russia-Ukraine war, saying that he would end the war in Ukraine in 24 hours. This aptitude, repeated relentlessly during his campaign, hinged on his self-proclaimed prodigy for dealmaking and personal rapport with Vladimir Putin. Yet over 100 days into his presidency, the war rages on, as well as Russian strikes on Ukrainian cities have intensified. Trump's strategy has devolved into a pattern of contradictions and disengagement. The US president's initial bravado has collided with the grim realities of a war now in its fourth year, with escalating drone warfare and a large number of casualties on both sides. Trump's policy reversals—abandoning sanctions threats to Russia by lowering them, downplaying the US leadership, prioritising rare-earth mineral deals with Ukraine—have left the Kremlin emboldened and strained transatlantic unity.

However, the roots of this shift lie in Trump's transactional worldview. His administration inherited a war that had settled into a brutal attritional grind under President Joe Biden, with Ukraine relying on Western arms to thwart Russian advances. However, where Biden's approach marked the war as a struggle for "democratic sovereignty," Trump has treated it as a nuisance—an obstacle to his vision of a grand bargain with Moscow. Since Trump's win, US direct involvement has decreased. Meanwhile, enforcement of sanctions has ground to a halt and ceasefire plans have only advanced demands favourable to Russia. Yet in May 2025 alone, Russia carried out its largest aerial bombardment in the war. In this respect, Trump's recent calling of Putin "absolutely crazy" has been notable, but how much impact it will pose on the US approach remains a critical question.

The surge of Russian attacks coincided with Trump's diplomatic inertia. His sole tangible intervention—a two-hour call with Putin in mid-May—yielded little beyond vague Russian commitments to draft a "memorandum" on peace. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky slammed Russia for the delay, while some other officials dismissed the "document" as a stalling tactic. Also, the US president's criticism of Putin contrasted sharply with his reproach of Zelensky, whom he accused of "causing problems," demanding that he "better stop."

The administration's failure to act decisively has had dire consequences. While Trump's Defense Intelligence Agency warned that Russia planned to fight through 2025, Trump at first kept pressuring Kyiv to make concessions without visible pressure on Russia to halt its attacks. Civilian casualties soared, with over 664 civilians killed and 3,425 injured, reported in the first four months of 2025, as reported by Kyiv Independent. All the while, the US president emboldened Russian President Vladimir Putin by declining to impose pressure for an immediate ceasefire—backed by Europe—of meaningful sanctions. After Trump's two-hour phone call with Putin, he told reporters on May 19 that the call was "meaningful and frank" while the Russian leader declined to support the 30-day ceasefire plan. Putin instead ordered a "security buffer zone" along Ukraine's Eastern borders, and strikes on Ukraine's civilian buildings escalated to the heaviest bombings on May 10, with 70 missiles and almost 300 drones. Russian air raids continued on May 25, and Trump remained silent until May 27, when he finally addressed the massive aerial attacks on Ukraine. Posting on TruthSocial, Trump referring to the Russian President, said, "Something has happened to him. He has gone absolutely CRAZY!" On the same day, sources interviewed by The Wall Street Journal said Trump is considering renewed sanctions, but he could also decide to not impose sanctions at all. One of Trumpʼs key considerations, according to US officials interview by The Wall Street Journal, was his belief that he knew Putin well and that the Russian leader would end the war as a favour.

Trump's dynamic of bluster and retreat has undermined US credibility. It left Kyiv to face intensified attacks and fractured Europe's trust. Critics argue that Trump's approach has been less about diplomacy than coercion, pressuring Ukraine to comply with the territorial concessions. It became explicit in May, when the US declined to join the European-led sanctions, instead suggesting that Kyiv and Moscow resolve the conflict "independently." For Ukraine, already strained by dwindling Western aid, the lack of US leadership has been critical.

The differing approaches of the Biden and Trump administrations divulge a dichotomy. Biden considered the war as "a defense of democratic values," rallying NATO allies to supply tanks, artillery, and air defence systems. His strategy reached a fragile stalemate, suggesting the preservation of Ukraine's territory while avoiding direct confrontation between NATO and Russia. On the other hand, Trump has been considering the war through a transactional viewpoint. His early moves—halting arms shipments to pressure Kyiv into ceasefire talks—allowed Russian forces to regain momentum in eastern Ukraine. Diplomatically, Trump sidelined European partners, insisting Ukraine and Russia negotiate bilaterally. This approach became more apparent when Vice President JD Vance said that the war is "not our conflict." It drew sharp rebukes in Kyiv. Consequently, the contrast extends to their handling of alliances. Biden's administration worked closely with Europe to coordinate sanctions and aid. By contrast, Trump's "America First" policy gave rise to cynicism. Therefore, European leaders question whether NATO can function without US commitment, particularly after Trump hinted at withdrawing troops from Europe's eastern border.

Trump's policy has been marked by a reluctance to leverage sanctions against Russia, a departure from the Biden-era consensus. Biden used to believe that economic pressure could curb Moscow's aggression. Where the European Union (EU) imposed 17 rounds of sanctions targeting Russian energy, finance, and technology sectors, Trump deemed such measures as obstacles to maximising opportunities for Americans. This shift was clear during Trump's call with Putin this May, where discussions focused less on ending the war than on post-conflict economic collaboration. The Kremlin later emphasised Trump's enthusiasm for Russian rare-earth minerals and energy exports—sectors critical to US tech and manufacturing. In the meantime, the lack of US enforcement diluted EU efforts to isolate Moscow. One EU diplomat remarked, "We cannot deter Putin if America prioritises trade over security."

Putin's chess game is complex. On May 27, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan went on a two-day visit to Moscow, and Russian stressed on bilateral relations rather than Ukraine. Russian sources have said they viewed Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Oman as potentially suitable venues for direct talks with Ukraine in a direct blow to Trump who posed himself as the chief negotiator to end the war. The Kremlin's state media in February, framed Trump's deference as a victory. For Putin, Trump's isolationism validates a long-standing assumption: that Western resolve would fracture under economic and political pressure.

In March, the EU unveiled an 800-billion-euro defence plan with a view to bolstering arms production and making a joint rapid-response force. However, internal divisions persist. Poland and the Baltics advocate for unswerving military aid to Ukraine, while Hungary's Viktor Orbán—echoing Trump's rhetoric—calls for pragmatic engagement with Moscow. The EU's May 2025 sanctions package, targeting Russian LNG and shadow tankers, marks progress but highlights lacunae. Europe lacks the capacity to replace US intelligence sharing or advanced air defences. It leaves Ukraine vulnerable to missile strikes. At the same time, Trump's threats to withdraw US troops from NATO's eastern flank have given rise to concerns. If the US does not ensure its commitments, Europe cannot help but prepare to defend itself. For Ukraine, Europe's resolve is a lifeline, but doubts linger. Although the EU amplified aid, Kyiv's battlefield prospects depend on sustained Western unity—a unity questioned and puzzled by Trump's ambivalence.

Trump's approach to Ukraine raises questions regarding transatlantic ties (with NATO and the EU) as it has insofar left Kyiv fighting for survival with waning support. For Europe, the lesson should be clear. The EU's push for strategic autonomy faces immense hurdles—from internal divisions to military inadequacies. For the US, the cost of winning a trade deal with Russia may be the loss of its role as the self-proclaimed anchor of global stability. The war in Ukraine has become a referendum on something far larger: whether a world order built on rules and alliances can withstand the rise of transactional nationalism. In the era of a geopolitical and geoeconomic crux, ambiguity is the only certainty.

Kawsar Uddin Mahmud is a geopolitical analyst and researcher based in Dhaka.​

 

[Saif]

Russia masses 50,000 troops near Sumy front

Russia has massed more than 50,000 troops, including some of its best forces, near Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy region, but Kyiv has taken steps to prevent them from conducting a large-scale offensive, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

www.thedailystar.net

Russia masses 50,000 troops near Sumy front
Says Ukraine’s Zelensky; US, Russia clash in public over intensifying war

Russia has massed more than 50,000 troops, including some of its best forces, near Ukraine's northeastern Sumy region, but Kyiv has taken steps to prevent them from conducting a large-scale offensive, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

The build-up comes as Russia appears to be gearing up for a summer offensive in Ukraine while Kyiv waits for Moscow to present a memorandum laying out its conditions to proceed with ceasefire talks.

Sumy lies across the border from Russia's Kursk region where Ukraine previously seized and held a pocket of land for months, before being almost fully pushed out last month, although it says it still holds some small areas there.

"Their largest, strongest forces are currently on the Kursk front," Zelensky told reporters on Tuesday. "To push our troops out of the Kursk region and to prepare offensive actions against the Sumy region."

Putin has said he wants a "buffer zone" along Russia's border with Ukraine. Zelensky said he believed Russia wants to carve out an area of Ukrainian territory about 10 km (6 miles) deep.

Kremlin rebuffs a call by Zelensky for a three-way summit with Trump and Putin

Meanwhile, the Kremlin yesterday rebuffed a call by Zelensky for a three-way summit with Trump and Putin.

The United States and Russia also quarrelled in public yesterday over the intensifying Ukraine war after US President Donald Trump warned that President Vladimir Putin was "playing with fire"

Trump, in a post on Truth Social, said that Putin was playing with fire and cautioned that "REALLY BAD" things would have happened already to Russia if it was not for Trump himself.

Top Russian security official Dmitry Medvedev, a former president, dismissed Trump's criticism.

"Regarding Trump's words about Putin 'playing with fire' and 'really bad things' happening to Russia. I only know of one REALLY BAD thing — WWIII. I hope Trump understands this!" Medvedev wrote in English on the social media platform X.​

 

[Saif]

Russia and Ukraine step up the war on eve of peace talks

On the eve of peace talks, Ukraine and Russia sharply ramped up the war with one of the biggest drone battles of their conflict, a Russian highway bridge blown up over a passenger train and an ambitious attack on nuclear-capable bombers deep in Siberia. After days of uncertainty over whether or no

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

Russia and Ukraine step up the war on eve of peace talks

REUTERS
Published :
Jun 01, 2025 21:25
Updated :
Jun 01, 2025 21:49

Specialists of emergency services work at the scene, after a road bridge collapsed onto railway tracks due to an explosion in the Bryansk region, Russia, June 1, 2025. Photo : REUTERS/Stringer

On the eve of peace talks, Ukraine and Russia sharply ramped up the war with one of the biggest drone battles of their conflict, a Russian highway bridge blown up over a passenger train and an ambitious attack on nuclear-capable bombers deep in Siberia.

After days of uncertainty over whether or not Ukraine would even attend, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Defence Minister Rustem Umerov would sit down with Russian officials at the second round of direct peace talks in Istanbul on Monday.

The talks, proposed by President Vladimir Putin, have so far yielded the biggest prisoner exchange of the war - but no sense of any consensus on how to halt the fighting.

Amid talk of peace, though, there was much war.

At least seven people were killed and 69 injured when a highway bridge in Russia's Bryansk region, neighbouring Ukraine, was blown up over a passenger train heading to Moscow with 388 people on board. No one has yet claimed responsibility.

Ukraine attacked Russian nuclear-capable long-range bombers at a military base deep in Siberia on Sunday, the first such attack so far from the front lines more than 4,300 km (2,670 miles) away. A Ukrainian intelligence official said 40 Russian warplanes were struck.

Russia launched 472 drones at Ukraine overnight, Ukraine's air force said, the highest nightly total of the war so far. Russia had also launched seven missiles, the air force said.

Russia said it had advanced deeper into the Sumy region of Ukraine, and open source pro-Ukrainian maps showed Russia took 450 square km of Ukrainian land in May, its fastest monthly advance in at least six months.

US President Donald Trump has demanded Russia and Ukraine make peace and he has threatened to walk away if they do not - potentially pushing responsibility for supporting Ukraine onto the shoulders of European powers - which have far less cash and much smaller stocks of weapons than the United States.

According to Trump envoy Keith Kellogg, the two sides will in Turkey present their respective documents outlining their ideas for peace terms, though it is clear that after three years of intense war, Moscow and Kyiv remain far apart.

Putin ordered tens of thousands of troops to invade Ukraine in February 2022 after eight years of fighting in eastern Ukraine between Russian-backed separatists and Ukrainian troops. The United States says over 1.2 million people have been killed and injured in the war since 2022.

Trump has called Putin "crazy" and berated Zelenskiy in public in the Oval Office, but the US president has also said that he thinks peace is achievable and that if Putin delays then he could impose tough sanctions on Russia.

In June last year, Putin set out his opening terms for an immediate end to the war: Ukraine must drop its NATO ambitions and withdraw all of its troops from the entirety of the territory of four Ukrainian regions claimed and mostly controlled by Russia.

Ukrainian negotiators in Istanbul will present to the Russian side a proposed roadmap for reaching a lasting peace settlement, according to a copy of the document seen by Reuters.

According to the document, there will be no restrictions on Ukraine's military strength after a peace deal is struck, no international recognition of Russian sovereignty over parts of Ukraine taken by Moscow's forces, and reparations for Ukraine.

The document also stated that the current location of the front line will be the starting point for negotiations about territory.

Russia currently controls a little under one fifth of Ukraine, or about 113,100 square km, about the same size as the US state of Ohio.​

 

[Saif]

Ukraine drones strike deep in Russian territory on eve of new talks

Ukraine said Sunday that its drones destroyed Russian bombers worth billions of dollars as far away as Siberia in its longest-range assault of the war, as it geared up for talks on prospects for a ceasefire. In a spectacular claim, Ukraine said it damaged $7 billion worth of Russian aircraft...

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Ukraine drones strike deep in Russian territory on eve of new talks

AFP Kyiv, Ukraine
Published: 02 Jun 2025, 11: 07

A drone attack inside Russia Reuters

Ukraine said Sunday that its drones destroyed Russian bombers worth billions of dollars as far away as Siberia in its longest-range assault of the war, as it geared up for talks on prospects for a ceasefire.

In a spectacular claim, Ukraine said it damaged $7 billion worth of Russian aircraft parked at four airbases thousands of kilometres across the border, with unverified video footage showing aircraft engulfed in flames and black smoke.

A source in the Ukrainian security services (SBU) said the strikes hit 41 planes that were used to “bomb Ukrainian villages”.

The drones were concealed in the ceilings of transportation containers that were opened remotely for the assault, the source added.

Ceasefire talks

The long-planned operation came at a delicate moment three years into Russia’s invasion.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday that he was sending a delegation to Istanbul led by his Defence Minister Rustem Umerov for talks on Monday with Russian officials.

Turkey is hosting the meeting, which was spurred by US President Donald Trump’s push for a quick deal to end the three-year war.

Zelensky, who previously voiced scepticism about whether Russia was serious in proposing Monday’s meeting, said priorities included “a complete and unconditional ceasefire” and the return of prisoners and abducted children.

Russia, which has rejected previous ceasefire requests, said it had formulated its own peace terms but refused to divulge them in advance.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his US counterpart Marco Rubio spoke by telephone Sunday about “several initiatives aimed at a political solution to the Ukraine crisis”, including Monday’s talks, the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement carried by the TASS news agency.

‘Spider’s Web’

Zelensky on Sunday hailed “brilliant” results of the coordinated attack, code-named “Spider’s Web”, which he said had used 117 drones and was the country’s “most long-range operation” in more than three years of war.

Russia’s defence ministry confirmed on Telegram that several of its military aircraft “caught fire”, adding that there were no casualties.

Rybar, an account on the Telegram message platform that is close to the Russian military, called it a “very heavy blow” for Moscow and pointed to what it called “serious errors” by Russian intelligence.

The SBU source said the strikes targeted Russian airbases in the eastern Siberian city of Belaya, in Olenya, in the Arctic near Finland, and in Ivanovo and Dyagilevo, both east of Moscow.

The operation was prepared for over a year and a half, the SBU source said, and aimed to destroy “enemy bombers far from the front”.

Zelensky said one of the targeted locations was right next to one of the offices of the FSB Russian security services.

‘First such strike on Siberia’

Russia said it had arrested several suspects, including the driver of a truck from which a drone had taken off, state agencies said.

But Zelensky said people involved in preparing the attacks were “extracted from Russian territory in time”.

Igor Kobzev, governor of Russia’s Irkutsk region, which hosts the Belaya airbase, said it was “the first attack of this sort in Siberia”.

He called on the population not to panic and posted an amateur video apparently showing a drone in the sky and a large cloud of grey smoke.

Russia drone strikes

Russia has been announcing Ukrainian drone attacks on a near-daily basis, usually saying they had all been shot down.

At the same time, Russia has been carrying out constant attacks on Ukraine.

On Sunday, Ukraine’s air force said it was hit by 472 Russian drones and seven missiles overnight, a record number since the beginning of the invasion in February 2022.

In a rare admission of its military losses, the Ukrainian army said Russia’s “missile strike on the location of one of the training units” had killed a dozen soldiers, most of whom had been in shelters during the attack, and wounded more than 60.

The attack led Ukrainian ground forces commander Mykhailo Drapaty to announce his resignation, saying he felt “responsibility” for the soldiers’ deaths.

Separately on Sunday, the Russian army said it had captured another village in Ukraine’s northern Sumy region, where Kyiv fears Moscow could mount a renewed ground assault.​

 

[Saif]

Russia deliberately targeting civilians: Zelensky

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday accused Russia of ‘deliberately’ targeting civilians in a rocket attack on the city of Sumy, a day after officials from the two countries met for fresh peace talks...

www.newagebd.net

Russia deliberately targeting civilians: Zelensky
Agence France-Presse . Kyiv, Ukraine 03 June, 2025, 23:31

Volodymyr Zelensky | AFP file photo

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday accused Russia of ‘deliberately’ targeting civilians in a rocket attack on the city of Sumy, a day after officials from the two countries met for fresh peace talks.

At a second round of direct negotiations in Istanbul, the two sides again failed to strike a deal on a truce, agreeing only on a large-scale exchange of captured soldiers.

Moscow has appeared to stick to its hardline demands — calling for Ukraine to pull its troops out of four eastern and southern regions that Moscow claims to have annexed as a precondition to pausing its invasion, according to a memorandum handed to the Ukrainians that was published by Russian state media.

Russia’s troops have also accelerated their advance, seeking to establish what Russian president Vladimir Putin called a ‘buffer zone’ inside Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy region.

A rocket attack on the city, some 30 kilometres from the Russian border, on Tuesday killed at least three people, Zelensky said.

‘The Russians launched a savage strike on Sumy — directly targeting the city and its ordinary streets with rocket artillery. It was a fully deliberate attack on civilians,’ he said in a post on social media.

He posted a video from the emergency services showing destroyed cars and the body of one victim lying on the road.

Local officials said Russia fired five MLRS rockets at the city around 09:00am (0600 GMT).

Zelensky said the attack ‘says everything one needs to know about Russia’s so-called ‘desire’ to end this war’.

He called for ‘decisive actions’ from the United States and Europe to push Russia into a ceasefire.

‘Every day, Russia gives new reasons for tougher sanctions and stronger support for our defence,’ he said.

In Monday’s meeting, Ukraine said that Moscow had rejected its call for an unconditional ceasefire. It offered instead a partial truce of two to three days in some areas of the frontline.

A delegation of top Ukrainian officials landed in Washington on Tuesday for talks with US officials on defence and economic issues, including the possibility of new sanctions, Zelensky’s office said.

‘We plan to talk about defence support and the situation on the battlefield, strengthening sanctions against Russia,’ Andriy Yermak, president Volodymyr Zelensky’s top aide, said on social media.

US president Donald Trump, who promised to end the war in Ukraine swiftly when he returned to the White House in January, has repeatedly expressed anger at both Putin and Zelensky as the war drags through its fourth year with no end in sight.

Russia’s army said Tuesday it had captured another village in the Sumy region, Andriivka, located around five kilometres from the Russian border.

Sumy was a key logistics hub for Ukraine’s months-long offensive into Russia’s Kursk region.

Attacks on the city have escalated since Russia said in April it had fully recaptured the Kursk region.

More than 30 were killed there in a Russian ballistic missile strike on the city centre in April, one of the deadliest single attacks of the three-year war.

Zelensky said last week that Russia was amassing some 50,000 troops for an offensive on the region.

A separate Russian drone attack on Kharkiv killed one person, the prosecutor’s office said, while the cities of Odesa and Chernigiv were also hit in overnight attacks.​

 

[Saif]

Ukraine peace efforts are complex: Kremlin

The Kremlin warned yesterday that work on trying to reach a settlement to end the war in Ukraine was extraordinarily complex and that it would be wrong to expect any imminent decisions.

www.thedailystar.net

Ukraine peace efforts are complex: Kremlin
Says no quick decisions to be expected; Russia ‘deliberately’ targeting civilians after 3 killed in Sumy: Zelensky

The Kremlin warned yesterday that work on trying to reach a settlement to end the war in Ukraine was extraordinarily complex and that it would be wrong to expect any imminent decisions.

It was commenting after Russia told Ukraine at peace talks in Turkey on Monday that it would only agree to end the fighting if Kyiv gives up big new chunks of territory and accepts limits on the size of its army, demands Ukraine has repeatedly rejected.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters yesterday that agreements reached at the Istanbul talks to exchange prisoners and the bodies of dead soldiers would be honoured however, and that work on agreeing a possible settlement would continue.

He said Russia and the US had not yet agreed on specific future contacts between President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Donald Trump, but that Putin was ready for various high-level contacts if they were properly prepared, reports Reuters.

It was unlikely, added Peskov when asked, that Putin, Trump and Zelensky would hold face-to-face talks together in the near future.

Meanwhile, Zelensky yesterday accused Russia of "deliberately" targeting civilians in a rocket attack on the city of Sumy.

Russia's troops have also accelerated their advance, seeking to establish what Putin called a "buffer zone" inside Ukraine's northeastern Sumy region

A rocket attack on the city, some 30 kilometres (18 miles) from the Russian border, yesterday killed at least three people, Zelensky said.

"The Russians launched a savage strike on Sumy -- directly targeting the city and its ordinary streets with rocket artillery. It was a fully deliberate attack on civilians," he said in a post on social media.

He posted a video from the emergency services showing destroyed cars and the body of one victim lying on the road, reports AFP.​

 

[Saif]

Russian ceasefire memorandum is an ultimatum: Zelensky

PRESIDENT Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday said that Russia was giving Ukraine an ultimatum at peace negotiations but said he was ready to hold direct talks with Russia’s Vladimir Putin and US president Donald Trump ‘any day’...

www.newagebd.net

Russian ceasefire memorandum is an ultimatum: Zelensky
Agence France-Presse Kyiv, Ukraine 05 June, 2025, 04:24

Volodymyr Zelensky

PRESIDENT Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday said that Russia was giving Ukraine an ultimatum at peace negotiations but said he was ready to hold direct talks with Russia’s Vladimir Putin and US president Donald Trump ‘any day’.

His comments came after Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Istanbul swapped terms for agreeing to a ceasefire and said they were ready to host another round of prisoner exchanges.

Zelensky told reporters - including from AFP - that the Russian document outlining Moscow’s requirements to halt its invasion amounted to an ultimatum.

‘That is, it is not a memorandum of understanding. At least a memorandum of understanding should be signed by two parties, not just one party demanding,’ something, he said sitting around a table with international and Ukrainian media.

Therefore, it cannot be called a memorandum. It is, after all, an ultimatum from the Russian side to us,’ he added.​