Germany steps up aid after Russia's unprecedented attacks | Ukraine This Week

5:42 AM

Trump administration redirecting anti-drone tech from Ukraine to US forces in Middle East, WSJ reports.

According to the Wall Street Journal, special fuzes used in ground-to-air rocket systems that protect against drone attacks will be redirected towards units in the Middle East, as the U.S. braces for conflict with Iran as well as Houthi militants in Yemen.

4:36 AM

Russian missile, drone attack on Kharkiv injures 17, including 2 children.

Russian missile and drone attacks on the city of Kharkiv overnight on June 5 injured 17 people, including two children, regional Governor Oleh Syniehubov reported.

3:58 AM

Russia launches over 48,000 aerial attacks on Ukraine in 6 months, Zelensky says.

Zelensky said on social media that Russia launched nearly 27,700 aerial bombs, 11,200 Shahed drones, approximately 9,000 other types of attack drones, and over 700 missiles at Ukraine in 2025.

2:36 AM

Trump urges Senate to postpone vote on Russia sanctions bill, Senator says.

U.S. President Donald Trump has asked the Senate to delay voting on a bipartisan Russia sanctions bill, Republican Senator Roger Wicker said on June 4.

1:05 AM

Russia seeks to deploy 10,000 troops to Transnistria, potentially undermining election, Moldovan PM Recean says.

Russia aims to deploy 10,000 troops to Transnistria and install a pro-Kremlin government in Moldova to enable it, Moldovan Prime Minister Dorin Recean told the Financial Times in an interview published June 4.

11:49 PM

Putin tells new pope Kyiv seeks to escalate war, urges Vatican support for Moscow-linked church in Ukraine.

Russia wants the Vatican to "take a more active role" in advocating for what it described as freedom of religion in Ukraine, the Kremlin said in a statement on June 4 following recent diplomatic contacts.

11:16 PM

Zelensky to consider allowing private army formations after latest ultimatums from Russia.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a briefing on June 4 that he may consider allowing the creation of private armies in Ukraine.

8:48 PM

Putin stays silent on Ukraine’s drone attack that hit 41 Russian bombers, caused $7 billion in damage.

On June 4, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov acknowledged the incident, saying Putin had been informed about the strike and that Russia’s Investigative Committee had launched a probe.

8:02 PM  (Updated:  June 4, 2025 8:38 pm)

Putin 'will have to respond' to Ukraine's attack on Russian bombers, Trump says after call with Kremlin chief.

Trump said he spoke to Putin over the phone for an hour and 15 minutes on June 4 and that it was "a good conversation, but not a conversation that will lead to immediate peace."

7:46 PM

War update

Ukraine war latest: Kyiv hacks Russian bomber maker; Putin's 'disregard' for troops highlighted as Russian losses near 1 million

7:43 PM

Investigations

Hiding in plain sight — how Russia’s cultural centers continue to operate in US, Europe despite espionage claims

6:40 PM

Ukraine Reforms Tracker Weekly — Issue 28

6:18 PM

memorialization

With music festival honoring fallen combat medic, Ukrainians reinvent memorial culture

6:01 PM

Putin rejects Zelensky’s call for peace talks, accuses Ukraine of deadly bridge attack in Russia.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on June 4 accused Ukraine of being governed by a terrorist regime that deliberately targets civilians and claimed it is continuing to lose the war. He rejected the possibility of holding talks.

5:42 PM

Video

New footage from Ukraine’s Operation Spiderweb hitting Russian bombers.

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has published new drone footage from Operation Spiderweb – the remarkable special operation targeting four Russian airbases with low-cost FPV drones. The General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces confirmed on June 3 that Russia lost 41 military aircraft as a result of the operation. The estimated damage inflicted upon Russia is estimated to exceed $7 billion.

5:29 PM

Ukraine's SBU releases exclusive footage of Operation Spiderweb targeting Russia's strategic aircraft.

On June 1, the SBU conducted an operation using first-person-view (FPV) drones that were smuggled deep inside Russia and concealed in trucks, successfully striking 41 Russian heavy bombers and causing an estimated $7 billion in damage.

3:35 PM  (Updated:  June 4, 2025 4:46 pm)

Ukraine expects to exchange 500 POWs in next swap with Russia, Zelensky says.

Ukraine will bring home a total of 500 prisoners of war (POW) from Russian captivity in a prisoner exchange with Russia on June 7 and 8, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a meeting with journalists on June 4 attended by the Kyiv Independent.

4:42 PM

War analysis

Exclusive: Ukraine could face 500+ Russian deep-strike drones a night as Kremlin builds new launch sites

4:08 PM

Putin's 'disregard' for troops highlighted as Russian losses approach 1 million, CSIS report shows.

The total number of military casualties on both sides is nearing 1.4 million, including approximately 400,000 Ukrainian soldiers killed or injured.

3:53 PM

Ukraine wouldn't launch Operation Spiderweb if Russia agreed to ceasefire, Zelensky says.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said that roughly half of the 41 Russian planes targeted in the attack on June 1 will be impossible to repair.

3:45 PM

Russia strikes Ukrainian military training facility in Poltava Oblast, military says.

"Thanks to timely and carefully planned security measures... the worst has been avoided," the Ground Forces press service said, saying that no soldiers have been killed in the attack.

2:06 PM  (Updated:  June 4, 2025 3:09 pm)

'Nothing secret left' — Ukraine hacks Russia's Tupolev bomber producer, source claims.

HUR's cyber corps accessed over 4.4 gigabytes (GB) of internal data, including official correspondence, personnel files, home addresses, resumes, purchase records, and closed meeting minutes, a source claimed.

2:55 PM

US hasn't decided yet on new Ukraine aid, focuses on peace, NATO envoy says.

U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker stressed that Washington counts on European leadership in providing Ukraine with the resources needed to achieve a lasting peace, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported.

2:42 PM

Ukraine passes Budget Code changes to implement US mineral deal.

The legislation, supported by 309 members of parliament, enshrines financial provisions critical to executing the U.S.-Ukraine deal signed on April 30 and ratified by Kyiv on May 8.

1:40 PM

Ukraine's Operation Spiderweb ranks with 'raid on Bin Laden,' US Senator Blumenthal says.

"Just in the skill and audacity of these attacks, it will rank with the United States raid on Osama bin Laden and the Israeli pager operation as one of the great military achievements in recent years," U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal told Politico.