Russo-Ukrainian war, day 1562: Zelenskyy writes open letter to Putin as Berlin, Paris, and London sketch a plan to bring Moscow to talks

Exclusives

Ukraine showed the world its drone launcher. Russia found it four days later.. AI-targeted drones need training images to find their targets. Ukraine just gave Russia one.

Ukrainian strawberry prices drop 21%—but carrots and potatoes climb. Cheaper berries, costlier carrots—Ukraine’s wartime produce market moves in different directions in the same week.

Ukraine plays Russia today for a French Open final. The Russian stays mum on war; the Ukrainian doesn’t. "They have phones. They have Instagram." Five weeks after Madrid, Kostyuk and Andreeva meet again — with overnight casualty counts between them.

Russia wants €47 million from the company arming the country it invaded. The contract Moscow wants money over built the training center where Putin's troops rehearsed for Ukraine.

Military

"First operation of its kind": Ukraine claims "fire control" over occupied Donetsk Airport deep behind frontline. Ukrainian forces say sustained strikes have made the occupied airport unusable for Russian military operations.

Ukraine logs heaviest deep strike month of the year, hitting 18 oil and gas facilities in Russia. Ukraine hit a laundry list of targets including military factories, warships, shadow fleet tankers, aircraft, and other assets.

Russia-installed Sevastopol official claims more than 20 drones shot down in overnight attack. Russian occupation authorities temporarily closed the Kerch Bridge to traffic as air defenses engaged drones over Sevastopol and Simferopol early on 4 June.

Ukrainian drones blow up Russian ammunition depot deep behind front line. Late-evening explosions and secondary detonations rocked a base in eastern Donbas on 3 June, with Telegram accounts split between Donetsk and Luhansk oblast.

Ukraine hit Novoshakhtinsk oil refinery in Russia with same weapon that sank Moskva Black Sea Fleet flagship. The refinery supplies fuel and lubricants to the Russian military.

Crew fatigue, poor training, dead Russians: hidden cost of Russia's glide bomb campaign. Russia conducts more than 200 sorties a day with 180-250 glide bombs launched against Ukraine.

Russia lost $435 million worth of equipment over past 24 hours. Ground robots are among losses, too. The Ukrainian General Staff's daily tally for 3 June: 60 artillery systems, 1,853 drones, 437 vehicles, and 5 tanks.

Intelligence and technology

Russia paints military trucks with zebra stripes to confuse Ukrainian drone AI. Experts say the patterns are part of an ongoing adaptation cycle as AI-assisted targeting systems evolve on the battlefield.

Russia turns to 500-km/h Geran-4 jet drones to outrun Kyiv's cheap interceptors. Defense adviser Serhiy Beskrestnov said the kill rate has climbed fivefold since winter, undermining the economics of propeller-driven attack craft.

American defense company Red Cat announces serial production of copy of Ukraine's Magura V7 and says it's their own development. The US military now wants the same capability. Ukraine built it first.

Ukraine's defense industry has grown tenfold since 2022. Now, it's $50 billion machine. Zelenskyy disclosed the figure at a joint press conference with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Kyiv. The announcement comes ahead of the NATO Ankara summit on 7-8 July, where Ukraine plans to discuss long-term financial guarantees.

Ukraine's new frontline robot hauls cargo, evacuates soldiers, and clears mines. Meet Vepr, built from real combat experience. The Ministry of Defense codified the modernized Vepr logistics-and-evacuation UGV for service in the Armed Forces.

International

EU accuses Russia of 'economic coercion' against Armenia, announces €50 million support package. The announcement follows Kremlin warnings over Yerevan's growing cooperation with the West.

Latvia's military chief warns Russia could exploit drone edge to attack Baltics by 2028. Most European army modernization programs won't take effect until 2029, leaving a gap Russia's military chief says Moscow may be calculating to exploit.

Romania and NATO allies move to bolster eastern flank air defences after Russian drone breaches airspace. France, Britain, Italy, and Spain have all signalled readiness to contribute, with the US expected to provide radar and surveillance assets.

Sybiha hails new page in Ukraine-Hungary relations as Cyprus launches first EU cluster procedure. The foreign minister credited Budapest's constructive engagement after a minority-rights deal cleared a two-year veto on Kyiv's path to Brussels.

Germany, France, and UK sketch plan to bring Putin to the negotiating table. The final decision on whether to pursue talks rests with Zelenskyy — European allies will not push Kyiv to embrace a strategy it does not agree with.

Russia should want Ukraine in NATO, says Zelenskyy. Speaking at a joint press conference with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Kyiv on 3 June, Zelenskyy said Russia would benefit from Ukrainian NATO membership too.

Humanitarian and social impact

"Nuclear blackmail" – IAEA reports attack on power infrastructure tied to Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant. Ukraine says only demilitarization can restore safety at the occupied facility.

ISW: Russia uses Yenakiyeve bus strike claim to legitimize devastating campaign against Ukrainian cities. Pushilin reports 8 killed; Kyiv has not commented as Moscow accelerates retaliation rhetoric and threatens punishment.

Political and legal developments

"This war is your personal choice": Open letter from Zelenskyy to Putin urges end to war, warns Russia faces growing strain. Zelenskyy calls for a ceasefire and leader-level talks, saying Russia is under mounting pressure from losses, sanctions, and internal fatigue.

Sweden orders seizure of Caffa vessel linked to alleged Russian grain theft from occupied Ukraine. Ukrainian officials say the ruling marks a breakthrough in efforts to pursue vessels allegedly involved in extracting grain from occupied regions of Ukraine.

France arrests captain of Russian shadow-fleet tanker seized in Atlantic. The Tagor was boarded in international waters on 31 May after its captain refused to comply with French Navy orders.

"Russia 2050" report with three scenarios for war was presented at Petersburg Economic Forum. "Good" one included nuclear strike and EU disintegration. The "bad" scenario foresees Russia's colonization in 25 years.

Not only Putin: Ukraine charges two Russian commanders who ordered strike that killed three generations of one family. The April 2022 Kh-101 strike on a 16-story residential building in Odesa killed eight people, including three-month-old Kira Hlodan, her mother, and her grandmother.

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