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Diverging Reports Breakdown
Russia lost 12 aircraft, Ukraine’s military claims days after drone strike on Russian bombers
Ukraine confirms 41 Russian aircraft including bombers hit during Operation Spiderweb. Russian forces lost 12 aircraft, the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces said in its regular daily update on June 3. The report came two days after the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) launched a mass drone attack against Russian strategic aviation parked at four different air bases.
Latest: Ukraine confirms 41 Russian aircraft including bombers hit during Operation Spiderweb.
Russian forces lost 12 aircraft, the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces said in its regular daily update on June 3, without providing additional details.
The report came two days after the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) launched a mass drone attack against Russian strategic aviation parked at four different air bases on June 1.
SBU chief Vasyl Maliuk said that 41 planes, including Tu-95 and Tu-22 M3 bombers and A-50 reconnaissance planes, were hit. The SBU later claimed the operation caused approximately $7 billion in damage and disabled one-third of Russia’s cruise missile bombers.
In its report, the General Staff did not specify the types of destroyed planes or whether more had been damaged.
Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council official Andrii Kovalenko, head of the Center for Countering Disinformation, previously said at least 13 Russian aircraft were destroyed in the attack, with more damaged.
“This was not just a devastating blow to enemy aviation, but a serious slap in the face of the power and terrorist essence of the Russian Federation,” Maliuk said in a statement on June 2.
Independent confirmation of the damage caused is so far limited to satellite images of Belaya air base, which 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.
Ukroboronprom posts $31.5 million profit as production triples
Ukraine’s largest state-owned defense company Ukroboronprom reported a consolidated net profit of Hr 1.31 billion ($31.5 million) for the previous year. The company’s enterprises tripled production volumes in 2024 compared to 2023, with a 36% increase in contracts. Almost all production (96%) consisted of new or upgraded military equipment in 2024.
Ukraine’s largest state-owned defense company Ukroboronprom reported a consolidated net profit of Hr 1.31 billion ($31.5 million) for the previous year, according to a press release at the company’s website.
Ukroboronprom is a leading strategic manufacturer of weapons and military hardware in Ukraine. The association unites about 100 enterprises that develop and manufacture weapons, military equipment and ammunition, including missiles, drones, armored vehicles.
The company’s enterprises tripled production volumes in 2024 compared to 2023, with a 36% increase in contracts.
According to the press release, almost all production (96%) consisted of new or upgraded military equipment in 2024.
“We began manufacturing new weapons that substantially enhanced the capabilities of Ukraine’s Defense Forces,” said Ukroboronprom Director General Oleg Gulyak.
Most of the profits will go toward weapons production, expanding facilities, relocating operations, and building new manufacturing capabilities, with a smaller portion paid to the state budget as dividends, Ukroboronprom said.
In 2024 Ukroboronprom broke into the global top 50 for the first time in Defense News’ annual ranking, jumping 16 spots from 65th place last year.
The company’s revenue surged 72% to $2.2 billion in 2023, making it the fastest-growing among the world’s top 100 defense manufacturers.
Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukraine has significantly increased its weapons production, particularly focusing on unmanned systems.
Deputy Defense Minister Valerii Churkin said earlier that more than 95% of drones used by Ukrainian forces at the front line are domestically manufactured.
Ukraine’s SBU releases exclusive footage of Operation Spiderweb targeting Russia’s strategic aircraft
Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) on June 4 released a new footage from its Operation Spiderweb. The footage shows targeted strikes on Russian strategic aircraft across multiple airfields. On June 1, the SBU conducted an operation using first-person-view (FPV) drones that were smuggled deep inside Russia. The operation successfully struck 41 Russian heavy bombers and caused an estimated $7 billion in damage.
Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) on June 4 released a new footage from its Operation Spiderweb, showing targeted strikes on Russian strategic aircraft across multiple airfields.
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.
The attacks rendered a significant number of aircraft irreparable, with others expected to take years to restore. The strikes targeted four key airfields—Olenya, Ivanovo, Dyagilevo, and Belaya—used by Russian strategic aviation involved in bombing Ukrainian cities.
President Volodymyr Zelensky and SBU Chief Vasyl Malyuk personally oversaw the operation.
On the evening of June 1, Zelensky described the operation as “brilliant,” adding that Russia suffered “significant losses — entirely justified and deserved.”
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The operation damaged or destroyed a range of aircraft, including A-50 surveillance planes, Tu-95, Tu-22, and Tu-160 bombers, as well as An-12 and Il-78 transport and refueling aircraft.
Zelensky said Ukraine would not have carried out its drone strikes on Russian strategic bombers if Russia had agreed to a ceasefire. Speaking at a June 4 meeting with journalists attended by the Kyiv Independent, Zelensky linked the operation to Moscow’s rejection of a truce.
Kyiv has consistently pushed for a Western-backed 30-day ceasefire as an initial step toward a broader peace agreement. However, during the latest round of negotiations in Istanbul on June 2, Russia once again declined the proposal.
“If there had been a ceasefire, would the operation have taken place? No,” Zelensky said, referring to the drone attack.
Ukraine, Russia start peace talks in Turkey for first time since 2022
Ukrainian and Russian delegates started peace talks in Istanbul on May 16. It is the first direct negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow since 2022. The Ukrainian delegation plans to discuss a ceasefire deal and a potential future meeting between President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin. U.S. President Donald Trump initially voiced optimism about the meeting’s prospects and suggested he might attend if progress is made. He later downplayed the expectations, saying that progress is unlikely before he meets Putin. The list is notably void of top Russian politicians, including Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov or Putin’s foreign policy aide, Yuri Ushakov. The meeting follows talks between Turkish and Ukrainian officials earlier in the day, which included Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, President’s Office chief Andriy Yermak, and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.
Editor’s Note: This is a developing story and is being updated.
Ukrainian and Russian delegates started peace talks in Istanbul on May 16, marking the first direct negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow since 2022, Sky News and Russian state news agency TASS reported.
Turkish representatives, who are hosting the meeting, are expected to deliver a welcoming speech and then leave the venue, Russian news agency Interfax reported, citing a source.
The Ukrainian delegation plans to discuss a ceasefire deal and a potential future meeting between President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to Sky News.
At the last minute, Kyiv accused Moscow of undermining the negotiations by requesting a separate meeting with Ukraine without Turkish or U.S. officials present, according to the outlet.
The discussion follows talks between Turkish, U.S., and Ukrainian officials earlier in the day, which included Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, President’s Office chief Andriy Yermak, U.S Secretary of State Marco Rubio, U.S. Special Envoy Keith Kellogg, and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.
After Moscow proposed to hold peace talks in Turkey this week, Zelensky agreed and invited Putin for a face-to-face meeting. The Russian leader declined to attend and appointed his aide, Vladimir Medinsky, to lead the talks.
“The Russians want to build associations with 2022. But all that is similar is the city of Istanbul. And nothing else,” Yermak said on social media after the meeting started. “All Russian attempts to link today to 2022 will not work.”
Russia presented the meeting as a continuation of the 2022 talks and stressed the need to address what it says are the war’s “root causes.” Moscow claims that Ukraine’s NATO aspirations, as well as its language and minority laws, as the reasons behind its full-scale invasion of the country.
In turn, Kyiv and its allies have urged Moscow to adopt an unconditional ceasefire starting May 12 as the first step toward peace talks — a proposal Russia has rejected.
The Medinsky-led Russian delegation includes Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin, Military Intelligence Director Igor Kostyukov, and Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin. The list is notably void of top Russian politicians, including Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov or Putin’s foreign policy aide, Yuri Ushakov.
Separate meetings among U.S. and Russian delegates also took place, though Rubio said he would not meet Moscow’s representatives himself. Senior U.S. State Department official Michael Anton reportedly met Medinsky before the negotiations.
“We are ready for a complete and unconditional ceasefire, as we have previously said during meetings in Jeddah and Riyadh with our American partners,” said Umerov, who participated in a meeting with European security advisors and U.S. Special Envoy Keith Kellogg earlier in the day.
“Peace is possible only if Russia shows a willingness to take concrete actions, including a complete ceasefire for at least 30 days and humanitarian steps, such as the return of forcibly deported Ukrainian children and an exchange of prisoners of war on an ‘all-for-all’ basis.”
U.S. President Donald Trump initially voiced optimism about the meeting’s prospects and suggested he might attend on May 16 if progress is made. He later downplayed the expectations, saying that progress is unlikely before he meets Putin.
“Nothing’s going to happen until Putin and I get together,” the U.S. president told journalists aboard Air Force One before landing in Dubai as part of his Middle Eastern tour.
Rubio said that the level of the Russian delegation is “not indicative of one that’s going to lead to a major breakthrough.” Zelensky noted that Moscow appears to have dispatched a “sham delegation.”
Trump has vowed to broker a swift peace deal between Russia and Ukraine but has increasingly voiced frustration with the stalled efforts, laying the blame both on Moscow and Kyiv.
Russian chemical plant, missile parts manufacturer targeted in alleged Ukrainian drone strike
A Russian factory in Lipetsk Oblast and a chemical plant in Tula Oblast were targeted by drones overnight on May 24. Residents reported at least five explosions at the Energia facility in Yelets. The plant is Russia’s “only manufacturer of batteries for glide and correction modules installed on aircraft bombs,” according to open sources. The Azot plant in Novomoskovsk came under a drone strike, starting a fire, Astra reported.
A Russian factory in Lipetsk Oblast making missile parts and a chemical plant in Tula Oblast were targeted by drones overnight on May 24, independent news channel Astra reported.
The Energia facility, which lies in the Lipetsk Oblast city of Yelets, was attacked for the second night in a row, with residents reporting at least five explosions overnight, Astra reported.
Governor Igor Artamonov confirmed that drone wreckage fell in the city’s industrial district, adding there were no casualties. The extent of damage to the plant is not immediately clear.
The city of Yelets lies some 250 kilometers (150 miles) north of the Russia-Ukraine border.
The Ukrainian military confirmed an earlier attack against the sanctioned facility on May 23, noting that the plant is Russia’s “only manufacturer of batteries for glide and correction modules installed on aircraft bombs,” and also produces parts for ballistic and cruise missiles.
In Tula Oblast, the Azot chemical plant in Novomoskovsk came under a drone strike, starting a fire, Astra reported. The channel shared footage of what appears to be smoke rising from the targeted facility.
The Azot company specializes in the production of ammonia and nitrogen fertilizers, as well as organic plastics, resins, chlorine, nitric acid, and more, according to open sources.
Dmitry Milyaev, the governor of Tula Oblast, confirmed an overnight drone attack, saying that a fire at a gas pipeline in Novomoskovsk was extinguished and three people were injured. The city lies some 400 kilometers (250 miles) north of the Russia-Ukraine border.
Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed its forces had downed 104 Ukrainian drones overnight, including 74 in Belgorod Oblast, 24 in Bryansk Oblast, two in Lipetsk Oblast, and one in Tula Oblast.
Ukraine has not commented on the claims, which could not be independently verified.
Ukrainian forces regularly launch long-range drone strikes against Russia’s military and industrial targets in the rear, aiming to undermine its ability to wage its all-out war.