Ukraine: Russian warns 'WW3 is inevitable' as former KGB agent urges 'strike now'

This blog is now closing down. Thank you for joing us today. We will be back tomorrow with the latest news on all things Ukraine and Russia.

A Russian commander has called on Putin to stop the war in Ukraine, in the latest sign of growing dissent in the Kremlin's army. Putin's troops have suffered horrendous casualties in just over three years of fighting, while struggling to make major territorial gains.

Ukraine's army estimates that the Russians have suffered more than 988,000 casualties - including injured and killed - during the bloody war. Despite sustaining some of its heaviest losses in the campaign last year when at least 45,287 soldiers were killed, Putin's army succeeded in taking just 0.6% of additional ground. Now a Russian commander has spoken out about the s endless slaughter, urging the Russian leader to strike a peace deal with Ukraine.

READ MORE HERE

Ukraine has appointed Robert Brovdi, known by his call-sign Magyar, as the new Commander of the Unmanned Systems Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

In a statement announing the appointment, President Zelensky wrote: ""Today we also approved the appointment of Oleh Apostol as Commander of the Air Assault Forces, and Robert Brovdi as Commander of the Unmanned Systems Forces.

"This is also a shift toward focusing more on combat-related matters.

"The successful experience of the best brigades should be scaled across the entire army."

Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine had been invited to Nato's summit later this month.

The gathering of the military allaince will be held in The Hague in the Netherlands.

Ukraine's leader said: "We were invited to the NATO summit. I think this is important."

However, he did not specify which officials would attend.

Ukrainian bombers wiped out a Russian arny base in the Kursk region using AASM glide bombs.

The attack was captured on video by surveillance drones and shows the huge building enveloped in a cloud of smoke as the munitions strike their target.

Ukraine's Minister of the Interior Ihor Klymenko has accused Russia of cynically attacking rescue workers in several regions.

He said rescuers came under fire about a "dozen times" in recent weeks in the Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, Dnipro, Sumy and Kharkiv regions.

The Minister described "one of the most cynical attacks" that took place yesterday morning.

"In Stepnohirsk, Zaporizhzhia region, after the kamikaze drones struck the fire department, the occupiers targeted the rescuers who were evacuating the wounded," Klymenko said.

Of the rescuers, 12 were left injured.

A prominent Russian. military blogger claims the attack on the Crimean Bridge was carried out by underwater drones.

Some are even claiming that the the attack is ongoing.

The Rybar Telegram Channel, allied closely to Russia's Ministry of Defence, said: "Although the enemy’s resources talk about allegedly 'mining the bridge,' in reality, it is highly likely that they used vehicles of the Marichka or Toloka type, which have been under development since 2023.

"At the same time, it is possible that they could also use vehicles of a different type, which have not been widely announced before.”

Ukraine's SBU claimed to have hit the Kerch Bridge with underwater explosives in the latest attack on the key transport link between the peninsula and Russia. The SBU said the operation took months to plan and used 1,100kg of explosives which damaged the structure. Local media reported the bridge was closed earlier on June 3.

Head of the SBU, Lieutenant General Vasyl Malyuk, said: "Previously, we struck the Crimean Bridge twice in 2022 and 2023. So today we continued this tradition underwater. There is no place for any illegal Russian facilities on the territory of our state. "Therefore, the Crimean Bridge is an absolutely legitimate target, especially considering that the enemy used it as a logistical artery to supply its troops. Crimea is Ukraine, and any manifestations of occupation will receive our tough response."

A meeting between Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky is "unlikely in the near future", Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said.

He told reporters Moscow had "channels of dialogue with Washington" and continued to use them for communication.

A new contact between Putin and Trump could be organised promptly but there were no such agreements yet.

However, he stressed that a meeting between Putin, Trump and Zelensky is "unlikely in the near future".

A Russian commander has called on Putin to stop the war in Ukraine, in the latest sign of growing dissent in the Kremlin's army. Putin's troops have suffered horrendous casualties in just over three years of fighting, while struggling to make major territorial gains.

Ukraine's army estimates that the Russians have suffered more than 988,000 casualties - including injured and killed - during the bloody war. Despite sustaining some of its heaviest losses in the campaign last year when at least 45,287 soldiers were killed, Putin's army succeeded in taking just 0.6% of additional ground. Now a Russian commander has spoken out about the endless slaughter, urging the Russian leader to strike a peace deal with Ukraine.

Sumy was also targeted on April 13, 2025, when Russia launched a devastating missile attack on the northeastern Ukrainian city of Sumy, killing at least 35 civilians and injuring over 120 others, including 15 children.

The strike, which occurred during Palm Sunday services, involved two Iskander-M ballistic missiles equipped with cluster munitions, targeting the city center.

Among the casualties were passengers on a city bus and attendees of a nearby children's theater performance.

At the time Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the attack as a deliberate act of terror, calling for stronger international action against Russia. The incident stands as one of the deadliest assaults on Ukrainian civilians since the onset of the full-scale invasion.

Volodymyr Zelensky has condemned the attack on Sumy, apparently the result of a Russian MLRS struck on a residential building.

Posting on X, the Ukrainian President 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.

"A rescue operation is currently underway. Many people have been wounded. As of now, three people have been confirmed dead. My condolences go out to their families and loved ones. All emergency services are engaged to assist everyone affected."

Mr Zelensky added: "At least one MLRS shell was a dud. It pierced the wall of an ordinary apartment room on the 9th floor. That alone says everything one needs to know about Russia’s so-called “desire” to end this war.

"It is obvious: without global pressure – without decisive actions from the United States, Europe, and everyone in the world who has the power – Putin will not agree even to a ceasefire. Not a single day goes by without Russia striking Ukrainian cities and villages. Every day, we lose our people to Russian terror. Every day, Russia gives new reasons for tougher sanctions and stronger support for our defence.

"I am grateful to everyone around the world who is promoting exactly this agenda: sanctions for aggression and the killing of people, and assistance in defending the lives of Ukrainians."

The Ukrainian State Emergency Service has put the death toll in Sumy at three, with 16 killed.

A statement on Telegram said: "In one of the city's districts, a shell hit the road surface. As a result of the explosion, a car caught fire, the fire was quickly extinguished.

"In another neighborhood, an apartment building was damaged - without large-scale destruction or fire. As well as 3 private houses, a warehouse, a garage, 4 cars and one of the hospital buildings.

"The territories are being surveyed. Rescuers, doctors and law enforcement officers are working at the scene."

At least two people have now been killed after Russianraids overnight, with 20 others, including a 17-year-old injured, according to the Sumy Regional Military Administration.

Authorities said Russia launched five attacks using multiple launch rocket systems, setting cars ablaze and damaging a medical facility and residential buildings.

The strike came just one day after Russia and Ukraine held a second round of peace talks in Istanbul, which again failed to produce a breakthrough.

Despite proposing a brief ceasefire to recover bodies, Russia has continued to reject Ukraine’s call for a 30-day truce backed by Western allies. President Volodymyr Zelensky recently warned that Moscow is understood to be massing 50,000 troops near Sumy in a push to carve out a 10-kilometre buffer zone.

The wife of a Russian pilot has confirmed that her husband's spy plane was shot down over the Sea of Azov. The Beriev A-50 was flying over the sea with an Il-22 command post aircraft in mid-January, when they came under fire from Ukrainian forces.

Despite sustaining serious damage, the Il-22 was able to make an emergency landing at Anapa airport. Up until now, the fate of the spy plane has remained a mystery, with Russia's Defence Ministry refusing to provide any official information. However, the wife of the commander of the plane told the Telegram Channel VChK-OGPU that the plane had crashed into the sea and the crew were listed as missing but presumed dead.

The Government has threatened legal action against former Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich to release £2.5 billion of funds from the sale of the London football club to help victims of the Ukraine war.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves and Foreign Secretary David Lammy said they were "frustrated" by the failure to reach agreement with Mr Abramovich on the frozen proceeds of the sale.

The Stamford Bridge club was sold in May 2022 after Mr Abramovich was among the high-profile Russian oligarchs sanctioned following Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine.

The funds were frozen, with a plan for them to be used to alleviate the suffering caused by the war in Ukraine.

But an agreement has yet to be reached with Mr Abramovich over the use of the money, which is held in a UK bank account.

The money cannot be moved without a licence from the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation.

Ms Reeves and Mr Lammy said: "The Government is determined to see the proceeds from the sale of Chelsea Football Club reach humanitarian causes in Ukraine, following Russia's illegal full-scale invasion.

"We are deeply frustrated that it has not been possible to reach agreement on this with Mr Abramovich so far.

"While the door for negotiations will remain open, we are fully prepared to pursue this through the courts if required, to ensure people suffering in Ukraine can benefit from these proceeds as soon as possible."

A massive fire erupted at a postal terminal in Kharkiv after a Russian drone strike on Tuesday.

Firefighters from the State Emergency Service and local units are shown in pictures circulated by the State Emergency Service of Ukraine battling flames which tore through two warehouses and surrounding containers.

The blaze covered roughly 3,000 square metres. Authorities said no casualties or injuries were reported.

Russia has launched an attack on Sumy in eastern Ukraine, a Government spokesman has claimed.

A Telegram post said: "The enemy hit cars in the center of Sumy. Preliminary, there are casualties. Two cars were completely burned at the scene of the hit.

"The type of weapon is being determined. The consequences of the attack are being clarified. Rescuers are working at the scene."

Mayor Artem Kozbar said one person had been killed during the raid.

Putin's regime has mocked Sir Keir Starmer over his "war footing" defence review, warning of the Russian threat. The Kremlin’s most prominent TV propaganda show warned of nuclear Armageddon facing Britain with “painful” radiation deaths.

And the Kremlin-funded broadcast urged the Scots and Welsh to declare independence from London before it was too late. The Putin-backed broadcast claimed that a “very pretty” woman standing beside Starmer at his defence review announcement showed, from her expressions, that many Britons doubted his strategy in making the UK “battle-ready” to fight Russia.

Leading Putin TV mouthpiece Vladimir Solovyov declared: “I can't understand why the British have gone mad [with the new UK defence review]. Where do they want to clash with us? At what point? Or do they think that we have already landed, entered the Thames somewhere and are now storming Westminster Abbey….?”

Russian forces also attempted to advance on multiple fronts, including 15 attacks in the Lyman sector and 22 in the Novopavlivka direction, all of which were held back by Ukrainian defenders.

While no new clashes were reported in Hulyaipil or Prydniprovskie, the Kursk front saw 18 engagements, 182 artillery attacks, and 17 airstrikes.

Ukrainian forces claim to have inflicted significant losses, killing 1,100 Russian soldiers and destroying dozens of vehicles, drones, and 12 aircraft in one day.

The General Staff said: "Our soldiers actively undermine the enemy's offensive potential in the rear."

Ukraine has reported 142 combat clashes with Russian forces over the past 24 hours, as Moscow ramps up its air and drone attacks across the front.

According to the General Staff, the Kremlin launched 78 airstrikes and used more than 3,200 kamikaze drones in a single day, targeting settlements in Sumy, Kharkiv, Donetsk, Zaporizhia, and Kherson regions.

Fierce fighting was recorded in key sectors including Vovchansk, Kupyansk, and the Pokrovska direction, where 46 assaults were repelled.

Ukrainian aviation and artillery struck 10 concentrations of Russian troops and weapons, as well as four command posts and eight artillery positions.

After the attacks the Russian Ministry of Defence confirmed that five of its airbases were targeted by Ukrainian drones, resulting in fires at facilities in the Murmansk and Irkutsk regions, which were subsequently extinguished.

The ministry labelled the incident a "terrorist act" involving FPV drones but did not disclose the extent of the damage or the number of aircraft affected.

Russian state media reported that several Ukrainian drone launch and storage sites were struck in retaliation, though specific details were sparse.

Notably, President Vladimir Putin has not publicly addressed the attacks, and official responses have been limited, suggesting a restrained approach amid ongoing peace negotiations with Ukraine

Stunning new satellite images show the aftermath of Ukraine’s long-range drone assault on four Russian airbases, in an attack which has been dubbed ‘Russia’s Pearl Harbour’.

Photos from Ivanovo Airbase reveal Beriev A-50 aircraft covered in tyres and debris, apparently in a crude attempt to shield them from attack.

Despite these efforts, the strike – Ukraine’s deepest of the war so far – reportedly destroyed or damaged dozens of Russian planes worth an estimated $7 billion.

Footage from the scene shows aircraft engulfed in flames, with thick black smoke billowing into the sky. The scale of the damage represents a major blow for President Putin’s strategic air power.