A Russian missile struck a Ukrainian military training ground on the morning of June 1, killing 12 and injuring 60, Ukraine's Land Forces has said.

A statement on the attack did not identify the location of the training grounds, nor the specific type of missile used by Russia.

"We emphasize that no formations or massive gatherings of personnel were being conducted," the Land Forces press office said in the statement.

The authorities say that the bulk of service members present were in air shelters following the alarms that preceded the strike, and that they have assembled a commission to investigate what caused the attack.

"In the event of a determination that the action or inaction of responsible individuals led to the death and injury of servicemen, those responsible will be brought to strict accountability," the statement continued.

A similar Russian missile attack on a shooting range killed six Ukrainian soldiers in Sumy Oblast late in May.

Russia upgrades Iskander ballistic missiles, more difficult for Ukraine’s Patriots to intercept, Air Force says

“It complicates (the interception), but doesn’t make the interception impossible,” Ukraine’s Air Force spokesperson Yurii Ihnat said. “I think our partners are already working to improve the system’s capabilities.”

The Kyiv IndependentAnna Fratsyvir

‘It is complex,’ said the award-winning writer

Russian troops are using the Chinese-made Silent Hunter laser air defense system to shoot down Ukrainian drones, with visual confirmation emerging in recent footage.

Ukrainian outlet Militarnyi reported that Russian troops are using the Chinese-made Silent Hunter laser air defense system. Footage published by Russian military-affiliated sources shows the Silent Hunter laser system in active use, both in ground tests and in shooting down Ukrainian UAVs.

The video reportedly features operations by a mobile air defense group from the Russian special unit Kochevnik.

Telegram channel SPZ Vodohrai channel identified destroyed drones in the video as Ukraine’s Shchedryk, Skywalker X8, and Distractor decoys.

According to Militarnyi, footage indicates that Russian forces have employed the Silent Hunter laser system since at least October 2024.

Ukraine unveils mobile anti-drone laser turret SlimBeam

What is Silent Hunter?

Designed by the Chinese Academy of Engineering Physics, the 30 kW fiber-optic laser is mounted on an off-road platform and equipped with radar and optical targeting. It has an effective range of 1.5 kilometers for drone destruction and up to 3 kilometers for camera blinding. The video shows successful engagements beyond 1,300 meters. The system is also in use in Iran and Saudi Arabia.

Editor's note: This is a breaking story and is being updated.

An operation by Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) has hit "more than 40" Russian bombers at air bases "in the rear of the Russian Federation," a source in the agency told the Kyiv Independent on June 1.

"Enemy strategic bombers are burning en masse in Russia — this is the result of a special operation by the SBU," the source said.

"Right now, the Security Service of Ukraine is conducting a large-scale special operation to destroy enemy bomber aircraft in the rear of the Russian Federation.

"SBU drones are practicing on aircraft that bomb Ukrainian cities every night. Currently, more than 40 aircraft are known to have been hit, including the A-50, Tu-95 and Tu-22 M3."

Video provided by the source shows what appears to be a row of heavy bomber aircraft on fire at an undisclosed location.

The source said at least one of the airfields hit was the Belaya air base in Russia's Irkutsk Oblast. The oblasts governor, Igor Kobzev, later confirmed "a drone attack on a military unit in the village of Sredny" but gave no further detials.

No further details were given. The Kyiv Independent could not verify the claims.

Unconfirmed reports on social media said a fire was also burning at the Olenya air base in Russia's Murmansk Oblast.

Murmansk Governor Andrey Chibis later confirmed that "enemy drones have attacked the territory of the Murmansk region" but gave no further details.

The SBU did not say what type of drones were used in the attack but unconfirmed reports on social media suggest some were FPV drones launched from vans parked near the airfields.

In March, Ukraine announced it had developed a new drone with a range of 3,000 kilometers but gave no details about its type, its name, the size of its warhead, or when it would go into mass production.

The Russian aircraft allegedly hit

The A-50 provides several critical functions for the ongoing war in Ukraine, such as detecting air defense systems, guided missiles, and coordinating targets for Russian fighter jets.

Russia possesses less than ten of these planes. A-50 aircraft have an estimated price tag of around $350 million.

The the Tupolev Tu-95, the Tupolev Tu-22, as well as the Tupolev Tu-160, are all Russian heavy bombers regularly used to launch missiles at Ukrainian cities.

The Tu-95 is the older of the three aircraft, a Soviet-era plane that made its first flight in 1952. It was originally used to carry nuclear bombs but has since evolved to launch cruise missiles.

Each aircraft can carry 16 cruise missiles – either the Kh-55/Kh-555 or the newer Kh-101 and Kh-102 air-launched cruise missiles.

It features turboprop propellers rather than jet engines, as during the Cold War, their increased efficiency allowed it to fly all the way to the United States without refueling.

The Tu-22 carries the Kh-22 missiles, which pose a particular problem for Ukraine. It is supersonic and travels at around 4,000 kilometers per hour. Currently, it can only be shot down with the U.S.-made Patriot air defense system and potentially the SAMP-T, a joint Italian-French system.

The Tu-160 is Russia's more modern strategic bomber, entering service in 1987. To this day, it remains the largest operational bomber in the world.

It can carry a total of 12 Kh-55 missiles and up to 24 Kh-15s.

Russian soldiers surrendered because ‘abuse in units is worse than captivity,’ Ukrainian paratroopers say

Russia’s abuse of its own soldiers has been well documented throughout the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The Kyiv IndependentThe Kyiv Independent news desk

With Rusia-Ukraine ceasefire negotiations resumed un US President Donald Trump’s pressure for the first time since 2022, Russian forces have launched a new offensive in northern Ukraine, targeting border villages in Sumy Oblast and pushing to create a buffer zone, according to multiple Ukrainian sources.

Border assaults on Sumy’s Oleksiivka, Yunakivka, and Yablunivka

Ukraine’s General Staff confirmed that the Russians have intensified assaults near the Sumy Oblast border, specifically in the direction of Oleksiivka, Yunakivka, and Yablunivka. The attackers are attempting to breach Ukrainian defenses and solidify a presence along the frontier.

A Ukrainian war monitoring group, DeepState, reported that Russian troops have captured six settlements in the area, including the village of Vodolahy, which is located approximately 25–30 kilometers from the regional capital, Sumy city. These attacks are supported by drone strikes and artillery shelling of civilian areas, according to local authorities.

According to the General Staff, there have been 34 combat clashes on the Kursk direction – the junction point of Ukraine’s Sumy Oblast and Russia. Russian forces reportedly conducted 14 airstrikes, dropped 24 guided bombs, and carried out 245 shelling attacks, including nine using multiple rocket launchers.

DeepState: Russia targets key logistical villages

DeepState said Russian troops are advancing toward Khotin and Yunakivka.

“Yunakivka has many buildings that offer cover, making it ideal for Russian forces to hide, gather, and entrench,” the monitoring group noted.

They warned that if Russia secures Yunakivka and the surrounding heights, it could open the way for FPV drone attacks on the city of Sumy — the same thing Russia already does in Kherson to terrorize civilians in what’s come to be known as the “human safari.”

In a separate broadcast on Suspilne Studio, DeepState co-founder Ruslan Mikula stated that Russian forces are attempting daily incursions into northern Yunakivka.

“It is an important location logistically, capable of hosting a large number of personnel. The enemy prioritizes taking Yunakivka and is also pressing toward Yablunivka,” he said.

Evacuation from border zone begins

On 31 May 2025, Sumy Oblast Military Administration head Oleg Hryhorov issued a video message, confirming the start of a mandatory evacuation from 11 border villages. A total of 111 people have evacuated so far, with over 2,800 residents in the affected area, including 367 children.

50,000 Russian troops near Sumy, Zelenskyy says

Militarnyi notes that Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has previously stated that approximately 50,000 Russian troops are concentrated near Sumy, forming the core of the new offensive. Ukrainian military reports indicate that Russia is using assault groups from airborne troops and special operations forces to penetrate defenses and move from the Kursk area into Sumy Oblast.

Active combat in gray zones and new push in multiple directions

Russian infantry is currently assaulting near Bilovody and Loknia, where they are making progress. DeepState notes that Vodolahy, Volodymyrivka, and Kostiantynivka are now in the “gray zone” due to ongoing fighting and lack of confirmed control.

DeepState’s Mikula further stated on Suspilne that “the enemy is conducting offensive actions from Kostiantynivka to Oleshna,” and noted Russian attempts to break through toward Myropillia on 25–27 May. Losses were reported on the Russian side, but their troops are trying to entrench along the administrative border between Ukraine and Russia.

Kremlin’s broader summer campaign

Russia appears to have accelerated its military actions on the battlefield, launching the fastest-paced offensive of 2025, The New York Times believes. The Kremlin is pushing into remaining Ukrainian-controlled parts of Donetsk Oblast in an apparent bid to complete its conquest of the Donbas region, including Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts.

Military analysts cited by NYT say Russian forces improved their tactics, drone capabilities, and logistics during the winter pause. This month, they breached Ukrainian lines between Pokrovsk and Toretsk, advancing toward remaining supply hubs under Ukrainian control, according to the report.

Simultaneously, smaller gains have been noted in Sumy Oblast, where Russian troops are reportedly leveraging momentum after repelling Ukrainian incursions into the Kursk region last year.

The U.K. is looking to revamp its defense capabilities and on the wish list of new weapons are U.S.-made fighter jets capable of launching tactical nuclear weapons to, in part, counter the threat from Russia, the Sunday Times reported on June 1.

The British military has a substantial nuclear arsenal, but after decommissioning a number of platforms at the end of the Cold War, can today only launch such weapons from its submarines.

According to the Sunday Times, the new air fleet will form a key part of the UK's strategic defense review, set to go public on June 2.

The military is looking at F-35A Lightning stealth fighter jets, made by Lockheed Martin, the report says.

The review is largely in response to the increasing risk of state-on-state warfare, specifically the threat of a Russian attack. In other line items from the pending review, the U.K. government is asking for £6 billion ($8 billion) for more ammunition, to be manufactured in six new factories, as well as a boost in the number of the navy's fleet of destroyers and frigates from 14 to 25.

The U.K. government will also consider a new missile defense shield capable of protecting against prospective ballistic attacks.

The broad plan is to boost British defense spending to 3% of GDP. But the projected timeframe for that boost is between now and 2034.

Post-Cold War plans for increasing defense spending in Europe have historically sunk amid murky deadlines and administration handoffs.

As 50,000 Russian troops amass, Ukraine’s Sumy Oblast braces for potential large-scale offensive

Reports of an imminent Russian summer offensive and troop build ups on Ukraine’s border are raising alarms in Sumy Oblast and fears that a large-scale assault could be on the horizon. Russian President Vladimir Putin on May 22 said he had ordered his military to create a “security buffer zone”

The Kyiv IndependentAsami Terajima

Les frais interchange varient en fonction du montant de la transaction après taxes.

L'ancien entraîneur de l'équipe canadienne de rugby en fauteuil roulant veut développer des successeurs.

A Russian military train was blown up near the occupied town of Yakymivka in Zaporizhzhia Oblast overnight on 31 May, damaging fuel wagons and a vital supply route used by Moscow’s forces to support occupied Crimea, Ukraine’s defense intelligence agency reported.

According to Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) of Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense, the explosion occurred on the railway line close to Yakymivka in the Melitopol district. The freight train, which included fuel tanks, was moving toward occupied Crimea when the blast hit. As a result, freight cars and tanker cars went off the rails, and the track was severely damaged.

HUR described the targeted section as “a key logistical artery of the Russians on the occupied territories of Zaporizhzhia Oblast and Crimea.” The agency stated that this disruption undermines Moscow’s ability to maintain military logistics in the south.

In response to the attack, Russian occupation forces declared a standard police “interception plan” across the occupied part of Zaporizhzhia Oblast, HUR reported. Authorities increased the number of military patrols in local settlements and intensified checks at checkpoints.

Recent attacks and incidents on Russian trains and infrastructure

On 25 May, Ukrainian military intelligence reported a drone strike on another Russian freight train transporting fuel in the occupied part of Zaporizhzhia Oblast.

Ukrainian drones hit Russian military train with fuel in occupied Zaporizhzhia Oblast (video)

That same evening, a train in Russia’s Belgorod Oblast was damaged after hitting an explosive device, according to regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov.

In the early hours of 1 June, two bridge collapses occurred in Bryansk and Kursk oblasts. In Bryansk, a car bridge collapsed onto a passenger train, killing at least seven people. In Kursk, an accident on a railway bridge involving a freight train was reported, with no initial casualties mentioned.