Israel is reluctant to accept Russia's mediation in its war with Iran, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on June 17, according to the Russian state news agency TASS.

"At the moment, we see reluctance — at least on Israel’s part — to resort to mediation or pursue a peaceful resolution," Peskov claimed.  

Since June 13, Israel has repeatedly carried out massive air strikes against Iran, particularly the country's military leadership and nuclear facilities. The Israeli government justified the attacks by saying that Tehran was on the verge of creating a nuclear bomb.

Iran responded by attacking Israeli cities, including Tel Aviv, which resulted in civilian casualties, including five Ukrainian citizens on June 14.

U.S. President Donald Trump on June 15 said he was open to the idea of Russian President Vladimir Putin mediating between Iran and Israel.

"He is ready. He called me about it. We had a long talk about it. We talked about this more than his situation (war against Ukraine)," Trump said, according to ABC reporter Rachel Scott.

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The Russian president held separate calls with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on June 13.

During the call with Iran, Putin offered condolences for what the Kremlin labeled "numerous civilian casualties" and condemned Israel's actions as violations of the UN Charter. He later proposed that Russia could serve as a neutral mediator.

Israel has not commented publicly on the Kremlin's offer, but Peskov's statement implies Tel Aviv's rejection. France has also dismissed the idea, with President Emmanuel Macron saying on June 15 that Moscow "cannot be a mediator."

Russia's ties with Iran have deepened since the start of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Tehran has supplied Moscow with thousands of Shahed attack drones and ballistic missiles used in daily strikes against Ukrainian cities and infrastructure.

Israel, which has historically maintained cautious relations with Russia and is home to a significant Russian-speaking population, has not joined Western sanctions against Moscow.

As of June 16, Iran's Health Ministry claimed 224 people had been killed by Israeli strikes, with Tehran alleging that 90% of the casualties are civilians.

The figures have not been independently verified. Israel has not confirmed casualty numbers but maintains that the strikes were aimed at preventing an existential threat.

On June 13, Kyiv expressed support for Israel, describing Iran as a "source of instability in the region and beyond," citing Tehran's extensive military cooperation with Russia.

Israel-Iran war could provide economic boost Russia needs to continue fight against Ukraine

Israel’s “preemptive” strikes against Iran targeting the country’s nuclear program and killing top military officials could have far-reaching implications for Ukraine and could boost Russia’s ability to continue its full-scale invasion, experts have told the Kyiv Independent. Iran has been one of Russia’s staunchest allies throughout the war, providing thousands

The Kyiv IndependentChris York

Russian forces are conducting their offensive in Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk Oblast as part of efforts to create a "buffer zone" on Ukrainian territory, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on June 9, according to Russian state-controlled media.

Peskov's comments allude to Russia's claims that neighboring Ukrainian Donetsk Oblast belongs to Moscow. The claim is based on Russia's proclaimed annexation of the region in September 2022.

Kremlin spokesperson comments follow weeks of renewed Russian advances in Donetsk Oblast and President Vladimir Putin's May 22 statement that Moscow is working to establish a "security buffer zone" along Ukraine's borders with Kursk, Bryansk, and Belgorod oblasts.

Ukrainian officials denied Russia's latest claims of progress in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.

"As of the morning of June 9, all Russian information, including Peskov's statements, about an offensive in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast does not correspond to reality,” said Andrii Kovalenko, head of Ukraine's Center for Countering Disinformation.

Operational Command South reported on June 8 that Russian troops are continuing attempts to break into Dnipropetrovsk Oblast but described the situation as "tense"  rather than indicating any successful advance.

The Russian Defense Ministry claimed on June 8 that its forces had entered Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. Ukrainian officials immediately rejected the assertion.

Viktor Trehubov, spokesperson for Ukraine's Khortytsia group of forces, also called the reports false, telling CNN that Russian forces had not advanced from the Pokrovsk or Novopavlivka directions, where the three oblasts of Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Dnipropetrovsk converge.

Since 2014, Russian aggression has heavily impacted Donetsk Oblast, while Dnipropetrovsk Oblast has remained free from confirmed ground incursions. Ukraine rejected similar Russian claims in May, when officials debunked allegedly fabricated photos purportedly showing Russian troops in the region.

Despite this, Dnipropetrovsk has faced frequent Russian missile and drone attacks throughout the full-scale war. The region began mandatory evacuations from four front-line villages in April as a precaution.

Ukraine says it hit Russian MiG-31, Su-30/34 fighter jets following attack on airfield

The overnight strike targeted the Savasleyka airfield in Russia’s Nizhny Novgorod region, which the Kremlin uses to launch MiG-31K jets armed with Kinzhal hypersonic missiles, according to the General Staff.

The Kyiv IndependentAnna Fratsyvir

An explosion recently occurred at the Crimean Bridge, but caused "no damage," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov claimed on June 4, accusing Ukraine of attempted attacks on Russia's infrastructure.

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) claimed responsibility for the explosion that rocked the bridge in the early hours of June 3. The agency said that more than a ton of explosives in TNT equivalent damaged the underwater supports of the structure.

"There indeed was an explosion. There was no damage, the bridge continues to function," Peskov said, according to the Russian state-run news agency RIA Novosti. "Kyiv continues in its attempts to attack infrastructure facilities."

Constructed after Russia’s illegal occupation of Crimea in 2014, the Crimean Bridge — also known as the Kerch Bridge —  is a critical supply and transport route for Russian forces to the occupied Ukrainian territories. It connects the occupied peninsula to Russia's Krasnodar Krai via the Kerch Strait.

The Russian state media reported on June 3 that a "Ukrainian intelligence agent" who had constructed a bomb on "orders from Kyiv" had been detained by Russia's FSB.

In comments later on June 3, Dmytro Pletenchuk, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian Navy, said the "key and most complex" part of the bridge had been damaged in the attack.

The operation, which follows the SBU's mass drone strike against Russia's strategic aviation on June 1, was personally supervised by the agency's chief, Vasyl Maliuk.

The bridge suffered significant damage during two previous Ukrainian attacks in October 2022 and July 2023, though neither managed to take the bridge out of commission.

Inside Russia, calls for peace come with conditions — and Kremlin talking points

Following the second round of direct peace talks with Ukraine, the Russian side leaked its proposal on how to end its war — effectively a demand for Ukraine’s surrender. Yet, if the intentions of the Kremlin are no secret — continue the war until a political or military victory — getting information on

The Kyiv IndependentOleg Sukhov

Russian President Vladimir Putin has been informed about Ukraine's recent drone attack against Russian air bases, and the "incident" is being investigated, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on June 3, according to the state-run news agency TASS.

The operation, conducted by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) on June 1, reportedly hit 41 bomber planes and other aircraft, inflicting what Kyiv claims is $7 billion in damage and disabling over a third of Russia's strategic bomber fleet.

Peskov's comments marked the first reaction by the Kremlin to the attack. Despite the operation's scale, Putin has not commented on it publicly.

"The president received information about the incident online," Peskov said.

"An investigation has been launched by the Investigative Committee. There was also a corresponding statement from the Defense Ministry."

The Kremlin's muted response contrasts sharply with jubilant reactions in Ukraine, where officials described the coordinated drone strikes as a major success.

The SBU said 117 drones, launched from concealed trucks positioned across Russian territory, simultaneously struck airfields in at least four regions — including sites thousands of kilometers from the Ukrainian border.

The targeted air bases reportedly housed Tu-95 and Tu-22M3 bombers, key carriers of long-range cruise missiles used in Moscow's air strikes on Ukrainian cities.

The operation reportedly took 18 months of planning and was timed just days after Russia launched a wave of mass aerial assaults on Ukraine, including the record-setting attack on June 2 that killed and injured civilians.

While the Kremlin remains restrained, some Russian pro-war commentators and propagandists have responded with fury.

Some downplayed the attack's scale, while others called for nuclear retaliation or strikes on NATO airfields in response to what they described as Western complicity.

No NATO member state has confirmed involvement in Operation Spiderweb.

‘Grounds for a nuclear attack’ — Russian propagandists react to Ukraine’s Operation Spiderweb

Russian officials and propagandists have chosen different strategies for dealing with the unprecedented Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian airfields that took place on June 1. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said that, as part of an operation dubbed Spiderweb, it had destroyed or damaged 41 Russian aircraft parked at

The Kyiv IndependentOleg Sukhov

Russian President Vladimir Putin is "fundamentally in favor" of meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky and U.S. President Donald Trump, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on May 30, according to Russian state news agency TASS.

The statement comes amid renewed diplomatic maneuvering to schedule the next round of peace talks in Istanbul, tentatively proposed for June 2.

Peskov stressed that a high-level summit would require concrete outcomes from the negotiations between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations.

"President Putin has repeatedly said that he is fundamentally in favor of high-level contacts, which are undoubtedly needed," Peskov said. "But they must be prepared, and first, a result must be achieved in negotiations between the delegations."

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on May 30 that Turkey would be open to hosting a possible meeting among the three leaders, with the participation of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as well. Fidan's statement followed his visits to both Kyiv and Moscow.

Zelensky previously invited Putin to Istanbul for direct talks on May 16, proposing a three-way format with Trump to push forward peace efforts. Putin declined to attend, sending a low-level delegation led by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky.

The Istanbul talks ended without agreement on a ceasefire or broader political settlement, though the sides did agree to the largest prisoner exchange of the full-scale war.

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Moscow has rejected Kyiv's repeated calls for a complete and unconditional ceasefire, despite mounting international pressure. Russia has instead intensified its aerial assaults across Ukraine and is reportedly preparing for a renewed summer offensive.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov confirmed on May 29 that Moscow plans to present a draft "ceasefire memorandum" at the June 2 meeting in Istanbul. He added that Medinsky's team would be prepared to explain its content to the Ukrainian delegation.

Zelensky's Chief of Staff Andriy Yermak said on May 29 that Kyiv is open to the talks but insists that Russia share the memorandum ahead of the meeting.

The Kremlin has repeatedly attacked Zelensky's legitimacy as president, pointing out that his first presidential term was originally meant to end on May 20, 2024.

Ukraine's constitution prohibits elections during martial law, which has been in effect since Russia's full-scale invasion began in 2022. As a result, Zelensky's term has been extended, which constitutional lawyers argue is permitted under Ukrainian law.

Trump, who held a two-hour phone call with Putin on May 19 and is pushing to broker a ceasefire deal, has backed the idea of a high-level summit. Putin and Zelensky have met only once — in December 2019, during the Normandy Format talks in Paris.

Russia ‘testing’ Europe’s capacity to help Ukraine by intensifying air attacks

As Russia ramps up its missile and drone strikes countrywide, all eyes are on Europe’s capacity to continue supporting Ukraine, with the future of U.S. military aid growing ever more uncertain. Ukraine should have enough air defense missiles despite the persisting shortage to avoid the worst of the

The Kyiv IndependentAsami Terajima