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Ukraine’s best jets scramble to stop 50,000 Russians encroaching on Sumy. Armed with glide bombs and “NATO Wi-Fi,” F-16s strike Russians around Sumy while elite brigades abandon the north.

The world’s largest bank says Ukraine will fail—apparently forgetting Ukraine doesn’t take orders. JPMorgan’s $3.2 trillion credibility meets Ukrainian defiance.

Trojan truck op: Kyiv destroys “34%” of Russia’s strategic bomber fleet within hours with truck-launched FPV drones (updated). Zelenskyy said the operation was planned inside Russia, right next to an FSB office, and involved drone operators across three time zones.

Ukraine’s own drones crash Putin’s $7-billion “red lines” aircraft — while Russia fights them back with sticks. Ukraine’s rise to drone powerhouse has unleashed an industry producing 4.5 million flying killers a year — forcing Russian troops into WWI-style desperation to dodge death from above every six minutes.

Military

Frontline report: Europe’s Achilles heel becomes tripwire where Putin’s ambitions meet NATO’s steel. What was once NATO’s most vulnerable flank is now a red line.

Russian offensive attacks surge 19% in May while attempts of peace talks continue. On 4 May, Russian forces launched a record 269 assault operations — the highest number of attacks recorded in a single day this year.

Russia is trying to seize control of major city in northern Ukraine and shell it with artillery. Currently, nearly 50,000 Russian troops are being based on the borders of Ukraine’s Sumy Oblast.

Massive drone attack targets Russian military-industrial sites right after surprise Spiderweb operation that destroyed bombers. The overnight drone strikes across Russia reportedly targeted the Borisoglebsk military airfield and the NLMK steel-producing industrial complex.

Satellite images reveal wreckage of Russian strategic bombers after Ukraine’s Spiderweb drone operation deep in Russia. The images show destroyed Russian Tu-22M3 and Tu-95 strategic aircraft, used as long-range missile carriers for strikes against Ukraine.

Intelligence and technology

Ukrainian AI-powered drones prompt world’s largest long-haul carrier to reconsider flights to Russia. The airline has developed evacuation plans in case of emergency.

Russia cannot produce new Tu-160s or Tu-95s — only repair Soviet-era ones, says expert after Ukraine’s historic Spiderweb operation. The operation Pavutynnia has destroyed over 40 Russian aircraft worth $7 billion.

Ukraine’s 18-month covert Spiderweb operation claimed 41 destroyed or damaged Russian aircraft used for strikes on civilians. Ukraine’s Security Service head Vasyl Maliuk called the operation “extremely complex from a logistical standpoint” due to the three-time-zone coordination and revealed that it was overseen by the Ukrainian president.

International

Vilnius summit sends clear message — Ukraine’s NATO path is irreversible despite Russian ultimatums. At the summit, Zelenskyy briefs world leaders on a drone op straight out of a spy thriller.

Ukraine, Russia agree to exchange 6,000 bodies at Istanbul talks that againt fail to secure ceasefire. Russia is one more time refused to stop hostilities in Ukraine, apparently counting on a summer offensive on Sumy, Kharkiv, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts.

Zelenskyy congratulates Poland’s newly-elected nationalist president who questions Ukraine’s EU/NATO path. The incoming Polish leader has promised to maintain support for Ukraine while representing Poland’s interests first, following a campaign where he repeatedly invoked controversial historical grievances from World War II.

Humanitarian and social impact

Not just civilians — Ukraine’s rescuers now deliberate targets in Russia’s genocidal war. Russia destroys fire stations and wounds rescuers.

Seven-year-old among injured civilians in Russian attack on Ukraine ahead of Istanbul peace talks. Russian forces deployed 80 strike drones and four missiles targeting residential areas.

Read our earlier daily review here.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russia called the issue of deported children a “show for childless European grandmothers” during Istanbul talks and admitted to abducting several hundred youngest Ukrainians, UkrInform reports. 

“The first thing they said to us was ‘don’t put on a show for childless European grandmothers.’ We told them, ‘You have kidnapped 20,000.’ They said they didn’t kidnap 20,000, but at most a few hundred,” Zelenskyy says.

According to him, this is an important admission, not about the number, but the fact that the Russian delegation acknowledged having kidnapped children.

The Ukrainian president also said the Kyiv representatives handed over to the Russian side a list with the names of nearly 400 children at the Istanbul meeting.

“They offered to work on a plan regarding up to 10 children. That’s their idea of dealing with humanitarian issues,” Zelenskyy continues.

When asked whether the secret operation, Spiderweb, affected the behavior of the Russian delegation in Istanbul and whether they threatened Ukraine less, Zelenskyy responded that Moscow’s representatives behaved “a little calmer than before.”

Ukrainian drones hit four Russian military airfields, Belyayevo, Dyagilevo, Olenya, and Ivanovo. The plan allowed them to simultaneously strike the largest number of enemy aircraft, UNIAN reports. 

Regarding threats from the Russian side, Zelenskyy calls them futile. 

“Arrogant people behaved somewhat more modestly. We’ll see—maybe some more measures are needed, and then everyone will try to behave properly,” he adds.

At the Istanbul talks, the Russian delegation threatened to derail the peace process if Ukraine repeated operations like Spiderweb. 

Earlier, Ukrainian Pravda, citing a Ministry of Defense source, reported there was some progress in the talks, but Russia mainly focused on secondary issues, seeking ways to delay the peace process.

Meanwhile, Zelenskyy participated in today’s Bucharest Nine summit. At the gathering, Ukraine received an invitation to the NATO summit in The Hague.

In May, the Italian ANSA wrote that the US opposed inviting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the NATO summit in The Hague amid peace talks and Russia’s demands to promise not to approve Kyiv as a member of the Alliance.