The Kremlin is losing one of its key bargaining chips in negotiations with Donald Trump. Political expert Abbas Galliamov says that for Ukraine, the collapse of the Islamic Republic of Iran is a promising prospect, as Tehran remains the closest ally of Russian ruler Vladimir Putin, Radio NV reports. 

“This is Putin’s closest ally. Ukrainians have seen enough of Iranian drones flying overhead. That alone is enough to wish those guys some serious trouble, which the Israel Defense Forces is currently delivering,” Galliamov explains.

According to him, Putin is losing a trump card in his dialogue with the US president.

“Up to now, there’s been a kind of trade-off: Ukraine in exchange for Iran. Trump would say to Putin, ‘Fine, I won’t put too much pressure on you over Ukraine for now, but in return, I need your support on Iran,’” Galliamov explains.

Once the Iranian nuclear issue is resolved, especially if the Iranian regime falls, Trump will have no need to seek Putin’s support in that arena.

Earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the first wave of airstrikes on Iran “very successful,” UNIAN reports. 

Israeli military sources clarify that among those killed in the attack were former head of Iran’s nuclear agency Fereydoon Abbasi, nuclear scientist Mehdi Tehranchi, and physicist Abdolrahim Minuchehr.

During the first wave of Israeli strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Hossein Salami, may have also been eliminated.

Russia emerges as potential mediator in Trump’s new Iran nuclear deal talks

An Israel Defense Forces spokesperson states that other Iranian commanders and leading scientists involved in nuclear development may also have been killed as a result of the Israeli strikes.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei later acknowledged the deaths of several high-ranking military officials and nuclear scientists in the Israeli attacks. Iran’s armed forces had earlier vowed a “firm response” to the Israeli assault. Khamenei declared he was giving full freedom of action to the military to answer the strike.

Russian forces are heavily bombarding Ukraine’s second defensive line in Donbas northeast of the city of Pokrovsk with precision airstrikes, with OSINT analyst Clément Molin reporting nearly 1,000 recent hits in a narrow section of the frontline.

Targeted airstrike surge along Pokrovsk-Kostiantynivka axis

Russian Aerospace Forces are actively conducting intense aerial preparation against Ukrainian positions between Pokrovsk and Kostiantynivka in Donetsk Oblast.

According to OSINT analyst Clément Molin, satellite imagery shows around 950 airstrikes across fields and forest strips near the Ukrainian defense line. These strikes began around 25 May, following recent Russian territorial gains in the area.

Molin posted on X:

“I located nearly 1 000 airstrike[s] on a small area of the frontline between Pokrovsk and Kostiantynivka. This is simply massive.”

He added that the attacks are focused on treeline areas in response to a shift in Ukrainian tactics that favors smaller, concealed positions. The bombardment is especially intense on the western edge of the Pokrovsk-Druzhkivka-Kostiantynivka triangle.

Strategic shift toward attempted Pokrovsk encirclement?

Molin stated that Ukrainian positions near Pokrovsk appear stronger, requiring more force to neutralize. He suggested a possible attempt by Russian forces to encircle Pokrovsk from the eastern flank:

“Russia could reactivate the western Pokrovsk front while launching assault on the eastern side.”

He noted that such activity could support an objective to capture Pokrovsk and Kostiantynivka before 2026.

Airstrike patterns across Donbas and Sumy

This is not the first time such intense airstrike concentrations have been recorded. Molin referenced previous instances in Robotyne in 2023 and Kursk in 2024. He also observed similar patterns in Sumy Oblast, where forest zones north of the city are being targeted as Ukrainian forces resist Russian advances.

Frontline developments and Ukrainian response

Militarnyi, citing the Ukrainian Army General Staff, reports that the situation in the Pokrovsk axis remains “difficult.” On 11 June alone, Ukrainian defenders reportedly repelled 62 separate Russian assault actions. These clashes occurred near multiple settlements, including Malynivka, Myroliubivka, Yelyzavetivka, Lysivka, Novoukrainka, Zvirove, Kotlyne, Udachne, Novosergiivka, Orikhove, Andriivka, and toward Poltavka, Oleksiivka, and Muravka.

Ukrainian Air Force jets destroyed a building occupied by Russian soldiers in Russia’s Kursk Oblast with four precision bombs, according to footage analyzed by open-source intelligence and reports from WarArchive.

The Telegram channel WarArchive reported that Ukrainian aviation used four high-precision bombs to strike a structure in the village of Kulbaky, Kursk Oblast. The facility was reportedly being used to house Russian soldiers as well as electronic warfare (EW), radio-electronic reconnaissance (RER), and other military equipment, Militarnyi wrote.

A video shows all four bombs striking the upper part of the building in quick succession, causing a massive explosion and total destruction of the structure. Following the direct hits, a secondary explosion occurred due to the blast wave reaching a nearby ammunition depot. The resulting detonation amplified the scale of destruction.

Open-source investigator PJ “giK” verified the location via social media analysis.

Possible use of GBU-39 precision munitions

Militarnyi suggests that the bombs used in the strike were likely American-made GBU-39/B Small Diameter Bombs (SDBs). These bombs weigh 130 kilograms and feature deployable wings, allowing them to hit targets up to 110 kilometers away when dropped from high altitudes. With tungsten penetrators, they are capable of punching through concrete structures during steep dives.

Additional precision strikes with Hammer bombs

The Ukrainian Air Force also recently employed French AASM Hammer bombs in separate operations. Recently, the Ukrainian Air force’s MiG-29 fighter jet used these bombs in a precise strike on enemy infantry and an ammunition storage site on the southern front, causing further losses to Russian forces.

Russian media and officials confirmed the death of Zaur Gurtsiyev, deputy mayor of Stavropol and former commander of the air operation over Mariupol, in a grenade explosion that occurred overnight on 29 May. The explosion reportedly occurred on Chekhov Street in southern Russia’s Stavropol city near a residential building. 

Stavropol Krai Governor Vladimir Vladimirov announced in the morning that “as a result of the night incident on Chekhov Street in Stavropol, veteran of the Special Military Operation and participant in the ‘Vremya Geroev’ program, Zaur Aleksandrovich Gurtsiyev, was killed.”

According to Vladimirov, law enforcement and security services are investigating the case, and “All versions are being considered, including the organization of a terrorist attack involving Nazis from Ukraine” – the official Russia calls Ukrainian authorities “Nazis” to deny Ukraine’s statehood and justify the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Russian pro-Kremlin Telegram channel Shot close to law enforcement reported that two men sitting on a bench outside the building and drinking alcohol were killed by a grenade explosion. The perpetrator is currently unknown, another pro-Kremlin channel Mash noted.

At the time of the publication of this article, Ukrainian officials did not confirm the country’s involvement in the incident.

Footage of the explosion circulates online

Telegram channels published video footage from the moment of the incident. In the video, a man wearing a cap and carrying a bag approaches Gurtsiyev. His face is not visible to the camera. The explosion follows immediately after. This clearly shows that the two men were not sitting on a bench during the explosion.

Gurtsiyev’s role in Mariupol air operation

The Vremya Geroev Russian military propaganda website says that Gurtsiyev “directly commanded the air component of the operation to liberate the city of Mariupol” in Ukraine’s Donetsk Oblast in 2022. He was said to have introduced targeting technologies that “greatly increased the accuracy and effectiveness” of Russian missile strikes.

In Stavropol, Gurtsiyev was appointed first deputy mayor of Stavropol in September 2024 to officially oversee “preventing terrorism and extremism.” He was awarded multiple Russian state honors, including an order for his role in the occupation of Mariupol and Avdiivka, the Medal of the Order “For Merit to the Fatherland” 1st and 2nd Class with swords, as well as the Zhukov and Suvorov Medals.