Ukraine’s military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov said the repatriation of fallen Ukrainian soldiers will begin next week as scheduled, rejecting Russian claims of delay and accusing Moscow of staging a propaganda stunt.

“Everything is proceeding as planned,” Budanov wrote on Telegram, noting that all relevant parties were informed in advance. He called the Russian narrative a “dirty information campaign.”

The return of wounded soldiers, prisoners, and up to 12,000 war dead was the only concrete outcome of the second round of peace talks held in Istanbul on 2 June. While Russia claims to have delivered 1,212 Ukrainian bodies to the designated site for exchange, Ukraine says no specific handover date had been set.

Russia pressures, Ukraine pushes back

Over the weekend, Russian officials including Vladimir Medinsky, a top aide to President Putin, and General Alexander Zorin accused Ukraine of stalling the exchange. Zorin said Russia was waiting for Kyiv’s confirmation and suggested the transfer may occur next week — a timeline consistent with Budanov’s statement.

“Some Russian propagandists are cynically exploiting human grief — grief they themselves caused,” Budanov said, reaffirming Ukraine’s commitment to the agreed terms and rejecting what he called unilateral pressure from Moscow.

Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War also denied that a final date had been confirmed. The agency accused Russia of manipulation and urged an end to what it called “dirty games” surrounding the humanitarian exchange.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke by phone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy this week, urging Ukraine and Russia to resume presidential negotiations. The call comes just days ahead of a planned round of peace talks in Istanbul on 2 June.

While Moscow has proposed the meeting, Kyiv has not confirmed its participation and continues to insist that Russia publish its proposed peace terms in advance.

Erdogan calls for direct presidential talks “without delay“

According to a statement from Erdogan’s office, the Turkish president told Zelenskyy that direct talks between the presidents of Ukraine and Russia would benefit the peace process and should take place “without further delay.”

Zelenskyy confirmed the call on social media, saying they discussed the potential second round of talks in Istanbul and the conditions under which Ukraine would agree to attend.

“We both agree that this meeting cannot and should not be empty,” Zelenskyy wrote.

He added that they also discussed the possibility of a four-party summit involving the leaders of Ukraine, Russia, Türkiye, and the United States.

Zelensky presses for transparency before talks

Zelenskyy has previously proposed a trilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump.

Ahead of the first Istanbul meeting, Zelenskyy invited Putin to hold direct talks, but Russia instead sent a delegation led by presidential advisor Vladimir Medinsky.

Zelenskyy said he also reviewed the outcome of that earlier meeting with Erdogan, noting that its only result was a prisoner exchange.

“A ceasefire must be the basis for further progress toward peace,” he wrote.

An uncertain path to Istanbul

Erdogan echoed that view, saying that discussions around a potential ceasefire at the upcoming talks could help lay the groundwork for peace. He also emphasized the need for strong delegations from both sides.

Ukraine has not formally confirmed it will attend the June 2 talks, though officials in Kyiv say they remain open to negotiations in any format.

Ukrainian authorities continue to call on Moscow to publish its negotiating terms ahead of time, a request the Kremlin has so far refused.

Exclusive

Apocalypse comes to Kostiantynivka as tens of thousands of Russians march on the strategic town. Tens of thousands of Russian troops are surging toward Kostyantynivka. Next stop: Kramatorsk,Ukraine’s last line of defense in Donetsk Oblast. A major fight is coming.

The UN confirmed what I saw in Kherson: Russia is hunting civilians for sport. What I witnessed wasn’t random violence—it was systematic hunting.

Military

Ukraine hits Russian cruise missile factory near Moscow with long-range drones. Ukrainian drones successfully bypassed Russian air defenses to strike Raduga plant which produces the same Kh-101/555 cruise missiles that Russia uses to attack Ukrainian civilian infrastructure.

Frontline report: Romania and the US just drew a red line as the Black Sea boils over. As the Black Sea war between Russia and Ukraine intensifies, NATO allies are tightening defenses.

Ukrainian strikes hit drone manufacturer near Moscow as Russia claims 296 Ukrainian drones shot down. A drone factory in the Moscow Oblast was hit by Ukrainian aircraft as the Russian capital’s mayor reportedly issued 17 attack warnings in one day.

Frontline report: Russian thermobaric artillery spotted in Kharkiv gets obliterated by Ukrainian drones within hours. Ukrainian intel confirms Russian assessments show four months of operational weather before seasonal mud returns, as Russian forces mass 50,000 troops to expand from limited buffer zones to full conquest of Kharkiv and Sumy oblasts.

Night attack injures at least 12 people as Russia launches 88 drones and six missiles at Ukraine. Explosions were heard in Kharkiv, Poltava, Mykolaiv, Kherson and Kirovohrad oblasts

As of 28 MAY 2025, the approximate losses of weapons and military equipment of the Russian Armed Forces from the beginning of the invasion to the present day:

• • • Personnel: 983890 (+1050)
    • Tanks: 10864 (+4)
    • APV: 22644 (+2)
    • Artillery systems: 28355 (+18)
    • MLRS: 1397
    • Anti-aircraft systems: 1171
    • Aircraft: 372
    • Helicopters: 336
    • UAV: 37918 (+65)
    • Cruise missiles : 3265
    • Warships/boats: 28
    • Submarines: 1
    • Vehicles and fuel tanks: 49959 (+52)

Intelligence and technology

Ukraine and Germany sign agreement on long-range weapons. Germany will directly finance long-range weapons production on Ukrainian soil under a new agreement signed by both countries’ defense ministers.

Zelenskyy: 50,000 Russian troops mass near Sumy bordering Russia’s Kursk for new offensive. The Ukrainian president stated that Moscow aims to establish a 10-km (6 miles) “buffer zone” inside Ukrainian territory, though he expressed doubt about Russian capabilities to achieve this strategic objective.

Germany allocates $5.7 billion for Ukraine for weapons, ammunition and satellite communications. Germany will fund long-range weapon systems manufactured in Ukraine under agreements reached during President Zelensky’s visit to Berlin.

Forbes: Ukraine deploys AI turrets against record Russian drone attacks. The Sky Sentinel system costs one-hundredth the price of comparable US systems while defending against 120 mph drone attacks. A prototype Ukrainian robot gun has already shot down four Shahed drones

Russia aims to produce 500 drones daily as Ukraine strikes back with 400-drone attack. Russia has received orders to produce 500 drones daily but currently maintains capacity for only 300-350, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

International

Russia delays promised ceasefire memorandum ahead of new peace talks. Ukraine gives Russia four-day deadline. Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov claimed that the exchange of documents with conditions to end the war was supposed to be mutual following the 16 May Istanbul meeting, but only Ukraine has delivered its proposals to Russian delegation head.

Trump uncertain if Putin wants to end war, open to joining Zelensky-Putin meeting if needed. Trump also noted that he was very “disappointed” by the recent deadly attacks on civilians in Ukraine during the negotiation process.

Senior Russian official responds to Trump comment with World War III threat. US envoy calls this “reckless”. Keith Kellogg called for a ceasefire and reminded that the US is still awaiting the Russian memorandum for ending the war.

Putin-Zelenskyy meeting possible but needs delegation agreements, Kremlin says. Russia’s top spokesman confirmed Moscow remains open to a Putin-Zelenskyy meeting but only after their negotiating teams reach preliminary agreements.

Record 81% of Europeans support common defense policy amid Ukraine war. Trust in the European Union has reached its highest point in 18 years. A poll shows that 59% of EU citizens support the purchase and supply of weapons for Ukraine.

Reuters: Russia demands written pledge to halt “NATO eastward expansion” and sanctions relief. Putin wants Ukraine’s neutrality, protection for Russian speakers, and guarantees against NATO membership for former Soviet republics, while Ukraine rejects all these demands.

Zelenskyy visits Germany as Taurus missile debate intensifies over Ukraine aid. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Berlin on 28 May as Germany’s new chancellor considers reversing his predecessor’s ban on Taurus missile deliveries.

Lithuania aid meant for Ukrainians went to citizens of other countries, including Russia and Belarusia. The European Social Fund Agency dismissed its director after an audit revealed that over $1,1 mn in Ukrainian refugee aid went to ineligible recipients.

Humanitarian and social impact

“Russia destroys future of Ukraine”: Russian missile strike killed three siblings aged 8, 12, 17. Hundreds of Ukrainians attended funeral services for the Martyniuk children, including 17-year-old Roman, 8-year-old Stanislav, and 12-year-old Tamara, whose parents survived the attack.

Political and legal developments

Russia builds power lines to restart and connect seized Ukrainian nuclear plant to its grid. The occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, captured by Russian forces in March 2022, would become the first nuclear facility seized by one nation during war and operated for another country’s energy needs if Moscow’s plans succeed.

Read our earlier daily review here.