Media in Progress Ep. 6: Popular protest, inter-elite feuds or Russian intervention - What’s going on in Kazakhstan?

3:35 PM

Ukraine to bring home 500 POWs in next prisoner swap with Russia, Zelensky says.

Ukraine will bring home a total of 500 prisoners of war (POW) from Russian captivity in a prisoner exchange with Russia on June 7 and 8, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a meeting with journalists on June 4 attended by the Kyiv Independent.

2:06 PM  (Updated:  June 4, 2025 3:09 pm)

'Nothing secret left' — Ukraine hacks Russia's Tupolev bomber producer, source claims.

HUR's cyber corps accessed over 4.4 gigabytes (GB) of internal data, including official correspondence, personnel files, home addresses, resumes, purchase records, and closed meeting minutes, a source claimed.

2:55 PM

US hasn't decided yet on new Ukraine aid, focuses on peace, NATO envoy says.

U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker stressed that Washington counts on European leadership in providing Ukraine with the resources needed to achieve a lasting peace, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported.

2:42 PM

Ukraine passes Budget Code changes to implement US mineral deal.

The legislation, supported by 309 members of parliament, enshrines financial provisions critical to executing the U.S.-Ukraine deal signed on April 30 and ratified by Kyiv on May 8.

1:40 PM

Ukraine's Operation Spiderweb ranks with 'raid on Bin Laden,' US Senator Blumenthal says.

"Just in the skill and audacity of these attacks, it will rank with the United States raid on Osama bin Laden and the Israeli pager operation as one of the great military achievements in recent years," U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal told Politico.

1:20 PM

Kremlin confirms explosion at Crimean Bridge after Ukraine's sabotage, claims 'no damage'

"There indeed was an explosion. There was no damage, the bridge continues to function," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov claimed.

12:48 PM

France, Belgium wary of EU's plan to halt Russian LNG imports by 2027.

Russia's energy exports remain a major source of revenue for the Kremlin's military campaign against Ukraine.

8:53 AM  (Updated:  June 4, 2025 12:22 pm)

For the first time, Pentagon chief to skip Ramstein-format meeting of Ukraine's allies.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will not arrive in Brussels until the conference is over and will not participate in the event online either, the AP reported.

12:17 PM

In second fire at Russian engine plant in 2 days, fire engulfs US-sanctioned Yaroslavl facility.

Located roughly 280 kilometers (174 miles) northeast of Moscow, the Yaroslavl Motor Plant has been under U.S. sanctions since May 2024.

10:44 AM

Trump raises steel, aluminum tariffs to 50%, hitting key Ukrainian export.

Steel production is one of Ukraine's core industrial sectors and its second-largest source of foreign currency after agriculture.

10:18 AM

'Risk level goes up' — Ukraine's strike on Russian bombers could escalate war, US envoy Kellogg says.

"I'm telling you the risk levels are going way up," U.S. Special Envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg said.

10:17 AM

7 killed, 52 injured in Russian attacks on Ukraine over past day.

Ukrainian air defenses shot down 36 out of the 95 Shahed-type attack drones and decoys launched by Russia overnight, the Air Force said.

7:14 PM  (Updated:  June 4, 2025 10:12 am)

Russian losses

Operation Spiderweb — everything we know about Ukraine's audacious attack on Russia's heavy bombers

1:52 PM  (Updated:  June 4, 2025 10:09 am)

'Russian bombers are burning en masse' — Ukraine's SBU drones hit 'more than 40' aircraft in mass attack, source says.

"Currently, more than 40 aircraft are known to have been hit, including the A-50, Tu-95 and Tu-22 M3," a source told the Kyiv Independent.

9:13 AM

Ukraine's drone strike on Russia's air bases under 'investigation,' Kremlin says in first reaction to Operation Spiderweb.

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

8:35 AM

Ukraine defaults on GDP-linked sovereign debt payment.

The country's Finance Ministry announced last week it would skip a $665 million government debt payment after failing to agree on restructuring terms with creditors.

8:16 AM

General Staff: Russia has lost 991,820 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022.

The number includes 1,020 casualties that Russian forces suffered just over the past day.

1:08 AM  (Updated:  June 4, 2025 8:12 am)

Rare Russian A-50 spy planes damaged in Ukraine's Operation Spiderweb, Telegraph reports.

Footage reportedly shows Ukrainian drones hitting two A-50s, rare Russian spy planes that Moscow relies on to detect air defense systems and coordinate targets for fighter jets. Russia has less than 10 A-50s in its arsenal.

7:42 AM

UK to provide Ukraine with 100,000 drones by April 2026.

The UK pledged on June 4 to supply Ukraine with 100,000 drones by the end of April 2026, marking a tenfold increase from the previous year.

6:07 AM

Trump official who shut down counter-disinformation agency has Kremlin ties, Telegraph reports.

A Trump State Department official who shut down a U.S. counter-disinformation office has Kremlin ties, the Telegraph reported on June 3. The official, Darren Beattie, is married to the niece of a former Russian official linked to Putin and has echoed pro-Kremlin narratives.

4:06 AM

Latvia joins UN Security Council for first time.

Latvia was elected on June 3 to the UN Security Council for the first time in its history. Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braže called it a “historic day" for the Baltic nation, pledging the country’s commitment to upholding the rules-based international order.

3:02 AM

NATO urging Europe to ramp up air defenses fivefold in face of Russian threat, Bloomberg reports.

NATO defense ministers will discuss the air defense boost at a gathering in Brussels on June 5, sources told Bloomberg on the condition of anonymity.

2:06 AM

Orban vows to 'do everything' to prevent Ukraine from joining EU.

"I would not be able to answer my conscience...if I did not do everything now to protect Hungary and the European Union from the Brussels fever dream of Ukrainian accession."

2:14 PM  (Updated:  June 3, 2025 11:53 pm)

Russia’s Crimean Bridge rocked by explosions, Ukraine’s SBU claims responsibility.

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) struck the Crimean Bridge for the third time during the full-scale war, mining and damaging its underwater supports, the SBU announced on June 3.

11:48 PM

Trump didn't know about Ukraine's drone strike on Russia's warplanes, White House confirms.

During a White House press briefing, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was asked whether Trump was informed by Ukraine about Operation Spiderweb in advance of the attack. "He was not," she said.