"Unfortunately, as of today, even the legal groundwork for this contract has yet to be completed," Zelensky added. "I have set a final deadline: one week for all preparatory steps. I expect a report on Friday — either there is clarity on implementing our Patriot agreement, or there will be serious personnel decisions."

Sumy Oblast Governor Oleh Hryhorov said that "a targeted strike" by a Russian drone on a residential building in the Mykolaivska community took the life of a 64-year-old man and injured his 84-year-old mother.

Our community doesn't only support us, they have at times gone to incredible lengths to help Ukraine.

Viktor Orban ordered the seizure of the Ukrainian bank convoy in retaliation for the suspension of oil transit through the Druzhba pipeline, undisclosed sources told Telex.

The attack coincided with the beginning of the 2026 St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, an annual conference of business leaders and government officials hosted by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces released footage of drones striking a Russian warship armed with guided missiles at the Kronstadt naval base near St. Petersburg.

The visit comes only a day after one of Russia's heaviest attacks killed over 20 people and injured over 100 across Ukraine.

The number includes 1,130 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.

The JSC Progress Plant in Michurinsk, Tambov Oblast, produces high-tech aviation and missile control systems for Russia's military, along with equipment for gas and oil pipelines.

President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to join leaders of the Group of Seven nations at the June 15-17 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France.

"Because the number of (U.S. troops) in Europe is changing, this naturally leads to a review of regional stance," Lithuanian Defense Minister Robertas Kaunas said.

Editor's note: Got an opinion on anything you've read in the Kyiv Independent so far? Send it to letters@kyivindependent.com, and it may appear in our Letters section. Key developments on June 2: * Kyiv reels after Russia unleashes massive missile, drone attack on Ukraine, killing at least 22 * Ukraine strikes Russia's Ilsky oil refinery for at least 16th time since start of full-scale war * Neva radar, Pantsir air defense, and a tugboat — Ukraine releases latest drone strike video hit list

The Swiss-headquartered Mediterranean Shipping Company acquired a stake in the TIS container terminal in Ukraine's Pivdennyi Port, one person with close knowledge of the deal confirmed to the Kyiv Independent, who was granted anonymity to discuss closed talks.

The EU is set to discuss extending Ukrainian refugee protections for a sixth time, amid thorny questions over whether and when more than 4 million refugees in Europe will return home.

Russia has no right to call its ballistic missile attacks on Ukraine "retaliatory strikes" in a war that it started. There is only one side that has the right to retaliate: the side that was attacked. By launching a large-scale war against Ukraine, Moscow effectively made itself a legitimate target for Kyiv's forces. The attacked side has the right to defend and protect itself, its territory, and its people. Yet many American media outlets, after five years of Russia's brutal full-scale invasi

Chemical weapons are something the world formally banned a hundred years ago. Yet today, Ukraine's Defense Forces have already recorded around 13,000 cases of chemical agents used by the Russian forces on the front lines since the start of the full-scale war. And that number keeps growing. In April 2024, the U.S. State Department published a document directly accusing Russia of using chloropicrin against military personnel. International media reported on this as well. The Telegraph, in partic

Anton Yarmolenko was killed after arriving at one of the attack sites in Dnipro to help the victims and sustaining fatal injuries in Russia's "treacherous follow-up strike," the State Emergency Service said.

Armenia will hold parliamentary elections on June 7, a vote most observers describe as crucial. Eight years after the country's Velvet Revolution, Armenia's pro-European Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is seeking reelection for a third term, amid tensions with Russia and seemingly full support from the United States. U.S. President Donald Trump took to social media on May 27 to offer his "COMPLETE and TOTAL endorsement" for Armenia's leader. At the same time, Russian President Vladimir Putin t

Ukraine struck Russian military targets across occupied Crimea and Donetsk Oblast overnight, including two Pantsir air defense systems and a command post.

Russia launched a large-scale aerial attack against Ukraine overnight on June 2, targeting Kyiv with missile and drone fire.

If an agreement is reached at the "technical-level" talks, Peter Magyar said he is ready to meet with Volodymyr Zelensky as early as next week.

Far-right opposition MP Krzysztof Bosak also said that Warsaw should stop paying for Starlink satellite communications systems used by Ukraine and opt out of EU loans to Kyiv in order to "exert real pressure."

The Kyiv Independent has added a new item to its merchandise store: a vyshyvanka, Ukraine's traditional embroidered shirt. For this project, we partnered with the fashion embroidery brand Gaptuvalnya to design and create a unique vyshyvanka for the modern world, produced right here in Kyiv.

Located roughly 500 kilometers (311 miles) from Ukrainian-controlled territory, the refinery is among the largest in southern Russia, producing nearly 6,6 million tons of fuel annually.

Moscow has sought to deflect blame after Bucharest said a Russian Shahed-type drone injured two civilians in the Romanian city of Galati.

Mobilization has consistently been one of the weakest elements of Ukraine's military response to Russia's full-scale invasion. The system is widely hated by the public, plagued by corruption, and has often failed to meet targets needed to ensure the country's defense. Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov has proposed bold new plans to reform the system, but is facing opposition from within the military and Ukraine's top leadership. This private briefing will explore the following questions: * Wh

KI Insights is planning to expand coverage of Russian political and economic issues. The current briefing is aimed to be the first in a series. If you are interested in learning more or would be open to supporting this direction of work, please contact us at insights@kyivindependent.com. Russia's legislative elections are just 4 months away. Years of full-scale war are increasingly being felt, presenting a challenge to domestic political and socio-economic stability. However, those dynamics are

"Our warriors now have the capability to reach Russian military logistics across virtually the entire depth of the temporarily occupied territory. There are practically no safe roads left for the occupier in the south and east of our state," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

Key developments on June 1: * Russian monthly territorial gains slip into negative for first time since 2023, DeepState reports * Ending Russia's war before winter is realistic, Budanov says * Romania confirms Russian Shahed-type drone behind earlier strike on residential building * Russian drones hit Odesa residential area as attacks across Ukraine kill 3, injure over 60 Ukraine has gained more territory than Russia occupied over the same period in May, pushing overall Russian advances in

Ukraine's military intelligence urged civilians to take air raid alerts seriously and "be ready to react."

This is despite the group's public map showing a Russian advance of 14 square kilometers (about 5.4 square miles) in May, due to the delay in publicly acknowledging advances by the Ukrainian military amid security concerns, according to DeepState.

"The president has tasked us with trying to end this war as quickly as possible. I can confirm that this is indeed his goal — to bring hostilities to an end as soon as possible, preferably before winter," President's Office Head Kyrylo Budanov told the Kyiv Independent.