
'Just a show for Putin' — Inside the 2026 St. Petersburg Economic Forum
Once billed as a rival to Davos, the forum now draws far-right influencers and conspiracy theorists.

Once billed as a rival to Davos, the forum now draws far-right influencers and conspiracy theorists.
Ukrainian drones reportedly struck an oil depot in Russia's Krasnodar Krai overnight on June 6 amid a wider Ukrainian attack on Russian regions, Russian Telegram media channels reported.

In his evening address on June 5, President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of having no interest in ending Russia's war in Ukraine, after the Russian leader dismissed Zelensky's open letter calling for the immediate reopening of peace negotiations.

A Swedish court has ruled that the cargo vessel Caffa, seized after allegedly transporting grain stolen from Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories, may be handed over to Ukraine, Reuters reported on June 5.

"The latest wave of Russian strikes is yet another reminder that Moscow continues to choose escalation over peace, and terror over diplomacy," Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said.

U.S. President Donald Trump on June 5 signaled support for direct talks between Russia and Ukraine to end the full-scale war, saying he believes it is close to being settled.

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 5: * Ukraine destroys Russia's drone base at occupied Donetsk Airport * 185 Ukrainian POWs return from Russian captivity in latest exchange * 'Enough of the war' — Zelensky throws down gauntlet to Putin in open letter * 5 Russian cargo ships targeted by Ukrainian drones, Azerbaijan reports deaths of

The Kyiv Independent’s coverage of news on Russia. Spanning eleven time zones across Eastern Europe and Asia, Russia has an estimated population of 146 million people. Russia’s capital city is Moscow, which is home to almost one in 10 Russians. Russia’s official currency is the Russian Ruble.
"Almost half of your 26 years of power in Russia you have spent in the war against Ukraine," Zelensky wrote to Russian President Vladimir Putin. "Whatever you say about NATO, geopolitics and the Russian language, this war is your personal choice — a war without a real reason. This is how history will remember it."



