Key developments on June 4:
- Ukraine hacks Russia's Tupolev bomber producer, source claims
- Putin's 'disregard' for troops highlighted as Russian losses approach 1 million, study finds
- Ukraine expects to exchange 500 POWs in next swap with Russia, Zelensky says
- Russia strikes Ukrainian military training facility in Poltava Oblast, military says
- Kremlin confirms explosion at Crimean Bridge after Ukraine's sabotage, claims 'no damage'
Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR) has gained access to sensitive data of Russia's strategic aircraft manufacturer Tupolev, a source in HUR told the Kyiv Independent on June 4.
Tupolev, a Soviet-era aerospace firm now fully integrated into Russia's defense-industrial complex, has been under international sanctions since 2022 for its role in Russia's war against Ukraine. Its bombers have been widely used to launch long-range cruise missiles against Ukrainian cities and infrastructure.
According to the source, 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.
"The significance of the data obtained cannot be overestimated," the source said. "Now, in fact, there is nothing secret left in Tupolev's activities for Ukrainian intelligence."
The intelligence includes detailed information about engineers and staff responsible for maintaining Russia's strategic bombers, such as the Tu-95 and Tu-160, which form a key part of Russia's nuclear triad.
"In particular, we have obtained comprehensive information about individuals directly involved in servicing Russian strategic aviation," the source added. "The result will obviously be noticeable both on the ground and in the sky."
Ukrainian cyber operatives also replaced the Tupolev website's homepage with an image of an owl clutching a Russian aircraft, likely referencing HUR's insignia and cyber warfare skills.
The source shared excerpts of internal data obtained during the breach, including what appeared to be internal documents and personnel files of staff, as proof. The combination of physical strikes on Russia's strategic aviation and now the exposure of its internal architecture marks a significant blow to Moscow's long-range aerial warfare.
Putin's 'disregard' for troops highlighted as Russian losses approach 1 million, study finds
Russian military casualties in Ukraine are approaching 1 million and are likely to surpass that figure by summer 2025, according to a new report by the U.S.-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) published on June 3.
The total number of military casualties on both sides is nearing 1.4 million, including approximately 400,000 Ukrainian soldiers killed or injured.
The think tank estimates that more than 950,000 Russian troops have been killed or wounded since the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Of those, as many as 250,000 have died on the battlefield — losses CSIS says underscore Russian President Vladimir Putin’s "blatant disregard" for his forces.
Despite its staggering losses, Russia continues to rely on mass wave assaults. According to CSIS, this approach has allowed Russian forces to capture less than 1% of Ukrainian territory since January 2024, often advancing by only 50 meters per day.
The cost in equipment has also been severe. According to the think tank, Russian losses across land, air, and sea domains have vastly outpaced Ukraine’s, with some battlefield loss ratios reaching 5:1.
As of June 4, Ukraine’s General Staff put Russia’s cumulative troop losses at 991,820. While Kyiv does not disclose its own casualty numbers, Ukraine’s Armed Forces report Russian losses on a daily basis.
The full human toll remains difficult to confirm due to the opacity on both sides. CSIS used estimates compiled from U.S. and U.K. defense officials, as well as satellite imagery and battlefield assessments.
Independent Russian outlet Mediazona and the BBC Russian service have confirmed the identities of at least 109,625 Russian troops killed, based on open-source data such as obituaries, local news, and social media posts.
Russia’s monthly recruitment ranges from 30,000 to 40,000 new soldiers, Western intelligence officials told the Wall Street Journal in April. Rather than announce another mass mobilization, the Kremlin has relied heavily on financial incentives, offering lucrative contracts to new recruits.
Oleg Sukhov
Ukraine expects to exchange 500 POWs in next swap with Russia, Zelensky says
Ukraine plans to bring home a total of 500 prisoners of war (POW) from Russian captivity in an exchange with Russia between June 7 and 8, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a meeting with journalists on June 4 attended by the Kyiv Independent.
"Today, our teams held consultations on exchanges. The Russian side has informed us that this weekend, on Saturday and Sunday, it will be able to transfer 500 people, our military personnel, out of the 1,000+ that we agreed on," Zelensky said.
The upcoming swap follows a major 1,000-for-1,000 exchange carried out between May 23 and 25. That deal, initially reached during Istanbul talks on May 16, was the largest prisoner exchange of the war so far.
The new exchange was agreed upon during the second round of direct talks held on June 2.
Zelensky said that Ukraine has not yet received the list of names for the upcoming swap, but that Moscow had promised to provide it in advance.
"This time, unlike in Istanbul last time, the Russians have promised to give us the lists of whom we are exchanging in advance, which is important for us," he noted.
The statement comes as a previous prisoner exchange list reportedly included Anatolii Taranenko, a Ukrainian service member accused of collaborating with Russia.
Taranenko's alleged inclusion in the exchange exacerbated criticism that Ukraine failed to secure the release of any Azov fighters and many civilians who had been held captive by Russia for years in what was the largest prisoner swap of the full-scale war.
After the June 2 talks, Russia also pledged to transfer 6,000 bodies of fallen Ukrainian soldiers and officers to Ukraine. Zelensky noted that preparations for exchanging the bodies will begin after the POW swap.
Ukraine has consistently pushed for an "all-for-all" formula in prisoner swaps, aiming to secure the return of every Ukrainian soldier in captivity. Russia has rejected that proposal.
Martin Fornusek
Russia strikes Ukrainian military training facility in Poltava Oblast, military says
Russia launched a missile attack against a military training facility in Poltava Oblast on June 4, resulting in injuries among the personnel, the Ground Forces' press service reported.
"Thanks to timely and carefully planned security measures... the worst has been avoided," the press service said, saying that no soldiers have been killed in the attack against the central region, which lies about 100 kilometers (60 miles) east of Kyiv.
The strike follows a string of Russian attacks against Ukrainian military facilities across Ukraine.
A deadly missile strike on a training camp in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast on June 1 killed at least 12 soldiers and led to the resignation of then-Ground Forces Commander Mykhailo Drapatyi, who was later appointed the commander of the Joint Forces.
The casualties sustained in Russian attacks deep in the rear sparked backlash, with military leadership facing criticism for failing to provide adequate security for soldiers and recruits.
Security protocols, including dispersal of personnel and the use of shelters, "saved the lives of service members who were at the training facility at the time of the strike" on June 4, the Ground Force said.
"Unfortunately, there are wounded. All victims are receiving care in specialized medical institutions." The press service did not specify the number of victims or the exact location of the targeted military facility.
A special commission has been established to clarify the circumstances of the attack and the resulting damage, according to the statement.
Olena Goncharova
Kremlin confirms explosion at Crimean Bridge after Ukraine's sabotage, claims 'no damage'
An explosion recently occurred at the Crimean Bridge, but caused "no damage," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov claimed on June 4, accusing Ukraine of attempted attacks on Russia's infrastructure.
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) claimed responsibility for the explosion that rocked the bridge in the early hours of June 3. The agency said that more than a ton of explosives in TNT equivalent damaged the underwater supports of the structure.
"There indeed was an explosion. There was no damage, the bridge continues to function," Peskov said, according to the Russian state-run news agency RIA Novosti. "Kyiv continues in its attempts to attack infrastructure facilities."
Constructed after Russia’s illegal occupation of Crimea in 2014, the Crimean Bridge — also known as the Kerch Bridge — is a critical supply and transport route for Russian forces to the occupied Ukrainian territories. It connects the occupied peninsula to Russia's Krasnodar Krai via the Kerch Strait.
The Russian state media reported on June 3 that a "Ukrainian intelligence agent" who had constructed a bomb on "orders from Kyiv" had been detained by Russia's FSB.
In comments later on June 3, Dmytro Pletenchuk, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian Navy, said the "key and most complex" part of the bridge had been damaged in the attack.
The operation, which follows the SBU's mass drone strike against Russia's strategic aviation on June 1, was personally supervised by the agency's chief, Vasyl Maliuk.
The bridge suffered significant damage during two previous Ukrainian attacks in October 2022 and July 2023, though neither managed to take the bridge out of commission.
Oleg Sukhov
Note from the author:
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