Ukraine war latest: Russian drone base destroyed at occupied Donetsk Airport

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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 5 citizens

Ukrainian drone units have carried out a series of successful attacks on the Russian-occupied Donetsk Airport, sabotaging Moscow's attempt to turn the facility into a military base, Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces (USF) reported on June 4.

The USF's 14th regiment is "systematically destroying enemy infrastructure, making the airport's operation impossible," the military said.

Occupying Russian forces had converted the Donetsk Airport into a strategic launch pad for Shahed-type UAVs, the cheap but deadly attack drones Russia sends by the hundreds to terrorize Ukrainian cities in overnight attacks. These are operated by Russia's elite Rubikon drone unit, which is based at the airport.

The airport also served as a logistics hub for the Russian military, the USF's 14th regiment said.

"A decision was made to carry out systematic preemptive strikes that will disrupt enemy launches and reduce the number of enemy drones that will once again fly to attack kindergartens, high-rise buildings, and hospitals," said Serafym "Falcon" Hordiienko, the USF 14th regiment officer who planned the operation.

Hordiienko described the strike campaign on the Donetsk Airport as "the first such operation in modern history."

Ukrainian drone operators have systematically dismantled the base by destroying launch pads and transport vehicles, while also targeting crews on the runway, the USF said. The strikes have damaged key engineering equipment, fuel stations, and logistics hubs.

USF strikes have also destroyed ammunition depots and Shahed launch pads, the military said.

In tandem with these attacks, the USF is hunting mobile fire groups and Russian air defense units in order to force flight cancelations, "completely degrading the airport ecosystem."

185 Ukrainian POWs return from Russian captivity in latest exchange

A total of 185 Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) returned from Russian captivity in the latest exchange, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on June 5.

The 75th prisoner-of-war exchange between Kyiv and Moscow took place with the support of the United States and the United Arab Emirates. As part of the exchange, one civilian who had been held in Russian captivity since 2022 was also returned to Ukraine.

Russia's Defense Ministry confirmed that 185 Russian POWs had returned home, saying that they are currently in Belarus and will be receiving the psychological and medical care there.

Among those who have returned home from Russian captivity are service members from the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the National Guard, and the State Border Guard Service who served in the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kharkiv, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Sumy, Kyiv, and Kursk sectors of the front line, according to Zelensky.

"Thank you to everyone who makes this possible: the team handling the exchanges, our partners. And special thanks to the soldiers who contribute to our exchange fund — through their strength and achievements on the front lines, they ensure that our people return home," Zelensky said.

More than half of those released in the exchange were captured in 2022. Among those who have returned to Ukraine are soldiers who took part in the defense of Mariupol and held out at the Azovstal steel plant, Ukraine's Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War (POW) said on June 5.

'Enough of the war' — Zelensky throws down gauntlet to Putin in open letter

Zelensky issued a personal invitation to Russian President Vladimir Putin in an open letter published June 4, offering to meet face-to-face to put an end to five years of full-scale war.

The letter was published a day after Ukraine launched a large-scale attack on St. Petersburg, striking a major oil terminal and military targets on the same morning Putin welcomed world leaders to the city for his flagship economic forum.

In it, Zelensky lays out his case for Putin's need to end the fighting and sets terms for the reopening of negotiations.

"Almost half of your 26 years of power in Russia you have spent in the war against Ukraine," Zelensky wrote.

"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."

Zelensky described Russia's failure to conquer Kyiv and quell Ukrainian resistance during the 2022 invasion, the devastating effects of international sanctions on the Russian economy, the staggering scale of Russia's personnel losses, and the growing discontent of Putin's population as the war drags on — and comes closer to home.

"(The Russian people) do not like our drones and missiles," the president wrote.

"They do not like the shortage of gasoline and the constant rise in prices. They do not like the constant bans. They do not like your intention to organize a second wave of mobilization to expand the war to another direction in Ukraine or to direct it against some other countries — Russia's neighbors. They do not like the fact that there is no end in sight to your war."

Zelensky invited Putin to meet with him in a neutral country to work out terms for a peace agreement. The president said he was open to a full ceasefire during the negotiation period and to beginning peace talks with an all-for-all prisoner exchange.

5 Russian cargo ships targeted by Ukrainian drones, Azerbaijan reports deaths of 5 citizens

Ukraine struck five Russian cargo vessels used to support the Russian army, Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces announced on June 5.

Russian vessels used for military logistics have become frequent targets of Ukrainian strikes aimed at disrupting Moscow's military supply chains.

The targeted vessels included one near the city of Berdiansk in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, two near Yalta in Donetsk Oblast, and two near Mariupol in Donetsk Oblast.

"Every vessel involved in the enemy's military logistics or in the illegal extraction of resources from occupied territories effectively finances the continuation of the war against Ukraine and is therefore a legitimate target," the Unmanned Systems Forces said.

At the same time, Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry said that two foreign cargo vessels carrying 25 Azerbaijani citizens came under a drone attack overnight on June 5.

Five Azerbaijani nationals were killed in the strike, while three others were injured and hospitalized in the town of Yeysk in Russia's Krasnodar Krai.

The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry did not specify whether the attack was carried out by Ukrainian or Russian drones. Neither Ukraine nor Russia had commented on the deaths of the Azerbaijani citizens at the time of publication.