Ukraine war latest: Russia's territorial gains slipped into red in May, DeepState reports

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 into the negative for the first time since 2023, Ukrainian monitoring group DeepState reported on June 1.

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

"According to our map, in May the enemy occupied only 14 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory," DeepState posted on Telegram, adding that "for security reasons, we show the advance of the Defense Forces of Ukraine with a delay."

Due to this lag in updating their map, DeepState claimed that "this is the first month in recent years after the 'Counteroffensive 2023' when the increase in the occupied territory for the Russians became negative."

"Russia typically advances faster in the late spring-fall, but we aren't seeing an increase in the rate of advance," Rob Lee, senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute and an expert on the Russian military, told the Kyiv Independent.

"It is important because the seasons have already changed and Russian advances have not increased."

DeepState said in the same Telegram post that the reverses Russia suffered came despite a significant increase in Russian assault actions, which jumped up by 37.5% in May.

Considering the majority of Russian assault troopers are killed or severely wounded during assaults, Russian casualties likely increased as well.

Ending Russia's war before winter is realistic, Budanov says

It is a realistic goal to end Russia's war against Ukraine before winter 2026, President's Office Head Kyrylo Budanov said on June 1, responding to a question from the Kyiv Independent.

Budanov's position aligns with recent remarks by President Volodymyr Zelensky, who said in a May 31 interview that as Moscow loses the initiative on the battlefield and Kyiv steps up long-range strikes inside Russian territory, the window for effective peace talks with Moscow will remain open until the winter.

When asked, Budanov agreed with that assessment.

"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," Budanov said, speaking at the Architecture of Security Forum in Kyiv.

"As head of the President's Office, I certainly do everything I can to achieve the objective set by Ukraine's president."

Budanov described the aim as "absolutely right, timely, and well considered." According to him, a range of factors suggests there is hope that Russia could agree to a "certain proposal" to halt hostilities.

As a former spy chief, Budanov has often made bold forecasts about the war's outcome, not all of which have come true.

Romania confirms Russian Shahed-type drone behind earlier strike on residential building

Romania's Defense Ministry on May 31 confirmed that the weapon that struck a residential building in Galati overnight on May 29 was a Russian Geran-2 (Shahed-type) drone.

"The evidence identified at the scene is structurally and functionally identical to those recovered... in previous incidents involving Geran-2 type unmanned aerial vehicles," the country's Defense Ministry said.

The strike was recorded at around 2:00 a.m. local time, but the country's Defense Ministry said the "target was initially identified at 01:46 (a.m.), in Ukrainian airspace, approximately 19 kilometers (12 miles) from the national border."

Speaking to journalists, Romania's Acting Defense Minister Radu Miruta was unable to confirm earlier statements by Romania's president that the drone entered the country's territory after being hit by Ukrainian air defenses, according to Romanian TV channel Digi 24.

"Whether it was intentionally redirected or lost communication is something we have no way of knowing," Miruta said.

Miruta added that the Russian drone was carrying 30 kilograms of trinitrotoluene (TNT).

"As long as it carries an explosive payload, it is the duty of those who launch it to control its trajectory," the minister said.

Galati, located in eastern Romania, is only 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the tripoint border of Moldova, Romania, and Ukraine, near southern Odesa Oblast.

Russian drones hit Odesa residential area as attacks across Ukraine kill 3, injure over 60

At least three people were killed and 61 injured in Russian attacks across Ukraine over the past day, while a Russian drone struck a residential area in the southern port city of Odesa, local authorities said on June 1.

Russia launched two overnight drone attacks on Odesa, targeting residential areas and industrial infrastructure. One drone struck a high-rise apartment building, partially destroying units on the first through fourth floors, Odesa Oblast Governor Oleh Kiper said.

Seven people were injured in the attack. One of the victims remained hospitalized as of the morning, according to Serhii Lysak, the head of the Odesa Military Administration.

The strike on Odesa was part of a broader overnight drone assault across the country.

Russia launched 265 Shahed-type attack drones against Ukraine overnight, the Air Force said. Ukrainian air defenses shot down 228 of them, while 27 drones struck targets at 18 locations. Debris from intercepted drones was recorded at 12 additional sites.

As a result of Russian strikes overnight on June 1, some consumers were left without electricity in Dnipropetrovsk, Zhytomyr, Zaporizhzhia, Odesa, Sumy, Kherson, Kharkiv, and Chernihiv oblasts, the Energy Ministry said.

In the eastern Donetsk Oblast, Russian attacks killed one person in the town of Druzhkivka and injured eight others across the region, local Governor Vadym Filashkin said.

In Kherson Oblast, Russian forces targeted 39 settlements, including the city of Kherson, injuring six people over the past day, the local military administration said.

In a separate attack, a man was killed in a Russian strike on the village of Shyroka Balka on the morning of June 1, Kherson Oblast Governor Oleksandr Prokudin said.

In Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, one person was killed and 13 others were injured in Russian attacks over the past day, local Governor Oleksandr Hanzha said.

The heaviest strikes hit the Nikopol district, located across the Dnipro River from the Russian-occupied city of Enerhodar. A 50-year-old woman was killed there, and eight others were injured, Hanzha said.

In Sumy Oblast, Russian drone strikes injured ten people across five communities over the day, the local authorities said.

In Kharkiv Oblast, Russian attacks injured eight people, including four in the regional capital, Governor Oleh Syniehubov said.

In Chernihiv Oblast, Russian drone strikes injured eight people, including three children, Governor Viacheslav Chaus said.

In Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Russian forces attacked the regional center around 7 a.m. local time on June 1, injuring a 73-year-old woman, the local military administration said.