Ukraine-Russia war latest: Kyiv strikes Baltic Fleet warship near St Petersburg as ‘Russian Davos’ kicks off
Nato chief warns Russians: You’ll die if you sign up
Nato Secretary-General Mark Rutte has warned young Russians that they will probably die if they sign up to join the war in Ukraine.
“You are being sold a raw deal,” Rutte said during a press conference in Kyiv, in remarks he directly addressed to “young Russians and their families”.
“Men like you who join the fight – you won’t be trained. Equipment they’ll provide you with is substandard. There is a very high chance you’ll die or be wounded while you’re out there,” he said.
“And odds are, that if you are wounded, you will be left to suffer in the mud and die.” Rutte said Russia was incurring “absolutely staggering” losses in Ukraine, where he said more than 30,000 Russian soldiers died every month – matching figures he has cited before.
“This means losing more men in one month than the Soviet Union did in 10 years in the 1980s in Afghanistan,” the Nato chief said.
“That’s not abstract,” he said. “That will probably be you.”
Jane Dalton3 June 2026 12:04
Ukraine embarasses Putin with strikes across St Petersburg
Ukrainian drones hit an oil terminal in St Petersburg and a warship in dry-dock at anearby naval base, hours before Vladimir Putin’s showcase economic forum got under way in the city, in a clear attempt to embarrass the Kremlin chief.
The attack on Putin’s home city, location of his own ‘Davos’ comes as both sides dial up strikes against each other in their more than four-year-old war with no imminent end in sight. Russia unleashed a huge wave of missile and drone attacks across Ukraine on Tuesday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed his drones had struck a fuel terminal in St Petersburg on Wednesday and said they had also targeted a military facility in Kronstadt on an island near the city where elements of Russia’s Baltic Fleet and major shipbuilding and repair facilities are located.
Ukraine released a video which showed a drone striking a Russian warship, the corvette Boiky, in what it said was a dry dock at Kronstadt.
A plume of grey smoke was visible from St Petersburg’s historic city centre and witnesses heard loud explosions on Wednesday morning.
James Reynolds3 June 2026 17:00
Recap: Almost 500,000 Russians killed in Putin’s war in Ukraine, says GCHQ
Russia has lost 500,000 soldiers since it began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the UK’s intelligence chief said in London.
GCHQ director Anne Keast-Butler gave the latest figure for Russian casualties in Ukraine during her first public speech at Bletchley Park, saying it proved Vladimir Putin was “going backwards in the battlefield”.
Ms Keast-Butler warned Russia was risking a wider conflict in Europe by targeting critical infrastructure and supply chains across the continent.
James Reynolds3 June 2026 16:00
Russian attack kills three people in Kramatorsk
A Russian attack killed at least three civilians in Ukraine’s frontline city of Kramatorsk in the east, the Donetsk regional governor says.
Vadym Filashkin said on the Telegram app that Russian troops hit residential buildings during daytime attacks.
He said rescuers were working on the site.
Jane Dalton3 June 2026 15:50
Injuring civilians on Nato territory unacceptable, says Cooper
Foreign secretary Yvette Cooper has condemned Russia’s violation of Romanian airspace, which occurred during a Russian attack on Ukraine and injured two people in the Romanian city of Galati.
She said Britain stood united with allies to defend Nato territory.
“Russia’s latest brutal bombardment of civilians in Ukraine comes afters its violation of Nato airspace last week, hitting a residential building in Romania,” the Foreign Office said.
“Injuring innocent civilians on Nato territory is unacceptable and a stark reminder of the threat that Ukrainian civilians are having to endure on a daily basis.”
Jane Dalton3 June 2026 15:35
Zelensky says he’s ready to talk to Putin about ending war
President Volodymyr Zelensky has said he is ready to hold direct talks with Russia’s Vladimir Putin over ending the war.
Ukraine’s stepping up of strikes on targets in Russia allow Kyiv to negotiate the end of the war on an equal footing, he said.
Speaking alongside Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte in Kyiv, Zelensky added that it was only a question of time for Ukraine to increase the scale of such strikes.
Jane Dalton3 June 2026 15:24
Foreign Office condemns ‘grave escalation’ of violation of Nato airspace
“Injuring innocent civilians on Nato territory is unacceptable and a stark reminder of the threat that Ukrainian civilians are having to endure on a daily basis.”
A senior FCDO official strongly condemned the “grave escalation”.
“Russia continues to show blatant disregard for civilian life, firing hundreds of drones and missiles into Ukraine and threatening its near neighbours,” the spokesperson said.
“Recent warnings for diplomats to leave Kyiv were irresponsible and unjustified.
“The UK stands firmly with Ukraine, Romania and all of our Nato Allies and we will defend every inch of Nato territory.”
Jane Dalton3 June 2026 15:13
Russian ambassador summoned over Nato airspace breach
Breaking news: Russia’s ambassador to the UK Andrei Kelin has been summoned to the Foreign Office after a drone violated Nato airspace and struck a building in Romania last week.
Jane Dalton3 June 2026 15:06
Preview: Putin’s ‘Russian Davos’ under attack from Ukrainian drones
Growth will be in focus during the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum this week, which runs from June 3 to 6.
The investment forum has been described as Putin’s ‘Russian Davos’ and will bring together leaders from around the world as the Kremlin looks to stoke Russia’s war-weary economy.
Putin is to deliver his keynote speech on Friday at a session also to be attended by presidents of Uzbekistan and Tanzania, and China’s vice president, the schedule shows.
Some of the most prominent guests this year are from Saudi Arabia, including energy minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman.
An eclectic group of Americans, including ex-Hollywood star Steven Seagal and right-wing influencer Candace Owens, are due to attend
Rodney Mims Cook Jr, named by President Donald Trump to head the Commission of Fine Arts overseeing his White House ballroom, is the first serving U.S. official to attend since 2018, according to the Kremlin.
James Reynolds3 June 2026 15:01
Recap: Vladimir Putin warned that cost of Ukraine war is ‘unsustainable’
Vladimir Putin has been warned that he cannot afford to sustain his war in Ukraine at the current pace, as Kyiv continues to tally frontline wins and devastate energy infrastructure deep inside Russia.
Top finance officials and Russia’s central bank are said to have urged the Kremlin to rein in spiralling defence spending, as both sides ramp up costly aerial attacks on vital infrastructure.
Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said on Tuesday that Moscow is “losing on the battlefield” and “has no cards except terror”, despite a major blitz of cities across Ukraine overnight that killed at least 22 people.
James Reynolds3 June 2026 14:00