As Russian and Ukrainian delegations prepare to meet in Istanbul for a fresh round of peace talks on Monday, both sides have sharply escalated military operations, with a dramatic surge in drone attacks, a major sabotage incident on Russian soil, and a bold Ukrainian strike deep in Siberia.
On Sunday, Ukraine launched one of its most ambitious long-range operations of the war, targeting a military airbase in Siberia housing nuclear-capable bombers. A Ukrainian intelligence official said 40 aircraft were hit in the assault, which was reportedly in planning for over a year and personally overseen by President Volodymyr Zelensky. The operation, code-named “Spider’s Web,” marks the first known Ukrainian strike more than 4,000 kilometers from the front lines.
Smoke rises above the area following what local authorities called a drone attack on a military unit in the Sredny settlement, in the course of Russia-Ukraine conflict in the Usolsky district of the Irkutsk region, Russia, in this still image from a video published June 1, 2025. Governor of Irkutsk Region Igor Kobzev via Telegram/Handout via REUTERS
Meanwhile, Russia launched a record-breaking 472 drones across Ukrainian territory overnight—its largest single wave of drone strikes since the invasion began—alongside seven missile attacks, according to Ukraine’s air force.
Emergency service members work at the site where Russian drones damaged several private houses, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, June 1, 2025. REUTERS/Thomas Peter
In a separate development, Russian officials said a highway bridge in the Bryansk region was blown up late Saturday night as a passenger train carrying nearly 400 people to Moscow passed underneath. The explosion killed at least seven people and injured 69, according to local authorities. No group has claimed responsibility.
A views shows a damaged freight train at the scene following a railway bridge collapse in the Kursk region, Russia, in this picture published June 1, 2025. Acting Governor of Kursk Region Alexander Khinshtein via Telegram/Handout via REUTERS
Specialists of emergency services gather near a destroyed carriage at the scene, after a road bridge collapsed onto railway tracks derailing an approaching train in the Bryansk region, Russia, June 1, 2025. REUTERS/Stringer
Russia also claims to have made territorial gains in Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy region. According to open-source maps cited by pro-Ukrainian analysts, Russian forces captured 450 square kilometers of land in May, the fastest monthly advance in over half a year.
The latest military escalation comes just hours ahead of direct negotiations in Istanbul—the second such meeting since President Vladimir Putin proposed new talks earlier this year. Despite uncertainty over Ukraine’s participation, President Zelensky confirmed that Defence Minister Rustem Umerov will lead Kyiv’s delegation, with a mandate to push for a “complete and unconditional ceasefire.”
Moscow has also dispatched its negotiating team, according to Russian state media. The first round of talks, held two weeks ago in Istanbul, led to a significant prisoner swap but failed to yield any concrete steps toward ending the war, now in its third year.
