Secret Ukraine operation 'hits bridge linking Crimea to Russia with 1,100kg of explosives' in dawn attack
The latest Russian attacks on Ukraine came just hours after delegations from the two countries met in Turkey for peace talks where Moscow said it would only agree to end the war if Kyiv gives up big new chunks of territory and accepts limits on the size of its army.
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Slovak parliament urges government to oppose new Russia sanctions
Slovakia's parliament passed a resolution on June 5 urging the government to oppose any new international sanctions or trade restrictions against Russia, citing alleged negative economic impacts, Slovak news outlet Noviny reported. The non-binding resolution argues that the sanctions imposed in response to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine have driven up energy prices, disrupted supply chains, and harmed Slovak industry. The resolution calls on government ministers to 'defend national economic interests' in international forums and resist further punitive measures targeting Moscow. The motion was introduced by the far-right Slovak National Party (SNS) and passed with the support of 51 of the 76 lawmakers present. All SNS deputies backed the measure, along with most members of Prime Minister Robert Fico's left-wing Smer-SD party, several from the coalition partner Hlas-SD, and some independents. Only one Hlas-SD lawmaker, Jan Ferencak, voted against the resolution; 23 others from the same party abstained. Opposition lawmakers boycotted the vote entirely. While Fico's Smer party has drawn criticism for its increasingly pro-Russian rhetoric, the SNS promotes a "pan-Slavic brotherhood" narrative that aligns closely with Kremlin talking points. The resolution does not carry legal force but sends a political signal that could complicate Brussels' efforts to maintain consensus on sanctions. EU foreign policy decisions, including sanctions, require unanimous approval by all member states. A Slovak veto could force concessions or delay enforcement in future rounds. Since taking office in 2023, Fico has reversed Slovakia's previous pro-Ukraine policy, ending military aid to Kyiv and questioning the value of EU sanctions on Russia. The EU's sanctions regime currently targets over 2,400 Russian individuals and entities involved in the war, as well as key sectors of the Russian economy, including energy, finance, defense, and technology. Read also: Hiding in plain sight — how Russia's cultural centers continue to operate in US, Europe despite espionage claims We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
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Exclusive-Ukraine hits out at Europe's payout from frozen Russian cash
By Tom Balmforth and John O'Donnell KYIV/BRUSSELS (Reuters) -Ukraine's government has criticised a decision to take billions of euros of Russian wealth frozen in Europe and hand it to Western investors, warning that it weakened Europe's stand against Moscow. The criticism follows a move last month by Belgium's Euroclear to take 3 billion euros ($3.4 billion) of Russian investor cash held at the clearing firm to pay Westerners who lost out when Moscow seized their money held in Russia. Now Ukraine has warned that it sends a wrong signal and threatens to weaken Europe's hand when dealing with Russia, while it debates using the entire $300 billion of Russian wealth stranded in Europe to rebuild and defend the battered country. "If private investors are compensated before the victims of war, it won't be justice," said Iryna Mudra, a senior official in Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's office, in Kyiv's first public comments on the move. "It creates a perception of inconsistency, of Europe wavering in its resolve," Mudra, a deputy head of Ukraine's presidential administration, told Reuters. "International law requires that the aggressor is to make full reparation to the victim and not to investors who ... entered a high-risk jurisdiction," said Mudra, who is in charge of legal affairs in Zelenskiy's administration. The criticism comes at a critical time for the Western alliance backing Kyiv, with U.S. President Donald Trump's administration distancing itself from Europe and casting doubt over its commitment to Ukraine's defence and Russian sanctions. Mudra, one of a small circle of officials that set policy, also stressed the importance of maintaining control of the frozen Russian assets, which chiefly belong to its central bank with the majority held at Euroclear. The central bank assets were frozen at the outset of war in the single most powerful sanction directed at Russia over its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, a penalty that is deeply resented in Moscow. Euroclear in March gained clearance from Belgium, its principal legal authority, to make the payout, people familiar with the matter have told Reuters, after the European Union changed its sanctions regime last year to make this possible. A spokesperson for the Belgian government said: "This is not a Belgian decision but the application of a European regulation decided unanimously by the member states." Euroclear has emphasised that it only implements sanctions and does not take decisions about lifting them. 'MIND BOGGLING' Three Russian sources recently told Reuters that Russian President Vladimir Putin's conditions for ending the war include the resolution of the frozen assets issue. Ukraine, meanwhile, is campaigning fiercely against any return of the money to Moscow. Euroclear alone held 195 billion euros of cash in March - mainly Russian central bank funds, with some belonging to Russian investors. "If it is returned to Russia, it will be converted into tanks, missiles, drones, training of new troops," said Ukraine's Mudra. "The world ... must demonstrate that unlawful war brings irreversible financial consequences." Some see the frozen Russian wealth as a lifeline for Kyiv. In the past, the West has engineered loans and payments to Ukraine from the interest on the stranded Russian stockpile, which Putin denounced as theft. Ukrainian officials fear the Euroclear payout, even though it does not affect the central bank money, could undermine their efforts to secure an agreement on using the wider pool of Russian assets to help their country. Mykola Yurlov, an official at Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said the payout set a bad precedent, while Kira Rudik, a Ukrainian parliamentarian, was also critical. "Western companies were operating in Russia at their own risk. Why are these companies basically asking their societies to compensate for this risk?" Rudik told Reuters. "We need this money to rebuild and defend Ukraine." Last month's move also drew criticism abroad. "It is mind boggling that the priority is to reimburse corporate interests rather than spend the money defending Ukraine," said Jacob Kirkegaard, a sanctions expert with the Peterson Institute for International Economics, a Washington-based think tank. While the payout to investors left frozen Russian central bank reserves untouched, it made a dent in the stockpile of Russian wealth that gives the EU leverage over Moscow. More importantly for critics, it sets a worrying precedent. European Union leaders are expected to renew sanctions, including a freeze of Russian assets, at a summit meeting in June, although they could yet face an attempt by Hungary to derail those efforts.
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15 minutes ago
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Opinion - Ukraine takes the war to Russia — have the nukes launched yet?
If you believe Russia's apologists, then Ukraine, hot off bold strikes on military airfields spanning Russia and the Kerch Strait Bridge in Crimea, is recklessly risking giving Russian President Vladimir Putin a reason to go nuclear. The notion is utter nonsense. Ukraine, by taking the war to Russia, is just embracing a U.S. Army saying: 'Keep on keeping on.' Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is not provoking World War III but defending his country by striking legitimate Russian targets and weapons systems. In doing so, Zelensky is reminding the West that Ukraine remains resilient. They are not losing; they are very much still in the game. As Clifford D. May, founder and president of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies described the situation, 'Those who have been saying Putin is winning are wrong. The Ukrainians are holding their own, even though the support they've been receiving from the United States and other free nations has been woefully insufficient.' Ukraine keeps on keeping on. Adversity brings that out of you. This was evident early in the war when Zelensky refused to be evacuated from Kyiv by the U.S., instead stating, 'The fight is here; I need ammunition, not a ride.' Despite Vice President J.D. Vance and President Trump's public chiding of Zelensky in February, telling him 'you don't have the cards,' he did have them. He had been holding them close to the vest for nearly a year. On Sunday, Zelensky's special operators delivered two stunning blows to the Kremlin. Ukrainian attack drones, concealed in Russian cargo trucks, destroyed 34 percent of the Russian strategic bomber fleet stationed at four airbases: Belaya, Olenya, Dyagilevo, and Ivanovo. All of these were launch sites for cruise missile attacks against Ukrainian cities. Then on Tuesday, the Security Service of Ukraine announced it had struck the Russian Kerch Strait Bridge, which connects Crimea to Russia's Krasnodar Krai region. 'The underwater supports of the piers were severely damaged at the bottom level — 1,100 kg of explosives in TNT equivalent contributed to this,' the service announced. 'In fact, the bridge is in a state of emergency.' The bridge has since reopened, but the message was delivered and received. Zelensky has no intention of capitulating to the Kremlin. Nor is Ukraine going to allow Russia's nuclear bluffing to deter it. Team Trump needs to be sending the same message and not leaving Europe to go it alone. On Tuesday, the Pentagon abruptly announced that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth would neither attend nor remotely participate in the 57-member Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting in Brussels. The group has collectively provided Ukraine with over $126 billion in weapons and military assistance, including $66.5 billion from the U.S. Then later on Tuesday, retired U.S. Army Lt. Gen. and Special Envoy Keith Kellogg fell back on familiar language and concerns of nuclear escalation stating, 'I'm telling you the risk levels are going way up. When you attack an opponent's part of their national survival system, which is their nuclear triad, that means your risk level goes up because you don't know what the other side's going to do.' But Ukraine did not strike Russia's nuclear triad or threaten their national survival. They struck a cruise missile delivery system that was deliberately targeting Ukrainian civilians from airfields deep within the Russian interior where Putin thought they were secure. Why is it that when Russia attacks Ukraine's 'national survival system' that Kyiv cannot strike back? Ukraine entrusted its 'national survival system' to the signatories of the Budapest Memorandum in 1994 when they gave up their nuclear weapons. Russia attacked their vulnerability, Ukraine responded in kind. Russia found out 'what the other side was going to do' and now the Kremlin is crying foul. Hopefully, Trump pushed back against Moscow's nuclear bluffing during his Wednesday telephone call with Putin. Russia continues to attack while Ukraine continues to defend their country. Innovation, ingenuity, and the guts to try are leveling the playing field much to Putin's displeasure. This war cannot be contained to just within the Ukrainian borders. The Biden administration already tried that with HIMARS munitions. Sanctuary only affords opportunity for the Kremlin despite Ukraine always finding a way to overcome adversity. As the White House militarily distances itself from Ukraine and the European theater in favor of the Indo-Pacific theater, Europe is rallying to the Ukrainian cause under the leadership of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. London and Brussels understand Ukraine is only the tip of the iceberg and that more robust investment in their defense is critical to their security. As Former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates cautioned, 'My own view, having dealt with him and having spent most of my life working on Russia and the Soviet Union, is Putin feels that he has a destiny to recreate the Russian Empire… As my old mentor, Zbigniew Brzezinski once said, without Ukraine, there can be no Russian Empire.' Last week, retired U.S. Army Gen. David Petraeus warned that Putin will invade a NATO country if he is successful in Ukraine. He went on to say that Russia could launch an incursion into a Baltic state — Lithuania being most at risk — to test Western resolve or as a precursor to a wider Russian offensive. Last month, Russian forces began to reoccupy and fortify military bases along the border with NATO member Finland. The Zapad-2025 joint military exercise with Belarus and Russia is a potential rehearsal for an invasion scenario in the Suwałki Gap — a 40 mile wide stretch of border between Poland and Lithuania that separates Russian-controlled Kaliningrad from Belarus. If Russia were to occupy the gap, it would divide and isolate the Baltic States from NATO. Germany recognized the threat, and deployed a tank brigade to Lithuania in May. Russia is not interested in a peaceful outcome in Ukraine. On Tuesday, deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council Dmitry Medvedev wrote on Telegram that the point of holding peace talks with Ukraine was to ensure a swift and complete Russian victory. 'Our Army is pushing forward and will continue to advance,' he wrote. 'Everything that needs to be blown up will be blown up, and those who must be eliminated will be.' Zelensky and his army are in the way of Putin's desired destiny. Europe is finally coming around to recognizing that fact. No amount of Russian whining and bluffing about Ukraine provoking a nuclear war should stop London and Brussels from ensuring Zelensky soundly defeats Putin in Ukraine. Col. (Ret.) Jonathan Sweet served 30 years as an Army intelligence officer. Mark Toth writes on national security and foreign policy. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
