Hungarian media reports that former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán personally ordered the seizure of two Oschadbank vans carrying about $80 million in cash and 9 kg of gold from Austria through Hungary to Ukraine during his failing anti-Ukraine election campaign. The operation was overseen by the Prime Minister's office controlling intelligence services. Current Prime Minister Péter Magyar condemned the act and has pledged to investigate Orbán's authoritarian system, including setting up a parliamentary committee. Hungarian authorities are investigating the unlawful detention of seven Ukrainians, and charges were dropped after the election.

Japanese Councillor Shigefumi Matsuzawa of the Japan Innovation Party called on the ruling coalition to export Patriot PAC-3 interceptor missiles to Ukraine, citing extraordinary circumstances under Japan's revised defense-export law. Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi stated the government is not currently considering such transfers. The issue is expected to be discussed at the upcoming G7 summit, as Ukraine faces intensified Russian ballistic missile strikes and seeks additional air defense capabilities.

Energoatom's acting CEO Pavlo Kovtoniuk reported that some power units at the Khmelnytskyi and Rivne nuclear power plants have been returned to operation after planned preventive and mid-cycle repairs, which are ahead of schedule. Maintenance continues at the South Ukraine Nuclear Power Plant, and the overall repair campaign is expected to last until October to ensure stable electricity generation during the war.

Background: Ukrainian drone strikes on fuel supply routes to occupied Crimea caused severe gasoline shortages, with 80% of stations unable to sell standard fuel. The crisis has escalated beyond Crimea: Russia has expanded gasoline rationing to St. Petersburg, Belgorod, Kursk, and occupied Luhansk, with caps of 20–50 liters per customer and restrictions on jerry-can sales. In Crimea, queues stretch up to three kilometers and a shadow market has emerged, with private cars allowed to bring 100 liters each onto the peninsula for resale. Ukrainian drones have struck Russian refineries 38 times since January 2026, knocking out roughly 40% of primary refining capacity. Moscow has extended its gasoline export ban through July 31, capped aviation fuel exports from June 1, and ramped up imports from Belarus to 300,000 tons per month. Wholesale prices have risen over 20% since January. The crisis coincides with Russia's first nominal cut to its national defense budget line, from 13.5 trillion to 12.6 trillion rubles for 2026.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky presided over the reburial of Andriy Melnyk, a 20th-century Ukrainian nationalist leader who collaborated with Nazi Germany and participated in the Holocaust. The ceremony, held in Kyiv on May 25, was attended by senior officials including former President Viktor Yushchenko and parliamentary speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk. Zelensky called Melnyk a 'great Ukrainian figure,' marking a shift in his previously cautious approach to sensitive historical issues. The move has drawn criticism from Israel and Poland, given Melnyk's role in the OUN and collaboration with the Nazis.

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) assessed that Russia's June 2 mass strike on Ukraine was part of a pattern aimed at inflicting maximum civilian casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure, despite Kremlin claims of retaliation for a Ukrainian strike on a Russian facility in Starobilsk. ISW concluded that Putin is using such strikes to break Ukraine's will to fight and disguise his inability to secure Russian territory from Ukrainian deep strikes.

On 3 June, a Russian drone struck a residential building in the Mykolaivka rural hromada of Sumy Oblast, killing a 64-year-old man and injuring his 84-year-old mother. The attack was described by local authorities as a targeted strike on a civilian home. The injured woman is receiving medical care. This incident adds to the ongoing pattern of Russian drone attacks on civilian infrastructure in the region.

Background: Ukrainian forces launched a coordinated overnight drone campaign on May 30-31, striking the Saratov oil refinery, the Lazarevo oil-pumping station in Kirov Oblast, and a fuel depot in Rostov Oblast. On the night of May 31, Ukraine's Navy confirmed a Neptune coastal missile strike on the Novoshakhtinsk oil refinery in Russia's Rostov region, disabling two atmospheric-vacuum crude oil distillation units (each with a processing capacity of up to 2.5 million tons of oil per year) and petroleum product storage facilities. The refinery is a key fuel supplier for Russian military forces.

The Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant temporarily lost its only remaining external power line after a drone strike on the Nikopolska substation, forcing emergency diesel generators to power safety systems for about 20 minutes. This marks the 17th such outage since the invasion began. IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi warned of constant nuclear safety risks. Russia blamed Ukraine, which denied responsibility.

Russian forces launched multiple drone strikes on Kharkiv, hitting the Kholodnohirskiy and Osnovianskiy districts. One woman was killed and seven people were injured. Fires broke out, and a house, pumping station, and vehicles were damaged. Separately, a drone strike on a farm in Rokytne, Kharkiv region, killed two civilians and injured three others, causing fires at a private house, hay storage, and an outbuilding.

Russian forces shelled the village of Pryozerne in Kherson Oblast on 3 June, killing a 54-year-old man and a 51-year-old woman, and injuring another woman. Ukrainian prosecutors have opened a war crime investigation into the attack, which hit a residential house.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called for calm in historical disputes with Poland, warning that escalation benefits neither side and plays into Russia's hands. He noted progress in restoring constructive dialogue, including unblocking exhumations and reburials, and urged focusing on countering the common Russian threat. The statement follows Poland's condemnation of Ukraine's decision to honor the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) heroes in a military unit name. Sybiha emphasized that the naming had no anti-Polish intent and that Ukrainian military personnel deserve respect for defending Europe against Russian aggression.

Ukrainian tennis player Marta Kostyuk defeated fellow Ukrainian Elina Svitolina to reach her first Grand Slam semifinal at the French Open on June 3, 2026. In post-match remarks, she criticized Russian players for remaining silent about Russia's war in Ukraine, stating their inaction over four years has made clear their position. She contrasted them with Daria Kasatkina, who changed nationality to Australia and spoke out. Kostyuk dedicated her victory to the Ukrainian people after another wave of Russian strikes on Kyiv.

Russian forces attacked a gas station in the Zaporizhzhia district and then deliberately struck again with a drone while firefighters were extinguishing the fire. The drone hit a fire truck, but rescuers took cover and no casualties were reported. The attack is part of a broader pattern of 948 strikes on 41 settlements in the region on June 2, killing one and injuring three.

Russian forces attacked the Kharkiv region over the past day, injuring 11 civilians in Kharkiv city and several villages. Strikes used Iskander-M missiles, Geran-2 drones, Lancet drones, Molniya drones, FPV drones, and other unidentified UAVs, damaging civilian enterprises, railway infrastructure, houses, power lines, and a stadium. A transit evacuation center in Lozova received 217 people. This marks a continued pattern of Russian aerial assaults on civilian areas in Ukraine.

Background: On May 29, Russian airstrikes damaged houses in Malotaranivka and killed one civilian in Druzhkivka, with cumulative casualties at 4,089 killed and 9,528 injured. On June 2, Russian forces killed one civilian in Druzhkivka and injured another in Dobropillia, raising the cumulative toll to 4,094 killed and 9,554 injured (excluding Mariupol and Volnovakha).

On June 3, a Russian drone attack on civilian infrastructure in Ukraine's Odesa region injured two men, aged 20 and 36. A cargo truck and service building at a parking facility were damaged. One victim was hospitalized. Emergency services and law enforcement are documenting the incident.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha stated that Russia's massive overnight attack killing dozens is a sign of its battlefield losses. He urged Western allies to act, not just condemn, calling for more Patriot systems, sanctions, and use of frozen Russian assets.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to attend the G7 summit in Évian-les-Bains, France from June 15-17. He will press for more air defense systems, particularly Patriot interceptors, and discuss energy resilience, financial support, and sanctions against Russia. The summit comes as Ukrainian cities face repeated large-scale Russian aerial attacks, underscoring Kyiv's argument that only sustained pressure and stronger defenses can force Moscow toward a durable peace.

On June 3, Russian forces struck the residential area of Kramatorsk in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, killing three civilians and injuring four others. The attacks occurred at 16:13, with munitions landing near apartment blocks. A search-and-rescue operation is ongoing, and the Donetsk Oblast Prosecutor's Office is investigating the type of weapon used. This incident adds to the ongoing civilian toll from Russian bombardments in the Donetsk region.

Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) has charged Major General Mykola Varpakhovych and Colonel Oleh Skytskyi, senior commanders of Russia's 22nd Heavy Bomber Aviation Division, for ordering a 23 April 2022 cruise missile strike on Odesa. The attack, carried out by Tu-95 bombers launching Kh-101 missiles from over the Caspian Sea, struck the Tiras residential complex and a city cemetery, killing eight people including journalist Valeria Hlodan, her three-month-old daughter, and her mother. The charges, filed in absentia, allege violation of the laws and customs of war combined with premeditated murder, carrying penalties of up to 15 years or life imprisonment. This case expands Ukraine's war-crimes docket and contributes to international evidence pools, including potential ICC warrants.