07:02, Mon, Jun 2, 2025 | UPDATED: 07:02, Mon, Jun 2, 2025
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Volodymr Zelensky took to X to hail strikes on Russia (Image: X)
Ukraine’s President has declared that a secret drone strike on more than 40 Russian bomber aircraft “will undoubtedly be in history books”. Volodymyr Zelensky said the audacious cross-border operation was launched from inside Russia using drones hidden in flat-pack huts and operated remotely off trucks.
In a further blow to the Kremlin, the Ukrainian “office” behind the mission was located next to a building run by the Russian FSB. Mr Zelensky said: “Our people were operating in different Russian regions – in three time zones. “And our people were withdrawn from the territory of Russia on the eve of the operation, and now they are safe.”
Explosions overnight caused two bridges to collapse and derailed two trains in Russia’s Bryansk and Kursk regions near the Ukrainian border, officials said Sunday without specifying the cause.
The collapse of a bridge in Bryansk crushed a passenger train, killing seven people including the driver and injuring dozens.
Hours later, a freight train derailed in Kursk after the bridge beneath it fell, sparking a fire but causing no casualties.
Russia’s Investigative Committee initially attributed the collapses to explosions but later removed that detail and said it is investigating the incidents as possible terrorism.
Ukrainian military intelligence claimed a Russian military freight train carrying supplies to Crimea was destroyed but did not directly link itself to the bridge collapses.
Asian markets slumped on Monday amid renewed trade tensions and escalating conflict in Ukraine, with Hong Kong’s Hang Seng dropping 2.2% after a sharp exchange between Beijing and Washington over tariffs.
US President Donald Trump’s decision to double tariffs on steel and aluminium to 50% rattled investors already uneasy over global instability.
Oil prices surged after OPEC+ announced a third consecutive monthly production increase, with Brent crude rising to $64.19 per barrel.
Meanwhile, a dramatic Ukrainian drone strike reportedly destroyed more than 40 Russian aircraft deep inside Russia, just hours before new peace talks in Istanbul.
Russia’s economy is edging closer to crisis as analysts warn of growing risks in the banking sector, faltering growth, and suspended dividend payouts, it has been claimed.
The Kremlin-linked Centre for Macroeconomic Analysis and Short-Term Forecasting (CMASF) has flagged a rising threat of a “systemic banking crisis” involving bank runs, bad loans, or major recapitalisations. While none of these triggers have materialised yet, the CMASF said the risk level is escalating, with increased volatility on the Moscow Exchange seen as a warning sign.
Liquidity pressures are mounting across the sector, with experts warning of potential “cash gaps” as the money supply struggles to keep up with demand.
Despite the economy’s earlier resilience under sanctions, President Vladimir Putin’s war spending is now fuelling inflation and labour shortages, raising fresh fears of a deeper collapse.
Drone attack which targets Russian bombers 'will go down in history'
Ukraine’s President has declared that a secret drone strike on more than 40 Russian bomber aircraft “will undoubtedly be in history books”.
Volodymyr Zelensky said the audacious cross-border operation was launched from inside Russia using drones hidden in flat-pack huts and operated remotely off trucks.
In a further blow to the Kremlin, the Ukrainian “office” behind the mission was located next to a building run by the Russian FSB.
Mr Zelensky said: “Our people were operating in different Russian regions – in three time zones.
“And our people were withdrawn from the territory of Russia on the eve of the operation, and now they are safe.”
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