Ukraine claims explosive attack on Russia's bridge to Crimea

Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of the late Russian opposition leader  Alexei Navalny, and Reporters Without Borders, have launched a television channel that aims to bypass censorship in Russia and preserve the Kremlin critic's legacy.

The new channel, called "Russia's Future" will be broadcast via a free-to-air satellite platform run by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), a press freedom advocacy group.

"There is full censorship in Russia, and under a dictatorship it is very difficult to spread information. We try to do our best on YouTube but the Kremlin often tries to block it, and it is very important to us to spread visibility ... I think it will be a long collaboration," Navalnaya said in a statement.

"We think it's really important that we are able to reach the Russian population as much as we can," RSF head Thibaut Bruttin said.

The channel will launch on Wednesday, June 4, via the Svoboda Satellite package. That is the day Navalny would have turned 49.

The Svoboda Satellite platform, launched by RSF, provides free-to-air broadcasting of independent Russian-language TV channels to audiences in Russia and beyond.

Alexei Navalny, once seen as the most prominent opponent of Russian President Vladimir Putin,  died under mysterious circumstances in an Arctic penal colony on February 16, 2024.

His relatives, friends and colleagues say he was murdered at the behest of Putin.

The head of the UN's nuclear safety watchdog said that the conditions for restarting Ukraine's Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant do not currently exist due to a lack of water for cooling and an absence of a stable power supply.

In an interview with Reuters in Kyiv, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said water would need to be pumped from the Dnipro River to restart the plant, which is currently shut down.

Grossi said the Russians have "never hidden the fact" that they want to restart the plant. However, they will not be able to do so anytime soon.

"We are not in a situation of imminent restart of the plant. Far from that; it would take quite some time before that can be done," he said.

Moreover, according to the IAEA chief, before the plant's machinery, which has been inoperable for three years, can be restarted, it must undergo a thorough inspection.

The nuclear plant, located in Ukraine's southern Zaporizhzhia region, was occupied by Russia in March 2022 shortly after the country launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The Ukrainian representative to the United Nations, Andrii Melnyk, has told DW that he is hopeful new UN General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock will be able to use new position to bring an end to the war.

"Her record as a foreign minister, personally contributing to the support of Ukraine, also saw Germany as the second biggest, ally of Ukraine in this war," Melnyk told DW.

"I am confident that Annalena Baerbock will pursue the goal of consolidating democratic forces [in Ukraine], strengthening the United Nations, but also helping Ukraine to defend our independence."

Russia has repeatedly vetoed UN Security Council resolutions to condemn the it attempt to annex parts of Ukraine. However, Melnyk is hopeful that with Baerbock at the helm, she could help ensure the UN charter is upheld.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine has been invited to a NATO summit that will take place in The Hague, Netherlands, from June 24 to 26.

The agenda is expected to focus on Russia's invasion of Ukraine and US President Donald Trump's calls for alliance members to increase defense spending.

"We were invited to the NATO summit. I think this is important," Zelenskyy said Monday after holding a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Lithuania. 

Last week, Zelenskyy said that if Ukraine is not present at the NATO summit, "it will be a victory for Putin, but not over Ukraine, but over NATO."

A day after Moscow again rejected Kyiv's call for an unconditional ceasefire at negotiations in Istanbul, Russia said it was wrong to expect a quick breakthrough in Ukraine talks.

 "The settlement issue is extremely complex and involves a large number of nuances," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, adding that "it would be wrong to expect immediate solutions and breakthroughs."

On Monday, the two sides agreed to a large-scale prisoner exchange and exchanged their roadmaps to peace, also known as "memorandums."

According to the document handed to the Ukrainians and published by Russian state media, Moscow demanded that Ukraine pull its troops out of four eastern and southern regions that Moscow claims to have annexed as a precondition to pausing its offensive.

Kyiv had pressed for a full and unconditional ceasefire. Instead, Russia offered a partial truce of two to three days in some areas along the front line.

Peskov dismissed the idea of a summit between the presidents of Russia, Ukraine, and the United States. "In the near future, it is unlikely," Peskov said, adding that such a summit could only happen after Russian and Ukrainian negotiators reach an "agreement."

Three people were killed and 25 others, including children, were injured in Ukraine's northeastern Sumy, in a Russian artillery attack, according to statements from the city council and the health ministry.

"Eight of the wounded are in serious condition, and three of them are children," the ministry said in a statement.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the assault underscored that Moscow has no intentions of halting the three-year war. 

"The Russians brutally struck Sumy — directly targeting the city, ordinary streets — with rocket artillery," Zelenskyy said.

"That's all you need to know about Russia's 'desire' to end this war," the Ukrainian president wrote in a post on Telegram.

Meanwhile, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that its troops had seized control of Andriivka in the Sumy region as its troops continues to advance.

Ukraine has not yet confirmed losing the settlement, which is located more than 20 kilometers from the regional capital of Sumy.

Ukraine has claimed responsibility for an underwater bombing of the Crimean Bridge, saying it carried out a "unique special operation" against the structure linking  illegally annexed Crimea to Russia.

The SBU, Ukraine's security service said it had detonated more than 1,000 kilograms (about 200 pounds) of explosives attached to one of the bridge's underwater pillars — marking what it described as the third successful strike on the bridge since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in 2022.

Footage released by the SBU showed an underwater blast sending debris into the air, along with a still image showing apparent damage to the side of the bridge. However, the extent of the damage remains unclear.

Russian state media said the bridge was closed to traffic for about four hours earlier on Tuesday.

Kyiv has consistently called the 19-kilometer (12-mile) bridge a legitimate military target, arguing it plays a key role in Russia’s troop and equipment movements.

After direct talks between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul failed to produce a breakthrough on Monday, Russia continued attacks on Ukraine.

Russian artillery struck Sumy, a northeastern Ukrainian city, killing three people as Russian troops continued their advance in the border region.

Meanwhile, Ukraine's SBU claims it has damaged the foundations of the Kerch Bridge using more than a metric ton of explosives in an underwater operation planned months in advance.

It's the third such strike since 2022, with the SBU saying the bridge is now in "emergency condition."

Traffic was halted for three hours early Tuesday but has since reopened, according to Russian officials.

DW provides the latest news, analysis, and insights from our reporters and correspondents covering  Russia's ongoing full-scale invasion of Ukraine.