The Kremlin has used the recent train derailments in Russia to reiterate long-standing claims that Ukraine is an illegitimate negotiating partner and is not interested in peace, thereby diverting attention from its own lack of interest in an agreement.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on June 4 held a meeting with members of the Russian government and discussed the collapse of two railway bridges in the Kursk and Bryansk regions on May 31.
This is reported by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
The head of Russia's Investigative Committee, Alexander Bastrykin, said during the meeting that Ukrainian special services "without a doubt" carried out an operation to demolish railway bridges in the Kursk and Bryansk regions on May 31, but did not provide any concrete evidence.
Putin claimed that the train derailments confirmed that the "now illegitimate" Ukrainian government, which had previously "seized power", was "gradually degenerating into a terrorist organization". Putin questioned whether Russia could negotiate with "terrorists" and why it should agree to Ukraine's proposed 30-day or longer ceasefires. He claimed that Ukraine would use the ceasefires to prepare "other terrorist acts".
Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said that Putin later emphasized the alleged "terrorism" of Ukraine during a June 4 phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump.
The Kremlin is likely linking its messaging around the train derailments and Ukraine's alleged perpetuation of "terrorism" to distract from Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev's June 3 statement that Russia needed the Istanbul talks to lead to "a quick victory for Russia and the complete destruction" of the Ukrainian government, rather than a "compromise peace on someone's deluded terms."
Putin also used his June 4 phone call with Trump to further misrepresent Ukraine as an illegitimate negotiating partner with no interest in peace. Ushakov said Putin spoke with Trump about the May 31 train derailments in Russia, the June 1 Ukrainian strikes on Russian military bases, and the June 2 Ukrainian-Russian talks in Istanbul.
Putin has been telling Trump that Ukraine is responsible for the train derailments. Ushakov said Russia "did not give in" and attended the talks in Istanbul despite Ukraine's "provocations." Putin's statements to Trump are likely also aimed at distracting attention from his own disinterest in Russia's negotiations and ongoing preparations for a prolonged military effort to avoid possible future U.S. sanctions by portraying Ukraine as a bad player.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky continues to express Ukraine's readiness to negotiate with Russia to establish a just and lasting peace. Zelensky said on June 4 that the Ukrainian delegation in Istanbul had not received a response to the ceasefire proposal it had presented during Ukrainian-Russian talks on June 2.
Zelensky also suggested that Ukraine and Russia implement a comprehensive ceasefire until the Russian president meets with him to demonstrate a mutual commitment to de-escalation.
Zelensky said that Ukraine was ready to negotiate any day and that Russia could choose the location for the talks.
Ukrainian and Western officials and open-source analysts continue to clarify the battlefield damage caused by "Operation "Cobweb" on June 1. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) released new footage on June 4. They show first-person view (FPV) drones striking A-50 airborne early warning and control (AWACS) aircraft, Tu-95 and Tu-160 strategic bombers, Tu-22 supersonic bombers, An-12 transport aircraft, and Il-78 refueling tanks at Belaya air base in Irkutsk region; Olenya air base in Murmansk region; Diaghilev air base in Ryazan region; and Ivanovo air base in Ivanovo region. Some of the clips in the video show burning aircraft. The SBU said Ukrainian drones hit 41 Russian aircraft. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and the SBU said Russia would not be able to recover half of the aircraft for years.
A senior NATO official told the Ukrainian news outlet "Suspilne" that Operation "Payazhina" damaged 40 Russian aircraft and destroyed up to 13 others.
The official also said that Russia could respond to the loss of its strategic bombers, which Russia has been using to launch cruise missiles against Ukraine, by adjusting strike packages to include more drones and ballistic missiles and fewer cruise missiles. Russian opposition publication "Meduza" quoted a NATO official as saying that Russian forces had previously used the destroyed aircraft to launch over 3,000 cruise missiles, hitting critical infrastructure and civilian targets in Ukraine since February 2022.
Satellite imagery from Maxar collected on June 4 shows that Ukrainian drone strikes destroyed at least two Tu-22 bombers and three Tu-95 bombers at Belaya airbase (see embedded images below). Ukrainian open-source intelligence (OSINT) group AviVector released satellite imagery on June 4 showing that Ukrainian drones had destroyed four Tu-95MS bombers and one An-12 transport aircraft at Olenya airbase.
AviVector estimated that Ukrainian forces had destroyed seven Tu-95MS bombers, four Tu-22M3 bombers, and one An-12 transport aircraft, and possibly damaged a Tu-95MS bomber at Olenya and Belaya airbases.