Wednesday Briefing: Staggering casualties in Ukraine
Good morning. We're covering Russia's staggering casualties in Ukraine and Lee Jae-myung's election victory in South Korea. Plus, it's Pride Month.
Troop casualties in Ukraine near 1.4 million, a study foundNearly 1 million Russian troops have been killed or wounded in the war in Ukraine, according to a study released yesterday. Roughly 400,000 Ukrainian troops were also estimated to have been killed or wounded, bringing the total casualties of the three-year conflict to a staggering 1.4 million. The Center for Strategic and International Studies, a U.S.-based think tank that compiled the study, cautioned that casualty figures were difficult to estimate. But the tally still presents an accounting of the grinding conflict. Russia's territorial gains have been slower than even the bogged-down and costly Somme advance of British and French troops in World War I, the study said. Since January 2024, Russia has seized less than 1 percent of Ukrainian territory. On the battlefield: Kyiv said its troops struck the Crimean bridge yesterday for the third time. Over the weekend, remotely operated Ukrainian drones emerged from hiding inside Russia and began attacking airfields. These videos show what happened.
The U.S. proposed new terms in nuclear talks with IranPresident Trump's envoy to the Middle East crafted a potential nuclear arrangement with Iran that was handed over to Tehran last weekend. Under the terms of the proposal, Iran would continue to enrich uranium at low levels, suitable for nuclear power plants but not for bombs, while the U.S. and other countries work out a more detailed plan to eventually block Iran's path to a nuclear weapon. The proposal amounts to a bridge between the current situation, in which Iran is rapidly producing near-bomb-grade uranium, and the U.S.'s goal of Iran enriching no uranium at all on its soil. It is the first concrete indication since Trump took office that the U.S. and Iran might be able to find a path to compromise. Officials in Tehran said that a response would come in several days.
Lee Jae-myung was elected president of South KoreaLee Jae-myung is expected to be sworn in today as South Korea's new president after his victory in an election that capped months of political turmoil. Lee's Democratic Party controls the National Assembly with a large majority, which makes him one of South Korea's most powerful presidents in decades. Here are our latest updates. The new president faces daunting challenges. He will have to find a way to fix the sputtering economy and negotiate with Trump on tariffs. His government will also have to navigate tensions between the U.S. and China. Critics worry that he could use his power for political revenge. Here's where Lee stands on key issues.
Trade
Since the 1950s, the U.S. has been an international mecca for science. Now, American science finds itself fighting on several fronts as the Trump administration cuts budgets and seals borders. "This is scientific heaven," a professor at Harvard said. "Or it used to be." Lives lived: Shigeo Nagashima, Japan's most celebrated baseball player of the 1960s and '70s, died at 89.
A travel guide in time for PridePride Month is here, and we're highlighting L.G.B.T.Q. culture in movies and books. One of those books: Lonely Planet, the behemoth of budget-travel guides, released its first guide focused entirely on L.G.B.T.Q. tourists, a coffee-table book that explores more than 50 queer-friendly destinations. "I was writing it as though it was to a friend," Alicia Valenski, the author, told my colleague Steven Moity. Read the interview, and check out our lists of L.G.B.T.Q. fantasy novels and horror movies.
Cook: Brighten up your day with this extra-green pasta salad. Read: "Flashlight," by Susan Choi, tells a story of exile in its multiple forms. Watch: A Chinese martial arts movie is among this month's picks of international movies to stream. Focus: Can you spend 10 minutes pondering a surreal painting by Gertrude Abercrombie? Listen: Tracks from Lorde and Miley Cyrus featuring Brittany Howard are on our pop critics' new playlist. Consider: When it comes to climate and the environment, some cooking oils are a cut above. Here's what to know. Play: Spelling Bee, the Mini Crossword, Wordle and Sudoku. Find all our games here. That's it for today. See you tomorrow. — Dan P.S. For Day 2 of the creativity challenge, write a poem. We welcome your feedback. Send us your suggestions at briefing@nytimes.com.
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