Ukraine-Russia war latest: Two killed after Putin’s forces launch massive drone strike on Kharkiv

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At least two people were killed and 57 injured in a massive Russian drone attack on Kharkiv overnight, Ukrainian officials said on Wednesday.

According to Kharkiv mayor Igor Terekhov, “seventeen strikes by enemy UAVs were carried out in two districts of the city this night”.

A five-storey building caught fire, with over 15 apartments burning, and several houses were struck as well.

Mr Terekhov warned that people could still be trapped under the rubble.

Separately, Russian forces launched a devastating five-hour drone assault on Kyiv on Tuesday in one of the largest attacks of the war on the capital so far.

“Every night, instead of a ceasefire, there have been massive strikes with Shaheds, cruise missiles and ballistics. Today was one of the largest strikes on Kyiv. Odesa, the Dnipro region and Chernihiv region were also targeted,” he said.

Seven children among 57 injured in Kharkiv attack

A nine-minute Russian drone strike on Kharkiv killed at least two people and injured 57, among them seven children, overnight, regional officials reported on Wednesday.

The barrage of 17 drones ignited fires in 15 units of a five-storey apartment building and caused widespread damage across the city, which lies near the Russian border.

Kharkiv mayor Ihor Terekhov said the strikes directly hit apartment blocks, private homes, playgrounds, businesses, and public transport.

“Apartments are burning, roofs are destroyed, cars are burnt, windows are broken,” he wrote on Telegram.

Emergency crews were seen rescuing residents, providing medical aid, and battling fires in the dark, according to a Reuters witness.

Nine of the injured, including a two-year-old girl and a 15-year-old boy, were hospitalised, regional governor Oleh Sinehubov said.

The attack also damaged a city trolley bus depot and multiple residential buildings.

Women react next to their apartment building damaged by a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kharkiv, Ukraine June 11, 2025

Russia has not commented on the strikes.

Kharkiv, in northeastern Ukraine, repelled a Russian ground advance early in the war but continues to face regular drone, missile, and aerial bomb attacks.

Maroosha Muzaffar11 June 2025 07:00

US to cut military aid to Ukraine, Hegseth says

US defence secretary Pete Hegseth has confirmed that the upcoming defence budget will reduce military aid to Ukraine, reflecting a major shift in US policy under president Donald Trump.

Mr Hegseth said the administration now favours a negotiated settlement to the conflict over continued military support for Ukraine.

The aid cuts come as Russia intensifies attacks on Ukrainian cities and advances towards new regions.

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, the US has provided over $66bn in aid to Ukraine.

“It is a reduction in this budget,” Mr Hegseth told lawmakers. “This administration takes a very different view of that conflict. We believe that a negotiated peaceful settlement is in the best interest of both parties and our nation’s interests, especially with all the competing interests around the globe.”

Maroosha Muzaffar11 June 2025 06:30

Cathedral described as ‘the soul of all Ukraine’ damaged in Russian attack

A Russian attack has damaged Saint Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv, a UNESCO world heritage site and one of Ukraine's most significant monuments, according to Ukraine's culture minister.

Mykola Tochytskyi announced on Facebook that the overnight attack struck "at the very heart of our identity again". He called the 11th-century cathedral "the soul of all Ukraine" and a shrine that "survived for centuries".

"Saint Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv, a shrine which survived for centuries and symbolises the birth of our statehood, was damaged," he said.

He added that the blast wave damaged the cornice on the main apse of the landmark. Video from the scene showed pieces of white plaster crumbled to the ground.

This is the first time since the start of the war that the cathedral has been damaged, first deputy director general of the site Vadym Kyrylenko told reporters.

2 killed in overnight drone attacks on Kharkiv

A Russian drone attack on Kharkiv overnight killed at least two people and injured 54.

Mayor Igor Terekhov reported 17 strikes across two districts, causing fires in a five-storey building with over 15 apartments affected.

Several houses were also hit, and there are fears people may be trapped under the rubble.

Maroosha Muzaffar11 June 2025 05:18

Russia has been ready to return dead Ukrainian soldiers 'for several days' - Kremlin

Russia has been ready to return the bodies of Ukrainian soldiers killed in the war “for several days”, the Kremlin has claimed.

Moscow and Kyiv are still in talks on the subject, the Kremlin said

On Saturday Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky said the Russian side had shown up at the agreed exchange point with the bodies of 1,212 Ukrainian dead soldiers only to find nobody from Ukraine to take them.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky accused Moscow of "trying to play some kind of dirty political and information game" around the issue of the exchanges.

The exchange was agreed during a second round of direct peace talks in Istanbul on June 2. The Kremlin said it did not yet know exactly how many bodies of Russian soldiers Ukraine was ready to hand over.

Alex Croft11 June 2025 05:00

Zelensky calls on Western allies to cut price cap on Russian oil

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky is urging Western allies to cut the price cap on Russian oil from $60 to $30 per barrel to increase pressure on Moscow to seek peace.

This comes amid a sharp escalation in Russian attacks on Ukraine, including a major aerial assault on Kyiv.

While the EU has proposed lowering the cap to $45 as part of its latest sanctions, Mr Zelensky called that a “compromise price” and insisted that stronger economic measures are needed to curb Russia’s war efforts.

“Russia’s ability to continue the war is equal to its ability to sell its oil and bypass financial barriers,” the president said.

“That is why it is necessary ... to do everything possible to keep the price of Russian oil lower than they can withstand. Each of the partners knows what price cap is needed — $30, no higher. Such a price level will mean real pressure on Russia – they should be forced to seek peace.”

He added: “Enough compromises with Russia. Every such compromise is a postponement of peace. We are asking for a real reduction in the price of Russian oil, which would bring us closer to ending the war.”

“It is vital that there is no silence in response to the Russian escalation, and it is obvious that there is an escalation,” he said.

“Russia has been steadily increasing the number of lethal weapons in strikes for months now.”

Maroosha Muzaffar11 June 2025 04:30

Russian jet suspected of violating Finnish airspace, defence ministry says

A Russian military aircraft allegedly violated Finland’s airspace on 10 June, the country’s defence ministry said in a statement.

“The investigation into the suspect’s airspace breach has been launched immediately,” Finnish defence minister Antti Hakkanen said.

The ministry added the “Border Guard is investigating the case and will provide more information as the investigation progresses”.

The alleged airspace violation occurred near the city of Porvoo, about 50km east of Helsinki.

On 22 May, two Russian aircraft violated Finnish airspace, while the day prior, Polish fighter jets intercepted a Russian Su-24 bomber in international airspace over the Baltic Sea.

Maroosha Muzaffar11 June 2025 04:05

Poland's new president says Russia is country's 'greatest threat'

Poland’s newly elected president Karol Nawrocki has warned that Russia is the “biggest threat” his country faces, as he expressed a desire to meet with Hungary’s Viktor Orban, who is perhaps the European leader most closely aligned with Vladimir Putin.

It was not yet clear what Mr Nawrocki’s policy on Ukraine would be, but he reiterated that he opposed Kyiv’s plans to join the European Union.

However, Poland supports Ukraine strategically, because “the greatest threat to me, as an anti-communist, and in my opinion to the entire region, is the Russian Federation”, he said.

Mr Nawrocki claimed that “Ukraine must also understand that other countries – including Poland, Hungary, and other European nations – have interests of their own.”

And in his first foreign interview, given to a Hungarian magazine Mandiner, Mr Nawrocki said that Budapest is a “very important partner for Poland”, adding: “We are facing serious tasks, such as building the Visegrad Group, which will be an important format for me, as well as strengthening Nato’s eastern flank and the Bucharest Nine.”

He added: “I certainly wish to meet prime minister Viktor Orban, who is a very effective politician, as proven by his repeated election results in Hungary. And I count on good cooperation with him, just as with other countries, in the interest of the region.”

Mr Orban said on Friday that Mr Nawrocki’s victory was “fantastically good”, hailing the success of an ally of US president Donald Trump.

Alex Croft11 June 2025 01:00

Ukraine maternity hospital hit in deadly Russian drone strikes

A Ukraine maternity hospital has been hit after Russia launched a deadly wave of drones and missiles in an attack on Odesa early Tuesday morning (10 June).

At least two people were killed and nine injured in the attack with the maternity hospital and residential buildings in the centre of the southern port city damaged, regional Gov. Oleh Kiper said.

The fresh attacks came hours after Moscow launched almost 500 drones at Ukraine in the biggest overnight drone bombardment in the three-year war.

Ukrainian and Western officials have been anticipating a Russian response to Ukraine's audacious June 1 drone attack on distant Russian air bases.

Read more here:

Ukraine maternity hospital hit in deadly Russian drone strikes

A Ukraine maternity hospital has been hit after Russia launched a deadly wave of drones and missiles in an attack on Odesa early Tuesday morning (10 June). At least two people were killed and nine injured in the attack with the maternity hospital and residential buildings in the centre of the southern port city damaged, regional Gov. Oleh Kiper said. The fresh attacks came hours after Moscow launched almost 500 drones at Ukraine in the biggest overnight drone bombardment in the three-year war. Ukrainian and Western officials have been anticipating a Russian response to Ukraine's audacious June 1 drone attack on distant Russian air bases.

Alex Croft11 June 2025 00:00