A series of overnight missile and drone strikes on Kharkiv killed at least three people and injured over a dozen, the city’s mayor said.
Ukraine’s second city was targeted by nearly 50 drones, two missiles and four guided bombs, mayor Ihor Terekho said on Saturday, adding that nearly two dozen people were injured.
“Kharkiv is currently experiencing the most powerful attack since the start of the full-scale war,” Mr Terekhov said on the Telegram app.
Rescue workers continued to look for people who might be trapped under rubble.
The strikes on Kharkiv came amid a massive missile and drone attack on Ukraine involving 452 projectiles, including 407 drones, the Ukrainian Air Force said.
The attack targeted nearly 20 locations across the country, including Lviv, Ternopil, Kharkiv, and the capital Kyiv, damaging civilian and energy infrastructure.
This was reportedly the second-largest overnight aerial assault on Ukraine since the war began. The largest such Russian attack to date on 31 May involved 479 drones and missiles.
The latest attack came barely hours after US president Donald Trump warned that Vladimir Putin’s response to Ukraine’s recent drone strikes on Russian airbases “will not be pretty”.
Kyiv launched a series of drone strikes on Russian airbases last weekend, dubbed Operation Spiderweb, damaging or destroying several warplanes.
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Key Points
- Toll from Russia's overnight attack in Kharkiv rises to 3
- Areas hit by Russia's second-largest overnight missile and drone strikes
- More than 400 drones and 40 missiles fired at Ukraine overnight - Zelensky
- Kremlin bristles at Trump suggesting Ukraine and Russia are 'fighting kids'
Russia's 2026 goals far beyond Moscow's territorial demands
09:30
,
Vishwam Sankaran
A map revealed by a senior Ukrainian official about the Russian military suggests Moscow intends to seize the whole of Ukraine on the east bank of the Dnipro River by the end of next year.
This includes capturing the rest of unoccupied parts of Ukraine, including the Zaporizhia Oblast, all of Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, and Poltava oblasts as well as half of Kyiv and Dnipropetrovsk oblasts.
Moscow's goal would require Russia to advance over 300 km (about 190 miles) from the furthest point of the international border to Kyiv City within the next 18 months, according to the ISW.
Russia will have to seize nine unoccupied oblast capitals, including Zaporizhzhia, Odesa, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Dnipro, Kharkiv, Sumy, Chernihiv, and Poltava cities, with a pre-war population of over 5.6 million people.
Russia lowers bank interest rates for first time since 2022
09:00
,
Vishwam Sankaran
Russia's central bank announced that it had lowered its key interest rate from an over two-decade high of 21 per cent to 20 per cent.
This is the first time Moscow has lowered interest rates since September 2022.
The step was likely taken due to increased pressure from Kremlin to project economic stability.
There is already rising tension between Kremlin officials and the Central Bank over Russia's compounding economic constraints.
While the Kremlin claims Russia's inflation rate hovered around nine to 10 percent, the actual figure could be closer to 20 percent as of March 2025, experts said.
The latest move to reduce interest rate further could drive further economic instability and contribute to elevated levels of inflation, they said.
Ukraine testing special 'interceptor drones' to counter Russian offensive
08:30
,
Vishwam Sankaran
Ukraine is reportedly innovating and expanding its air defence by testing new drones that intercept other strike drones.
Ukrainian forces have downed over 160 drones over Kyiv since February 2024 using these interceptor drones, according to the Institute for the Study of War.
Russia is attempting to overwhelm Ukraine's air defence to inflict maximum damage and combat Kyiv's drone and counter-drone capabilities.
Areas hit by Russia's second-largest overnight missile and drone strikes
08:00
,
Vishwam Sankaran
Russia launched 452 projectiles yesterday, including 407 drones from Kursk and Oryol cities, according to the Ukrainian Air Force.
The strikes hit 19 locations, including civilian and energy infrastructure in Kyiv, Lviv, Ternopil, Chernihiv, and Kremenchuk cities.
In Kyiv, Volyn, Sumy, Poltava, Khmelnytskyi, and Cherkasy oblasts were hit, according to the air force.
The strikes killed at least three civilians in Kyiv alone, with the overall toll across all Ukrainian cities rising to 7.
This is notably the second-largest overnight strike in Ukraine by Russian forces using drones and missiles since the start of the war.
It comes after Moscow's overnight attack between 31 May and 1 June when it launched 479 total drones and missiles towards Ukraine.
Recap: Everything that happened so far on Friday
07:30
,
Bryony Gooch
- At least four people and over 40 injured in a massive aerial attack from Moscow, which targeted almost all of Ukraine.
- Russia fired over 400 drones and more than 40 missiles in the attack.
- The Kremlin said the strike was in response to Ukrainian “terrorist acts” against Russia.
- Ukraine’s national police has said investigators are documenting “the war crimes of the terrorist state” of Russia after three rescuers died in the attack.
- Kyiv completed its own drown attack on an industrial enterprise in the southern city of Engels, according to a regional governor in Russia, Roman Busargin.
- Busargin said a high-rise apartment block was also hit, but there were no casualties.
- Ukraine also reportedly destroed an Mi-8 military helicopter in a strike on Bryansk airport.
Toll from Russia's overnight attack rises to 3 in Kharkiv
07:00
,
Vishwam Sankaran
Russia's overnight attack on Kharkiv has killed three and injured over a dozen people, the area's mayor Ihor Terekhov said.
Moscow attacked the Ukrainian city on Friday with drones, missiles, and KAB guided bombs, killing at least three people and injuring 17, according to officials.
City's mayor said at least 40 explosions were recorded across the city during the attack by nearly 50 drones, two missiles, and four guided aerial bombs.
Rescue workers are looking for those injured and trapped under rubble.
Zelensky hopes to meet with Trump at G7 in Canada
06:40
,
Vishwam Sankaran
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky hopes to meet with his American counterpart Donald Trump at the G7 summit to take place in Alberta, Canada, from 15 to 17 June 15 to 17.
Ukrainian officials recently visited Washington to arrange for the meeting between the two leaders, according to Andriy Yermak, head of the presidential office.
The trip followed Zelensky's statement that Ukraine "wants to buy" weapons the US.
"This is what the agreement is about – no gifts," Zelensky said.
Canada is hosting the 2025 #G7 Summit in Kananaskis, Alberta! #FunFact: Canada has hosted the Summit six times to date. The 2025 Leaders’ Summit will mark our seventh time as host!
— Canada (@Canada) June 4, 2025
Want to learn more about the G7? ➡️ @G7Canada#G7Canada #G7Kananaskis2025 #G7Kananaskis pic.twitter.com/QCJ1X73Cqx
Turkey, meanwhile, said it planned to facilitate a meeting between the leaders of Russia and Ukraine.
"I had a conversation with President Erdoğan of Turkey. And indeed, he sent a signal, asking how I would feel about a meeting of four leaders: himself, the President of the United States, Putin, and me," Zelensky said.
Russia planning to seize 'half of Ukraine' by 2026, Ukrainian official says
06:10
,
Vishwam Sankaran
Moscow is planning to seize half of Ukraine by the end of 2026, according to a senior Ukrainian official.
However, it is unlikely to succeed as the flow of Western aid to Ukraine continues, according to Ukrainian Presidential Office deputy head Colonel Pavlo Palisa.
The Ukrainian official said Russia is likely seeking to create a buffer zone along the northern Ukrainian-Russian border by 2025 end.
He added that Russia seems intent on occupying the whole of eastern Ukraine by the end of 2026.
A map presented by the deputy head colonel suggests Russia plans to seize about 222,700 additional square kilometres of Ukrainian territory by the end of 2026.
Moscow can provide Musk political asylum if needed, Russian official says
05:45
,
Vishwam Sankaran
Russia is ready to provide political asylum to Tesla titan Elon Musk if needed amid his ongoing public spat with American president Donald Trump, according to Dmitry Novikov, deputy chair of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs.
"He [Musk] won't need political asylum, although if he did, Russia could certainly provide it," Novikov told Russia's state-run TASS news agency.
Musk, a key figure in Trump's campaign and early administration, has been feuding openly with Trump over his "Big Beautiful Bill" tax proposal that could expand the US deficit by $600 billion.
The Tesla boss has earned support from Russian officials.
Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, hinted as a joke that he would broker peace between Musk and Trump in exchange for Starlink shares.
Trump trying to soften Senate's call for Russia sanctions
05:15
,
Vishwam Sankaran
The White House appears to be attempting to persuade Senator Lindsay Graham to soften his bipartisan bill calling for more sanctions against Russia.
The sanctions bill introduced by Mr Graham and Senate Democrat Richard Blumenthal on 1 April called for a 500 per cent tariff rate on all countries still purchasing Russian oil, according to the Wall Street Journal.
White House officials have sought Mr Graham to tone down the regulation, the WSJ added.
New sanctions would be in play only when it became clear that peace talks were not moving forward, the American president said, adding that any such move would apply to both Ukraine and Russia.
"It takes two to tango," Mr Trump said.
Trump reluctant to call out China for Russia support, report says
04:45
,
Vishwam Sankaran
US president Donald Trump is reportedly holding back from confronting China over its support for Russia amid its invasion of Ukraine.
Trump is instead prioritising US-China relationship at the moment, Bloomberg reported, citing anonymous officials privy to the matter.
The Trump administration has reportedly lowered the Ukraine-Russia war on its list of foreign policy priorities, focusing instead on resolving bilateral issues with China.
The US president is currently prioritising issues like tariffs, technology restrictions, and rare earths in talks with China, according to Bloomberg.
Trump seems to justify Russia's latest assault on Ukrainian cities
04:15
,
Vishwam Sankaran
US president Donald Trump appeared to justify Russia's attack on Ukrainian cities following Kyiv's Operation Spiderweb drone strikes on Russian territory.
“They gave Putin a reason to go in and bomb the hell out of them last night," Trump told reporters yesterday.
"That's the thing I don't like about it. When I saw it I said 'here we go now it's going to be a strike,' the US president said.
Russia's missile and drone attack on Friday targeted Kyiv and major Ukrainian cities as well as the country's far-west.
As of now, over 80 people are presumed killed by Russia's attack, according to Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky.
Watch: Ukraine blows up bridge linking Russia and Crimea
03:00
,
Bryony Gooch
In pictures: Residents exit apartment buildings damaged by a Russian drone strike
02:00
,
Bryony Gooch
Kremlin criticises Trump comment comparing war to fight between kids
01:00
,
Bryony Gooch
The Kremlin has responded to comments from US president Donald Trump in which he compared Ukraine and Russia’s war to a fight between children.
They said “for us this is existential” and added their latest strikes are a response to actions of the “terrorist regime” in Kyiv.
Trump compared the war to a sports brawl, saying: “Sometimes you’re better off letting them fight for a while and then pulling them apart.”
“You see it in hockey, you see it in sports.”
Watch: Attack on Russian nuclear bombers captured in new Ukraine drone footage
Friday 6 June 2025 23:00
,
Bryony Gooch
Russian officials mock Musk-Trump feud
Friday 6 June 2025 21:00
,
Bryony Gooch
Russian officials have taken to mocking Donald Trump’s feud with Elon Musk.
"Elon, don't be upset!" nationalist senator Dmitry Rogozin, who once ran Russia's space programme, wrote on Musk's X social media site. "If you encounter insurmountable problems in the US, come to us. Here you will find reliable comrades and complete freedom of technical creativity."
Dmitry Medvedev, a senior security official and former president, posted: "We are ready to facilitate the conclusion of a peace deal between D and E for a reasonable fee and to accept Starlink shares as payment. Don't fight, guys!"
The public feud between the U.S. president and the world's richest man was an easy target for Russian politicians who have a history of gloating over perceived turmoil in Washington.
Margarita Simonyan, one of Russia's most powerful state media executives, mocked it as an example of "modern US political culture" -- "Sort of like the English Industrial Revolution. Only in reverse."
Kirill Dmitriev, head of Russia's sovereign wealth fund, who has in the past tried to interest Musk in cooperating with Russia on flights to Mars, asked on X: "Why can't we all just get along?" He then asked Grok, X's AI chatbot, how Musk and Trump could reconcile.
Recap: Everything that's happened so far on Friday
Friday 6 June 2025 19:00
,
Bryony Gooch
- At least four people and over 40 injured in a massive aerial attack from Moscow, which targeted almost all of Ukraine.
- Russia fired over 400 drones and more than 40 missiles in the attack.
- The Kremlin said the strike was in response to Ukrainian “terrorist acts” against Russia.
- Ukraine’s national police has said investigators are documenting “the war crimes of the terrorist state” of Russia after three rescuers died in the attack.
- Kyiv completed its own drown attack on an industrial enterprise in the southern city of Engels, according to a regional governor in Russia, Roman Busargin.
- Busargin said a high-rise apartment block was also hit, but there were no casualties.
- Ukraine also reportedly destroed an Mi-8 military helicopter in a strike on Bryansk airport.
Russian ambassador blames UK in part for Ukraine’s drone attacks
Friday 6 June 2025 18:00
,
Bryony Gooch
Russia’s ambassador to the UK has partly blamed Britain for Ukraine’s recent drone attacks.
The British Council has meanwhile been barred from returning to Russia, as tensions between Moscow and the West continue to deepen.
Andrei Kelin, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s man in London, warned that Kyiv was escalating the conflict with its recent attacks in an interview with Sky News.
He pointed to Operation Spider’s Web, the mass covert drone attack which struck long-range bomber planes at four airbases deep within Russian territory.
Putin’s desperate struggle to replace nuclear-capable bombers lost in Ukraine drone strikes
Friday 6 June 2025 17:00
,
Daniel Keane
Western military aviation experts suggest it will take Russia years to replace the nuclear-capable bomber planes damaged in recent Ukrainian drone strikes.
These attacks have placed additional strain on Russia’s already delayed modernisation programme.
Satellite imagery of airfields in Siberia and Russia’s far north reveals significant damage, with several aircraft completely destroyed. While reports vary, U.S. officials estimate that up to 20 warplanes were hit, with approximately 10 destroyed.
This figure is about half the number estimated by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
Read our full story below.
Watch: Huge fire seen at Russian oil depot after reported Ukrainian drone strike
Friday 6 June 2025 16:00
,
Bryony Gooch
Mapped: Russia and Ukraine trade major air strikes
Friday 6 June 2025 15:39
,
Bryony Gooch
British foreign secretary speaks out against Russia's latest strike
Friday 6 June 2025 15:00
,
Bryony Gooch
Foreign secretary David Lammy has spoken out after Russia’s latest bombardment of Ukraine.
“Yet again, Putin is attacking cities, homes, and civilians”, he said on X. “These are not military targets but barbaric acts. Among those killed were members of the State Emergency Services who were working tirelessly to save and protect lives.”
Yet again, Putin is attacking cities, homes, and civilians. These are not military targets but barbaric acts.
— David Lammy (@DavidLammy) June 6, 2025
Among those killed were members of the State Emergency Services who were working tirelessly to save and protect lives.
Russian tycoon warns now is 'the best time to strike back' against Ukraine as Washington is distracted
Friday 6 June 2025 14:44
,
Bryony Gooch
Hardline Russian nationalist tycoon Konstantin Malofeyev has said there is benefit from the Musk-Trump feud, as it distracts Moscow from the war in Ukraine.
"We can just be glad that they won't have time for us," said Malofeyev, who said it was now "the best time to strike back" against Ukraine.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, when asked about the clash, said it was an internal matter for the US, though he was confident that Trump would handle it.
In pictures: Kyiv homes hit in Russia attack
Friday 6 June 2025 14:12
,
Bryony Gooch
Russia confirms use of long range weapons in latest attack
Friday 6 June 2025 14:01
,
Bryony Gooch
The Russian military has said in a statement that it had used long-range weapons to strike Ukraine.
"In response to terrorist acts by the Kyiv regime, the Russian Armed Forces carried out a massive strike overnight with long-range air, sea and land-based precision weapons," the Ministry of Defence said.
It said the strike had targeted "Ukrainian design bureaus, enterprises for the production and repair of weapons and military equipment, assembly workshops for strike drones, flight training centres, and Ukrainian armed forces weapons and military equipment depots."
"The objective of the strike was achieved. All designated targets were hit."
Watch: Attack on Russian nuclear bombers captured in new Ukraine drone footage
Friday 6 June 2025 13:27
,
Bryony Gooch
Crimean bridge attack and Operation Spiderweb show Zelensky has a fist full of wild cards against Russia
Friday 6 June 2025 13:12
,
Bryony Gooch
Ukraine kept its latest attacks on Russia secret from America but its spectacular success shows it can win the war against Putin, writes world affairs editor Sam Kiley.
Trump secretly admired Ukraine’s ‘badass’ drone attack – but worries it’ll make Russia ceasefire harder
Friday 6 June 2025 12:31
,
Bryony Gooch
President Donald Trump once accused Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky of lacking “cards” to play in his country’s years-long fight against Russia, but now he’s paying far more attention to what might be in Zelensky’s hands.
In the wake of Ukraine’s brazen, and successful, attack on multiple Russian air bases over the weekend, Trump was reportedly left marveling at the ingenuity and sheer chutzpah of Kyiv’s counteroffensive using dozens of armed drones launched from trucks traveling deep inside Russia, swarming over military airfields across the country and raining down onto nuclear-capable long-range bombers.
According to Axios, Trump has privately described it as “strong” and “badass.”
Andrew Feinberg, White House Correspondent, reports:
Attack on Russian nuclear bombers captured in new Ukraine drone footage
Friday 6 June 2025 12:43
,
Bryony Gooch
Ukraine's major drone strike on four Russian military airbases was captured in new footage released on Wednesday (4 June).
Video released by Ukraine's security service showed multiple large aircraft, some of which appeared to be Tu-95 strategic bombers, alight after the strikes.
Ukraine said its forces hit 41 military aircraft using 117 drones in Sunday's (1 June) attack on Russian airfields.
Donald Trump said on Wednesday he had a "good conversation" with Vladimir Putin, as the US president reported that his Russian counterpart told him Russia "will have to respond to the recent attack on the airfields."
Holly Patrick reports:
Analysis: Kremlin 'smarting' over Trump comments
Friday 6 June 2025 12:18
,
Daniel Keane
The Kremlin is smarting. For the last four months Donald Trump was relied upon to parrot the words of Vladimir Putin and reliably take Russia’s side in largely performative negotiations to bring a ceasefire to the churning battlefields of Ukraine, writes our World Affairs Editor Sam Kiley.
Now, Dmitry Peskov, has peevishly hit back at the American president, who said that both Ukraine and Russia were behaving “like kids fighting in a park”.
A petulant Peskov, who is his master’s voice, insisted that the conflict was an “existential question” for Russia and "a question of our security and the future of ourselves and our children, the future of our country”.
He is absolutely right. But not for the reasons he might give.
Trump has endorsed the Russian invasion of Ukraine as an inevitable result of the loss of Russian control over the former Soviet state and its drift towards joining Nato.
For Putin the loss of Ukraine when the Soviet Union broke up was a devastating blow as it was the intellectual heart of the Soviet empire, its biggest breadbasket, and most important colony. If only it were not so full of Ukrainians.
But the real reason for a full-scale invasion is that Ukraine is a democracy heading towards full integration with the European union, Nato membership, with an economy ridding itself of the kleptocracy he has entrenched in his own nation.
Ukraine offers Russians an alternative vision of the future. It is an existential threat to Putin’s authoritarian oligarchy. That’s why Putin is an existential threat to Ukraine, and its neighbours.
Kremlin criticises Trump comment comparing war to fight between kids
Friday 6 June 2025 11:10
,
Bryony Gooch
The Kremlin has hit back at jibes from US president Donald Trump in which he compared Ukraine and Russia’s war to a fight between children.
They said “for us this is existential” and added their latest strikes are a response to actions of the “terrorist regime” in Kyiv.
Trump compared the war to a sports brawl, saying: “Sometimes you’re better off letting them fight for a while and then pulling them apart.”
“You see it in hockey, you see it in sports.”
In pictures: Firefighters tackle blaze following air strike
Friday 6 June 2025 11:01
,
Bryony Gooch
Mapped: Russia and Ukraine's trade blows in major air strikes
Friday 6 June 2025 10:42
,
Bryony Gooch
Russia 'targeted almost all of Ukraine', says Zelensky
Friday 6 June 2025 10:18
,
Bryony Gooch
Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Russia “targeted almost all of Ukraine” in a massive attack on the country which has injured almost 50 people so far.
The president said on social media: “Russia doesn’t change its stripes – another massive strike on cities and ordinary life. They targeted almost all of Ukraine – Volyn, Lviv, Ternopil, Kyiv, Sumy, Poltava, Khmelnytskyi, Cherkasy, and Chernihiv regions. Some of the missiles and drones were shot down.
“I thank our warriors for their defense. But unfortunately, not all were intercepted. In total, over 400 drones and more than 40 missiles – including ballistic missiles – were used in today’s attack. 49 people were wounded.”
Watch: Huge fire seen at Russian oil depot after reported Ukrainian drone strike
Friday 6 June 2025 10:01
,
Bryony Gooch
Kyiv under major drone attack after Putin threatened response to Ukrainian strikes in Russia
Friday 6 June 2025 09:42
,
Alex Croft
Kyiv has been bombarded with drones shortly after Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened to respond to a massive Ukrainian attack in Russia.
Ukraine’s Air Force reported on Telegram that Russia had launched ballistic missiles and drones into the war-torn country early on Friday, per CNN.
A Telegram post from the air force warned, “Several Tu-95MS strategic bombers are in the air. They allegedly launched cruise missiles!”
CNN reported that Tymur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv City Military Administration, said that there were reports of fires in buildings across Kyiv, and that a high-rise in the Solomyansky district was damaged.
Full report:
Ukraine strikes Russian airfields and fuel reservoirs, military says
Friday 6 June 2025 09:18
,
Alex Croft
Ukraine's general staff said it struck Russian airfields in Saratov and Ryazan regions, in addition to fuel reservoirs, during an overnight attack on Friday.
"The Ukrainian Defence Forces launched a preemptive strike. On the eve of the massive enemy attack, enemy airfields and other important military facilities were hit," the Ukrainian military said in a statement on the Telegram messaging app.
It comes after Ukrainian attacks on Russian airfields sparked fury in Moscow, with Kyiv claiming that 41 bombers were destroyed in the stunning strikes.
More than 400 drones and 40 missiles fired at Ukraine overnight, Zelensky says
Friday 6 June 2025 08:55
,
Alex Croft
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky called on the US, Europe and other countries to ramp up pressure on Russia after it launched more than 400 drones and 40 missiles in attacks on Ukraine on Friday.
"If someone is not applying pressure and is giving the war more time to take lives that is complicity and accountability. We must act decisively," he wrote on X.
“In total, over 400 drones and more than 40 missiles – including ballistic missiles – were used in today’s attack. 4
