One person has died and 14 people left wounded after a Russian drone attack hit several high-rise apartment blocks in the Ukrainian port city of Odesa.
Footage showed emergency services battling fires at one apartment block as they rushed to rescue civilians. They reported at least 10 drone strikes overnight.
Odesa governor Oleh Kiper said there was damage to residential buildings, a higher education institution, a gas pipeline and private cars. Ukrainian state railways Ukrzaliznytsia reported that Odesa railway station was damaged during the attack, with power wires and rails damaged.
Ukraine’s air force said Russia fired a total of 86 drones at Ukraine in its latest aerial attack, 70 of which were either shot down or lost. Officials in Ukraine’s northeast city of Kharkiv also reported damage.
Ukrainian politicians urged Kyiv’s western supporters to put more pressure on Russia to agree to a ceasefire in light of the latest attacks.
“With no meaningful consequences, Russia feels free to escalate. Every delay, every diluted sanction, every excuse for inaction is taken in Moscow as permission,” economics minister Yulia Svyrydenko wrote on X, sharing footage of the attack in Odesa.
Moscow’s defence ministry, meanwhile, claimed that Ukraine fired 61 drones at targets across Russia.
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Key Points
- Multiple killed and wounded in Russian attack on Odesa
- 'Russia on the verge of recession,' Putin's economy minister warns
- Russian envoy to UK accidentally admits massive battlefield losses
- Ukraine's nuclear plant cannot restart during war, says UN nuclear watchdog
- Zelensky announces new commander of Ukraine's land forces
Tried and tested in war: For European drone manufacturers, Ukraine is the place to be
09:00
,
Tom Watling
About once a month, French drone manufacturer Henri Seydoux makes what has become a necessary pilgrimage for many in his business — he goes to Ukraine.
Because for drone technology, there is no harder place to survive than the frontlines of the war against Russia’s invasion, where both sides are using unmanned aerial machines of all shapes and sizes to kill and to observe, reshaping modern warfare.
At least six people, including 12-year-old, injured in Ukraine's Kharkiv
08:38
While footage continues to come out from Ukraine’s port city of Odesa following a large Russian drone attack, we bring you news from Kharkiv, where there have been additional casualties.
The northeastern Ukrainian region, which borders Russia, is one of the most frequently bombed areas of the country. Its eponymously named capital is also home to some 1.3 million Ukrainians, making it the second largest city in the country behind Kyiv.
Local officials said Russia launched at least eight strikes overnight on the region, injuring three people, including a 12-year-old and 17-year-old girl, in the city. At least six apartment blocks were damaged.
Another three people were injured in villages outside the city but within the region.
Olena Zelenska: Russia is turning our nights into a nightmare
08:19
,
Tom Watling
Olena Zelenska, the wife of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, has accused Russia of “turning our nights into nightmares” with the latest aerial attacks.
Russia has ramped up its assaults on Ukraine in recent weeks, even as Vladimir Putin has repeated claims he is interested in ending the war.
Moscow says it is only striking military targets but footage last night showed civilians fleeing a residential apartment block after drones damaged the property and caused fires.
“Russia is deliberately turning each of our nights into a nightmare, trying to break our spirit. But Ukraine will persevere,” Ms Zelenska wrote on X.
“The future belongs to those who save, rebuild, and never give up.”
Odesa and the Kharkiv region endured another terrifying night: drone attacks, explosions, fires, and, tragically, injured and killed civilians. Russia is deliberately turning each of our nights into a nightmare, trying to break our spirit. But Ukraine will persevere. The future…
— Olena Zelenska / Олена Зеленська (@ZelenskaUA) June 20, 2025
Putin sends warning to Germany over Ukraine supplies: ‘Serious damage’
08:03
,
Tom Watling
Mapped: Russia's invasion of Ukraine
07:48
,
Tom Watling
Below we have a map of the frontline in Ukraine after more than three years of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
Russia downs two drones that tried to attack Moscow, mayor says
07:37
,
Tom Watling
Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on Friday that air defence systems had downed two drones en route to Russia's capital.
He posted twice on Telegram, first at 4.55am GMT and secondly at 6.07am, claiming two separate attacks.
He said emergency services were working at the site of the fallen debris.
Earlier, Moscow’s defence ministry claimed that Ukraine fired 61 drones at targets across Russia overnight.
In pictures: Russian drone attack hits high-rise in Odesa
07:31
,
Tom Watling
Earlier, we told that you an overnight Russian drone attack on the Ukrainian port city of Odesa had killed at least one person and left 14 more wounded.
The Russian attack hit several high-rise apartment blocks, setting them on fire.
Below, you can see pictures from the scene.
Russia fires 86 drones at Ukraine overnight
07:20
,
Tom Watling
Ukraine's air force said on Friday that Russia had launched 86 drones on Ukraine overnight.
The military noted its air defence units shot down 34 drones while another 36 drones were lost - in reference to the Ukrainian military using electronic warfare to redirect them - or they were drone simulators that did not carry warheads.
However, the military reported that drones hit 8 locations.
One killed, 14 injured in overnight Russian attack on Ukraine's Odesa
07:15
,
Tom Watling
One person was killed and at least 14 were injured when Russian drones attacked the Ukrainian Black Sea city of Odesa overnight, damaging high-rise buildings and railway infrastructure, local authorities and prosecutors said on Friday.
Odesa is Ukraine's largest Black Sea port, key for imports and exports, and has been under constant missile and drone attacks by Russia since the war began.
“Despite the active work of air defence forces, there is damage to civilian infrastructure, including residential buildings, a higher education institution, a gas pipeline and private cars,” local governor Oleh Kiper said on Telegram messenger.
Kiper released photos of burning houses and charred high-rise buildings.
Local emergencies service said that during the attack there were at least 10 drone strikes on residential buildings, causing massive fires.
Ukrainian state railways Ukrzaliznytsia reported that Odesa railway station was damaged during the attack, with power wires and rails damaged.
Russian drones also attacked Kharkiv in northeastern Ukraine overnight, damaging several private and multi-storey houses, Kharkiv officials said.
The strategy of delay—more warnings, more time, more hesitation—has only emboldened the Kremlin. A gift for all of Russia’s global ambitions.
— Yulia Svyrydenko (@Svyrydenko_Y) June 20, 2025
Last night, Russians slammed drones into residential buildings across the country. Heavily populated, civilian areas. In Odesa alone, 14… pic.twitter.com/zfeiYCHPTG
Russia issues 'Chernobyl-style catastrophe' warning for ally Iran's nuclear plant: 'Beyond evil'
07:08
,
Arpan Rai
The head of Russia's nuclear energy corporation has warned that an Israeli attack on Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant could lead to a "Chernobyl-style catastrophe".
Bushehr is Iran's only operating nuclear power plant and was built by Russia.
The head of Russia's state nuclear corporation Rosatom, Alexei Likhachev, warned that the situation around the plant was fraught with risk.
"If there is a strike on the operational first power unit, it will be a catastrophe comparable to Chernobyl," the state RIA news agency cited Mr Likhachev as saying.
He was referring to the world's worst nuclear disaster in 1986, when a reactor exploded at Chernobyl in Soviet Ukraine.
An attack on Bushehr would be "beyond... evil," Mr Likhachev added.
An Israeli military spokesperson said Israel had struck the site, but an Israeli military official later called this statement "a mistake" and said he could neither confirm nor deny that the Bushehr site on the cost of the Gulf had been hit.
Additionally, Russian president Vladimir Putin told journalists in the early hours yesterday that Israel had promised Russia that Moscow's workers – who are building more nuclear facilities at the Bushehr site - would be safe, even as Israel tries to degrade Iran's nuclear capabilities by force.
Ukraine and Russia exchange more prisoners of war in latest swap
06:45
,
Arpan Rai
Ukraine and Russia exchanged prisoners of war, officials from both countries said, the latest round of swaps under an agreement struck in Istanbul.
President Volodymyr Zelensky posted images of the freed Ukrainian troops, smiling and draped in the national flag, most of whom had been held captive since the early months of Russia's February 2022 invasion, he said.
The Ukrainian POWs exchanged yesterday were either sick or injured, according to Kyiv's coordinating council for POWs. The Russian POWs would also be sent for treatment and rehabilitation, Moscow's defence ministry said.
Neither Ukraine nor Russia, whose talks on ending the war have yielded few results besides the exchange of prisoners or remains, provided an exact figure of how many POWs had been exchanged.
Our people are returning home from Russian captivity. These are warriors of the Armed Forces, the National Guard, and the State Border Guard Service. Most of them had been held captive since 2022.
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) June 19, 2025
They are defenders of Ukraine who fought in the Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Luhansk,… pic.twitter.com/c4Xc8iHbr7
Watch: Russia's defence of Iran shows need to tighten sanctions, says Zelensky
06:40
,
Arpan Rai
North Korea will send 5,000 military construction workers to Russia, Kremlin says
06:17
,
Arpan Rai
North Korea is sending 5,000 military construction workers and 1,000 sappers to Russia’s Kursk oblast, where Moscow is repairing widespread damage from a Ukrainian incursion, according to a top Kremlin official.
Presidential security adviser Sergei Shoigu said the workers would help rebuild the strategic border region, which was invaded by the Ukrainian military last August and retaken by Russian forces earlier this year.
The dispatch of the workers was discussed in Mr Shoigu’s meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, state media outlet KCNA reported on Wednesday.
Russia claims South Africa invited Putin to G20 summit
06:15
,
Arpan Rai
South Africa formally invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to attend the G20 summit, a Russian diplomat has claimed.
"Last week, we received an official invitation. This is an appeal from the head of state, the president of South Africa (Cyril Ramaphosa), to his colleagues," Russian Ambassador-at-large Marat Berdyev told state-owned media outlet RIA.
The summit will take place in Johannesburg from November 22 to 23.
However, South Africa is a member of the International Criminal Court (ICC), meaning it is obliged to arrest Mr Putin on arrival. An arrest warrant was issued for the Russian leader in March 2023 over allegations of illegal deportation of Ukrainian children during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Spain rejects Nato defence spending increase
06:05
,
Arpan Rai
Spain has rejected a Nato proposal to spend 5 per cent of GDP on defence needs set to be unveiled next week, claiming it is "unreasonable."
In a letter sent yesterday to Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte, Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez said that Spain "cannot commit to a specific spending target in terms of GDP".
His comments reveal divisions in the bloc ahead next week's Nato summit in The Hague.
"For Spain, committing to a 5 per cent target would not only be unreasonable, but also counterproductive, as it would move Spain away from optimal spending and it would hinder the EU's ongoing efforts to strengthen its security and defence ecosystem," Mr Sanchez wrote in the letter seen by The Associated Press.
Ukraine's nuclear plant cannot restart during war, says UN nuclear watchdog
05:52
,
Arpan Rai
The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine cannot resume operations until challenges related to the availability of cooling water and off-site power are fully resolved, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has said.
"Based on the discussions at the site this week, it is clear that there is a general consensus among all parties that the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant cannot start operating again as long as this large-scale war continues," the UN nuclear watchdog said in a statement.
Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, Europe’s largest nuclear power plant (NPP) situated in Ukraine’s east, has not been generating electricity for almost three years now, and its location on the frontline of the conflict continues to put nuclear safety in constant jeopardy, the IAEA said.
“Its off-site power situation also remains extremely fragile, with only one power line currently functioning compared with ten before the conflict. In addition, the destruction of the Kakhovka dam in mid-2023 means the ZNPP does not have sufficient water to cool six operating reactors,” the statement yesterday added.
German general dismisses Putin's Taurus warnings as 'nonsense'
05:36
,
Arpan Rai
A German general dismissed repeated warnings by Russian president Vladimir Putin that delivering Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine might make it party to the war as “nonsense”.
"It is obviously nonsense and not correct that military aid - and this discussion has been going on for three years now - would constitute direct participation in the war," Major-General Christian Freuding, who is in charge of coordinating German military aid to Kyiv, told public broadcaster ZDF.
Putin-Trump meeting 'not currently on the table', Kremlin says
05:30
,
Arpan Rai
A meeting between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump is not currently on the table, the Kremlin has said.
"Until the necessary 'homework' is done to remove the irritants in our relations with the United States, it makes no sense to organize a meeting," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.
The US President has repeatedly raised the issue of meeting with Mr Putin, saying it would help accelerate efforts to end the war in Ukraine. However, the pair have not met since he began his second presidency in January.
Zelensky to attend Nato summit in Hague - reports
05:08
,
Arpan Rai
Volodymyr Zelenskyy is scheduled to attend the Nato summit in The Hague later this month, according to reports.
A source in the Ukrainian presidency told AFP that Mr Zelensky would attend the summit, scheduled for June 24-25.
“The decision will be made on the eve of the summit. This is just the schedule,” the source said.
They described the meeting as “an opportunity to maintain support and promote a ceasefire”.
Zelensky announces new commander of Ukraine's land forces
04:54
,
Arpan Rai
Ukrainian presiden Volodymyr Zelensky has appointed Hennadiy Shapovalov as commander of Ukraine's land forces, replacing a commander who resigned over a Russian strike on a training area.
Mr Shapovalov, whose appointment was announced in a presidential decree, had previously acted as a liaison at a Nato coordination centre in Germany. Before that, he has served as commander of the forces of the Operational Command South.
Mr Zelensky, speaking later in his nightly video address, said the incoming military chief’s experience in working with Nato would be put to good use in introducing changes in Ukraine’s forces.
"All this useful experience of this coordination and all the real combat experience of our soldiers must be applied now within Ukraine’s land forces," he said.
"Changes are needed and this is an imperative."
Mr Shapovalov takes over as head of land forces from Mykhailo Drapatyi, who tendered his resignation this month after a deadly Russian strike on a training camp in southeastern Ukraine.
Mr Zelensky reassigned Drapatyi to the post of commander of the joint forces as part of a military shakeup.
Russia's defence of Iran shows need to tighten sanctions, says Zelensky
04:41
,
Arpan Rai
Russia's defence of Iran's authorities underscored the need for intensified sanctions against Moscow, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said.
Mr Zelensky said Russia's deployment of Iranian-designed Shahed drones and North Korean munitions was proof that Kyiv's allies were applying insufficient pressure against Moscow.
"Now Russia is trying to save the Iranian nuclear programme. There cannot be any other possible explanation for their public signals and their non-public activity on this," the war-time president said in his nightly video address.
"When one of their accomplices loses their capability to export war, Russia is weakened and tries to interfere. This is so cynical and proves time and again that aggressive regimes cannot be allowed to unite and become partners,” he said.
When Russia deploys weaponry from Tehran and Pyongyang, Mr Zelensky said, "it is a clear sign that global solidarity and global pressure are not strong enough."
This morning, I visited the site where a Russian missile struck a residential building in Kyiv. The missile went through every floor, all the way down to the basement. It was deliberate terror, the same thing Russia’s army under Putin has done everywhere, from Chechnya to Syria.… pic.twitter.com/Kx709YIQ7y
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) June 19, 2025
Russian envoy to UK accidentally admits massive battlefield losses
04:20
,
Arpan Rai
Russian ambassador to the UK has accidentally confirmed Russia’s massive losses on the battlefield.
The ambassador Andrey Kelin, talking to the CNN, dismissed the one million casualties figure but said that "about 600,000" Russian soldiers were fighting in Ukraine
The figues also tallies with Ukrainian estimates from January.
Mr Kelin then answered a question on Russian army recruitment.
"I'm not a specialist in this area, but as I understand it we have 50-60,000 a month, those volunteers who are coming, recruiting, posting, and they would like to get engaged in this thing (in Ukraine)," he said.
'Russia on the verge of recession,' Putin's economy minister warns
04:07
,
Arpan Rai
Russian economy is likely to face recession soon, the country’s economy minister said yesterday.
Russia is hosting the St Petersburg International Economic Forum for the fourth time since invading Ukraine in February 2022, an offensive that precipitated sweeping Western sanctions on Moscow and a widespread corporate exodus from the country.
The economy minister Maxim Reshetnikov said Russia's economy on the verge of recession, but claimed there is domestic money to spend after two years of elevated defence spending fuelled growth.
"The real question is: where are the investors?" said one Russian participant of the forum who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Sergei Aleksashenko, a former deputy governor of Russia's central bank now living abroad, said few serious businesses would consider Russia as an investment destination even if the war were to end tomorrow.
"Everyone can clearly see the situation with property rights is getting worse every day," Mr Aleksashenko told Reuters.
"Stopping the war itself does not significantly reduce the level of political risks," Mr Aleksashenko said, pointing to market risks as well.
