Russia pummels Ukraine’s Kharkiv in ‘most powerful attack’ – DW – 06/07/2025

Besides the large Russian aerial assault on the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, there were also strikes on Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk, Odesa, and the city of Ternopil, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said in a post on social media.

“To put an end to Russia’s killing and destruction, more pressure on Moscow is required, as are more steps to strengthen Ukraine,” he said.

Russia, meanwhile, said it downed 36 Ukrainian drones on Saturday.

At least two people were injured in the Moscow region as a result of the Ukrainian drone attack, Governor Andrei Vorobyov said.

Russia’s aviation watchdog said the Domodedovo, Sheremetyevo, and Zhukovsky airports in the Moscow region had temporarily suspended operations to ensure flight safety but that flights had resumed.

The Ukrainian military said Russia launched 206 drones, 2 ballistic and seven other missiles against Ukraine overnight.

It said its air defense units shot down 87 drones while electronic measures jammed another 80 drones.

The intensity of the Russian attacks on Ukraine over the past week has further dampened hopes that the warring sides could reach a ceasefire agreement. 

Ukraine has offered a 30-day unconditional ceasefire as an attempt to end the war but Russia has continuously rejected such overtures. 

On Friday Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday called for allies to increase pressure on Russia to end its war of aggression.

Earlier in the week US President Donald Trump said his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, told him Moscow would respond to Ukraine’s attack last weekend on Russian military airfields.

At least three people were killed and more than 20 injured in a large Russian drone-and-missile attack on Ukraine’s eastern city of Kharkiv.

“Kharkiv is currently experiencing the most powerful attack since the start of the full-scale war,” Kharkiv’s mayor, Ihor Terekhov, said on the Telegram messenger app early on Saturday.

He said the attack damaged apartment buildings and homes. 

It comes a day after Russian strikes hit six Ukrainian territories, killing at least six people and injuring about 80 others.

Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city and just a few dozen kilometers from the Russian border, has endured relentless shelling throughout more than three years of war.

But last night’s assault, described by the city’s mayor as the “most powerful attack” since the full-scale invasion began, marks a grim new chapter.

In this blog, we’ll bring you the latest updates on the strike and its aftermath—likely part of Russia’s response to Ukraine’s daring attack on a Russian bomber fleet last week.

We’re also monitoring reports of a possible prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia expected later today. If that happens, we will bring you the details here. 

Stay with DW for real-time news, analysis, and insights from our correspondents on the ground as we continue to cover Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine.