Ukraine-Russia war latest: Putin’s forces strike Ukraine’s second city with ‘most powerful’ attack since start of war

An attack on Kharkiv at night with drones, missiles and guided bombs killed at least three people and injured 22, the city’s mayor, Ihor Terekhov, said on Saturday.

“Kharkiv is currently experiencing the most powerful attack since the start of the full-scale war,” he said on Telegram.

The Russian strikes reportedly targeted multi-storey and private residential buildings in the city as well as educational and energy infrastructure facilities.

One of the city’s civilian industrial facilities was attacked by 40 drones, one missile and four bombs, Kharkiv governor Oleh Syniehubov said, adding that there could be more people trapped under the rubble.

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’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 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.

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.

• 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.