Russian attacks on Ukraine's Kharkiv kills four, wounds at least 60, officials say
Rescuers assist an injured resident after she was released from debris of a building hit by a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kharkiv, Ukraine June 7, 2025. REUTERS/Sofiia Gatilova
Firefighters work inside an apartment building hit by a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kharkiv, Ukraine June 7, 2025. REUTERS/Vitalii Hnidyi
Firefighters work at the site of a building hit by a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kharkiv, Ukraine June 7, 2025. REUTERS/Sofiia Gatilova
Russian attacks on Ukraine's Kharkiv kills four, wounds at least 60, officials say
KYIV - Russia attacked the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv at night and in the evening with drones, missiles and guided bombs, killing at least four people and injuring more than 60, including a baby, local officials said on Saturday.
One of Ukraine's largest cities, Kharkiv is located just a few dozen kilometres from the Russian border and has been under constant Russian shelling during more than three years of war.
"Kharkiv is currently experiencing the most powerful attack since the start of the full-scale war," city mayor, Ihor Terekhov, said on the Telegram messenger early on Saturday.
Dozens of explosions were heard in the city through the night and Russian troops were striking simultaneously with missiles, drones and guided aerial bombs, he said.
Multi-storey and private residential buildings, educational and infrastructure facilities were attacked, Terekhov noted.
Photos by local authorities and Reuters showed burnt and partially destroyed houses and vehicles, and of rescuers carrying those injured to safety and removing debris.
Kharkiv governor Oleh Syniehubov said that one of the city's civilian industrial facilities was attacked by 40 drones, one missile and four bombs, causing a fire, adding there may still be people under the rubble.
In the evening, Russian aircraft once again attacked Kharkiv with guided bombs, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called "another brutal murder".
"It was a brutal blow to the city in broad daylight, and in fact, they have been attacking our city of Kharkiv for the entire day," Zelenskiy said in his evening statement.
"Last night, there was a massive drone strike on Kharkiv, and now there are aerial bombs. Dozens of people have been injured in the past 24 hours." he said.
The Ukrainian military said Russia launched 206 drones, two ballistic and seven other missiles against Ukraine overnight.
It said its air defence units shot down 87 drones while another 80 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.
Ten locations were hit, the military said. REUTERS
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
‘I want women to know that this kind of thing really happens': Wife-rape survivor on telling her story
Annie (not her real name) hopes her story can encourage other couples to discuss issues openly with each other. ST PHOTO: GIN TAY 'I want women to know that this kind of thing really happens': Wife-rape survivor on telling her story SINGAPORE – Annie (not her real name) was one of the four victims in a disturbing case where husbands plotted with others to drug their own wives. The unconscious women were then sexual ly violated. The man Annie married in 2008 – and has since divorced – was among the seven men who have been convicted and sentenced for their involvement in the ring. Annie's former husband, who was referred to as J in media reports, had facilitated the most number of rapes. J got the heaviest sentence of all the men: 29 years in prison and 24 strokes of the cane. Annie, who is in her 40s and has four children, first contacted The Straits Times through her brother-in-law in 2024, after J appealed for a lighter sentence. Accompanied by her sister and brother-in-law, Annie wanted her story told. ST met her a second time in May 2025. By then, all the criminal cases had concluded and her divorce was finalised. Facing an all-female team of print and visual journalists in ST's newsroom studio, Annie was determined to tell her story. 'I was initially a bit worried about speaking up, because I am not sure if I can face the embarrassment... (but) I want women to know that this kind of thing really happens,' she said. She was steadfast, while aware she may be judged, adding: 'I know that in the media, everybody is wondering what actually happened, so I hope I can clear the air.' Annie was also inspired by Ms Gisele Pelicot, a 72-year-old grandmother in France who was raped over a decade by 51 men. Her estranged husband had orchestrated the whole thing. Ms Pelicot waived her right to anonymity during what she called 'a trial of cowardice'. The similarities are striking. Both of them learnt of their husbands' betrayal in 2020. Both were drugged and exploited. And both were manipulated to believe that all was well. 'I felt, 'Why is this thing happening around (the world)? Why are there wives suffering like that?' '(Ms Pelicot) suffered much worse than me, and I really pity her... She is very, very brave,' Annie said. Unlike the Frenchwoman, Annie cannot see herself unveiling her identity any time soon. 'Maybe when I am 80,' she said. Shame changing sides Four words Ms Pelicot said during the trial became a rallying cry for women: 'Shame must change sides.' It echoes with Annie. While the online chatter was largely directed at the perpetrators, the occasional comment shamed her as it emerged in court that she had had an affair with one of the rapists, identified as O. Annie said she slept with him to get back at her ex-husband for affairs he had. She did not have feelings for O; he propositioned her when her relationship with J was at the 'lowest'. 'I felt guilty for doing that. But I felt like I'd been forced to do it,' she said. The victim-shaming she had to endure was not just from strangers or J. J's mother submitted letters to the court pleading for leniency. She portrayed her son as a good family man and made mention of Annie's temper. Annie acknowledged that J did take care of her during their marriage and was not abusive. 'Every time we fought, I was the one who turned abusive. I was the one who wanted to punch him or slap him because I didn't know how to vent my frustration,' she said. But nothing could justify the cruelty of getting five men to rape her. 'Even if you hate your wife so much, you can just divorce her, let her go,' said Annie. J's mother also told Annie's children that it was 'her fault' that their father was in jail. Recalling her former mother-in-law's words, Annie's anger was palpable. 'I hope she can enlighten me. Tell me what kind of fault it is, so that I can avoid it in future.' Prosecutors called the husbands' betrayal 'gut-wrenching'. They said: 'When a woman enters into marriage, she entrusts herself to her husband. 'She trusts that the man she sleeps beside will not harm her as she sleeps, she trusts that in sickness, her husband will not poison her with drugs passed off as medicine, she trusts that her husband will keep private their most intimate sexual moments together.' Instead, the men breached their wives' trust on every front, said the prosecutors. Helplines Mental well-being Institute of Mental Health's Mental Health Helpline: 6389-2222 (24 hours) Samaritans of Singapore: 1-767 (24 hours) / 9151-1767 (24 hours CareText via WhatsApp) Singapore Association for Mental Health: 1800-283-7019 Silver Ribbon Singapore: 6386-1928 Chat, Centre of Excellence for Youth Mental Health: 6493-6500/1 Women's Helpline (Aware): 1800-777-5555 (weekdays, 10am to 6pm) Counselling Touchline (Counselling): 1800-377-2252 Touch Care Line (for caregivers): 6804-6555 Counselling and Care Centre: 6536-6366 We Care Community Services: 3165-8017 Clarity Singapore: 6757-7990 Online resources (for those aged 13 to 25) (for those aged 12 to 25) J appealed against his sentence. The man, who was self-represented, told the Court of Appeal that he was appealing out of his love for his wife, children and ageing parents, and that he could not leave his loved ones to 'fend for themselves'. He said he was not denying that he had done wrong, but was asking for leniency. He lost his appeal in January 2024 , with Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon describing his sentence as 'lenient'. Annie has not reached out to the other victims involved as she wants to put the past behind her. But she hopes her story can encourage other couples to discuss issues openly between husband and wife. Annie said: 'My advice to all the women out there is to speak up. Don't suffer in silence... don't be like me.' Selina Lum is senior law correspondent at The Straits Times. Christine Tan is a journalist at The Straits Times reporting on crime, justice and social issues in Singapore. Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
Trump says US justice department, not him, made decision to bring back Abrego Garcia
Kilmar Abrego Garcia is a 29-year-old Salvadoran whose wife, Ms Jennifer Vasquez Sura (above), and young child are US citizens. PHOTO: REUTERS Trump says US justice department, not him, made decision to bring back Abrego Garcia WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump said on June 7 it was the Department of Justice, not him, that made the decision to bring back to the US a man mistakenly deported from Maryland to El Salvador. Kilmar Abrego Garcia was flown back to face criminal charges of transporting illegal immigrants within the US, Attorney-General Pam Bondi said on June 6. His return marked an inflection point in a case seized on by critics of Mr Trump's immigration crackdown as a sign that his administration was disregarding civil liberties in its push to step up deportations of migrants. 'Well, that wasn't my decision. The Department of Justice decided to do it that way, and that's fine,' Mr Trump told NBC News in an interview, when asked about Abrego Garcia's return. Mr Trump added that he had not spoken to El Salvador President Nayib Bukele about the move. Abrego Garcia, a 29-year-old Salvadoran whose wife and young child in Maryland are US citizens, appeared in federal court in Nashville on the evening of June 6. His arraignment was set for June 13, when he will enter a plea, according to local media reports. Until then, he will remain in federal custody. If convicted, he would be deported to El Salvador after serving his sentence, Ms Bondi said. The Trump administration has said Abrego Garcia was a member of the MS-13 gang, an accusation that his lawyers deny. Abrego Garcia was deported on March 15, more than two months before the charges were filed. He was briefly held in a mega-prison known as the Terrorism Confinement Centre in El Salvador, despite a US immigration judge's 2019 order barring him from being sent to the Central American nation because he would likely be persecuted by gangs. Mr Trump said he thought it would be 'a very easy case' against Abrego Garcia, who he accused of having a 'horrible record of abuse' of women. Abrego Garcia's lawyer, Mr Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, has called the criminal charges "fantastical." REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
3 hours ago
- Straits Times
White House aide calls Los Angeles anti-ICE protests an ‘insurrection'
Protesters gathering around the Los Angeles Federal Building following multiple detentions by ICE immigration agents, in downtown Los Angeles, California, on June 6. PHOTO: REUTERS WASHINGTON - Senior White House aide Stephen Miller on June 7 condemned protests in downtown Los Angeles against federal immigration raids as an "insurrection" against the United States. Helmeted police in riot gear engaged in a tense confrontation with protesters on the night of June 6 after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents conducted enforcement operations in the city and arrested at least 44 people on immigration violations. 'An insurrection against the laws and sovereignty of the United States,' Mr Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff, wrote on X. Mr Miller, an immigration hardliner, was responding to video footage on X showing a large number of people protesting in downtown Los Angeles. The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) said it had not made any arrests related to the demonstration. FBI deputy director Dan Bongino posted on X that they were reviewing evidence from the protests. 'We are working with the US Attorney's Office to ensure the perpetrators are brought to justice,' Mr Bongino said. 'The Right to assemble and protest does not include a licence to attack law enforcement officers, or to impede and obstruct our lawful immigration operations.' President Donald Trump has pledged to deport record numbers of people in the country illegally and lock down the US-Mexico border, with the White House setting a goal for ICE to arrest at least 3,000 migrants a day. But the sweeping immigration crackdown has also included people legally residing in the country, including some with permanent residence, and has led to legal challenges. Television news footage earlier on June 6 showed caravans of unmarked military-style vehicles and vans loaded with uniformed federal agents streaming through Los Angeles streets as part of the immigration enforcement operation. "Forty-four people (were arrested) on immigration charges," Ms Yasmeen Pitts O'Keefe, a spokesperson for Homeland Security Investigations told Reuters on June 7. The LAPD did not take part in the immigration enforcement. It was deployed to quell civil unrest after crowds protesting the deportation raids spray-painted anti-ICE slogans on the walls of a federal court building and gathered outside a nearby jail where some of the detainees were reportedly being held. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass in a statement condemned the immigration raids. 'I am deeply angered by what has taken place,' Ms Bass said. 'These tactics sow terror in our communities and disrupt basic principles of safety in our city. We will not stand for this.' REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
