Russia launches major strikes in retaliation against Ukraine, Kharkiv hit by 'most powerful attack' since start of war
Russia unleashed a barrage of missiles, drones and bombs across Ukraine early Saturday, June 7, killing at least five people as it retaliated for a brazen attack by Kyiv on air bases days earlier. The Kremlin has accelerated its attacks on Ukraine in recent weeks, as direct negotiations have failed to broker an end to the three-year war or even a temporary truce.
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga called for Kyiv's western allies to punish Russia for refusing to halt its invasion. "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 on social media.
Tens of thousands have been killed since Moscow invaded in February 2022, triggering Europe's largest conflict since World War II, destroying cities and villages across eastern Ukraine and forcing millions to flee their homes. The attacks come ahead of an expected prisoner swap, set to take place this weekend – the only concrete agreement to come out of peace talks between the two sides.
The Ukrainian air force said Russia had fired 206 drones and nine missiles in the overnight barrage. Ukraine's second largest city of Kharkiv came under "the most powerful attack since the beginning of the full-scale war," Mayor Igor Terekhov said. The northeastern city was home to 1.4 million people before the war and lies around 30 kilometres from the border with Russia.
Unprecedented attack
The Russian strikes pummelled homes and apartment blocks there, killing at least three people and wounding 17 more, the mayor said. Kharkiv region Governor Oleg Synegubov said the wounded included two children.
In the southern city of Kherson, Russian shelling killed a couple and damaged two high-rise buildings, regional Governor Oleksandr Prokudin said. Attacks were also recorded on the Dnipropetrovsk, Odesa and Ternopil regions. Rescuers in the western city of Lutsk, near the Polish border, meanwhile discovered a second fatality from strikes a day earlier, describing the victim as a woman in her 20s.
The aerial bombardments come days after Ukraine launched a brazen attack well beyond the frontlines, damaging nuclear-capable military planes at Russian air bases and prompting vows of revenge from Russian President Vladimir Putin. Russia's defense ministry meanwhile said Saturday that its forces had downed 36 Ukrainian drones fired at its territory.
Ukraine has been pushing for an unconditional and immediate 30-day truce, issuing its latest proposal during peace talks in Istanbul on Monday. But Russia, which now controls around one-fifth of Ukraine's territory, has repeatedly rejected calls to end its three-year war. The Kremlin said Friday the Ukraine war was "existential" for Russia.
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Euronews
6 hours ago
- Euronews
Ukraine: Kharkiv hit by massive Russian aerial attack
The US administration has appointed Lt. Gen. Alexus G. Grynkewich as both the next top US general in Europe as well as the SACEUR. The appointment by Trump will be especially welcomed following media reports in recent months that the US was considering relinquishing the role of SACUER which has always been appointed by a US president to NATO. "It's a very important decision and there is relief from NATO's point of view as it's a positive sign of American engagement and staffing," a US-based source familiar with the issue told Euronews. US Army General Dwight D. Eisenhower was NATO's first SACEUR in 1951, and the role has remained with the US ever since. 'Upon completion of national confirmation processes, Grynkewich will take up his appointment as the successor to General Christopher G. Cavoli, United States Army, at a change of command ceremony at the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe in Mons, Belgium, expected in the summer of 2025,' a statement from NATO read. Meanwhile, NATO defence ministers agreed to a significant surge in defence capability targets for each country, as well as moving to spending 5% of GDP on defence. They've agreed that 3.5% of GDP would be used for 'core defence spending' - such as heavy weapons, tanks, air defence. Meanwhile 1.5% of GDP per year will be spent on defence- and security-related areas such as infrastructure, surveillance, and cyber. However, the full list of flexibility has not yet been negotiated. 'These targets describe exactly what capabilities Allies need to invest in over the coming years,' NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte told journalists. The US has been pushing NATO allies to dramatically increase spending, and expects to see 'credible progress' immediately, according to US Ambassador to NATO Mathew Whitaker. 'The threats facing NATO are growing and our adversaries are certainly not waiting for us to re-arm or be ready for them to make the first move," 'We would prefer our Allies move out urgently on reaching the 5%,' he told journalists in a briefing on the margins of the meetings. Ambassador Whitaker also said the US is 'counting on Europe' to the lead in providing Ukraine with the 'resources necessary to reach a durable peace' on the continent. Mark Rutte reiterated NATO's recent warnings that Russia could strike NATO territory within the next couple of years. 'If we don't act now, the next three years, we are fine, but we have to start now, because otherwise, from three, four or five years from now, we are really under threat," he said, adding: "I really mean this. Then you have to get your Russian language course out, or go to New Zealand.' 'It's good to have continuity about the US in NATO, but with Ukraine it's a different story. I just don't think Trump really cares about Ukraine," the US-based source told Euronews. 'Trump just doesn't care about Europe – it doesn't make him richer or help him politically,' the source said. Referring to the forthcoming NATO summit taking place next month in The Hague, the source said the presence of Ukraine at the summit "will likely be scaled back", since the US will say, "they're not members' so they don't need to be there". A large Russian attack with drones and missiles has hit Ukraine's eastern city of Kharkiv on Saturday, killing at least three people and injuring 21, local officials said. The barrage — the latest in near daily widescale attacks — included aerial glide bombs that have become part of a fierce Russian onslaught in the three-year-war . The intensity of the Russian attacks on Ukraine over the past weeks has further dampened hopes that the warring sides could reach a peace deal anytime soon — especially after Kyiv recently embarrassed the Kremlin with a surprise drone attack on military air bases deep inside Russia. According to Ukraine's Air Force, Russia struck with 215 missiles and drones overnight, and Ukrainian air defenses shot down and neutralised 87 drones and seven missiles. Several other areas in Ukraine were also hit, including the regions of Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk, Odesa, and the city of Ternopil, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said in a post on X. '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. Kharkiv's mayor Ihor Terekhov said the attack also damaged 18 apartment buildings and 13 private homes. Terekhov said it was 'the most powerful attack' on the city since the full-scale invasion in 2022. Kharkiv's regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said two districts in the city were struck with three missiles, five aerial glide bombs and 48 drones. Among the injured were two children, a month and a half year old baby boy and a 14-year old girl, he added. The attack on Kharkiv comes one day after Russia launched one of the fiercest missile and drone barrages on Ukraine, striking six Ukrainian territories and killing at least killing at least six people and injuring about 80. Among the dead were three emergency responders in Kyiv, one person in Lutsk and two people in Chernihiv. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian Air Force said it shot down a Russian Su-35 fighter jet on the Kursk front inside Russia, the Ukrainian daily Ukrainskaia Pravda reported. No more details were given immediately. U.S. President Donald Trump said this week that his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, told him Moscow would respond to Ukraine's attack on Russian military airfields last Sunday with "Operation Spiderweb" In a new statement bound to cause offense in Kyiv and amongst its allies, Trump told journalists on board Air Force One on Friday evening local time when asked about "Operation Spiderweb": "They gave Putin a reason to go in and bomb the hell out of them last night. That's the thing I didn't like about it. When I saw it I said 'Here we go, now it's going to be a strike'." The European Union is readying a new round of sanctions against Russia to pile extra pressure on the Kremlin and pressure it to agree to a 30-day unconditional ceasefire in Ukraine, a step that Western allies consider indispensable for serious peace negotiations. Ursula von der Leyen has already provided an outline of what that package, the 18th since February 2022, is supposed to target: Russia's financial sector, the "shadow fleet" and the Nord Stream pipelines, which are currently non-operational. On top of that, the president of the European Commission has pitched a downward revision of the price cap on Russian oil to further squeeze profits from worldwide sales, a crucial cash flow to sustain the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. "We need a real ceasefire, we need Russia at the negotiating table, and we need to end this war. Pressure works, as the Kremlin understands nothing else," von der Leyen said earlier this week after meeting with US Senator Lindsey Graham. But there's a catch: unlike other sanctions the bloc has imposed on Russia, such as the multiple export and import bans, the price cap has a political and practical dimension that exceeds the institutional sphere of Brussels and stretches across the ocean. More specifically, to Washington, DC. The price cap on Russian oil was introduced in December 2022 by the Group of Seven (G7) under the initiative of the Joe Biden administration. It was hailed as an ingenious, ground-breaking mechanism to mobilise the collective power of Western allies and cripple Russia's high-intensity war machine. As part of the plan, the G7, together with Australia, passed laws prohibiting their domestic companies from providing services, such as insurance, financing and flagging, to Russian tankers that sold seaborne crude oil above a predetermined price. The secret lay in market power: for decades, Western firms, particularly British ones, have dominated the sector of Protection and Indemnity (P&I), a type of insurance that gives shipowners broad protection and allows them to cover potentially huge costs from any accidental harm caused to the crew, their property or the environment. Due to the inherent risks of moving oil in high waters, P&I is today considered the norm in maritime trade and a must-have to be accepted in a foreign port. By leveraging their leading firms, the G7 intended to create an extraterritorial effect that would cap the price of Russian oil not only within their jurisdictions but all around the world. Following intense behind-the-scenes talks, the cap was set at $60 per barrel, a compromise between hard-line and cautious member states. The strategy only worked up to a point however. Although the price of Russian Urals oil gradually decreased, it consistently remained above the $60 mark, often exceeding the $70 threshold. The blatant circumvention was attributed to the "shadow fleet" that Russia deployed at high sea. These tankers are so old and poorly kept that they fall outside P&I standards and rely on alternative, obscure insurance systems that escape G7 surveillance. By the time the cap entered into force, Moscow "had spent months building a 'shadow fleet' of tankers, finding new buyers like India and China, and creating new payment systems, to the point that its oil does not need to be greatly discounted to sell," Luis Caricano, a professor at the London School of Economics, wrote in a recent analysis. "What should have been a blow became a manageable problem," Caricano said. With few sectors in the Russian economy left to sanction, Brussels has turned its sight to the cap as a means to tighten the screws on the Kremlin and secure a ceasefire in Ukraine. The Commission has reportedly pitched a revision between $50 and $45 per barrel, which the UK and Canada are believed to support. However, the US has so far refrained from endorsing a lower price cap, raising the stakes ahead of crunch talks at the G7 summit in Alberta, scheduled for mid-June. Now, a tough question emerges: Can the EU dare, and afford, to go it alone? In the strictest legalistic sense, the EU could, indeed, establish a lower price cap on its own. After all, the G7, as an organisation, lacks regulatory powers: each ally amends its laws individually to fulfil a collective mission. In this case, the EU introduced new legislation to prohibit EU companies – rather than, say, American or British companies – from servicing Russian tankers that bypassed the $60-per-barrel cap. Similarly, the bloc could now change the text to adjust that prohibition to a tighter price without waiting for other allies to reciprocate. Here appears the first roadblock: any change to sanctions must be approved by a unanimous vote among member states. It is highly unlikely that all 27 countries would choose to move forward with a lower cap without having an explicit guarantee that Washington will follow suit. Hungary, in particular, has fully aligned itself with the Trump administration and could veto any proposal opposed by the White House. Even if the bloc managed to overcome internal differences and agreed to a lower cap on its own, more formidable obstacles could impede its success. The bloc's revised cap would have to co-exist with America's existing cap. This means that one side of the Atlantic Ocean would apply a $50-per-barrel limit while the other side would apply a $60-per-barrel limit, creating a cacophony for all actors involved. "Different price caps across G7 countries could confuse maritime service providers and weaken overall enforcement," Petras Katinas, an energy analyst at the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), told Euronews. "A solo move by the EU could cause friction within the Price Cap Coalition, damaging trust and coordination, both of which are crucial for keeping pressure on Russian oil revenues," Katinas added, warning the project could be rendered "largely symbolic". The legislative chaos would immediately benefit the Kremlin, which has long sought to exploit loopholes to evade and undermine international sanctions. Moscow, though, would also face hurdles: the continued crackdown on "shadow fleet" vessels has forced the country to increase its reliance on G7 insurance, which, in theory, could make it easier for the EU to apply the revised measure. "If the EU alone decides to tighten the screws on the cap, it's an additional constraint on Russia's oil exports but not as tight as with a whole of G7 approach," said Elisabetta Cornago, a senior researcher at the Centre for European Reform (CER). Besides practical snags and legal matters, there is geopolitics to consider. One of the reasons why the G7 initiative has fallen short of expectations is that, as the name suggests, it has remained a G7-exclusive plan. Countries in Asia, Latin America and Africa have refused to play along and join the coalition. China and India openly buy Russian crude oil, sometimes to refine it and resell it under a different label. Having the EU and the US go separate ways would further destabilise the Western alliance and create the impression of a transatlantic break-up. But for many, that is already a reality: the "Coalition of the Willing", born after Donald Trump unilaterally launched negotiations with Vladimir Putin, bears testament to the political divide. "The price cap was a G7 + EU initiative, and so in its current form, I do not see any pathway in which the EU could adjust the cap without the support of the broader coalition, including the US," said Ben McWilliams, an affiliate fellow with Bruegel. "That said, the EU is free to implement whatever measures it wants on its own domestic ships and insurance companies, which it could likely encourage the UK to join," McWilliams added. "So the EU can still move ahead – it would just need to be under a different institutional format than currently exists."
LeMonde
8 hours ago
- LeMonde
Russia, Ukraine trade accusations over delaying POW swap
A large-scale prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine – the only concrete outcome of peace talks – was in doubt Saturday, June 7 after Moscow and Kyiv accused each other of delaying and thwarting the swap. The hold-up to an exchange that both sides said would take place this weekend came hours Moscow's army launched a barrage of missiles, drones and bombs across Ukraine. At talks in Istanbul on Monday, Kyiv and Moscow agreed to release all wounded soldiers and those aged under-25 that had been captured – more than 1,000 people on each side. Russia said it would also hand back 6,000 killed Ukrainian soldiers. Moscow on Saturday accused Ukraine of not turning up to collect the dead bodies and not agreeing on a date to swap the captured soldiers, while Kyiv said Russia was playing "dirty games" by not sticking to the agreed parameters for the exchange. "The Ukrainian side has unexpectedly postponed for an indefinite period, both the acceptance of the bodies and the exchange of prisoners of war," Russia's top negotiator Vladimir Medinsky said on social media. A defense ministry spokesperson said "the Ukrainian side is still refraining from setting a date" for the first stage of the POW swap. 'Dirty games' The exchange was set to be the largest of the war, topping last month's 1,000-for-1,000 swap that was agreed at a first round of talks in Istanbul. After the Istanbul talks, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said it would take place this weekend, while Russia said it was ready for Saturday, Sunday or Monday. Responding to Russia's accusations, Ukraine's Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War said no date had been agreed for the return of bodies. It also said a list of names Russia said would be released did not match the terms of the agreement. "Unfortunately, instead of constructive dialogue, we are again faced with manipulations," it said in a statement on social media. "We call on the Russian side to stop playing dirty games and return to constructive work to bring people back to both sides and to clearly implement the agreement in the coming days," it added. The spat came hours after Russia launched a massive aerial attack across Ukraine, heavily targeting the city of Kharkiv. At least eight people were killed in the overnight barrage and frontline shelling in total, officials said.
Euronews
9 hours ago
- Euronews
Spain: Coalition partner threatens to leave over defence spending
While the Spanish socialist government wants to increase defence spending in line with the demands of US President Donald Trump and European allies, a thousand demonstrators from Podemos, Izquierda Unida and Sumar protested this Saturday in the Spanish capital against increasing the military budget. The demonstration has taken on special relevance after the firm warning of Izquierda Unida (IU) that they are questioning their place in the coalition government. Its parliamentary spokesman, Enrique Santiago, has been categorical in stating that it is practically impossible for his party to continue in an executive that assumes this course. He also urged Pedro Sánchez to stand firm in the face of pressure from NATO, despite the reproaches he may receive, recalling that IU, of which minister Sira Rego is a member, firmly rejects the increase in defence spending. Sumar's presence at Saturday's protest was undoubtedly the most striking. The internal debate within the electoral coalition has once again intensified in the run-up to the NATO summit in The Hague at the end of June, where allied countries are expected to make a new commitment to allocate up to 5% of GDP to defence, up from the current 2%. Labour minister and leader of the left-wing coalition, Yolanda Díaz, has long distanced herself from Sánchez's position, though without breaking the unity of the government. Podemos has also publicly denounced the increase in defence spending approved by the government, saying it is a "betrayal" of progressive principles and a direct alignment with the strategic interests of the United States and NATO. MEP Irene Montero warned on Saturday that, by prioritising rearmament, the central government is laying the foundations for future cuts in social policies, especially affecting public education and programmes such as the Co-Responsibles Plan, aimed at improving family reconciliation. According to a survey by the Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas (CIS), published in March, 75% of Spaniards are actually in favour of increasing military spending, especially after Donald Trump's re-election. The Polish elections, held on the first of June, resulted in conservative Karol Nawrocki beating liberal Warsaw mayor Rafał Trzaskowski by a very close margin. Nawrocki won 50.89% of the vote against Trzaskowki's 49.11%. Polish politicians, namely from Trzaskowski's camp, have been asking for the results to be investigated. Chief among these those expressing concerns is Rafał Trzaskowski's chief of staff Wiola Paprocka, who wrote about the surprising reversal of support in the second round of the presidential election in some commissions. 'We will contact the PKW [National Electoral Comission] to clarify each of these cases,' Paprocka announced on Twitter. Her statement included four polling stations at which reports of irregularities have come to light. Due to suspected irregularities, Paprocka appealed for electoral protests to be filed with the Supreme Court. In one station in the city of Kraków, Trzaskowski won in the first round of elections, winning with 550 votes. Nawrocki, on the other hand, came in third place, after the Warsaw major and hard right candidate Sławomir Mentzen. In the run-off, however, Nawrocki received the most votes, according to the official count, prompting questions about the results of the count. An investigation into the case is being carried out by the district electoral commission in Krakow. Krakow City Council chairman Jakub Kosek wrote in a post on social media that the votes had been incorrectly entered into the minutes. "From what we know today, a mistake was made in the minutes - and the results of the candidates were swapped," - Kosek emphasised. Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Affairs Krzysztof Gawkowski expressed that he was surprised by such "mistakes". "I am counting on this to be clarified, because as I myself looked at the results," he said. "We have never had such cases in the past," he added. The National Electoral Commission (PKW) seperately addressed the matter. Responding to a request for comment from Euronews, PKW representatives stated that any irregularities must be reported to Poland's Supreme Court by the 16th of June. "Currently, the results of the district voting can only be verified by the Supreme Court in connection with the consideration of election protests," they told Euronews. A spokesman for the Polish Peasants' Party (which is currently part of Donald Tusk's ruling coalition) and long-time member of the electoral commissions Miłosz Motyka emphasized in an interview with Euronews that the issues of irregularities in the vote count should be carefully checked. "There should not be a situation where, having several members of the electoral commission from different political formations, from municipalities, from city halls, we have a situation where a result that affects the final result [of the election - ed.] is wrongly recorded in the minutes", he said. "This is too serious a matter to simply brush aside. That is why any of this information should be verified and always the PKW should also conduct appropriate proceedings with the committee chairman. The aim here is really to verify irregularities", he added. Law and Justice MP Radosław Fogiel, pointed out in an interview with Euronews that it is standard procedure to investigate irregularities. However, he emphasized that he is critical of the actions of some members of the ruling coalition. "Here, unfortunately, we are starting to deal with an organised action and the creation of a whole narrative of alleged falsification" he said, adding that "the Civic Platform milieu" is "formulating these kinds of theses and this is a serious and dangerous matter". "If I had to guess why someone would do this, assuming that there is a method in this madness and that it is not just the result of political paranoia, I would say that it is to serve the purpose of creating a myth about the victory that was to be claimed", Fogiel told Euronews. Observers representing the joint mission of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe said in a statement that the elections were conducted "professionally and efficiently". In their view, freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly were respected in both rounds. However, they drew attention to media bias as well as irregularities in campaign financing. Karol Nawrocki won the second round of the presidential election by a difference of 369,451 votes, or by 1.19 percentage points. This is the smallest vote difference between the candidates since 1990.
