Russia Hits Kharkiv Killing 3, as Crimea Repels Ukrainian Drone Attacks

Ukrainian officials have said that overnight attacks by Russia have resulted in the deaths of three people and the injuries of several others across the Kharkiv Oblast, while Russians repelled drone attacks in Crimea.

The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said in a June 9 post on X that a “massive attack” in Kharkiv damaged residential buildings, a church, and a business center as well as other civilian infrastructure. The ministry said at least 15 people, including two children, were injured.

In Chuhuiv in the Kharkiv Oblast, Russian missile strikes killed three civilians—two men and one woman—as well as injuring three other people. Residential and other buildings also sustained damage, the MFA said.

On June 8, the MFA said that Russian drones targeted Zaporizhzhia, killing two women and injuring 32 others, including five children.

As a result of attacks by Russia, one person was killed in the Dnipro region, with five more injured, and one woman was killed and a child was injured in the Sumy region.

“Every day, Russia demonstrates that its war is directed against civilian life itself,” the MFA said.

“Stronger sanctions, pressure on the aggressor, and continued support for Ukraine are crucial to save lives and bring a just peace closer.”

Russians Down Drones

Meanwhile, the Russian Defense Ministry said that overnight, its air defense capabilities intercepted and destroyed 140 Ukrainian drones over its territory.

According to the Russian state-controlled news agency TASS, drones were downed over the regions of Belgorod, Bryansk, Kaluga, Kursk, Moscow, Oryol, and Tula, as well as over the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea. Drones were also intercepted over Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014.

Russian authorities said that Ukrainian drones struck a passenger train in Crimea, injuring the driver and killing his assistant, according to TASS.

The Russian Foreign Ministry’s official spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, said that the train “was not involved in any military logistics and was a purely civilian target.”

“We strongly condemn this war crime. All those guilty and involved will be identified and face an inevitable and fair punishment,” she said.

Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov on June 8 also called the strike on the train “a crime.”

“Undoubtedly, such actions seriously complicate any further attempts to launch the peace process,” Peskov said, according to TASS.

Both Ukraine and Russia deny deliberately targeting civilians.

Western Nations Back End of War

U.S. envoy to the United Nations Ambassador Dan Negrea called for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine on June 8.

During a session of the U.N. Security Council, Negrea said that Washington urges “both sides to immediately agree to a comprehensive ceasefire leading to a negotiated end to the war,” adding that the “cycle of retaliation, escalation, violence, and death must stop.”

“As [Secretary of State Marco] Rubio made plain last week, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has been a strategic disaster,” he said.

“Its oil refineries are ablaze, and Russia is now losing 5,000 people per month. Moscow cannot achieve its goals on the battlefield. Escalation will not change that and only risks making the disaster worse. This war must end now. Enough is enough.”

Negrea’s comments came a day after the leaders of the UK, France, and Germany—the E3 nations—said that they support Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s call for direct talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin to achieve a ceasefire.

British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz issued a joint statement after meeting with Zelenskyy in London on June 7, saying that any effort to reach a ceasefire deal with Russia should involve Europe and the United States.

Ahead of the meeting with the E3 leaders in London, Zelenskyy thanked the UK and partners “who, through real steps, are helping us strengthen the protection of life and increase pressure on Russia for its aggression.”

“Russia must end its war,” he wrote on X.

Guy Birchall contributed to this report.