Russia has attacked the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv with bombs, missiles and drones, killing at least three people. Meanwhile, Kyiv and Moscow are expected to swap 500 prisoners of war this weekend. Watch back our Q&A with Yalda Hakim, Michael Clarke and Dominic Waghorn below.
Saturday 7 June 2025 15:57, UK
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That’s all for our live coverage of the war in Ukraine – we’ll be back tomorrow with more updates and analysis.
Before we go, here is a recap of the key moments from today.
The mayor of Kharkiv says the city is being attacked again.
Guided bombs are being dropped by Russia, says Ihor Terekhov.
Kharkiv has already suffered what Terekhov called the most powerful attack on the city of the war so far, with three killed and 22 injured this morning.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy has refuted Donald Trump’s characterisation of the war as “two young people fighting” in a park.
The US president had said: “Sometimes you’re better off letting them fight for a while.”
Zelenskyy told ABC News: “We are not kids with Putin at the playground in the park. He is a murderer who came to this park to kill the kids.”
He said 631 Ukrainian children have been killed in the war.
Russia’s claims that Ukraine is delaying the exchange of soldiers’ bodies are untrue, a Ukrainian security official has said.
There have been reports back and forth today about the anticipated exchange of prisoners of war and bodies of fallen soldiers.
A Ukrainian spokesperson from The Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War said: “Today’s statements by the Russian side, do not correspond to reality and previous agreements on either the exchange of prisoners or the repatriation of bodies.”
They added that Ukraine has submitted lists for the prisoner exchange and alleged that the Russian side “submitted other lists that did not meet the agreed approach”.
On the subject of repatriation of bodies, the spokesperson said an agreement had been reached but a date had not been set. They claimed Russia “resorted to unilateral actions that were not agreed upon”.
They added: “We call on the Russian side to stop playing dirty games and return to constructive work to return people to both sides and to strictly implement the agreement in the coming days.”
Some news now on the anticipated prisoner exchange between Russian and Ukraine.
Vladimir Medinsky, an aide to President Vladimir Putin, said the first list of 640 prisoners of war had been given to Ukraine.
He also said the frozen bodies of 1,212 Ukrainian soldiers have been brought to the exchange area in refrigerated trucks.
But Medinsky claimed that Ukraine “postponed both the acceptance of bodies and the exchange of prisoners of war for an indefinite period”.
There has not yet been a response from the Ukrainian side.
A Russian Su-35 jet has been shot down by Ukraine, Kyiv’s air force has said.
The plane was reportedly brought down following an operation around Kursk.
In a statement on Telegram, the air force said: “This morning, June 7, 2025, as a result of a successful Air Force operation in the Kursk direction, a Russian Su-35 fighter jet was shot down!
“Together to victory!”
Initially, the Kremlin remained silent about Ukraine’s drone attack on Russia’s long-range bombers, downplaying the incident.
However, Russia now accuses Britain of being complicit, an allegation voiced by Russia’s ambassador to the UK in an interview with Sky News.
Here’s our Moscow correspondent Ivor Bennett:
“At what point does standing by become complicity?” asks the deputy prime minister of Ukraine, as she posts footage of Russia’s deadly Saturday morning attack to X.
“Every day the attacks on our people are increasing. The world has everything in their power to stop this, right now,” says Yulia Svyrydenko.
The video shows flames pouring from the windows of an apartment block, as firefighters rescued a resident and her dog.
Donald Trump says he hasn’t decided whether to deploy sanctions against Russia that are being considered by the US Senate.
The Senate is weighing a bill that would impose stiff sanctions on Russia – and secondary sanctions on countries that trade with Russia – over its war in Ukraine.
“I haven’t decided to use it,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One.
“I’ll use it if it’s necessary.”
His comments come after the Wall Street Journal reported the Trump administration was putting pressure on the bill’s biggest Republican backer, Senator Lindsey Graham, to significantly weaken the sanctions.
This morning’s attack on Kharkiv comes after a massive Russian barrage across Ukraine on Friday morning.
Updated figures show at least six people were killed and 80 injured, according to Ukrainian officials.
Three emergency responders died in a missile and drone salvo against the capital, Kyiv, said Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Two were killed in an attack on the northern city of Chernihiv and at least one more in the northwestern city of Lutsk.
Russia said it was responding to Ukraine’s attacks on its strategic bombers.
Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said the response amounted to attacks on civilians, apartment blocks and energy infrastructure.
Russia used 407 drones, the air force said, one of the largest numbers recorded in a single attack.
Some 45 cruise and ballistic missiles were also fired, it added.
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