On the repatriation of bodies, Ukraine says agreement has been reached, but no date set.
Emergency services say 32-year-old man among those killed in Kharkiv We’ve received an update on Russia’s overnight strikes on Kharkiv.
Ukraine accuses Russia of ‘unilateral actions’ on exchange More now on the conflicting accounts shared by Russia and Ukraine over the timing over a possible prisoner exchange.
It adds that Ukraine is ready to work for an exchange of prisoners and bodies, and calls on Russia to work constructively with them.
Russia accuses Ukraine of unexpectedly postponing prisoner exchange As we’ve just been reporting, during talks in Istanbul this week Russia and Ukraine agreed to an exchange of some prisoners of war.
A dispute over the timing of the prisoner swap and major strikes hit Kharkiv overnight.
This morning, Ukrainians awoke to the news of new Russian strikes.
The mayor of Kharkiv has described the incident as Russia’s largest drone attack on the city, leaving at least three people dead and 22 injured.
According to Ukraine’s Air Force, Russia launched 206 drones and nine missiles overnight.
According to authorities, a married couple in their 50s was killed when a residential building in the southern city of Kherson was struck.
There are differing reports regarding the timing of a POW exchange following peace negotiations earlier this week.
We’re going to stop our live coverage now, but you can read our story here for more details.
Ukrainian officials say in a strong-worded statement, “Stop playing dirty games.”.
Adams Paul.
reporter for the diplomatic mission, reporting from Kyiv.
In response to Russian allegations that Ukraine is stalling an agreed-upon prisoner swap, Ukrainian officials have reacted angrily.
Earlier Russian remarks “do not correspond to reality or to previous agreements — neither regarding the prisoner exchange nor the repatriation of bodies,” according to the most recent statement from Ukraine’s Coordination HQ for POWs.
Since the two sides last met in Istanbul on Monday, teams from both sides have been working on the repatriation of bodies and an exchange of prisoners of war, according to the Coordination Headquarters.
According to the report, Russia has provided “alternative lists that do not correspond to the agreed-upon approach,” while Ukraine has submitted its lists based on clearly defined categories (young servicemen, severely wounded, and ill, for example).
Ukraine claims an agreement has been reached regarding the repatriation of bodies, but no date has been set. According to the statement, Russia “took unilateral actions that were not included in the joint process.”.
The statement reads, “Unfortunately, we are once again confronted with manipulations and attempts to exploit sensitive humanitarian issues for informational purposes, instead of constructive dialogue.”.
It concludes by calling on Russia to “stop playing dirty games” and to “clearly and without delay in the coming days” put an agreement into effect.
Emergency services report that one of the people killed in Kharkiv was a 32-year-old man.
An update regarding Russia’s overnight strikes on Kharkiv has been sent to us.
According to the Kharkiv mayor, we previously reported that the attack claimed the lives of at least three people.
One of those killed, according to Ukraine’s state emergency service, was a 32-year-old man.
According to the emergency service, the identities of two additional bodies are still pending, but they are thought to be 59 and 86-year-old women.
22 people were hurt, including a 14-year-old girl and a baby who was one and a half months old, according to the report.
Russia is accused of “unilateral actions” on exchange by Ukraine.
More on Russia and Ukraine’s divergent explanations regarding the timing of a potential prisoner exchange.
According to Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, it has sent lists of prisoners to Russia for exchange “in accordance with clearly defined categories agreed” in Istanbul last week.
It asserts that the lists that Russia submitted “do not correspond to the agreed approach.”.
Claiming that Russia is engaging in “unilateral actions,” it claims that an agreement to exchange bodies has been reached but maintains that the date was not decided.
It also urges Russia to cooperate with Ukraine and states that Ukraine is prepared to work toward a prisoner and body exchange.
what the peace talks on Monday agreed upon.
The second round of direct peace talks between Russia and Ukraine concluded earlier this week in Turkey without a significant breakthrough; however, the parties reached an agreement to exchange additional POWs.
The two agreed to exchange all injured and seriously ill POWs, as well as those under 25, and promised to return the bodies of 12,000 soldiers.
Ukraine’s negotiators said Russia once again rejected an “unconditional ceasefire”—a crucial demand made by Kyiv and its allies in Europe and the US—after the brief, over an hour-long talks in Istanbul on Monday.
A two- or three-day truce “in certain areas” of the extensive front line was suggested by the Russian team, but no other information was provided.
More information about those recent discussions between the two nations can be found here.
Russia asserts that Ukraine failed to appear at the exchange point.
Vladimir Medinsky, a Russian presidential aide, has accused Ukraine of abruptly delaying a prisoner swap, a claim Ukraine disputes. We can bring you more from his statement now.
According to Medinsky, Russia has already started carrying out a body and POW exchange that was agreed upon by both parties.
He claims that Russia had given Ukraine a list of the names of 640 POWs to exchange, and that the bodies of more than 1,000 Ukrainian soldiers who had been killed were at a prearranged exchange location.
Medinsky asserts, however, that Ukrainian negotiators failed to show up at the prearranged venue.
He concludes by stating that the Russian team “are there” and prepared “to work,” demonstrating that Russia is a reliable country.
Further information about the Ukrainian account, which refutes the Russian allegations, is available in our earlier post.
Russia and Ukraine have divergent perspectives on trade.
Adams Paul.
reporter for the diplomatic mission, reporting from Kyiv.
Officials from Russia and Ukraine have given differing explanations for the prisoner and body swap that was decided upon during the most recent round of negotiations in Istanbul earlier this week.
Vladimir Medinsky, Moscow’s chief negotiator, claims that the Ukrainian side “unexpectedly postponed” the process “for an indefinite period.”. “”.
The Coordination for POWs Headquarters said in a statement that “statements by representatives of the aggressor state regarding the alleged start of the return of bodies or repatriation measures following agreements in Istanbul are not true.”. “”.
According to the report, plans are still in progress for the return of soldiers’ bodies as well as the exchange of young people and those who are gravely ill or injured.
“Any unilateral statements or actions by representatives of the aggressor state are yet another manipulation concerning the delicate and significant issue of repatriating our defenders’ bodies,” the statement claims. “”.
Whether the contradictory remarks are a significant roadblock or just the result of continuous negotiating over the conditions of the deal reached in Istanbul—neither side does not want to be perceived as impeding the process—is unclear.
It’s important to note that no specific date for any of this was specified. Although there were rumors that it might occur as early as this weekend, they were not verified.
Ukraine is accused by Russia of abruptly delaying the exchange of prisoners.
During negotiations in Istanbul this week, Russia and Ukraine agreed to exchange some prisoners of war, as we have just been reporting.
However, Ukrainian officials have been accused by Russian presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky of abruptly delaying an exchange for an indefinite amount of time.
As of right now, we have not heard from Ukraine.
Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, was quoted in local media earlier this week as saying that an exchange with 500 individuals returning to Ukraine was planned for this weekend.
A quick summary of this week’s events.
Sunday: At least 40 Russian warplanes are hit at four military bases by Ukraine using drones that were smuggled into Russia.
Russia and Ukraine agree to exchange all sick and severely wounded POWs, as well as those under 25, during negotiations in Istanbul, Turkey, on Monday.
Tuesday: Ukraine’s security service claims it has damaged a bridge with explosives, causing it to temporarily close between Russia and Russian-occupied Crimea.
Wednesday: The US president recounts a conversation in which Vladimir Putin informs Donald Trump that he must respond to the Ukrainian drone attack on Russian air bases.
Friday: In the early hours of Friday, Russia launches a massive aerial assault on Ukraine, leaving 80 people injured and six people dead.
According to the Ukrainian Air Force, it shot down a Russian jet.
Partridge, Chris.
weapons analyst for BBC News.
Ukraine says it shot down a Russian Su-35 fighter jet over Russia in what was called the “Kursk direction.”.
Whether this was an air-to-air conflict involving Ukrainian jets or the result of ground-based air defense systems, like anti-aircraft artillery or surface-to-air missile sites, is still unknown.
“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!” notes a post from the Ukrainian Air Force.
The Su-35 is a sophisticated aircraft that is mainly utilized as an air superiority fighter. It is an evolution of the older Su-27. The latest iteration of the F-15 serves as the equivalent in the US.
Glide bombs, or “dumb” bombs with guidance kits, have been wreaking havoc over the eastern Ukraine since Russia modified the Su-35 to drop them. Patrolling the skies against other aircraft is another use for it.
Ukraine’s Air Force also shared a video of a burning jet on the ground this morning. The video seems to have been taken by an aerial asset’s targeting or reconnaissance apparatus, like a drone or another aircraft.
The shoot-down has not been independently verified. The Russian Ministry of Defense has not yet responded.
“Then the drones struck after we sat down on the floor.”.
Aliona Lukianova has been remembering what happened over night and owns one of the damaged apartments in Kharkiv.
When the attack drones began to buzz closer and closer, Lukianova tells the Reuters news agency, “we took our dog and cats and hid behind the wall in the corridor when the sound was right over our house.”.
“We sat down on the floor and then it hit,” she says, adding that the explosion occurred barely 20 seconds after we had hidden. “..”.
The cats were taken to safety after I called for an ambulance. That was my only action. “,”.
The language used by Trump has angered Ukrainians.
Adams, Paul.
reporter for the diplomatic mission, reporting from Kyiv.
When Ukrainians learn that their government’s actions are somehow providing Russia with a pretext for “retaliation,” they roll their eyes. “”.
In an interview with reporters aboard Air Force One on Friday, Donald Trump reiterated his previous sentiments.
The US president referred to last week’s spectacular Ukrainian drone attack on Russian airbases when he said, “They gave Putin a reason to go in and bomb the hell out of them.”.
It’s also evident that Putin listened to Trump’s concerns during their Wednesday phone conversation regarding a fatal train accident that occurred inside Russia and was characterized by the Kremlin as an act of Ukrainian terrorism.
Moscow’s allegation that Ukraine was involved has not yet been supported by any evidence.
Since Russia has been bombing Ukrainian cities for more than three years, Ukrainians point out that the idea of retaliation is ridiculous.
One of the biggest aerial attacks of the war to date took place the night before Operation Spider’s Web, when Russia launched 472 drones over Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated earlier this week that a ceasefire would have prevented the drone strike against Russian airbases, which resulted in the destruction or serious damage of numerous strategic bombers and other aircraft.
However, he informed reporters, “that doesn’t mean we do nothing in the interim.”.
Ukraine’s foreign minister claims that “Kharkiv had a particularly terrible night.”.
The foreign minister of Ukraine claims that hundreds of missiles and drones “rained down” on the nation during the course of the night.
In a social media post, Andrii Sybiha writes, “Kharkiv had a particularly terrible night.”.
He claims that strikes occurred in the Donetsk, Dnipro, Ternopil, and Odesa regions as well as other parts of Ukraine.
He continues, “In addition to the damage to the energy infrastructure, people were killed and injured.”.
In order to “put an end to Russia’s killing and destruction,” Sybiha also calls for increased pressure on Moscow and assistance for Ukraine.
What is going on in the conflict in Ukraine?
Let’s just pause for a moment and consider the current situation in the conflict in Ukraine.
Russian forces have gradually increased their territory over the past year, primarily in the eastern part of Ukraine, as the map above illustrates.
Russian President Vladimir Putin now asserts that his nation is back “in control” and that Ukrainian troops have been isolated in the Kursk region of Russia, which Ukraine invaded last August and used as a negotiating chip.
Maps of the conflict are available here.
