Mutual Russian and Ukrainian Shelling Leaves Dozens Dead and Widespread Destruction

World 04:00 PM - 2026-06-09

Heavy Russian shelling targets Ukrainian city of Kharkiv

Five people were killed and more than 40 others injured on Tuesday, 9 June 2026, following Russian missile and drone attacks on the Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia regions of Ukraine, as Kyiv continued its long-range strikes on targets in Russian-controlled territory.

Ukrainian authorities said a Russian strike on the city of Chuhuiv in the Kharkiv region killed three people, including a 22-year-old pregnant woman and two men aged 56 and 70.

Kharkiv regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said the attack caused damage to residential buildings, shops, and car parks, while several civilians were also wounded.

Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city and located close to the Russian border, was also targeted in a separate drone attack that injured between 15 and 16 people, according to local officials.

Images released by the authorities showed a heavily damaged apartment block engulfed in flames as firefighters worked to contain fires that had spread through the building and nearby vehicles.

In southern Ukraine, emergency services reported that a Russian strike on the city of Zaporizhzhia killed two people and injured 32 others.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian Air Force stated that Russia launched between 166 and 168 long-range drones, along with two missiles, towards Ukrainian territory overnight, claiming that between 146 and 148 aerial targets had been intercepted.

Kyiv has continued to urge its Western allies to strengthen Ukraine’s air defence capabilities in response to the intensifying Russian attacks.

Ukrainian Strikes Continue

In response, Ukraine maintained its long-range attacks on targets inside Russian-controlled territory.

Russian officials said on Tuesday that Ukrainian drones had damaged the Chonhar Bridge — one of the main links connecting Crimea with Russian-controlled areas of mainland Ukraine — for the second consecutive night.

Vladimir Saldo, the head of the Russian-installed administration in the region, said the bridge had sustained damage severe enough to force its closure, advising motorists to use the alternative route via the Perekop Isthmus.

The attacks form part of a Ukrainian campaign launched in May aimed at isolating Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014 and which serves as a major military hub for Russian forces operating in the Black Sea.

According to Russian reports, repeated Ukrainian strikes on infrastructure and supply routes have contributed to fuel rationing in Crimea.

Authorities in Sevastopol also announced that air defence systems had intercepted another drone attack targeting the city, home to the headquarters of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet.

The latest developments underline the continuing escalation between the two sides at a time when diplomatic efforts to end the war remain difficult, despite ongoing international attempts to revive negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv.

Negotiations Face Obstacles

In late May, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy asked US President Donald Trump to provide Ukraine with additional Patriot missiles, amid concerns over strained US stockpiles of the advanced air defence system due to its use in other international crises.

Zelenskyy also revealed that he had held two “positive” phone calls with US envoy Steve Witkoff and adviser Jared Kushner, praising their willingness to help find a resolution to the conflict in the coming weeks.

Last week, the Ukrainian president published an open letter addressed to Russian President Vladimir Putin proposing direct face-to-face talks aimed at ending the five-year war. Moscow, however, swiftly rejected the proposal.

In a media interview, Zelenskyy said divisions were emerging within Putin’s inner circle over the continuation of the conflict, adding that some figures within Russia’s economic sector were increasingly aware of the pressure the war was placing on the country’s economy.

Putin, meanwhile, insisted that the Ukrainian attacks had caused damage but did not pose a serious threat to the Russian economy.

The latest Russian strikes came as Zelenskyy returned to Kyiv following talks in London with the leaders of Britain, France, and Germany, where the three countries reaffirmed their support for efforts aimed at securing a ceasefire.



PUKMEDIA