Key developments on June 9: * Ukraine shoots down nearly 500 drones, missiles in Russian record strike, Air Force says * Ukraine begins new major prisoner exchange with Russia * Russia claims offensive in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast aimed at creating 'buffer zone,' Ukraine denies reports of incursion * Putin approves new naval strategy as
In a luxurious resort complex north of Kyiv, 12 women are retraining to enter the hospitality sector in a new school that will kickstart a fresh life for Ukraine’s internally displaced people (IDPs). The women, mostly from Ukraine's occupied territories, are learning to be housekeepers in the first program
"Today, we see this kind of tactic being reinvented by technical and industrial creativity," NATO Admiral Pierre Vandier said.
"The Russians are too weak for that," Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced on June 2 that the United Kingdom is moving to "warfighting readiness," in large part in response to the full-scale invasion of Ukraine and the threat Russia poses to Europe. He made the comment as his government unveiled its latest Strategic Defense Review, which
Russian authorities accuse sniper Ruslan Orlov and paramedic Artem Novikov of shooting three civilians in Mariupol in April 2022.
The national agencies did not disclose the suspect's name, who faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted.
As the war in Ukraine grinds on, attention remains fixed on the battlefield. But Russia’s most vulnerable flank is not in the trenches — it’s in the treasury. The West, and especially the United States, holds economic levers that could push Vladimir Putin toward serious negotiations or even collapse
In recent years, the Kremlin has sought to cast Russia as a bastion of so-called traditional values, positioning itself in stark contrast to what it describes as the morally decaying West. Yet beneath this veneer, a more complex reality persists. As exiled Russian philosopher Alexey Zhavoronkov told the Kyiv Independent,
Among those freed are defenders of Mariupol who had spent more than three years in captivity.
"As of the morning of June 9, all Russian information, including (Kremlin spokesperson's) statements, about an offensive in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast does not correspond to reality,” said Andrii Kovalenko, head of Ukraine's Center for Countering Disinformation.
"Danger will not disappear even when the war in Ukraine ends," NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said.
Ukraine had reportedly neutralized 479 Russian drones and missiles, with 292 shot down, and 187 jammed or lost via electronic warfare.
The overnight strike targeted the Savasleyka airfield in Russia's Nizhny Novgorod region, which the Kremlin uses to launch MiG-31K jets armed with Kinzhal hypersonic missiles, according to the General Staff.
Since September 2022, Ukraine has used naval kamikaze drones to target the Russian Black Sea Fleet, destroying several vessels. The latest strike sank a Mangust-class patrol boat off the coast of occupied Crimea using a domestically produced Magura drone.
The number includes 970 casualties that Russian forces suffered just over the past day.
"I advise American President Donald Trump, go to Ukraine and live in my house one week. Only one week ... Watch what's going on every night," the heavyweight champion said in an interview with BBC Sport.
At least one civilian was injured in Rivne, a city far from the front lines in northwestern Ukraine.
Vladyslav Horai, a renowned tenor and soloist of the Odesa National Opera, was killed in Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy Oblast while on a volunteer mission, the opera house reported on June 8.
Renault will partner with a small French defense company to equip production lines on Ukrainian territory, with the drones expected to serve both Ukrainian and French military forces, according to France Info.
There are currently no plans for mass civilian evacuations from the city of Sumy, regional Governor Oleh Hryhorov said on June 8, as Russian advances into Sumy Oblast have continued to gain momentum.
Key developments on June 7-8: * US expects Russia's retaliation for Operation Spiderweb to continue soon * Ukraine denies Russian troop presence in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast amid offensive, describes situation as 'tense' * Trump administration redirects 20,000 anti-drone missiles meant for Ukraine, Zelensky confirms * Ukraine downs fighter jet in Russia's Kursk Oblast, Air
Despite Russia's claims of an intrusion into Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Major Andrii Kovalev, a spokesperson for Ukraine's General Staff denied Russian troop presence in the region.
"We counted on this project — 20,000 missiles. Anti-Shahed missiles. It was not expensive, but it's a special technology," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
Budanov's statement comes just a day after Russia claimed that a prisoner swap had failed due to Ukraine's fault — an accusation Kyiv denied.
One official told Reuters that while the timing remains unclear, a retaliatory strike could be expected in the coming days and is likely to be "asymmetrical."
According to Ukraine's Air Force, Russian forces launched 49 drones overnight, including Iranian-designed Shahed-type drones, along with an Onyx anti-ship missile and two X-59/69 guided air-launched missiles.
Located roughly 30 kilometers (some 18 miles) north of the city of Sumy, Loknia lies near the Russian border in a strategically exposed area.
Russia's Defense Ministry claimed that 61 Ukrainian drones were launched between the evening of June 7 and the morning of June 8.
The number includes 1,120 casualties that Russian forces suffered just over the past day.
Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo on June 7 criticized U.S. President Donald Trump for reportedly pressuring the Senate to weaken a Russian sanctions bill.
Two Russian agents were arrested by Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) on June 7 after allegedly planting a car bomb targeting a Dnipro prosecutor on June 6.
(Updated: )
