In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Services on Tuesday, June 9, 2026, a damaged building burns after a Russian strike in Kharkiv, Ukraine. State Emergency Service of Ukraine via AP
LONDON — Three individuals lost their lives during the night as Russia persisted with its aerial assault on Ukraine, deploying at least 166 drones, according to Ukrainian authorities, while Russian officials also reported a Ukrainian operation aimed at Moscow and other territories.
"A minimum of three people perished, including a 22-year-old expectant woman, in Chuhuiv, due to Russia’s nocturnal acts of terror against Kharkiv and its surrounding area," stated Andrii Sybiha, Ukraine’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, on social media platforms.
The Ukrainian air defense forces indicated that no fewer than 146 Russian drones were successfully neutralized.
Sergei Sobyanin, the Mayor of Moscow, announced via a series of posts on Telegram on Tuesday morning that Russian air defenses had intercepted at least 11 drones in the vicinity of the capital. He mentioned that emergency crews were attending to the locations where each drone had crashed.
In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Services on Tuesday, June 9, 2026, a damaged building seen after a Russian strike in Kharkiv, Ukraine. State Emergency Service of Ukraine via AP
Russia’s defensive systems intercepted and eliminated at least 140 Ukrainian drones across multiple territories overnight, as reported by Russia’s Ministry of Defense, according to the state-backed Tass news agency.
These nighttime incursions occurred while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reiterated Kyiv’s pursuit of a diplomatic resolution to end Russia’s conflict.
In an interview with The Guardian published on Tuesday, Zelenskyy disclosed that Roman Abramovich, a notable Russian businessman connected to Russian President Vladimir Putin, had visited Kyiv in May.
In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Services on Tuesday, June 9, 2026, a rescue worker puts out a fire of a storage facility after a Russian strike in Kharkiv, Ukraine. State Emergency Service of Ukraine via AP
“I informed this businessman, who came to convey a potential framework for diplomatic discussions, that we were prepared to engage from the outset,” Zelenskyy stated on social media on Tuesday, recounting his conversation with The Guardian. “We did not desire this war, and we wish to bring it to a conclusion.”
Last week, Zelenskyy’s office released an open letter addressed to Putin, in which he requested a meeting, asserting, “The current front line is the point from which diplomacy must commence.”
The Ukrainian president commented that many Russian citizens are “feeling increasingly uneasy” about the war’s impact on their daily lives, the economy, and international relationships.
“You will lack sufficient funds or political influence to continue securing the allegiance of Russians as you have for the preceding 26 years,” Zelenskyy conveyed to Putin in the letter. “And we shall exert every effort to ensure the global community assists in hastening that moment.”
In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Services on Tuesday, June 9, 2026, a damaged building burns after a Russian strike in Kharkiv, Ukraine. State Emergency Service of Ukraine via AP
Last week, Putin again expressed his belief in “a desire to end this military conflict peacefully” but refrained from committing to a meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart, according to a transcript released by the Russian president’s office.
The overnight bombardment targeting Ukraine’s Kharkiv region resulted in injuries to at least 15 individuals and inflicted damage upon residential structures, a church, and other civilian infrastructure, the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported on Tuesday.
Russia also directed attacks at emergency personnel in the Dnipro region, the ministry stated.
“Following the extinguishment of a fire caused by a prior strike by firefighters, their vehicle was subjected to another Russian assault while en route back to their station,” the ministry explained. “Fortunately, no casualties were sustained.”
Sourse: abcnews.go.com