The Kyiv Independent [unofficial]

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Russia’s war against Ukraine

Fire is seen among the smoke clouds billowing from a Russian attack on Kharkiv, Ukraine on June 7, 2025. (Daniel Cardenas/Anadolu via Getty Images)

‘Loud night in Kyiv, Dad’ — US envoy’s daughter appeals to Kellogg during Russian attack. “It might be the explosions and gunfire in the dead of night, but I get the strange feeling the Russians don’t want peace,” Meaghan Mobbs, daughter of U.S. Special Envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg, wrote on X.

Operation Spiderweb ‘gave Putin a reason to bomb the hell out of them,’ Trump says, following large-scale attacks on Ukrainian cities. U.S. President Donald Trump on June 6 appeared to justify Russia’s large-scale attack on Ukrainian cities launched the night before, in response to Ukraine’s Operation Spiderweb.

Ukraine hopes for Trump-Zelensky meeting in Canada during G7. President Volodymyr Zelensky plans to meet U.S. President Trump during the G7 summit in Alberta on June 15–17, Presidential Office head Andriy Yermak said.

Ukrainian drone attack destroys helicopter at Russian airfield in Bryansk, media says. The drone attack on Bryansk was part of a broader Ukrainian operation targeting multiple Russian airfields and military facilities overnight on June 6.

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Russia plans to occupy Ukraine east of Dnipro, cut Black Sea access, Ukrainian official says. “Unfortunately, they are not speaking about peace. They are preparing for war,” President Volodymyr Zelensky’s Deputy Chief of Staff Pavlo Palisa said.

Ukraine strikes Russian air bases in ‘preemptive strike‘ ahead of drone, missile attack, General Staff says. Ukrainian strikes reportedly targeted Engels and Dyagilevo airfields — two key hubs for Russia’s long-range bomber fleet, as well as logistics sites in Russia’s Kursk Oblast.

Russia’s National Guard kills man attempting drone attack on military site, agency claims. The suspect was allegedly preparing to launch a drone packed with grenades at a military facility in Russia’s Ryazan Oblast. The Kyiv Independent could not verify the claim.

Russia cuts key interest rate for first time since 2022. The decision reflects a decrease in inflation and mounting political pressure to ease borrowing costs amid Russia’s economic slowdown.

Egyptian POW didn’t need money, but went to fight for Russia

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Ukraine war latest: Russia hits Ukraine with large-scale attack days after Operation Spiderweb

Russia launched a mass missile and drone attack against Ukraine overnight on June 6, targeting the capital, major cities, and the country’s far-western regions. A total of 80 people were injured and four people killed.

Photo: Astra / Telegram

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‘Find and destroy’ – how Ukraine’s own Peaky Blinders mastered the art of bomber drones

With Russian forces stepping up infantry-based attacks against an overstretched Ukrainian defense, the work of top drone units able to quickly eliminate enemy soldiers from the sky is more crucial than ever.

Photo: Francis Farrell / The Kyiv Independent

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Human cost of Russia’s war

Russian attack on Kharkiv kills 3, injures 19, including 2 children. Russian forces attacked Kharkiv with drones, missiles, and KAB guided bombs overnight on June 7, killing at least three people and injuring 19, officials said.

5 killed, 73 injured in Russian attacks on Ukraine over past day. Russia launched 407 drones overnight, including Iranian-designed Shahed-type suicide drones, along with 44 missiles of various types, Ukraine’s Air Force spokesperson Yurii Ihnat said.

International response

Trump quietly pressuring Senate to weaken Russia sanctions, WSJ reports. The White House reportedly asked Sen. Graham to insert waivers into the bill allowing Trump to choose which entities get sanctioned and changing the word “shall” to “may.”

EU considers adding Russia to money-laundering ‘gray list,’ Financial Times reports. Inclusion on the list would damage Russia’s global financial standing and compel banks to apply stricter scrutiny to transactions involving Russian individuals or entities — raising compliance costs and increasing operational burdens.

Trump offers Germany US gas deals, but no promises on Ukraine aid or Russia sanctions. When asked whether Trump would impose additional sanctions on Russia, the president dodged the question by boasting that he “ended Nord Stream 2” and hinting at future energy deals with Germany in a press conference with Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

In other news

Ukrainian woman, 6-year-old daughter found murdered in Belgium. A 46-year-old Ukrainian woman and her 6-year-old daughter were found murdered on June 6 in the city of Leuven, Belgium, authorities reported.

Moscow ready to grant Musk asylum if necessary amid rift with Trump, Russian official says. “I think Musk is playing a completely different game,” Dmitry Novikov, deputy chair of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs, said.

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