Image source, Getty Images

Ukrainians woke up again this morning to news of fresh Russian strikes:

• Residents of Kharkiv experienced what the region's mayor has dubbed as Russia's biggest drone attack on the city - with at least three killed and and 22 injured
• Ukraine's Air Force reports that nine missiles and 206 drones were launched by Russia overnight
• In the southern city of Kherson, officials say a married couple in their 50s were killed when a residential building was hit

Meanwhile, after peace talks earlier this week, there are conflicting accounts over the timing of an exchange of prisoners of war.

We're ending our live coverage now, but you can read more in our story here.

Paul Adams
Diplomatic correspondent, reporting from Kyiv

Ukrainian officials have responded angrily to Russian suggestions that Ukraine is holding up an agreed prisoner swap.

The latest statement from Ukraine’s Coordination HQ for prisoners of war (POWs) says that earlier Russian comments “do not correspond to reality or to previous agreements — neither regarding the prisoner exchange nor the repatriation of bodies”.

The Coordination HQ says that teams from both sides have been working on the repatriation of bodies and an exchange of POWs since the two sides last met in Istanbul on Monday.

It says that Ukraine has submitted its lists, according to clearly defined categories (severely wounded, ill, young servicemen, etc) but that Russia has submitted “alternative lists that do not correspond to the agreed-upon approach”.

On the repatriation of bodies, Ukraine says agreement has been reached, but no date set. It says that Russia “undertook unilateral steps that had not been coordinated within the joint process”.

“Unfortunately, instead of constructive dialogue, we are once again faced with manipulations and attempts to exploit sensitive humanitarian issues for informational purposes,” the statement says.

It ends by urging Russia to “stop playing dirty games” and to implement an agreement “clearly and without delay in the coming days”.

Image source, Volodymyr Zelensky/X

Image source, Getty Images

We've received an update on Russia's overnight strikes on Kharkiv.

Earlier, we reported that at least three people were killed in the attack, according to the Kharkiv mayor.

Ukraine's state emergency service now says one of those killed was a 32-year-old man.

Two other bodies still need to be identified, the emergency service says, but it's believed they are women aged 59 and 86.

It also says 22 people were injured, including a 14-year-old girl and a one-and-a-half-month-old baby.

More now on the conflicting accounts shared by Russia and Ukraine over the timing over a possible prisoner exchange.

Ukraine's Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War says it has submitted lists to Russia for prisoners to exchange "in accordance with clearly defined categories agreed" in Istanbul last week.

It claims Russia submitted lists "that do not correspond to the agreed approach".

An agreement to exchange bodies had been reached, it says, but it insists the date was not agreed on, accusing Russia of undertaking "unilateral actions".

It adds that Ukraine is ready to work for an exchange of prisoners and bodies, and calls on Russia to work constructively with them.

Image source, Turkish Foreign Ministry HANDOUT/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Earlier this week in Turkey, the second round of direct peace talks between Russia and Ukraine ended without a major breakthrough - but the two sides agreed a deal to swap more prisoners of war.

The two committed to return the bodies of 12,000 soldiers, and agreed to exchange all sick and heavily wounded prisoners of war, as well those aged under 25.

Monday's talks in Istanbul lasted just over an hour and afterwards Ukrainian negotiators said Russia had again rejected an "unconditional ceasefire" - a key demand by Kyiv and its allies in Europe and the US.

The Russian team said it had proposed a two or three-day truce "in certain areas" of the vast front line, but gave no further details.

• You can read more on those recent talks between the two countries here

Image source, Getty Images

We can bring you more now from Russian presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky's statement, where he accuses Ukraine of unexpectedly postponing a prisoner swap - something Ukraine denies.

Medinsky says Russia had already begun implementing an exchange of bodies and prisoners of war which he says both sides had agreed to.

He says the bodies of over one thousand killed Ukrainian soldiers were at an agreed exchange point, and that Russia had handed over a list of names of 640 prisoners of war to be swapped with Ukraine.

But Medinsky claims Ukrainian negotiators did not arrive at the agreed upon location.

He ends his statement by saying the Russian team "are there" and ready "to work", saying Russia always keeps its word.

You can see more details of the Ukrainian account - which denies the Russian claims - in our previous post.

Paul Adams
Diplomatic correspondent, reporting from Kyiv

Russian and Ukrainian officials have released conflicting accounts regarding the exchange of prisoners and bodies that was agreed at the last round of talks in Istanbul earlier this week.

Moscow’s main negotiator Vladimir Medinsky says the Ukrainian side had “unexpectedly postponed” the process “for an indefinite period.”

A statement from the Coordination for POWs HQ says 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.”

It says preparations are still under way for the exchange of seriously ill and severely wounded individuals, young people, and the return of the bodies of soldiers.

“Any unilateral statements or actions by representatives of the aggressor state,” the statement says, “are yet another manipulation concerning the sensitive and important issue of repatriating the bodies of our defenders.”

It’s not clear if the conflicting statements represent a major stumbling block or simply reflect ongoing haggling over the terms of the exchange agreed in Istanbul - with neither side wanting to be seen as holding up the process.

It’s worth noting that no date was announced for any of this to happen. There were suggestions it could happen as early as this weekend, but these reports were not confirmed.

As we've just been reporting, during talks in Istanbul this week Russia and Ukraine agreed to an exchange of some prisoners of war.

But now Russian presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky has accused Ukraine of unexpectedly postponing an exchange for an indefinite period of time.

We've so far heard nothing from the Ukrainian side.

Reports in local media earlier this week quote Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky as saying there were plans for an exchange this weekend, with 500 people returning to Ukraine.

Image source, MAXAR TECHNOLOGIES

Sunday: Ukraine uses drones smuggled into Russia to strike at least 40 Russian warplanes at four military bases

Monday: Russia and Ukraine hold talks in Istanbul, Turkey, and agree to exchange all sick and heavily wounded prisoners of war, as well as those aged under 25

Tuesday: A bridge between Russia and Russian-occupied Crimea temporarily closes after Ukraine's security service says it has damaged it with explosives

Wednesday: Vladimir Putin tells Donald Trump he will have to respond to the Ukrainian drone attack on Russian air bases, according to an account of a call between the pair provided by the US president

Friday: Russia launches a large-scale aerial attack on Ukraine in the early hours of Friday, killing six people and injuring 80

Chris Partridge
BBC News weapons analyst

Image source, Getty Images

Ukraine claims to have shot down a Russian Su-35 fighter jet in what was described as the "Kursk direction" which is over Russia.

There's no word yet on whether this was an air-to-air engagement involving Ukrainian jets, or the work of ground-based air defence systems - such as surface-to-air missile sites or anti-aircraft artillery.

A post by the Ukrainian Air Force says: "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!"

The Su-35 is an advanced jet and an evolution of the older Su-27, primarily used as an air superiority fighter. The equivalent in the United States is the most modern version of the F-15.

The Su-35 has been modified by Russia to deploy glide bombs, 'dumb' bombs fitted with guidance kits that have been causing widespread destruction over the east of Ukraine. It is also used to patrol the skies against other aircraft.

This morning Ukraine's Air Force also posted a video showing a burning jet on the ground. The footage appears to have been captured by the targeting or reconnaissance equipment of an aerial asset - such as a drone or another aircraft.

There is no independent verification of the shoot-down. And no word yet from the Russian Ministry of Defence.

Image source, EPA

Aliona Lukianova owns one of the apartments damaged in Kharkiv and has been recalling what happened overnight.

"When they (attack drones) started buzzing closer and closer, and finally when the sound was right over our house, we took our dog and cats and hid behind the wall in the corridor," Lukianova tells the Reuters news agency.

"We sat down on the floor and then it hit," she says, "it had hardly been 20 seconds after we hid when the explosion happened."

"I called the ambulance and took the cats to safety. That's all I did."

Ukrainians frustrated by Trump's use of languagepublished at 10:34 British Summer Time

10:34 BST

Paul Adams
Diplomatic correspondent, reporting from Kyiv

Image source, AFP via Getty Images

Ukrainians roll their eyes when they hear that their government’s actions are somehow giving Russia an excuse for “retaliation.”

Donald Trump has spoken this way before, but returned to the theme when speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Friday.

"They gave Putin a reason to go in and bomb the hell out of them,” the US President said, referring to last week’s spectacular Ukrainian drone assault on Russian airbases.

It’s also clear that during their phone call on Wednesday, Putin bent Trump’s ear about a deadly train crash inside Russia, which the Kremlin has described as an act of Ukrainian terrorism.

Moscow has yet to provide any evidence to back up its claim that Ukraine was involved.

Ukrainians point out it is absurd to talk of retaliation, when Russia has been bombing Ukrainian cities for more than three years.

The night before Operation Spider’s Web, Russia launched 472 drones over Ukraine in one of the largest aerial assaults of the war so far.

Earlier this week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the drone attack against Russian airbases, which destroyed or damaged a significant number of strategic bombers and other aircraft, would not have happened had a ceasefire been in place.

“But it doesn’t mean we do nothing in the meantime,” he told reporters.

Ukraine's Air Force says nine missiles and 206 drones were used in Russia's overnight attack that hit parts of the country.

Preliminary data indicates that Ukrainian air defences destroyed 174 air attack vehicles, it says in a post on Telegram.

Elsewhere, Russia's Ministry of Defence says it has "intercepted" and "destroyed" 36 Ukrainian drones over western parts of the country - including in the regions of Kursk, Bryansk, Kaluga, Smolensk and Moscow.

As rescuers continue to deal with the aftermath of this latest round of strikes on Kharkiv, we can share with you these pictures from on the ground.

Image source, Anadolu via Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, AFP via Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

If you are just joining us this Saturday morning - let's bring you up to date with what's happened:

• Overnight Russia has struck Ukraine's second biggest city, Kharkiv, with drones, missiles and guided bombs
• At least three people have been killed and more than 20 others injured, the city's mayor says, with a baby and a 14-year-old girl among those hurt
• Mayor Ihor Terekhov calls it the most powerful attack on Kharkiv since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, with photos showing high-rise buildings damaged and on fire
• Russia is yet to comment on the strikes
• Elsewhere, in the southern city of Kherson, officials say a married couple in their 50s were killed when a residential building was hit by Russian shelling

Image source, Reuters

Hundreds of drones and missiles "rained down" on Ukraine overnight, the country's foreign minister says.

"Kharkiv had a particularly terrible night," Andrii Sybiha writes in a post on social media.

There were also strikes throughout Ukraine, he says, including in the Donetsk, Dnipro, Ternopil and Odesa regions.

"People were injured and killed, and the energy infrastructure was also damaged," he adds.

Sybiha also urges for more pressure to be put on Moscow, and for more support for Ukraine, to "put an end to Russia's killing and destruction".

Let's just take a step back to look at the current state of play in the war in Ukraine.

As the map above shows, Russian forces have slowly expanded the amount of territory they control over the past year, mostly in the east of Ukraine.

Meanwhile in the Russian region of Kursk - which Ukraine made an incursion into last August and held part of as a bargaining chip - Russian President Vladimir Putin now claims his country is back "in control" and Ukrainian troops there have been isolated.

• You can track the war in maps here

Overnight there have also been reports of strikes in Kherson - in southern Ukraine.

Kherson regional governor Oleksandr Prokudin says residential buildings came under fire last night, and two high-rise buildings were damaged.

He adds that a couple - a 56-year-old man and a 54-year-old woman - were killed in the attack.

Paul Adams
Diplomatic correspondent, reporting from Kyiv

Image source, Reuters

This may not have been the deadliest attack on Kharkiv since Russia’s full-scale invasion, but it was certainly one of the most intense.

According to the mayor, around 50 drones, four guided aerial bombs and one missile were launched at the city in the course of just 90 minutes, shortly before dawn.

Apartment blocks and private homes were among the buildings hit. At least three people were killed.

Yesterday, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said Western leaders who allowed this to keep happening were guilty of complicity.

He’s clearly frustrated by US President Donald Trump, who has yet to show any real willingness to put pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war.

The Kremlin says its actions are a response to what it calls recent acts of Ukrainian terrorism.

Speaking to journalists on board Air Force One late on Friday, Trump said last weekend’s dramatic Ukrainian assault on Russian airbases had, in his words, given Putin a reason to go in and "bomb the hell out of them".

Warnings have continued to be issued from the Ukrainian Air Force about the possibility of further aerial strikes on Kharkiv in the past 15 minutes.

We'll bring you more information when we have it.