Three dead as Ukraine hit with third-straight day of overnight attacks
June 7 (UPI) -- A Russian missile and drone attack in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv early Saturday killed at least three people and injured more than 20 others, officials have confirmed.
Mayor Ihor Terekhov called the attacks in the country's second-largest city "pure terror," as Ukraine faced overnight bombardment for the third straight day.
At least four people died and more than 50 were injured during overnight missile and drone attacks early Friday morning that marked one of Russia's largest aerial assaults of the year, involving almost 500 drones.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said the Friday attacks affected nearly the entire country.
Kharkiv faced "at least 40 explosions" during the overnight attacks, Terekhov said on his Telegram social media account.
"Kharkiv is currently experiencing the most powerful attack since the start of the full-scale war," Terekhov wrote.
"The enemy is striking simultaneously with missiles, (drones) and guided aerial bombs. This is outright terror against peaceful Kharkiv."
A 14-year-old girl and a boy under the age of two were among those injured in the latest Russian attacks carried out by over 50 drones and four guided aerial bombs, the Kharkiv regional prosecutor's office.
Ukrainian officials said 18 apartment buildings and an additional 13 residential buildings were damaged in the attacks.
"The strikes achieved their objectives. All designated targets were destroyed," Russia's Defense Ministry wrote on Telegram.
The attacks came as the two countries were set to carry out a prisoner exchange that would see hundreds of soldiers on both sides repatriated, including the bodies of thousands of those killed in the conflict.
Russian officials on Saturday said Ukraine "unexpectedly postponed both the acceptance of bodies and the exchange of prisoners of war for an indefinite period," following the latest round of attacks.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
24 minutes ago
- New York Post
EU suspends $1.7B in aid to Ukraine after Zelensky curbs watchdog agencies
The European Union is freezing $1.7 billion in aid to Ukraine because President Volodymyr Zelensky approved a bill curbing the war-torn nation's top anti-corruption agencies. The EU said it is withholding more than a third of its funding meant to reward Ukraine for good governance standards after Zelensky signed the controversial bill last week, according to the New York Times on Saturday. The new law gives a politically appointed Ukrainian prosecutor general more power over Kyiv's National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO). Advertisement While Zelensky quickly also put measures into place to ensure the agencies' independence after national outcry — the first wartime protests against his administration — concerns remain over his commitment to route out the corruption that has plagued Ukraine for decades. 5 Protests erupt in Kyiv last week after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky approved a bill curbing the nation's top anti-corruption agencies. Getty Images 5 Zelensky quickly put measures in place to strengthen the agencies' independence following mass backlash in Ukraine and around the world. Getty Images The EU established its Ukraine Facility fund last year to reward Kyiv, pledging nearly $60 million over three years to help its war recovery efforts and prepare the country to enter the bloc. Advertisement But Kyiv has fallen short of meeting the EU's standards, with European officials slamming last Wednesday's rush legislation. The EU's decision to withhold some of the funds from Ukraine is not final and that the money pledge can be restored as long as Ukraine meets its requirements, officials said. Marta Kos, the EU's commissioner for expansion, said the bloc was 'seriously concerned' over Ukraine's move to inject political influence into the two agencies tasked with prosecuting corruption at the highest level. Advertisement 5 Last week's protest was the first of its kind since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. REUTERS 5 Critics demand Ukraine keep its vow to eliminate corruption in Kyiv, a promise made during the 2014 'Revolution of Dignity.' AFP via Getty Images The NABU and SAPO were established after Ukraine's 'Revolution of Dignity' in 2014, when leaders promised the public to weed out decades of corruption in Kyiv after ousting pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych. Zelensky had vowed to keep the anti-corruption efforts going through his administration, but his criticism over the agencies grew louder when they began investigating and charging people inside his inner circle, including former Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Chernyshov. Advertisement The president initially claimed that a tighter leash was needed against the NABU and SAPO to rid the two agencies of 'Russian influence' and to address why some cases have been stalled for years. 5 Opponents say internal corruption is hindering Ukraine's ability to defend itself against the Russian invasion. Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images But thousands of Ukrainians then took to the streets to demand the NABU and SAPO remain independent, claiming that the rampant corruption in Kyiv is hurting the nation's ability to defend itself against the ongoing Russian invasion. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer was among the world leaders who called Zelensky to roll back the bill and ensure the corruption issues are addressed. Kyiv also has until Thursday to appoint a head of its Economic Security Bureau to continue receiving assistance from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The IMF had vowed to provide Ukraine with $15.6 billion in aid to be distributed over four years as long as Kyiv moves forward with its anti-corruption campaign. Zelensky had previously refused to appoint Oleksandr Tsyvinskyi, the man who led the case against Chernyshov, as the head of the bureau despite a nomination from an independent commission. The position remains open, with no word yet on who would fill it.
UPI
2 hours ago
- UPI
State Department to burn birth control worth $9.7M meant for poor nations
The U.S. government plans to destroy $9.7 million of contraceptives for poor nations, mainly in Africa, after the nation "explored all possible options to prevent the destruction." UPI file photo | License Photo July 27 (UPI) -- The U.S. government plans to destroy a stockpile of contraceptives worth $9.7 million for poor nations, mainly in Africa, after the State Department "explored all possible options to prevent the destruction." The contraceptives include nearly 2 million doses of injectables, 900,000 implantable devices and more than 2 million oral packets, according to internal auditing in April obtained by The Washington Post. Chelsea Polis, a researcher with Guttsmacher Institute, which supports abortion rights, told the newspaper that the contraceptives could provide more than 650,000 women with pregnancy protection for up to one year and 950,000 women for three years. U.S. laws and rules prohibit sending U.S. aid to organizations that provide abortion services, counsel about the procedure or advocate for the right overseas. "The State Department confirms that a preliminary decision was made to destroy certain abortifacient birth control commodities from terminated Biden-era USAID contracts," a spokesperson said in a statement. "Only a limited number of commodities have been approved for disposal. No HIV medications or condoms are being destroyed." The destruction will cost $167,000, the spokesperson said. Most contraceptives have less than 70% of shelf life before expiration, the spokesperson said. The Guardian contacted an aide who visited the warehouse in Belgium and found the earliest expiration date was 2027. Two-thirds didn't have any labels. Belgium, the United Nations and humanitarian groups said they unsuccessfully stopped the destruction plans for the contraceptives. The U.S. Agency for International Development, which Trump disbanded and merged into the State Department, was to have distributed them. They are part of a $9.5 billion program over 10 years to provide aid to more than 40 nations. The government said it based its decision on a policy that restricts funding for reproductive-related actions in the Mexico City Policy and the Kemp-Kasten amendment. President Ronald Reagan instituted the policy in 1985 and it has become a political issue. It has rescinded by Democratic presidents and reinstated by Republicans several times, including by President Donald Trump when he returned to office in January. A bipartisan group of U.S. legislators doesn't want the contraceptives to be destroyed, including Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and Democrats Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire and Brian Schatz of Hawaii. "This is a waste of U.S. taxpayer dollars and an abdication of U.S. global leadership in preventing unintended pregnancies, unsafe abortions and maternal deaths," said Shaheen, who in June sent a letter to the Secretary of State Marco Rubio about the matter. The U.N. Population Fund and the International Planned Parenthood Federation were interested in receiving the contraceptives. "UNFPA was in conversation with Chemonics about purchasing the contraceptives but didn't receive an answer from them," UNFPA spokesman Eddie Wright said. "It's the height of hypocrisy for a government to preach efficiency and cutting waste, only to turn around and recklessly destroy lifesaving supplies when the need has never been greater," Micah Grzywnowicz, regional director of the International Planned Parenthood Federation European Network, said in a statement MSI Reproductive Choices offered to pay for shipping and repackaging. MSI provides abortion services. "The complete dismantling of the world's largest donor for international family planning has been a catastrophe for the global supply chain of contraceptives," said Sarah Shaw, associate director of advocacy and for the organization. Sub-Saharan Africa has experienced an increase in teen births, according to a study at Columbia University in 2024. The number of births climbed from 4.5 million births in 2000 to 6.1 million in 2021as they decreased in the rest of the world. In Africa, 30% of all woman use birth control but more than half would use it if available, according to DebboAfrica, a healthcare company for African women. Worldwide, around half of women of reproductive age of 15-19 use some form of contraception, according to Focus2030. Foreign aid cuts could lead to more than 14 million additional deaths by 2023, including two-thirds children, according to a study published in Lancet earlier this month. Congress earlier this month passed legislation to remove $8 billion in foreign assistance. The Atlantic reported earlier this month that 551 tons of emergency food were expiring and will be incinerated rather than being fed to almost 1.5 million children in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Almost 800,000 Mpox vaccines to be sent to Africa also are not usable because they are past their expiration date, Politico reported earlier this month.
Miami Herald
2 hours ago
- Miami Herald
US, Qatar to finalize plan to 'donate' a $400M Boeing 747 to DOD
July 27 (UPI) -- The United States government and Qatar will finalize a deal next week for Qatar to give the U.S. Air Force a jet to become Air Force One. Qatar will send the Boeing 747-8 aircraft as an unconditional "donation" to the Department of Defense, which will then be responsible for its maintenance, the Washington Post reported. The agreement, dated July 7, was signed by U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Qatari Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defense Affairs Soud bin Abulrahaman Al-Thani. Once the deal is finished, the Air Force can begin renovating the plane to become Air Force One. The process is projected to take years and cost hundreds of millions of dollars. The jet itself is valued at $400 million and will go to President Donald Trump's presidential library after his term is over. "They knew about it because they buy Boeings, they buy a lot of Boeings, and they knew about it, and they said, we would like to do something," Trump said. "And if we can get a 747 as a contribution to our Defense Department to use during a couple of years while they're building the other ones, I think that was a very nice gesture. Now I could be a stupid person and say, 'Oh no, we don't want a free plane.'" The cost of the renovation is classified, but the New York Times has reported that the budget may be tucked into parts of the Department of Defense's budget. The Times cites a "mysterious" $934 million transfer from the over-budget modernization of America's aging, ground-based nuclear missiles. Article I of the U.S. Constitution prevents the president from accepting a gift or emolument from a "King, Prince, or foreign State," without congressional consent. Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-New York, said in May that he sent a letter to the Government Accountability Office pushing for an investigation into the Trump administration accepting a plane as a gift. Copyright 2025 UPI News Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
