Vue lecture

In one of largest attacks on Ukraine's capital, Russian barrage hits Kyiv, Odesa, kills 3, injures 12

In one of largest attacks on Ukraine's capital, Russian barrage hits Kyiv, Odesa, kills 3, injures 12

Editor's note: This is a developing story and is being updated.

Kyiv and Odesa came under another mass Russian attack in the early hours of June 10, involving ballistic missiles and drones. Explosions were heard across the capital as air defense systems engaged the targets.

A woman was killed and four other people were injured in Kyiv, according to local authorities. Meanwhile, in the southern city of Odesa, two men were killed and at least eight civilians were wounded in the attack. One more person suffered shock during the attack on Odesa, authorities reported.

According to President Volodymyr Zelensky, the attack was one of the largest on Kyiv during the full-scale war.

"Russian missile and Shahed strikes drown out the efforts of the United States and others around the world to force Russia into peace," he wrote on X.

"For yet another night, instead of a ceasefire, there were massive strikes with Shahed drones, cruise and ballistic missiles."

Kyiv Independent journalists on the ground reported the sounds of drones and multiple explosions throughout the capital.

Russian missile and Shahed strikes drown out the efforts of the United States and others around the world to force Russia into peace. For yet another night, instead of a ceasefire, there were massive strikes with Shahed drones, cruise and ballistic missiles. Today was one of the… pic.twitter.com/t3uEzzoCsL

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) June 10, 2025

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported that cars were on fire in the Shevchenkivskyi district, while drone debris fell on the grounds of a school in the Obolonskyi district. Emergency services were dispatched to the sites of attack, and medics were also called to the Podilskyi and Darnytskyi districts.

Later in the day, Tymur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv City Military Administration, said that a woman was killed in the Obolonskyi district.

In the Dniprovskyi district, smoke was seen coming from non-residential buildings, and a fire broke out at a non-residential site in the Obolonskyi district.

"A residential building is on fire in the Shevchenkivskyi district. A woman is injured and is being treated," Tkachenko said at 3:10 a.m. local time.

In one of largest attacks on Ukraine's capital, Russian barrage hits Kyiv, Odesa, kills 3, injures 12
Firefighters extinguish a fire in the aftermath of a mass Russian missile and drone attack in Kyiv, Ukraine, overnight on June 10, 2025. (President Volodymyr Zelensky / Telegram)
In one of largest attacks on Ukraine's capital, Russian barrage hits Kyiv, Odesa, kills 3, injures 12
The aftermath of a mass Russian missile and drone attack in Kyiv, Ukraine, overnight on June 10, 2025. (President Volodymyr Zelensky / Telegram)
In one of largest attacks on Ukraine's capital, Russian barrage hits Kyiv, Odesa, kills 3, injures 12
A building damaged following a Russian drone and missile attack on Kyiv, Ukraine, on June 10, 2025. (Kateryna Denisova/The Kyiv Independent)
In one of largest attacks on Ukraine's capital, Russian barrage hits Kyiv, Odesa, kills 3, injures 12
A smoke rises following a Russian mass attack on Kyiv, Ukraine, on June 10, 2025. (Olena Zashko / The Kyiv Independent)

Klitschko added that another injured person in the Darnytskyi district was treated on the spot by medics, while the third victim was hospitalized in the Obolonskyi district of the city. Kyiv's mayor reported at 5:58 a.m. that a fourth person was hospitalized as a result of the Russian attack on the capital.

Speaking to the Kyiv Independent, Kyiv resident Elvira Nechyporenko said she was in her apartment when she heard the explosions.

"I (was) away from the window. I moved to another wall. And it was clear that the building was hit," she said.

"There are no such words, no emotions. I just want to forget about their (Russia's) existence. I want them to simply not exist. Neither as a nation nor as a state. And not to remember that we have such neighbors."

The Russian attack smashed the windows in Viktoriia Nykyshyna's apartment while she was sheltering with her cat in the stairwell.

"We heard everything, how (the fire) was put out. We lived it all here," she said. "We are still holding on. We haven't fully realized what happened."

According to Culture Minister Mykola Tochytskyi, the strike also damaged St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv. The UNESCO World Heritage site, dating back to the 11th century, is one of Ukraine's most significant religious and cultural landmarks.

"Tonight, (Russia) struck again at the very heart of our identity," Tochytskyi wrote on Facebook. "St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv, a centuries-old shrine symbolizing the birth of our statehood, has been damaged."

The management of St. Sophia Cathedral has informed UNESCO about the damage caused to the historic site by a recent Russian airstrike, according to the reserve's general director, Nelia Kukovalska. Speaking to Suspilne, she said that the blast wave damaged the cornice of the cathedral's central apse. 

In one of largest attacks on Ukraine's capital, Russian barrage hits Kyiv, Odesa, kills 3, injures 12
St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv damaged in a mass Russian missile and drone attack in Kyiv, Ukraine, overnight on June 10, 2025. (Mykola Tochytskyi / Facebook)

Russia launched 315 Shahed-type attack drones and decoys against Ukraine overnight, as well as two North Korean KN-23 ballistic missiles and five Iskander-K cruise missiles, primarily targeting Kyiv, the Air Force reported.

Ukrainian air defenses shot down all seven missiles and 213 attack drones. According to the statement, 64 drones disappeared from radars or were intercepted by electronic warfare systems.

In Odesa, a film studio and medical facilities, including a maternity hospital, were damaged.

"The administrative building of an emergency medical station was also completely destroyed. There is a fire at the scene. Ambulances are damaged. There are no injuries among the personnel," Odesa Governor Oleh Kiper said at 3:40 a.m. local time.

A Russian attack caused damage to a maternity hospital in Odesa. At the time of the attack, 85 adults and 22 children were inside, but no staff or patients were injured as everyone was in the shelter, facility director Iryna Golovatyuk-Yuzefpolskaya told Suspilne.

Odesa is located approximately 442 kilometers (274 miles) from the capital.

In one of largest attacks on Ukraine's capital, Russian barrage hits Kyiv, Odesa, kills 3, injures 12
The aftermath of a Russian attack against the southern Ukrainian city of Odesa on June 10, 2025. (State Emergency Service / Telegram)
In one of largest attacks on Ukraine's capital, Russian barrage hits Kyiv, Odesa, kills 3, injures 12
The aftermath of a Russian attack against the southern Ukrainian city of Odesa on June 10, 2025. (State Emergency Service / Telegram)
In one of largest attacks on Ukraine's capital, Russian barrage hits Kyiv, Odesa, kills 3, injures 12
The aftermath of a Russian attack against the southern Ukrainian city of Odesa on June 10, 2025. (State Emergency Service / Telegram)

The renewed assault comes just a day after Russia launched a record 499 aerial weapons against Ukraine, including 479 Shahed-type attack drones, decoy drones, four Kh-47M2 Kinzhal ballistic missiles, 10 Kh-101 cruise missiles, three Kh-22 cruise missiles over the Black Sea, two Kh-31P anti-radar missiles, and one Kh-35 cruise missile from occupied Crimea.

Ukraine reported it had neutralized 479 of those targets — 292 were shot down and 187 were disrupted through electronic warfare on June 9.

Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha urged the immediate implementation of new, strong sanctions against Moscow after the large-scale air strikes.

"Russia rejects any meaningful peace efforts and must face new, devastating sanctions. Already now. There is no more time to wait," the minister wrote on X on June 10.

Sybiha pointed out that the priority areas for the sanctions include Russian banks, a reduction in the gas price cap established by the G7, and secondary sanctions against those who assist Russia in evading restrictions.

"These sanctions are not just intended to support Ukraine. They are essential to our partners. Such economic restrictions defund Russia's war machine, which is directed not only at us, but also at them," he added.

Kyiv has repeatedly urged Russia to accept a Western-backed 30-day ceasefire as the first step toward a broader peace deal — a move that Moscow again rejected during a recent round of negotiations in Istanbul on June 2.

Exclusive: Russia’s ballistic missile production up at least 66% over past year, according to Ukrainian intel figures
Russia’s production of ballistic missiles has increased by at least 66% over the past year, according to data from Ukraine’s military intelligence (HUR) shared with the Kyiv Independent. According to data obtained by HUR, Moscow is now producing 60 to 70 Iskander-M — the ballistic version of the missile — and 10
In one of largest attacks on Ukraine's capital, Russian barrage hits Kyiv, Odesa, kills 3, injures 12The Kyiv IndependentKollen Post
In one of largest attacks on Ukraine's capital, Russian barrage hits Kyiv, Odesa, kills 3, injures 12

Ukraine offers $4,800 bonus to new doctors in rural, combat zones

Ukraine offers $4,800 bonus to new doctors in rural, combat zones

Ukraine's Cabinet of Ministers has approved a one-time payment of Hr 200,000 ($4,800) for medical school graduates who accept positions at health care facilities in rural areas or active combat zones, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal announced on May 30, according to the Ukrainian news agency Ukrinform.

The new measure, set to take effect in 2025, is aimed at addressing critical staffing shortages in front-line and underserved regions from which many residents — and professionals — have fled due to ongoing Russian attacks.

"Along with security and defense, investment in human capital is a cross-cutting policy of the government and the state," Shmyhal said. "This is effective support for young specialists and a means of overcoming the shortage of medical personnel in the regions."

Ukraine has faced growing difficulties maintaining access to essential services in embattled territories, with hospitals and clinics particularly affected by Russia's war.

Taras Melnychuk, the Cabinet's representative in parliament, said the bonus will be available to interns beginning in 2025.  

To qualify, candidates must complete training in a medical specialty and sign a contract for at least three years with a state or municipal health care facility located either in a rural area or in an active combat zone.

They must also apply for a vacancy listed at the time of submission via the Unified Job Portal and be employed at a facility where staffing in medical positions does not exceed 75%.

The initiative is part of Ukraine's broader effort to stabilize front-line communities, which continue to face mounting pressure under Russian fire.

Ukraine attacks elite Russian unit base nearly 7,000km away in Vladivostok, source claims
Ukraine’s military intelligence agency (HUR) was behind the explosions near Desantnaya Bay in Russia’s Vladivostok on May 30, which reportedly damaged military personnel and equipment, a source in HUR told the Kyiv Independent.
Ukraine offers $4,800 bonus to new doctors in rural, combat zonesThe Kyiv IndependentKateryna Denisova
Ukraine offers $4,800 bonus to new doctors in rural, combat zones
❌