Ukraine war latest: 'Vicious and unrelenting' Russian revenge for Ukraine's bomber raid still to come, Western officials say

Baseless accusation of Ukrainian delay to prisoner swap is Russian attempt to undermine peace process, experts say

Russia's accusation that Ukraine was delaying a prisoner of war exchange is baseless, says a leading think tank.

The blame game is part of the Kremlin's efforts to undermine the confidence-building measure and wider peace negotiations, the Institute for the Study of War said.

Ukraine and Russia were set to exchange 500 prisoners of war each this weekend, after an agreement was reached to swap up to 1,200 soldiers each at talks in Istanbul and to repatriate the bodies of dead soldiers.

"The Kremlin remains committed to promoting narratives that vilify Ukraine, likely to socialise its domestic audience ahead of Russia's possible rejection of any peace agreement in the future and to discredit Ukraine on the international stage," said the ISW.

"The Kremlin's unwillingness to engage in good faith in lower-level confidence-building measures designed to facilitate larger peace negotiations further demonstrates Russia's disinterest in peace negotiations."

Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky had said the Russian defence ministry's contact group was on the border with Ukraine to meet Ukrainian negotiators yesterday, but they did not turn up.

Ukraine said the list of prisoners Russia wanted returned did not meet the criteria agreed in Istanbul: young, wounded, or seriously ill soldiers.

Medinsky also said that 1,212 bodies of killed Ukrainian soldiers were in refrigerated containers at the exchange point.

Ukraine said a date had not been agreed for their repatriation.

"Instead of consistently implementing the agreed algorithm, the Russian side resorted to unilateral actions that were not agreed upon within the framework of the joint process."

Explained: What was Operation Spider's Web

Earlier this morning, we reported on the beliefs of Western officials that Russia will retaliate with a "huge", multi-pronged attack for Ukraine's Operation Spider's Web.

Here we take a look at the operation in detail.

A week ago today, Kyiv launched 117 drones deep from within Russian territory.

They were smuggled into Russia beneath the retractable roofs of wooden sheds, transported to locations close to military bases on lorries and piloted remotely to hit strategic, nuclear-capable bombers.

An image shared by Ukrainian authorities showed an example of around 20 drones placed in wooden cavities below a roof.

Baza news service, which has close contacts in Russian security and law enforcement, said the drivers of four trucks, who apparently did not know about the cargo, were told to drive to different destinations across Russia.

Ukraine released footage on Wednesday showing its drones striking Russian strategic bombers and landing on the dome antennas of two A-50 military spy planes, of which there are only a handful in Russia's fleet.

Russia's defence ministry acknowledged Ukraine targeted airfields in the Murmansk, Irkutsk, Ivanovo, Ryazan and Amur regions.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy said 41 Russian aircraft were struck and half were too damaged to be repaired.

US officials put the number at 20 warplanes hit and 10 destroyed.

Satellite imagery shows what appear to be damaged Russian Tu-95 heavy bombers and Tu-22 Backfires, supersonic strategic bombers that Russia has used to launch missile strikes against Ukraine.

Ukraine's domestic security agency, the SBU, said its attack did $7bn-worth of damage and hit 34% of the strategic cruise missile carriers at Russia's main airfields.

Ukrainian drone attack on Moscow closes airports

Russia says Ukraine launched a drone attack targeting Moscow early this morning.

It forced the closure of two of the key airports serving the capital, Russian authorities said.

Air defence units destroyed nine Ukrainian drones heading towards Moscow by 3am (UK time), Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said.

One drone attack sparked a fire at the Azot chemical plant in the Tula region, injuring two people and seven drones were destroyed over the Kaluga region, regional governors said. 

Both regions border the Moscow region to the south of the capital. 

Russia's civil aviation authority Rosaviatsia said it was halting flights at the Vnukovo and Domodedovo airports. 

Sky News cannot independently verify these reports.

Western officials believe 'vicious and unrelenting' Russian retaliation still to come

The US believes that Vladimir Putin's retaliation for Ukraine's attack on Russia's strategic bombers has not taken place yet.

The Russian defence ministry had said its barrage of missile, bomb and drone attacks on Friday was in response to the Ukrainian operation, but a US official has told Reuters the complete response is yet to come.

Moscow is likely to launch a significant, multi-pronged strike, they said.

The timing was unclear, with one source saying it was expected within days. 

A second US official said the retaliation was likely to include different kinds of air capabilities, including missiles and drones.

The first official said Moscow's attack would be "asymmetrical," meaning that its approach and targeting would not mirror Ukraine's strike last weekend against Russian warplanes.

A Western diplomatic source said that while Russia's response may have started, it would likely intensify with strikes against symbolic Ukrainian targets like government buildings, in an effort to send a clear message to Kyiv.

Another senior Western diplomat anticipated a further devastating assault by Moscow. 

"It will be huge, vicious and unrelenting," the diplomat said. "But the Ukrainians are brave people."

Michael Kofman, a Russia expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said he expected Moscow might seek to punish Ukraine's domestic security agency, the SBU, for its role in last weekend's assault on its airbases.

To send a message, Russia could employ intermediate-range ballistic missiles for the attack, he said.

"In general, Russia's ability to substantially escalate strikes from what they are already doing - and attempting to do over the past month - is quite constrained," he said.

Russian bombs hit Kharkiv again, says mayor

The mayor of Kharkiv says the city is being attacked again.

Guided bombs are being dropped by Russia, says Ihor Terekhov.

Kharkiv has already suffered what Terekhov called the most powerful attack on the city of the war so far, with three killed and 22 injured this morning.

'Putin came to the park to kill kids': Zelenskyy refutes Trump's war analogy

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has refuted Donald Trump's characterisation of the war as "two young people fighting" in a park.

The US president had said: "Sometimes you're better off letting them fight for a while."

Zelenskyy told ABC News: "We are not kids with Putin at the playground in the park. He is a murderer who came to this park to kill the kids."

He said 631 Ukrainian children have been killed in the war.

Ukraine denies Russian claims that it is delaying bodies exchange

Russia's claims that Ukraine is delaying the exchange of soldiers' bodies are untrue, a Ukrainian security official has said.

There have been reports back and forth today about the anticipated exchange of prisoners of war and bodies of fallen soldiers.

A Ukrainian spokesperson from The Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War said: "Today's statements by the Russian side, do not correspond to reality and previous agreements on either the exchange of prisoners or the repatriation of bodies."

They added that Ukraine has submitted lists for the prisoner exchange and alleged that the Russian side "submitted other lists that did not meet the agreed approach".

On the subject of repatriation of bodies, the spokesperson said an agreement had been reached but a date had not been set. They claimed Russia "resorted to unilateral actions that were not agreed upon".

They added: "We call on the Russian side to stop playing dirty games and return to constructive work to return people to both sides and to strictly implement the agreement in the coming days."

Prisoner exchange postponed by Ukraine, Russia claims

Some news now on the anticipated prisoner exchange between Russian and Ukraine.

Vladimir Medinsky, an aide to President Vladimir Putin, said the first list of 640 prisoners of war had been given to Ukraine.

He also said the frozen bodies of 1,212 Ukrainian soldiers have been brought to the exchange area in refrigerated trucks.

But Medinsky claimed that Ukraine "postponed both the acceptance of bodies and the exchange of prisoners of war for an indefinite period".

Russian Su-35 warplane shot down near Kursk, Ukraine claims

A Russian Su-35 jet has been shot down by Ukraine, Kyiv's air force has said.

The plane was reportedly brought down following an operation around Kursk.

In a statement on Telegram, the air force said: "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!

"Together to victory!" 

Trump undecided on whether to sanction Russia

Donald Trump says he hasn't decided whether to deploy sanctions against Russia that are being considered by the US Senate.

The Senate is weighing a bill that would impose stiff sanctions on Russia - and secondary sanctions on countries that trade with Russia - over its war in Ukraine. 

"I haven't decided to use it," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One. 

"I'll use it if it's necessary." 

His comments come after the Wall Street Journal reported the Trump administration was putting pressure on the bill's biggest Republican backer, Senator Lindsey Graham, to significantly weaken the sanctions.

Ukrainians killed in Friday's attack rises to six

This morning's attack on Kharkiv comes after a massive Russian barrage across Ukraine on Friday morning.

Updated figures show at least six people were killed and 80 injured, according to Ukrainian officials.

Three emergency responders died in a missile and drone salvo against the capital, Kyiv, said Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Two were killed in an attack on the northern city of Chernihiv and at least one more in the northwestern city of Lutsk.

Russia said it was responding to Ukraine's attacks on its strategic bombers.

Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said the response amounted to attacks on civilians, apartment blocks and energy infrastructure.

Russia used 407 drones, the air force said, one of the largest numbers recorded in a single attack.

Some 45 cruise and ballistic missiles were also fired, it added.

Russia and Ukraine could swap 500 prisoners each this weekend

A new prisoner exchange with Russia could take place over the weekend, according to Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Russia can release 500 of the 1,000 Ukrainian soldiers the sides agreed to swap at the last round of Istanbul talks, he said.

"We are ready to swap the corresponding number," Zelenskyy said on Monday, adding Ukraine had not received the list of soldiers set to be freed.

Negotiating teams from Russia and Ukraine agreed to swap 1,000 prisoners of war each during peace negotiations in Istanbul.

An additional 200-for-200 is also up for discussion, Zelenskyy said.

Kyiv and Moscow swapped 1,000 prisoners each following the first round of talks in May.

Three killed and 21 injured in Kharkiv barrage

Russia has launched a deadly barrage against Ukraine's eastern city of Kharkiv.

The combined drone and bombing assault has killed at least three people and injured 21, local Ukrainian officials say. 

Aerial glide bombs - which fly over long distances after being released by planes - were used in the attack, the latest in near daily widescale assaults by Moscow.

"Kharkiv is currently experiencing the most powerful attack in the entire time of the full-scale war," said mayor Ihor Terekhov.

"As of this moment, at least 40 explosions have been heard in the city in an hour and a half," he wrote at 2am.

"The enemy is simultaneously striking with missiles, 'shaheeds' [drones] and guided aerial bombs."

Terekhov said 18 apartment buildings and 13 homes were damaged. 

Some 48 Shahed drones, two missiles and four aerial glide bombs were used, he said.

-SKY NEWS