ODESA, UKRAINE – JULY 23: An interior view of the Transfiguration Cathedral heavily damaged by … More Russian missile on July 23, 2023 in Odesa, Ukraine. The Russian missile broke through the roof the main Orthodox cathedral of the city Photo by Yan Dobronosov/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images) Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images Dispatches from Ukraine. Day 1,204.
Russia’s Attacks on Ukraine A deadly drone strike in the early overnight hours of June 10th on the southern port city of Odesa killed two men and injured nine other people, damaging a maternity hospital, emergency medical station, railway station, Odesa film studio and other civilian sites. In Kyiv, Russian attack has damaged the Saint Sophia Cathedral – a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Meanwhile, systematic shelling by Russian forces in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region killed 10 civilians and injured 31 from June 7 – 10.
Russia launched a massive attack on Ukraine overnight into June 9, firing a combined total of 499 drones and missiles. The barrage included a record-breaking 479 Iranian-designed Shahed drones and decoys, alongside advanced Kinzhal hypersonic missiles. Ukrainian air defenses intercepted 292 aerial targets, while an additional 187 were neutralized by electronic warfare systems.
Ukrainian authorities reported no major civilian damage or casualties from the record-breaking attack, though missile debris and impact sites were recorded at 27 locations across the country. The strike came just days after a large-scale assault on June 6 that killed several civilians and rescue workers in Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, and other regions. One of the strike’s primary targets appeared to be an airfield near the western city of Dubno in Rivne province, which was operational after reportedly being restored in 2020.
All four Kinzhal missiles were directed toward Dubno, where they were intercepted by advanced air defenses, such as the U.S.-made Patriot system. The attack on Dubno came amid reports of Ukrainian drones striking deep into Russian territory that same night. Around 50 drones targeted multiple military sites in Russia, including a drone production facility and an airbase in Savasleyka, approximately 218 miles east of Moscow, where two aircraft were destroyed.
While Ukraine reported no casualties in the overnight barrage, sustained attacks by Russian forces on Ukraine’s central Dnipropetrovsk region later on June 9 resulted in one civilian death. War Developments Russian forces are pushing from Ukraine’s besieged eastern region of Donetsk to the outskirts of Ukraine’s central and strategically critical Dnipropetrovsk region, sparking conflicting narratives from Moscow and Kyiv. On June 9, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov announced a Russian advance into Dnipropetrovsk, purportedly aimed at establishing a “buffer zone,” while Ukrainian officials, including Andriy Kovalenko, head of Ukraine’s disinformation center, dismissed the claims as false.
Earlier reports from the Russian Defense Ministry on June 8 claimed that elements of the 90th Tank Division had reached the western border of the Donetsk region, or oblast, and were conducting offensive operations into Dnipropetrovsk oblast, territory Russia has not officially annexed. However, Ukraine’s General Staff denied that Russian troops had crossed the administrative border, asserting that fighting remains confined to border villages. The central Ukrainian oblast of Dnipropetrovsk borders the eastern Donetsk oblast, over two-thirds of which remains under Russian occupation.
Ukrainian open-source intelligence group Deep State indicates Russian forces have advanced to within roughly 1.2 miles of the region’s administrative boundary. According to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), Russian tactical activity near the southeastern edge of Dnipropetrovsk is largely a continuation of offensive operations in the Donetsk region rather than a new major push to seize significant territory in Dnipropetrovsk itself. Satellite imagery and heat data confirm ongoing artillery fire near the border but no confirmed Russian foothold inside Dnipropetrovsk oblast as of early June.
Russia and Ukraine commenced a major prisoner-of-war exchange on June 9, beginning with those under 25 years of age. This multistage exchange, emerging from direct negotiations held in Istanbul on June 2, is set to involve at least 1,200 POWs from each side, alongside the repatriation of the remains of thousands of fallen soldiers. Neither side disclosed the exact number of prisoners released so far, citing security concerns.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, however, said that the exchange will continue “over the coming days.” In an interview with independent Hungarian weekly Valasz Online, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy underscored that the outcome of the war hinges more on weapons and technology than manpower, as Ukraine mobilizes 27,000 soldiers monthly compared to Russia’s 40,000-50,000. “Mobilization is a problem in every war. Ukraine is no exception…people are getting tired,” Zelenskyy said, emphasizing that Russia’s higher losses drive its greater conscription numbers.
He further noted that Ukraine has avoided drafting 18-24-year-olds, offering them one-year contracts instead. By Danylo Nosov, Karina L. Tahiliani
