At least three people have died and sixty more have been injured following a Russian drone attack on the city of Kharkiv overnight, as Ukrainian officials voice growing alarm over the redirection of key anti-drone weaponry previously allocated by the United States.
Oleh Syniehubov, head of the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration, confirmed on Wednesday morning that a 65-year-old man had succumbed to critical injuries sustained during the strike. “He was hospitalised in an extremely serious condition with extensive burns. Unfortunately, he died in intensive care,” Syniehubov stated.
The number of injured currently stands at sixty, including nine children between the ages of two and fifteen. The assault, which struck residential buildings, public transport, playgrounds, and commercial premises, has further exposed the vulnerability of Ukrainian urban centres to mass drone attacks.
The air raid began in the early hours of 11 June, when Russian forces launched 17 Iranian-designed Shahed-type drones at Kharkiv, targeting the Slobidskyi and Osnovianskyi districts. Local authorities reported significant damage across multiple civilian areas. Photographs published by officials show scorched trolleybuses, broken windows, and debris scattered throughout residential courtyards.
The strike comes amid renewed controversy over the United States’ recent redirection of a major consignment of anti-drone munitions initially destined for Ukraine. On 8 June, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed in an interview with ABC News that 20,000 missiles intended to intercept Shahed-type drones were diverted by the Trump administration to American forces in the Middle East.
“We have big problems with Shaheds… we will find all the tools to destroy them,” Zelenskyy said. “We counted on this project — 20,000 missiles. Anti-Shahed missiles. It was not expensive, but it’s a special technology.”
According to the Wall Street Journal, the package included advanced fuzes for precision rocket systems. U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth reportedly informed Congress that the reallocation was deemed an “urgent issue” for U.S. regional operations. The project had originally been agreed with then-Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin under President Joe Biden’s administration.
The timing of the diversion has drawn criticism from Kyiv, where officials argue that the absence of these systems is already resulting in greater civilian casualties. Ukrainian military intelligence has also warned that Russia is preparing to escalate its drone warfare, with plans to deploy over 500 long-range drones per night in future operations.
Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city and a key administrative centre in the northeast, remains a regular target of Russian aerial attacks despite being situated behind current front-line positions. Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion in February 2022, the city has suffered extensive civilian damage.
The 11 June drone strike is one of the deadliest in recent months, adding to pressure on Ukraine’s overstretched air defence network. Zelenskyy has again called on international partners to expedite the delivery of additional systems, including U.S.-made Patriot batteries, and to support the expansion of Ukraine’s domestic arms production.
The shift in U.S. policy since Donald Trump’s return to office in January has complicated aid flows to Ukraine. Trump temporarily froze military assistance earlier this year, later resuming shipments only after Ukraine agreed to a 30-day ceasefire framework during peace talks held in Jeddah on 11 March. The latest Ukraine Defence Contact Group meeting on 4 June notably took place without the participation of Hegseth — the first absence of a U.S. defence chief at such a gathering since 2022.
Adding to tensions, Trump held a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on 4 June, and has since declined to authorise new sanctions on Moscow. He has stated that his focus is on securing a negotiated ceasefire rather than expanding punitive measures.
Despite Kyiv’s offer of a temporary truce, Russian forces continue to reject formal talks and have intensified their aerial offensive in multiple regions.
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