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Ukraine war latest: Two killed after overnight Russian strikes in Kharkiv

The mayor of Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, says two people have died there following an overnight Russian drone attack. Listen to the first episode of The Wargame, our new podcast, about a simulated Russian attack on the UK, below.

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In pictures: Kharkiv hit by Russian drone attack

Here are scenes in Kharkiv following the drone strike.

According to the city's mayor, the attack began at around 00.30am (10.30pm UK time) and lasted for nine minutes.

Emergency services are still at the site of the attack.

Two killed and dozens injured after Russian drone attack in Kharkiv

Two people have died in Ukraine's second-largest city of Kharkiv following an overnight Russian drone strike, its mayor has said.

Posting on the Telegram messaging app, Ihor Terekhov said 17 drones were launched at the city during a concentrated, nine-minute attack.

"There are direct hits on multi-storey buildings, private homes, playgrounds, enterprises and public transport," he said.

Oleh Sinehubov, the governor of the broader Kharkiv region, said 57 people were injured in the attack, including seven children.

For context: Russia launches near nightly aerial attacks on Ukraine.

Last night's strikes followed Moscow's two biggest assaults of the war on Ukraine this week, which the Kremlin said were retaliatory measures for Kyiv's recent attacks in Russia. 

Good morning

Welcome back to our live coverage.

Ukraine has once again been targeted by overnight aerial attacks by Russia, with officials reporting two people have been killed following strikes in Kharkiv.

We'll bring you more on that and all the latest news from the battlefield here in this live blog, so stay tuned.

We're pausing our live coverage

Thanks for joining us, we'll be back soon with the latest updates from the war in Ukraine.

Until then, here's a rundown of what's happened over the last 24 hours:

  • Ukraine was hit with another night of widespread Russian drone and missile attacks;
  • A five-hour assault targeted Kyiv, where one woman died in the capital's northern district, city officials said;
  • At least seven others were killed across the country, including two men in Odesa, local officials said;
  • Volodymyr ZelenAG百家乐在线官网y said Russia's attacks drowned out worldwide efforts for peace;
  • Over in Moscow, the Kremlin revealed it's still in talks with Kyiv over the return of the bodies of Ukrainian soldiers.
Russia admitted Kyiv won't accept its 'peace memorandum', ZelenAG百家乐在线官网y says

Volodymyr ZelenAG百家乐在线官网y says Ukraine and Russia need "strong mediators" to oversee future peace talks, and suggests the US "don't appear" to be the ones capable of taking on the task.

In an interview with Hungarian outlet  released today, Ukraine's president said Russia was effectively stalling the peace process during the last round of direct talks between Kyiv and Moscow on 2 June.

"We want to end the war, but this requires the will of both parties. If the other party is not ready for this, it will always come up with something. 

"They even told our delegation: we know that our memorandum is an ultimatum, and you will not accept it. Thus, the question is not the quality of the Istanbul format, but what to do about the Russians' lies.

"That is why we need strong mediators: so that Russians cannot back out of the agreements reached in the negotiations. 

"The United States does not appear to be a strong mediator at the moment: the Russians told them not to be at the table, and they simply walked away. Why? Because of their soft policy towards Russia."

Woman killed in Kyiv following Russian strikes

Russia's overnight bombardment of Kyiv killed one woman in the capital's northern Obolon district, city officials have said.

"My sincere condolences to the family and loved ones of the deceased," Tymur Tkachenko posted on Telegram. "This is a heavy and painful loss.

"Russian strikes are once again hitting not military targets, but the lives of ordinary people. This once again shows the true essence of what we are dealing with."

Watch live now: Q&A with team behind the Wargame podcast

What would happen if Russia attacked the UK? That's the imaginary crisis simulated in our new podcast The Wargame, released today.

The team behind the series - writer and presenter Deborah Haynes and producer James Shield - are answering your questions on everything from the making of the podcast to the UK's preparedness for a hostile attack.

Watch the Q&A live here now - and send us your questions to join in...

Cathedral damaged in last night's Russian strikes on Kyiv

Last night's Russian attack on Kyiv damaged Saint Sophia Cathedral, a UNESCO world heritage site, according to the country's culture minister.

"The enemy struck at the very heart of our identity again," Mykola TochytAG百家乐在线官网i wrote on Facebook about the site he called "the soul of all Ukraine".

At least four people were treated in hospital after seven of the capital's 10 districts were hit last night, city officials added.

Mapped: The latest situation on the battlefield

Scroll through the maps below to view different parts of the battlefield, including the situation in key regions such as Luhansk, Donetsk, Kursk and Belgorod.

Russia still talking to Ukraine over exchange of dead soldiers, Kremlin says

The Kremlin says it's still in talks with Kyiv over the return of the bodies of Ukrainian soldiers.

In an update this morning it said some bodies are still waiting inside refrigerated trucks for a handover.

It added that there is "no understanding" of how many dead Russian soldiers will be handed over by Ukraine.

Yesterday, groups of wounded and seriously wounded Ukrainian and Russian soldiers under the age of 25 were exchanged. It was the first stage in a handover agreed at talks between Kyiv and Moscow in Istanbul last week.