‘No one is left’: 19 killed in Russian missile strikes – as Ukraine ‘nearly ready’ to launch counteroffensive
Ukraine is “to a high percentage ready” to launch its counteroffensive against Russia, according to the country’s defence minister.
“As soon as there is God’s will, the weather and a decision by commanders, we will do it,” Oleksii Reznikov said on Friday.
The Ukrainian minister said Western tanks and weapons would act as an “iron fist” in Ukraine’s bid to take back its occupied territory.
His comments come as 19 people were killed in a round of Russian airstrikes – the first large-scale group of strikes in nearly two months.
Officials said 17 people were killed in the central Ukrainian city of Uman from a round of Russian missile and drone strikes.
A further two people were killed in Dnipro, a city in the southern central area, along the banks of the Dnipro River.
Rescuers work at the site of the missile strike
Firefighters at the scene of the missile strike in Uman
The capital Kyiv was also rocked by explosions in the early hours, as were the central cities of Kremenchuk and Poltava, and Mykolaiv in the south.
Two people were wounded in the town of Ukrainka – just south of Kyiv – officials said.
In Uman, firefighters battled a raging blaze at a residential apartment building that had been struck on an upper floor by a Russian missile.
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‘A missile hit our flat!’
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Officials said at least 15 people were killed there, including three children – two 10-year-olds and a toddler – while a further nine people were taken to hospital.
One resident, Serhii Lubivskyi, 58, was in the block of flats when the missile struck.
“My neighbours are gone, no one is left… only the kitchens were left standing,” he said.
“My flat is on the seventh floor… we felt the impact, we heard the explosion.”
An aerial view shows a damaged block of flats hit by a Russian missile
Another resident, Olga, said: “At first the windows were blown out, then came the explosion. Everything flew out.”
Moscow has frequently launched long-range missile attacks during the 14-month war, often indiscriminately hitting civilian areas.
However, the Kremlin has denied its military aims at civilian targets.
The Russian defence ministry said the long-range cruise missiles launched overnight were aimed at places where Ukrainian military reserve units were staying before their deployment to the battlefield.
It comes as Ukraine prepares to launch its much-talked-about counteroffensive to reclaim territory taken by Russia.
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The offensive will involve tanks and weapons from Western powers, including the US, the UK and Germany.
Britain has given Challenger 2 tanks, the US has sent Abrams, while German Leopard 2 tanks have also been handed over to Kyiv for use in the offensive.
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Russia, meanwhile, has been fortifying its occupied territory for months in anticipation of Kyiv’s planned assault – which is widely expected once warmer weather returns.
Ukraine and its Western military backers hope a push by thousands of Ukrainian troops trained at Western bases will shift the dynamics of the war – which has mostly seen Russia on the offensive throughout winter.
Donald Trump has threatened Russia with more sanctions after a series of deadly strikes across Ukraine, as he said of Vladimir Putin: “What the hell happened to him?”
The US president appeared aghast at the conduct of his counterpart in the Kremlin after drone and missile attacks in Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities left 12 people dead and dozens more injured.
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Speaking to reporters at an airport in New Jersey ahead of a flight back to Washington, Mr Trump said: “I’m not happy with Putin. I don’t know what’s wrong with him.”
“He’s killing a lot of people,” he added. “I’m not happy about that.”
Mr Trump – who said he’s “always gotten along with” Mr Putin – told reporters he would consider more sanctions against Moscow.
“He’s sending rockets into cities and killing people, and I don’t like it at all,” he said.
Ukraine said the barrage of strikes overnight into Sunday was the biggest aerial attack of the war so far, with 367 drones and missiles fired by Russian forces.
It came despite Mr Trump repeatedly talking up the chances of a peace agreement. He even spoke to Mr Putin on the phone for two hours last week.
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Hundreds of drones fired at Ukraine
‘Shameful’ attacks
Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said Ukraine is ready to sign a ceasefire deal, and suggested Russia isn’t serious about signing one.
In a statement after the latest attacks on his country, he urged the US and other national leaders to increase the pressure on Mr Putin, saying silence “only encourages” him.
Mr Trump’s envoy for the country, Keith Kellogg, later demanded a ceasefire, describing the Russian attacks as “shameful”.
Three children were among those killed in the attacks, explosions shaking the cities of Kyiv, Odesa, and Mykolaiv.
Ukrainian siblings Tamara, 12, Stanislav, eight, and Roman, 17, were killed in Russian airstrikes. Pic: X/@Mariana_Betsa
Before the onslaught, Russia said it had faced a Ukrainian drone attack on Sunday. It said around 100 were intercepted and destroyed near Moscow and in central and southern regions.
The violence has escalated despite Russia and Ukraine completing the exchange of 1,000 prisoners each over the past three days.
Donald Trump says he will delay the imposition of 50% tariffs on goods entering the United States from the European Union until July, as the two sides attempt to negotiate a trade deal.
It comes after the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said in a post on social media site X that she had spoken to Mr Trump and expressed that they needed until 9 July to “reach a good deal”.
The US president had last Friday threatened to bring in the 50% tariffs from 1 June, as European leaders said they were ready to respond with their own measures.
But Mr Trump has now said that date has been put back to 9 July to allow more time for negotiations with the 27-member bloc, with the phone call appearing to smooth over tensions for now at least.
Speaking on Sunday before boarding Air Force One for Washington DC, Mr Trump told reporters that he had spoken to Ms Von der Leyen and she “wants to get down to serious negotiations” and she vowed to “rapidly get together and see if we can work something out”.
The US president, in comments on his Truth Social platform, had reignited fears last Friday of a trade war between the two powers when he said talks were “going nowhere” and the bloc was “very difficult to deal with”.
Mr Trump told the media in Morristown, New Jersey, on Sunday that Ms Von der Leyen “just called me… and she asked for an extension in the June 1st date. And she said she wants to get down to serious negotiation”.
“We had a very nice call and I agreed to move it. I believe July 9th would be the date. That was the date she requested. She said we will rapidly get together and see if we can work something out,” the US president added.
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Shortly after, he wrote on Truth Social: “I agreed to the extension – July 9, 2025 – It was my privilege to do so.”
On his so-called “liberation day” last month, Mr Trump unleashed tariffs on many of America’s trade partners. But since then he’s backed down in a spiralling tit-for-tat tariff face-off with China, and struck a deal with the UK.
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Much of his most incendiary rhetoric on trade has been directed at Brussels, though, even going as far as to claim the EU was created to rip the US off.
Responding to his 50% tariff threat, EU trade chief Maros Sefcovic said: “EU-US trade is unmatched and must be guided by mutual respect, not threats.
“We stand ready to defend our interests.”
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