Ukraine war: Girl, 6, among seven dead in Russian missile strike on Chernihiv – as Zelenskyy vows ‘notable response’
A six-year-old girl is among seven people who died after a Russian missile strike on the historic city of Chernihiv in northern Ukraine.
Ukrainian officials said the number injured in the attack has risen from 117 to 144.
People had been on their way to church to celebrate a religious holiday when the strike hit, Ukraine interior’s ministry has said.
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In his nightly video address, delivered at the end of a visit to Sweden, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said: “I am sure our soldiers will give a response to Russia for this terrorist attack.
“A notable response.”
He said that of the 144 people injured, 15 were children, and named the girl killed as Sofia. Fifteen others were police officers.
Earlier, Mr Zelenskyy posted on Telegram: “A Russian missile hit right in the centre of the city, in our Chernihiv. A square, the polytechnic university, a theatre.
“An ordinary Saturday, which Russia turned into a day of pain and loss.”
A short video accompanying Mr Zelenskyy’s post showed debris scattered across a square in front of the regional drama theatre, where parked cars were heavily damaged.
The video also briefly showed a body slouched inside a car.
The interior ministry said the roof of the drama theatre had been destroyed in the strike.
Oleksandr Lomako, the city’s mayor, wrote on Telegram: “This strike is another war crime by the occupiers against the civilian population.
“This is a very quiet centre, many people and children walk here at lunchtime in beautiful weather.”
A man sits next to a covered dead body after the strike on Chernihiv. Pic: AP
He also declared a national period of mourning until 21 August.
Chernihiv is a city of leafy boulevards and centuries-old churches about 90 miles (145km) north of the capital Kyiv.
Russia has attacked Ukrainian cities far from the frontline with missiles and drones as part of the invasion it launched in February last year.
Kyiv’s air force said early on Saturday the Ukrainian military had shot down 15 out of 17 Iranian-made Shahed drones
launched by Moscow in an overnight strike.
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Rescue workers walk past the city’s theatre after the missile strike
Pic: AP
It came before Mr Zelenskyy said Ukraine had started discussions with Sweden about the possibility of receiving Gripen fighter jets.
The Ukrainian president was in Sweden for a series of talks – his first visit since Russia launched its invasion in February 2022.
He arrived before Russia’s defence ministry said it had destroyed a Ukrainian drone over Belgorod.
Pic: AP
The southern region, which sits close to Russia’s border with Ukraine, has come under numerous attacks in recent months.
Drones and missiles have often been used to target the area, but Kyiv has not accepted responsibility for the strikes.
Russia claimed to have downed a drone there just two days ago.
Around 14 million people could die across the world over the next five years because of cuts to the US Agency for International Development (USAID), researchers have warned.
Children under five are expected to make up around a third (4.5 million) of the mortalities, according to a study published in The Lancet medical journal.
Estimates showed that “unless the abrupt funding cuts announced and implemented in the first half of 2025 are reversed, a staggering number of avoidable deaths could occur by 2030”.
“Beyond causing millions of avoidable deaths – particularly among the most vulnerable – these cuts risk reversing decades of progress in health and socioeconomic development in LMICs [low and middle-income countries],” the report said.
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USAID programmes have prevented the deaths of more than 91 million people, around a third of them among children, the study suggests.
The agency’s work has been linked to a 65% fall in deaths from HIV/AIDS, or 25.5 million people.
Eight million deaths from malaria, more than half the total, around 11 million from diarrheal diseases and nearly five million from tuberculosis (TB), have also been prevented.
USAID has been vital in improving global health, “especially in LMICs, particularly African nations,” according to the report.
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Established in 1961, the agency was tasked with providing humanitarian assistance and helping economic growth in developing countries, especially those deemed strategic to Washington.
But the Trump administration has made little secret of its antipathy towards the agency, which became an early victim of cuts carried out by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) – formerly led by Elon Musk – in what the US government said was part of a broader plan to remove wasteful spending.
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What is USAID?
In March, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said more than 80% of USAID schemes had been closed following a six-week review, leaving around 1,000 active.
The US is the world’s largest humanitarian aid donor, providing around $61bn (£44bn) in foreign assistance last year, according to government data, or at least 38% of the total, and USAID is the world’s leading donor for humanitarian and development aid, the report said.
Between 2017 and 2020, the agency responded to more than 240 natural disasters and crises worldwide – and in 2016 it sent food assistance to more than 53 million people across 47 countries.
The study assessed all-age and all-cause mortality rates in 133 countries and territories, including all those classified as low and middle-income, supported by USAID from 2001 to 2021.
Thailand’s prime minister has been suspended after a leaked phone call with a senior Cambodian politician caused outrage.
An ethics investigation into Paetongtarn Shinawatra is under way and she could end up being dismissed.
The country’s constitutional court took up a petition from 36 senators, who claimed dishonesty and a breach of ethical standards, and voted 7 to 2 to suspend her.
Protesters gathered in Bangkok at the weekend. Pic: Reuters
The prime minister’s call with Cambodia’s former leader, Hun Sen, sparked public protests after she tried to appease him and criticised a Thai army commander – a taboo move in a country where the military is extremely influential.
Ms Shinawatra was trying to defuse mounting tensions at the border – which in May resulted in the death of one Cambodian soldier.
Thousands of conservative, nationalist protesters held a demo in Bangkok on Saturday to urge her to step down.
Her party is clinging on to power after another group withdrew from their alliance a few weeks ago over the phone call. Calls for a no-confidence vote are likely.
Deputy prime minister Suriya Juangroongruangkit will take over temporarily while the court looks into the case.
The 38-year-old prime minister – Thailand‘s youngest ever leader – has 15 days to respond to the probe. She has apologised and said her approach in the call was a negotiating tactic.
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The popularity of her government has slumped recently, with an opinion poll showing an approval rating of 9.2%, down from 30.9% in March.
Ms Shinawatra comes from a wealthy dynasty synonymous with Thai politics.
Her father Thaksin Shinawatra – a former Manchester City owner – and aunt Yingluck Shinawatra served as prime minister before her – in the early to mid 2000s – and their time in office also ended ignominiously amid corruption charges and military coups.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will be meeting Donald Trump next Monday, according to US officials.
The visit on 7 July comes after Mr Trump suggested it was possible a ceasefire in Gaza could be reached within a week.
On Sunday, he wrote on social media: “MAKE THE DEAL IN GAZA. GET THE HOSTAGES BACK!!!”
At least 60 people killed across Gaza on Monday, in what turned out to be some of the heaviest attacks in weeks.
Benjamin Netanyahu, left, with Donald Trump during a previous meeting. Pic: Reuters
According to the Hamas-run health ministry, 56,500 people have been killed in the 20-month war.
The visit by Mr Netanyahu to Washington has not been formally announced and the officials who said it would be going ahead spoke on condition of anonymity.
An Israeli official in Washington also confirmed the meeting next Monday.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the administration was in constant communication with the Israeli government.
She said Mr Trump viewed ending the war in Gaza and returning remaining hostages held by Hamas as a top priority.
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The war in Gaza broke out in retaliation for Hamas’ 7 October 2023 attacks on southern Israel that killed 1,200 people and saw a further 250 taken hostage.
An eight-week ceasefire was reached in the final days of Joe Biden’s US presidency, but Israel resumed the war in March after trying to get Hamas to accept new terms on next steps.
Talks between Israel and Hamas have stalled over whether the war should end as part of any ceasefire.
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