Sixth body found under rubble after Russian strike on Kharkiv (updated)

Emergency workers in Kharkiv discovered the body of a sixth person, killed in the Russian strike on the city on June 7, 2025, under the rubble. Search and rescue operations are ongoing, according to the State Emergency Service of Ukraine (SES). 

Aftermath of the Russian attack on Kharkiv Photo: State Emergency Service of Ukraine

Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov, during the national joint 24/7 newscast, reported that emergency workers had discovered the body of a sixth person under the rubble.

Additional people may still be trapped under the rubble.

Aftermath of the Russian attack on Kharkiv Photo: State Emergency Service of Ukraine

By way of background, at around 17:35 on June 7, Russia used four guided aerial bombs to attack the Shevchenkivskyy and Kyivskyy Districts of Kharkiv. The attack killed a 30-year-old woman near the production facilities and depot at Mala Pivdenna, who worked for Ukrzaliznytsia (Ukrainian Railways).

One of the hits was to the children’s railway. The attack damaged two buildings of the children’s railway and four railway carriages, as well as two houses and an outbuilding.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that more than 40 people were injured in that attack.

Late on June 7, Oleh Syniehubov, Head of the Kharkiv Oblast Military Administration, reported that a 62-year-old man had died in the hospital from injuries the strike caused, and two more people were in extremely serious condition. Officials later announced that a children’s railway instructor, Volodymyr Kovtun, had died from his injuries.

On June 11, emergency workers found the body of a third person under the rubble of a facility.

In an interview for Politico, the President of Ukraine stated that U.S. President Donald Trump has the leverage to end the war between the Russian Federation and Ukraine – but to do so, his American counterpart must realize what game the head of the Kremlin, Vladimir Putin, is playing.

Zelenskyy noted that Russia “is simply lying to Trump.” 

“Most heads of state and government share my opinion, and I very much hope that America sees and understands this. This is the most important thing. And how to react to this – that is America’s decision,” he said.

According to Zelenskyy, it is Trump who has the power to stop the war, because “Putin understands nothing but strength, and America has that strength.”

He also emphasized that “Trump sees that the Russian side is not entirely sincere on the issues of the war.”

Zelenskyy pointed out that Russia can only win if the West abandons Ukraine. In his opinion, an American withdrawal from the war would be an “ideal scenario” for Putin.