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Ukraine Reports Russian Attacks and Battlefield Clashes Despite Ceasefire

Ukrainian rescuers work at the site of a Russian strike on a private building in Kharkiv, northeastern Ukraine, 06 May 2026. (EPA)
Ukrainian rescuers work at the site of a Russian strike on a private building in Kharkiv, northeastern Ukraine, 06 May 2026. (EPA)
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Ukraine Reports Russian Attacks and Battlefield Clashes Despite Ceasefire

Ukrainian rescuers work at the site of a Russian strike on a private building in Kharkiv, northeastern Ukraine, 06 May 2026. (EPA)
Ukrainian rescuers work at the site of a Russian strike on a private building in Kharkiv, northeastern Ukraine, 06 May 2026. (EPA)

Ukraine's military and regional officials ‌on Monday reported Russian drone strikes and battlefield clashes over the past 24 hours, despite a US-brokered ceasefire.

Ukraine and Russia agreed on Friday to a ceasefire from May 9 to May 11 as part of a US-led push for peace under President Donald Trump to end more than four years of war since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022.

The ceasefire, which Trump said on Friday he ‌hoped would ‌be extended, was already showing signs ‌of ⁠strain on Sunday, ⁠when each side accused the other of violating it.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Sunday Moscow had refrained from large-scale aerial and missile attacks but that it had continued assaults along parts of the long front where Russian forces are advancing.

Russia's ⁠Defense Ministry accused Ukraine on Sunday ‌of flouting the ceasefire, ‌saying it had downed 57 Ukrainian drones over the past ‌day and "responded in kind" on the battlefield. ‌It did not immediately report on the battlefield situation on Monday.

In Ukraine, one person was killed and two people were wounded in the southeastern region of Zaporizhzhia, ‌the regional governor said. Two were killed and two wounded in the southern region ⁠of Kherson, ⁠the Kherson region's governor said.

Three people were wounded in the neighboring Mykolaiv region, five were hurt in the northern region of Kharkiv and four were wounded in the eastern region of Donetsk, according to reports by the regions' governors.

The General Staff of Ukraine's military said 180 battlefield clashes had been recorded along the front line over the past 24 hours and that Russian forces had on Sunday deployed 8,037 "kamikaze" drones in attacks on settlements and military positions.

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World

UK Defense Minister John Healey Announces Shock Resignation

FILE PHOTO: Britain's Defense Secretary John Healey walks outside 10 Downing Street, on the day of a cabinet meeting, in London, Britain, June 2, 2026. REUTERS/Toby Melville/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Britain's Defense Secretary John Healey walks outside 10 Downing Street, on the day of a cabinet meeting, in London, Britain, June 2, 2026. REUTERS/Toby Melville/File Photo
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UK Defense Minister John Healey Announces Shock Resignation

FILE PHOTO: Britain's Defense Secretary John Healey walks outside 10 Downing Street, on the day of a cabinet meeting, in London, Britain, June 2, 2026. REUTERS/Toby Melville/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Britain's Defense Secretary John Healey walks outside 10 Downing Street, on the day of a cabinet meeting, in London, Britain, June 2, 2026. REUTERS/Toby Melville/File Photo

British Defense Secretary John Healey resigned on Thursday, in a shock move which he blamed on Prime Minister Keir Starmer and the finance ministry failing to commit sufficient resources to defense investment.

His announcement is a fresh blow to Starmer and comes at a politically charged moment for the embattled Labor leader, a week before a by-election which could prompt a bid to topple and replace him.

Healey's sudden departure comes after months of delays to a long-awaited Defense Investment Plan (DIP) for funding over the next decade, which he has said would fall far short of what had been requested.

Starmer has pledged to raise defense spending to 2.5 percent of gross domestic product from next year, increasing to three percent in the next parliament.

US President Donald Trump has repeatedly urged NATO countries to spend more and become less reliant on Washington for security.

"You have been unable, and the Treasury has been unwilling, to commit the resources that the nation needs to defend the country at this time of rising threats," Healey wrote in a resignation letter to Starmer posted on his X account.

"After explaining to you that I would not be able to accept a DIP settlement that does not give our Forces the resources they need, I am now left with no other option than to submit my resignation."

Starmer is facing political peril in next Thursday's contest when Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham is standing for the Makerfield parliamentary seat and has said that he would participate in any Labour leadership race, although none has yet been triggered.

Healey has been previously talked about as another potential contender, but there has been no suggestion his resignation is linked to the leadership speculation.

British media has for weeks been reporting on behind-the-scenes battles within the government over the DIP settlement.

Starmer's centre-left government, elected in July 2024 following 14 years of Conservative rule, has kickstarted its pledge to ramp up defense spending, with priority given to NATO commitments.

But the publication of its defense investment plan to plug a longer-term shortfall in investment was first expected back in late 2025 and has been pushed back -- to the frustration of industry and others.

It was expected to be announced next week, according to reports earlier Thursday.

In his letter, Healey said he was first given full sight of the DIP on Monday, revealing that it "falls well short of what is required for defense and the country at this dangerous time".

"Without a DIP that meets the moment in this way, I am being forced to make decisions that would reduce the readiness of our forces and increase the risk to personnel on operations, and could make the country less safe."

World

Iran Maritime Body Says Hormuz Completely Closed 'Until Further Notice'

Vessels are anchored in the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, June 10, 2026. REUTERS/Stringer
Vessels are anchored in the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, June 10, 2026. REUTERS/Stringer
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Iran Maritime Body Says Hormuz Completely Closed 'Until Further Notice'

Vessels are anchored in the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, June 10, 2026. REUTERS/Stringer
Vessels are anchored in the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, June 10, 2026. REUTERS/Stringer

Iran's new body overseeing the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday confirmed a complete closure order for the strategic waterway until further notice, after the Revolutionary Guards announced the move overnight.

"Due to the tensions caused by the aggression of the American forces in the region and the announcement made last night by the Iranian armed forces, the Strait of Hormuz will be closed until further notice," PGSA said in a post on X .

"Applicants who have been granted a transit permit are asked to be patient and wait for instructions from the PGSA."

World

A Mass Funeral is Held for 22 Pakistani Soldiers Who Died in a Helicopter Crash in Kashmir

Smoke billows after an army MI-17 helicopter crashed due to a technical fault, in Muzaffarabad, capital of Pakistan-administered Kashmir, Wednesday, June 10, 2026. (AP Photo/M.D. Mughal)
Smoke billows after an army MI-17 helicopter crashed due to a technical fault, in Muzaffarabad, capital of Pakistan-administered Kashmir, Wednesday, June 10, 2026. (AP Photo/M.D. Mughal)
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A Mass Funeral is Held for 22 Pakistani Soldiers Who Died in a Helicopter Crash in Kashmir

Smoke billows after an army MI-17 helicopter crashed due to a technical fault, in Muzaffarabad, capital of Pakistan-administered Kashmir, Wednesday, June 10, 2026. (AP Photo/M.D. Mughal)
Smoke billows after an army MI-17 helicopter crashed due to a technical fault, in Muzaffarabad, capital of Pakistan-administered Kashmir, Wednesday, June 10, 2026. (AP Photo/M.D. Mughal)

Rescuers recovered the remains of all 22 soldiers aboard a military helicopter that crashed in Pakistan-administered Kashmir the previous day, officials said Thursday, confirming there were no survivors, as senior government and military officials attended a mass funeral for the victims.

The helicopter crashed Wednesday in Muzaffarabad, the regional capital, apparently because of a technical fault, according to Pakistan’s military. An investigation is underway to determine the exact cause.

An Associated Press reporter counted 22 coffins draped in Pakistan’s national flag at a funeral ceremony.

Witnesses and regional officials said the remains of the soldiers were recovered from the badly burned wreckage. The dead included a colonel and two army majors, according to two security officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.

Among those attending the funerals was regional Prime Minister Faisal Mumtaz Rathore.

According to the officials, the soldiers had been traveling to carry out security duties after a call for a march on Muzaffarabad by the Joint Awami Action Committee, a recently banned alliance of various groups.

Authorities have not indicated any connection between the planned protest and the crash.

Pakistan has deployed additional security forces across the region, where tensions have been high since the weekend after members of an outlawed group attacked police and security personnel, killing four officers.

Military helicopter crashes are not uncommon in Pakistan.

In September, an army helicopter on a routine flight crashed in northern Pakistan, killing two pilots and three technicians.