About 90 Russian soldiers escape in Arapivka, Luhansk region - General Staff

The Ukrainian Armed Forces' General Staff reported this on June 9.

About 90 Russian servicemen left their combat positions without permission in Arapivka, Luhansk region, according to the report. 

Nighttime shelling of Ukraine on June 9

“Russia continues to wage a war of aggression. It completely ignores international humanitarian law. In order to achieve its goals, it continues to use terror tactics, launches strikes and shells civilian objects, including residential areas,” the General Staff writes.

According to updated information, on the night of June 9, the Russian forces attacked Ukraine with Iranian Shahed drones and Kh-101/Kh-555 air-launched cruise missiles. 

The Ukrainian Air Defense Forces destroyed 4 out of 7 Kh-101/Kh-555 cruise missiles, 4 out of 10 Shahed and Lancet drones, and 4 operational and tactical UAVs (Orlan-10 and Supercam).

Frontline situation 

During the day, Russia launched 8 missile attacks on civilian buildings in Zviahel, Zhytomyr region, and on the outskirts of Kharkiv.

It also launched 58 airstrikes and 31 MLRS attacks on the Ukrainian troops' positions and populated areas.

“Unfortunately, there are dead and wounded among the civilian population. Private houses, a hospital, as well as other civilian infrastructure have been destroyed and damaged. The likelihood of missile and air strikes throughout Ukraine remains high,” the General Staff reported. 

Invading Russian troops are focusing their main efforts on the complete occupation of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions. There were 27 combat engagements over the last day.

Near the state Ukrainian border with Russia and Belarus, the situation hasn't changed significantly, and no enemy offensive groups have been detected. 

At the same time, the Russian Federation continued shelling the entire line of contact with mortars and artillery: 3 settlements in the Chernihiv region, 7 more in the Sumy region, as well as 10 towns and villages in the Kharkiv region were attacked. 

Shelling of Ukrainian regions

• In the Kupiansk direction, 7 settlements of the Kharkiv and Luhansk regions came under artillery shelling. 

• In the Lyman direction, 7 settlements of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions came under Russian fire. 

• In the Bakhmut direction, 11 localities in the Donetsk region were attacked by the invading Russian forces. 

• In the Avdiivka direction, 8 towns and villages in the Donetsk region came under enemy fire. 

• In the Marinka direction, Ukrainian defenders repelled all of the Russian troops' attacks, however, 8 settlements came under shelling. 

• In the Shakhtarsk direction, 5 settlements of the Donetsk region were shelled. 

• In the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson directions, over 30 cities and villages were subjected to numerous attacks by the occupying Russian army. 

Ukrainian Armed Forces' strikes on Russian troops:

Ukrainian aviation launched 16 strikes on the invading Russian forces' military positions and 2 on Russian anti-aircraft missile systems.

Over the course of the day, missile and artillery units struck 4 control points, 6 manpower concentration areas, 3 munitions depots, as well as 5 artillery units at firing positions.

• In the Kharkiv region, residents of the village of Krasnokutsk, as well as the villages of Kachalivka and Liubivka, were urged not to open windows and to do damp cleaning at home. After the Russian shelling, there were harmful emissions into the air.