Russia unleashed one of its largest assaults on Ukraine early Friday, firing hundreds of drones and missiles across the country in what officials described as a broad retaliatory strike.
The attack, which killed at least six people and injured dozens more, followed Ukraine’s recent operations targeting Russian military aircraft deep inside Russian territory.
In what Ukrainian officials called a direct response to Kyiv’s bold drone campaign, Moscow launched more than 400 drones and 40 missiles overnight.
President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that the strike affected nine regions, from Lviv in the west to Sumy in the northeast, describing the attack as one of the worst since the full-scale invasion began in 2022.
The Russia-Ukraine retaliatory strike came days after Ukraine’s forces damaged over a third of Moscow’s long-range bombers in an operation known as “Spiderweb.” The strike reportedly reached airfields as far away as Siberia.
Ukrainian forces also carried out a separate attack on Tuesday, targeting the Kerch Bridge—the only land connection between mainland Russia and the occupied Crimean Peninsula—with explosives placed underwater.
In Kyiv, the capital, shook overnight as drones buzzed overhead, air raid sirens wailed, and explosions rang out across the skyline. Ukraine’s State Emergency Service reported that three firefighters died in the city while responding to the destruction.
Last night, Russia launched 407 Shahed drones and 45 missiles at Ukraine — the largest aerial attack since the start of the full-scale war.
In Kyiv, 3 rescuers were killed by a second Russian strike while responding to the first.
22 more civilians were injured. Some critically.… pic.twitter.com/PiXhpuswqt
— Max Kipish
(@MaximKipish) June 6, 2025
Two civilians were killed in Lutsk near the Polish border, and another person died in Chernihiv near Belarus.
Photos taken after dawn showed flames pouring from residential buildings in Kyiv. Fire crews worked through the debris while shattered glass and torn concrete littered nearby streets. According to Ukraine’s air force, Russia launched 452 aerial weapons in total—407 drones, 38 cruise missiles, six ballistic missiles, and an anti-radar missile.
Ukrainian defenses intercepted 406 of those projectiles, including the majority of cruise and ballistic missiles. The remaining two ballistic missiles reportedly failed to reach their targets.
The barrage also struck Chernihiv with 14 blasts, and five people were injured in Lutsk. Verified video showed several missile impacts across the city, triggering large fireballs on impact.
Meanwhile, Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed it had downed 174 Ukrainian drones and three guided missiles over the Black Sea during the same period.
Though Ukrainians celebrated last weekend’s successful strikes on Russian bombers, many had braced for a forceful response. Moscow’s Defense Ministry labeled Ukraine’s operations as “terrorist acts,” raising questions over whether Friday’s attacks mark the extent of its retaliation—or the start of something broader.
Adding to the tension, Russian President Vladimir Putin told U.S. President Donald Trump during a Wednesday phone call that Moscow would respond. Trump’s comments offered no sign he had urged restraint, drawing criticism from Ukrainian officials.
Lawmaker Oleksandr Merezhko told CNN, “When Putin mentioned he is going to avenge or deliver a new strike against Ukraine, we know what it means. It’s about civilians.”
While Trump previously supported peace talks in Istanbul, his remarks on Thursday struck a different tone. Speaking from the Oval Office, he likened the war to a playground fight, saying, “Sometimes you see two young children fighting like crazy.”
