Russia Retaliates with Massive Drone and Missile Attack on Kyiv
In the early hours of June 6, 2025, Russia launched one of the largest drone and missile attacks against Ukraine to date, intensifying the ongoing conflict. The assault targeted Kyiv and multiple other Ukrainian regions, resulting in civilian casualties, infrastructure damage, and widespread disruption.
Scope and Scale of the Attack
The Russian Defense Ministry reported a massive strike involving 407 drones—marking one of the largest drone barrages in the conflict's history—alongside 45 cruise and ballistic missiles. These weapons targeted Ukrainian military-industrial sites, production and repair facilities for weapons and drones, flight training centers, and munitions depots.
Casualties and Damage in Kyiv
The attack resulted in at least three fatalities among first responders in Kyiv, who were killed during a secondary explosion while attending to the initial strike. Additionally, dozens of civilians sustained injuries across the capital and other regions.
Significant damage was observed in residential areas, including a drone strike that pierced the facade of a multi-storey apartment building in Kyiv’s Solomianskyi district, leaving scorched walls and debris scattered in the streets below. The city's metro system was temporarily disrupted after track damage.
Impact Beyond the Capital
- Ternopil: Industrial zones targeted, causing power outages and fires; 10 injured.
- Lutsk: Missile strikes hit residential and government buildings; 15 individuals wounded.
Authorities advised residents in affected regions to remain indoors due to toxic air resulting from fires caused by the strikes.
Background and Official Statements
The Kremlin described this overnight offensive as retaliation for recent Ukrainian drone attacks that destroyed multiple Russian nuclear-capable bombers stationed at airbases in Saratov and Ryazan regions. These Ukrainian strikes reportedly involved the innovative use of quadcopter drones camouflaged in wooden sheds, highlighting a new phase of tactical operations in the conflict.
Kremlin spokesman reiterated that all Russian military actions are in response to what Moscow classifies as “terrorist activities” by Kyiv.
Ukrainian Response and International Implications
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister condemned the attack, emphasizing that the Russian military targeted civilian infrastructure and energy systems. Ukrainian officials reported 49 injuries nationwide and called for increased Western support and pressure on Moscow to end the hostilities.
The Ukrainian military confirmed conducting a pre-emptive strike overnight on the same Russian airfields targeted in the initial Ukrainian drone attacks, as well as on three Russian fuel storage depots.
Civilian Life Amidst Escalation
Residents of Kyiv sought shelter in underground metro stations and parking facilities during the assault. The scale and intensity of the attack disrupted daily life, while emergency services managed ongoing rescue and recovery operations. The heightened conflict underscores the fragile security situation in Ukraine and the increasingly frequent use of drones and precision missile strikes in the theater of operations.
