- Category
- Latest news
Russia Launches Massive Missile and Drone Assault Across Ukraine—Rescuers Killed, Dozens Civilians Injured
- Authors
![Photo of Vlad Litnarovych]( "Photo of Vlad Litnarovych")
Russia carried out a large-scale overnight strike on Ukraine, targeting multiple cities with ballistic and cruise missiles as well as Shahed drones. Kyiv suffered the deadliest attack since April, with at least four people killed and injured at least 22, according to the Kyiv Prosecutor’s Office on June 6.
“Four people have died and 20 others were injured,” Kyiv city Mayor Vitali Klitschko said in a morning update.
Fires broke out across the city, including in residential high-rises, a gas station, and civilian infrastructure. Emergency crews battled blazes and cleared rubble under continued threat of renewed attacks.
Ukraine’s Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko confirmed that three emergency responders were killed while assisting with rescue operations during the assault. “They were working under fire to save lives,” Klymenko said. Three more first responders were injured, including some in serious condition.
The Kyiv City Military Administration reported damage in the following districts:
Solomianskyi: fire broke out on the 11th floor of a 16-story residential building.
Darnytskyi: debris from intercepted drones struck three separate locations, damaging two cars.
Holosiivskyi: civilian infrastructure was hit, including a school and an area near a gas station.
Desnianskyi: drone wreckage landed in an open area.
Shevchenkivskyi: fire erupted in a non-residential area.
Dniprovskyi: a gas station suffered significant damage.
Kyiv’s red metro line sustained damage between the “Darnytsia” and “Livoberezhna” stations, including severed cables and damaged rail lines. As a result, service on the left bank of the Dnipro River has been suspended for the day.
Russian forces launched a massive aerial assault on Ukraine using 407 drones and 44 missiles, including six ballistic and 38 ground- and air-launched cruise missiles, according to Yurii Ihnat, spokesperson for the Air Force Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Speaking on national television, Ihnat noted that these figures are preliminary, as the scale of the attack was extensive. He said that Russian strategic bombers, including Tu-95s and Tu-160s, were involved in the strikes, launching missiles from the Saratov region over the Caspian Sea.
So far, Ukrainian defenses reportedly shot down around 30 of the 38 cruise missiles and intercepted up to 367 drones. Of those, 200 were destroyed by firepower, while another 167 were confirmed as lost due to signal interference or tracking failure.
“Today, the Defense Forces operated under extreme pressure. The attacks came mainly from the north — Sumy, Kharkiv, and Chernihiv regions. The bulk of these drones advanced in a kind of ‘creeping’ offensive toward the western regions of our country,” Ihnat said.
He added that air defense forces, electronic warfare systems, and aircraft — including Western-supplied F-16s and Mirage 2000s — were involved in repelling the attack.
In addition to Kyiv, Russia’s overnight strike also hit:
Lutsk (Volyn region): 15 people were injured, and drones and missiles damaged several buildings.
Lviv region: a major industrial facility was struck.
Khmelnytskyi region: a residential building was hit.
Ternopil region: according to regional head Vyacheslav Negoda, this was the most intense attack on the area since the full-scale invasion began. Ten people were injured, including 5 State Emergency Service members. Industrial sites and infrastructure were damaged. Parts of the city lost power and water pressure, and authorities urged residents to stay indoors due to heavy smoke.
Poltava region: three people were injured in the attack, two of them were treated on the spot, and one person was hospitalized in a state of medium severity, regional governor Volodymyr Kogut said. In addition, administrative buildings, warehouses of several enterprises, as well as cafes were damaged. The fires caused by the attack have been eliminated. The fall of debris on a private house was recorded.
UPD. As of 12:42 p.m., the number of people, injured as a result of a Russian combined strike on Kyiv increased to 27, reported Kyiv City Military Administration chief Tymur Tkachenko.
Earlier, US President Donald Trump confirmed that he spoke by phone with Russian leader Vladimir Putin. The conversation focused on Russia’s war against Ukraine, including a recent Ukrainian strike called Operation “Spiderweb,” on Russian strategic bombers, as well as growing concerns over Iran’s nuclear program.
According to Trump, Putin responded firmly to the airstrike. “Putin did say, and very strongly, that he will have to respond to the recent attack on the airfields,” he said.
-21d0b63c17f6020e4df75f6c6f9a2f4f.jpg "Photo of Ivan Khomenko")
