In the early hours of Friday, June 6, Russia launched one of the most intense attacks of the war against Ukraine, using a massive combination of missiles and drones that struck the capital, Kyiv, and other cities in the country. The assault left at least four people dead in Kyiv and more than 49 injured across the country, according to Ukrainian authorities.
The mayor of Kyiv, Vitali Klitschko, reported that the deceased in the capital were first responders who were responding to one of the emergencies caused by the bombing. The explosions shook the city, causing fires and significant damage to residential buildings, energy infrastructure, and the public transportation system, including the subway.
Kyiv's military administration detailed that the attacks included 407 drones, one of the highest numbers recorded to date, in addition to 45 cruise and ballistic missiles. The railway system was also affected, forcing trains to be rerouted and some routes to be partially closed.
This attack was carried out in retaliation for a series of recent Ukrainian attacks on Russian military bases within Russian territory itself. Ukraine had managed to destroy several strategic bombers at the Engels and Dyagilevo airfields, in the Saratov and Ryazan regions, using drones hidden in improvised structures. Ukrainian intelligence carried out these attacks with precision and surprise, which caused a strong response from the Kremlin.
Russia, through its Ministry of Defense, justified the bombings as a reaction to what it described as "terrorist acts" committed by Ukraine. However, Ukraine's Minister of Internal Affairs, Ihor Klymenko, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Andrii Sybiha, condemned the Russian attacks as "deliberate aggression" against civilians and critical infrastructure.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, expressed his outrage at the violence and called on Western allies to increase pressure on Russia. "If someone doesn't exert pressure and gives the war more time to claim lives, that's complicity," he wrote on social network X.
In addition to Kyiv, other cities also suffered significant damage. In Ternopil, in the west of the country, the attack left at least 10 injured and caused fires that caused a dangerous concentration of toxic substances in the air.
