Russia conducted extensive aerial bombardments across six regions of Ukraine on Friday, marking one of the most significant attacks during the ongoing three-year war, according to Ukrainian officials.
The nighttime assault, which lasted for several hours, resulted in the deaths of three emergency responders in Kyiv and one person in a north-western city, authorities reported.
Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yurii Ihnat stated that the barrage included 407 drones and 44 ballistic and cruise missiles.
Ukrainian forces claimed to have intercepted approximately 30 cruise missiles and as many as 200 drones.
Today is a day of our gratitude to every journalist, to all media workers, to everyone who develops new information platforms and resources.
The world knows what is happening in Ukraine. Every country knows our position and hears what we are doing to defend our independence and… pic.twitter.com/24vFIH51xk
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) June 6, 2025
Since the Russian invasion in February 2022, Ukrainian cities have been subjected to continuous bombardment. The United Nations estimates that these attacks have resulted in over 12,000 civilian deaths.
“Russia doesn’t change its stripes,” remarked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
President Zelensky, along with the Ukrainian Interior Ministry and the General Prosecutor’s Office, confirmed that three emergency workers were killed in Kyiv while responding to the Russian strikes.
“They were working under fire to help people,” the Interior Ministry stated.
Despite ongoing US-led diplomatic efforts to reach a settlement, which have facilitated two rounds of direct peace talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations, the war continues.
The negotiations have not yielded any substantial breakthroughs, and the two sides remain significantly divided on the terms for ending the conflict.
Ukraine has proposed an unconditional 30-day ceasefire and a meeting between President Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin to overcome the impasse. However, the Kremlin has effectively dismissed the truce and remains firm on its demands.
President Putin stated in a recent phone call with US President Donald Trump that he would retaliate for Ukraine’s recent long-range attack on Russian air bases.
The Russian Defense Ministry claimed that its “long-range precision weapons” targeted Ukrainian military assets, successfully hitting arms depots, drone factories, and repair facilities, among other targets.
In Russia, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin reported that air defenses intercepted 10 Ukrainian drones approaching the capital early Friday morning.
Flights at Moscow airports were temporarily halted as a precautionary measure.
Ukrainian drones also targeted three other Russian regions, reportedly damaging apartment buildings and industrial sites, with three people injured, according to authorities.
The Russian Defense Ministry reported the downing of 174 Ukrainian drones over 13 regions early Friday.
The Ministry further stated that three Ukrainian Neptune missiles were also intercepted over the Black Sea.
