Ukraine war latest: Russia hits Ukraine with large-scale attack days after Operation Spiderweb; Ukraine targets Russian air bases in 'preemptive strike'

Key developments on June 6:

• Russia hits Ukraine with large-scale attack days after Operation Spiderweb
• Ukraine strikes Russian air bases in 'preemptive strike' ahead of drone, missile attack, General Staff says
• Ukrainian drone attack destroys helicopter at Russian airfield in Bryansk, media says
• Russia plans to occupy Ukraine east of Dnipro, cut Black Sea access, Ukrainian official says

Russia launched a mass missile and drone attack against Ukraine overnight on June 6, targeting the capital, major cities, and the country's far-western regions.

A total of 80 people were injured and four people killed, including first responders, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

"A cynical Russian strike on ordinary cities. More than 400 drones, more than 40 missiles. ... We need to put pressure on Russia to (accept a ceasefire) and to stop the strikes," he said.

The attack comes a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin promised to retaliate against Ukraine for its drone strike against Russian air bases in a phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump.

Ukraine's Air Force reported that Russia launched 452 drones overnight, including Iranian-designed Shahed-type suicide drones, along with 45 missiles of various types.

Firefighters extinguish a blaze in the aftermath of a Russian aerial assault against the city of Ternopil in western Ukraine on June 6, 2025. (Ukraine's State Emergency Service)

Air defenses intercepted 199 drones, while another 169 dropped off radars — likely used as decoys to overwhelm Ukrainian systems. Ukrainian forces also intercepted 36 missiles, including the Iskander-M ballistic missile.

"Russia doesn't change its stripes — another massive strike on cities and ordinary life. They targeted almost all of Ukraine — Volyn, Lviv, Ternopil, Kyiv, Sumy, Poltava, Khmelnytskyi, Cherkasy, and Chernihiv regions," Zelensky said the morning after the attacks.

"Russia must be held accountable for this. Since the first minute of this war, they have been striking cities and villages to destroy life."

The Russian Defense Ministry claimed on the morning of June 6 that the overnight attack was a "response" to Operation Spiderweb and alleged that the "goal of the strike was achieved" and the "designated objects were hit."

But Moscow needs no excuse to bombard Ukraine with drones and missiles, as the mass strikes Russia launched against Ukrainian cities in the days before Spiderweb prove. For three consecutive nights in the last week of May, Russia targeted Ukraine with some of the heaviest aerial attacks since the start of the full-scale war.

Aerial strikes against civilian targets have been a regular feature of Russia's all-out war since February 2022.

Ukraine strikes Russian air bases in 'preemptive strike' ahead of drone, missile attack, General Staff says

Ukrainian forces struck multiple Russian airfields and military facilities overnight on June 6, hours before Russia launched one of its heaviest aerial assaults of the war, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces reported.

Ukrainian strikes reportedly targeted Engels and Dyagilevo airfields — two key hubs for Russia's long-range bomber fleet, as well as logistics sites in Russia's Kursk Oblast.

Hours after the strikes, Russia attacked Ukraine with 452 drones and 45 missiles  in one of the largest attacks of the full-scale war.

Engels-2 air base, located in Saratov Oblast, nearly 600 kilometers (370 miles) from Ukraine's front lines, hosts Russia's Tu-95, Tu-22M3, and Tu-160 bombers — aircraft regularly used in missile attacks on Ukrainian cities.

Ukraine's General Staff said a strike ignited large fires at the facility, hitting at least three fuel tanks. Footage and local reports confirmed a significant blaze and numerous explosions in the area.

Saratov Governor Roman Busargin acknowledged a fire at an unspecified "industrial enterprise" and damage from drones to a residential building. No casualties were reported.

The Dyagilevo airfield in Ryazan Oblast, home to air refueling tankers and bomber escort fighters, was also targeted. The General Staff reported fire damage in the area, with Russian air defense activity and explosions recorded. Results of the strike are still being assessed.

Ukraine also claims to have struck a logistics center tied to the 30th Motorized Rifle Regiment of Russia's 72nd Division near Kulbaki in Kursk Oblast.

Russia's Defense Ministry claimed that 174 Ukrainian drones were intercepted overnight across 12 regions of Russia and occupied Crimea.

"Strikes on military infrastructure will continue until the Russian Federation's armed aggression against Ukraine is completely stopped," Ukraine's General Staff said.

The latest wave of Ukrainian strikes underscores Kyiv's evolving long-range strike capability, as well as its efforts to preemptively degrade Russian assets used in air assaults.

Ukrainian drones struck Bryansk International Airport in Russia overnight on June 6, destroying one combat helicopter and damaging another, according to Russian emergency officials cited by independent media outlet Astra.

The attack was part of a broader Ukrainian operation targeting multiple Russian airfields and military facilities the same evening.

According to Astra's sources within Russia's Emergency Situations Ministry, the attack destroyed a Mi-8 helicopter after its onboard munitions detonated. A second aircraft, a Mi-35 helicopter gunship, was also damaged, though the extent of the damage remains unclear.

The strike reportedly caused additional destruction to airport infrastructure and rescue facilities, but no casualties were reported. Sources within Ukraine's special services confirmed to Astra that Bryansk airport was among the intended targets of the attack.

The Kyiv Independent could not verify the claims.

The Mi-8 is a multipurpose utility aircraft used for troop transport, reconnaissance, and close air support. The Mi-35 is a heavily armed assault helicopter derived from the Soviet-era Mi-24, with dual capability for offensive operations and personnel transport.

Both aircraft types are actively used by Russia in its war against Ukraine.

Russia plans to occupy Ukraine east of Dnipro, cut Black Sea access, Ukrainian official says

Russia aims to occupy all Ukrainian territory east of the Dnipro River and advance toward Odesa and Mykolaiv in a broader plan to sever Ukraine's access to the Black Sea, President Volodymyr Zelensky's Deputy Chief of Staff Pavlo Palisa said, Politico reported on June 6.

The remarks come amid continuing Russian offensives in eastern and northern Ukraine, along with escalating diplomatic efforts that have yet to yield a ceasefire.

According to Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR), Moscow hopes to seize the entirety of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts by this fall and establish a buffer zone along Ukraine's northern border with Russia.

The second phase of the plan envisions more ambitious territorial gains, including an advance into southern Ukraine aimed at cutting the country off from the sea.

"Unfortunately, they are not speaking about peace. They are preparing for war," Palisa said during a press briefing at the Ukrainian Embassy in Washington.

The warning comes days after Russia presented Ukraine with a so-called "peace memorandum" during a second round of negotiations in Istanbul on June 2.

The document, published by Russian state media outlet TASS, demands that Kyiv recognize Russia's claimed annexation of four Ukrainian oblasts — Kherson, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Luhansk — and fully withdraw from them.

Moscow also calls for Ukraine's demobilization and a formal ban on NATO membership.

During the talks, Ukraine's delegation submitted a separate proposal calling for an all-for-all prisoner exchange, the return of abducted Ukrainian children, and the release of civilians held in Russian captivity.

Kyiv also reiterated its call for a Western-backed 30-day ceasefire as a foundation for future negotiations — a proposal Moscow again rejected.

Ukraine's military leadership has warned that Russian forces are preparing for a major summer offensive in Donetsk Oblast, where daily assaults have continued since 2022.

Despite suffering heavy losses, Russian troops are advancing through mass wave attacks that gain only tens of meters per day. According to the U.S.-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Moscow currently occupies roughly 20% of Ukraine.

Note from the author:

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