In the most extensive aerial assault since the war began, Russia launched 479 drones and 20 missiles at Ukraine overnight, according to a statement from the Ukrainian Air Force on Monday, June 9. The strikes marked a significant escalation in Moscow’s ongoing summer offensive, with central and western Ukraine coming under heavy fire.
Ukraine’s air defenses responded by intercepting 277 drones and 19 missiles. Only about 10 projectiles reached their intended targets, causing limited damage and injuring one person, Ukrainian officials reported. These numbers have not been independently verified.
The attacks come as Ukraine struggles to hold its 1,000-kilometer front line, with intense fighting especially in the east and northeast. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy acknowledged on Sunday that the battlefield situation in some areas has become “very difficult.”
Russia has stepped up its strikes following a Ukrainian drone attack on air bases deep within Russian territory. In retaliation, Russian forces targeted Ukrainian military infrastructure, including the Dubno air base in Rivne.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s military claimed its special forces damaged two Russian fighter jets at the Savasleyka airfield in Russia’s Nizhny Novgorod region. The Russian government has not commented on the report.
Diplomatic efforts continue to stall. Recent negotiations in Istanbul yielded only minor agreements on prisoner exchanges and body recoveries, with both sides accusing each other of failing to uphold terms. Ukraine’s intelligence chief, Kyrylo Budanov, said a body exchange is expected to begin this week, a statement echoed by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, though no exact timeline was given.
Ukraine continues to carry out long-range drone strikes on Russian territory. Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed to have shot down 49 Ukrainian drones across seven regions overnight. However, two drones struck a plant manufacturing electronic warfare systems in the Chuvashia region. In Voronezh, 25 drones were intercepted, though one managed to hit a gas pipeline, causing a small fire.
According to United Nations estimates, more than 12,000 Ukrainian civilians have been killed since the war began, with frequent allegations that Russia is targeting civilian infrastructure.
