Russia launches over 48,000 aerial attacks on Ukraine in 6 months, Zelensky says

Russia launched approximately 48,600 aerial attacks since the start of 2025, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on June 4.

Zelensky said on social media that Russia has launched nearly 27,700 aerial bombs, 11,200 Shahed drones, approximately 9,000 other types of attack drones, and over 700 missiles at Ukraine in 2025.

Russia has intensified its aerial attacks in recent months, targeting Ukrainian cities with missiles and drones. On the night of June 1, Russia launched its largest swarm of attack drones since the start of the full-scale invasion, topping out at 472 total units at once.

For three consecutive days over May 24-26, Russia launched one of the heaviest attacks of the war to date with a series of mass drone and missile attacks at Ukrainian cities, during which more than 600 drones and dozens of missiles were launched.

The significant uptick in attacks comes as U.S. President Donald Trump has sought to mediate peace talks between Russia and Ukraine. Despite two rounds of negotiations, Russia has continued to reject a ceasefire.

"Russia has restructured its entire state, society, and economy to be able to kill people in other countries on a massive scale and with impunity," Zelensky added. "It means, that with every new strike, with every delay of diplomacy, Russia is giving the finger to the entire world — to all those who still hesitate to increase pressure on it."

A source in Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) told the Kyiv Independent on June 4 that Russia will soon be able to deploy more than 500 long-range drones a night to attack Ukraine as it ramps up production and builds new launch sites for them.

According to the source, Russia's production rate for one type of drone — Shahed-type Gerans — is up to 70 units per day, from a reported 21 a day last year, and Moscow will soon have 12-15 new launch sites in operation.

Putin rejects Zelensky’s call for peace talks, accuses Ukraine of deadly bridge attack in Russia

Russian President Vladimir Putin on June 4 accused Ukraine of being governed by a terrorist regime that deliberately targets civilians and claimed it is continuing to lose the war. He rejected the possibility of holding talks.

The Kyiv IndependentOlena Goncharova