Short-range drone attacks have become one of the deadliest threats to civilians in Ukraine’s front-line regions, killing at least 395 people and injuring 2,635 between February 2022 and April 2025, according to a new bulletin by the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine.
Explosions were reported in Moscow overnight on June 26, prompting airport closures, as Mayor Sergey Sobyanin claimed that two drones were shot down.
Key developments on June 25: * Zelensky, Trump hold talks on NATO summit sidelines * 'Something unknown' hits key Russian drone facility in Taganrog, Ukrainian official says * Russia has launched over 28,000 Shahed drones at Ukraine since 2022, with nearly 10% fired in June alone, Zelensky says * Donetsk Oblast city "on
According to the Ukrainian Air Force, Russian forces launched 71 Shahed-type attack drones and decoys from multiple directions, including Bryansk, Millerovo, Kursk, and occupied Crimea. Ukraine's air defenses destroyed 52 of them.
"Something unknown flew into the Atlant-Aero plant in Taganrog," Andrii Kovalenko, head of the counter-disinformation center, said. "This is an important node in the Russian military-industrial complex, specializing in components for combat drones and control systems."
Russian drone and artillery strikes on Kherson Oblast killed four people and injured five others between June 23-24, local officials said. Twenty-nine settlements, including the city of Kherson, were hit.
Russian forces launched a drone attack on Kharkiv overnight on June 24, injuring three people and damaging civilian infrastructure, Mayor Ihor Terekhov said.
Russian forces launched a drone attack on Sumy Oblast overnight on June 24, killing three people, including an 8-year-old boy, and injuring three others, Governor Oleh Hryhorov reported.
"After the strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities, there was an uproar from Moscow," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
According to the Ukrainian Air Force, Russia deployed 368 aerial weapons, including 352 attack drones, 11 Iskander-M/KN-23 ballistic missiles, and 5 Iskander-K cruise missiles, striking primarily Kyiv. Ukraine's air defenses destroyed 354 of them.
Ukraine needs to have many times more surface-to-air missiles and anti-aircraft missile systems to ensure reliable defense of cities and critical infrastructure facilities, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said.
This includes $1.3 billion in direct damage. The estimated cost-to-result ratio of Ukrainian deep strikes is 1:15, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi told journalists on June 21.
Seven people were injured in Russian drone and artillery attacks on Kherson Oblast on June 20-21. Strikes hit multiple settlements, including the city of Kherson.
Key developments on June 20: * "All of Ukraine is ours" — Putin on Russia's territorial ambitions in Ukraine * Ukraine, Russia carry out 2nd prisoner swap this week under Istanbul deal * "Massive" Russian drone attacks on residential buildings in Odesa kill 1, injure 14 * Ukraine imposes new sanctions on Russian, Chinese, Belarusian
Russian forces struck residential buildings in Odesa overnight on June 20, killing a civilian and injuring at least 14 others, including three emergency workers, Ukraine's State Emergency Service reported.
Russian attacks on Kherson Oblast injured nine people and damaged residential infrastructure on June 18-19, according to local authorities. The strikes targeted 34 settlements with artillery and drones.
Russia’s hardline nationalist elite reportedly argues that only a formal war declaration would permit true escalation—full-scale mobilisation, regular missile strikes, and potentially the use of tactical nuclear weapons.
At the time of writing some seven hours later, the White House has still yet to comment on the attack.
Russian drone strikes on Odesa early June 17 killed 1, injured 17 people, including a pregnant woman and a child, regional authorities said.
The Nevinnomyssk Azot chemical plant — a key supplier to the Kremlin's military-industrial complex — has suspended production following Ukrainian drone strikes, Russian independent media reported on June 16.
At least 28 people have been killed and 134 others injured after a mass Russian missile and drone attack on Kyiv overnight on June 17.
Russia launched a series of drone attacks on Kyiv Oblast overnight on June 15-16, targeting both the capital city and regional settlements, according to government officials. A 60-year-old man has been injured.
The drones were shot down, but the debris fell on a plant in the town of Yelabuga, where Shahed-type attack drones are manufactured, causing a fire.
Of the 183 drones Russia launched, Ukrainian air defense neutralized 159, Ukraine’s Air Force said. Ukraine also shot down 2 Kinzhal ballistic missiles and six out of eight cruise missiles.
A "two week" deadline imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump to see if Russia is serious about peace in Ukraine has come and gone, with Moscow's escalation of attacks on civilians during this period failing to draw the slightest condemnation from the White House. "We're going to find out
Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said he held a meeting focused on strengthening defenses against Russian strike drones, particularly Iranian-designed Shahed drones used by Russian forces to target Ukrainian cities.
"As part of efforts to reduce (Russia's) ability to produce explosives and ammunition, the Ukrainian Armed Forces' drone systems, in coordination with other Defense Forces units, struck critical facilities of Russia's military-industrial complex overnight," Ukraine's General Staff said in a statement.
According to Ukraine's Air Force, Russia launched 58 attack drones, primarily Shahed-type UAVs, and decoys from multiple directions.
The Crimean Wind Telegram channel reported a hit in Simferopol, Crimea's capital, sharing a photo of a plume of smoke rising in the vicinity of a local power station and of the village of Perevalne.
According to the Ukrainian Air Force, Russia targeted the country with 55 Shahed-type attack drones and decoy unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), as well as four Iskander-M/KN-23 ballistic missiles launched from Russian territory.
The relocation comes in the wake of Ukraine's Operation Spiderweb, a June 1 drone strike that targeted four Russian air bases deep inside the country.
According to the Ukrainian Air Force, Russian forces launched 63 drones, including Shaheds and other unmanned aerial systems, from multiple directions, including Kursk, Orel, Millerovo, and occupied Crimea.
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