KYIV, June 9: Russia launched 479 drones and 20 missiles at Ukraine in the largest overnight drone assault of the war, according to Ukraine’s air force.
The attack mainly targeted central and western regions.
Ukrainian air defenses claimed to have downed 277 drones and 19 missiles, with only 10 projectiles reportedly hitting their targets, injuring one person.
This aerial escalation coincides with Russia’s renewed offensive along eastern and northeastern front lines, which President Zelenskyy described as “very difficult.”
Ukraine faces manpower shortages and increasing uncertainty over Western, particularly U.S., military support.
On June 1, Ukraine launched a major drone strike on Russian air bases, prompting retaliatory Russian attacks, including one on a Ukrainian air base in Dubno.
Ukraine also claimed to have struck two Russian fighter jets in Nizhny Novgorod, though Russia denied damage. Peace talks in Istanbul yielded no breakthrough beyond prisoner exchanges and repatriation of the dead.
On Monday, Russia and Ukraine exchanged more prisoners of war in a staggered release. Many freed Ukrainian soldiers were in poor health due to lack of food and medical care.
Over 200 Ukrainian POWs have died in captivity since the war began. In Chernihiv, relatives waited anxiously to see if loved ones were among the released.
Ukraine accused Russia of withholding names of over 1,000 fallen Ukrainian soldiers, while Russia claimed Ukraine failed to collect bodies it had offered.
A body exchange is expected to begin this week, according to Ukraine’s intelligence chief.
Russia has continued to strike civilian areas using Shahed drones, contributing to over 12,000 civilian deaths, per UN data. Ukraine’s long-range drone strikes persist, with Russia claiming it shot down 49 drones and reporting two hits on a military electronics plant in Chuvashia. (AP)
