In one of the most intense exchanges of the war to date, Ukraine and Russia traded drone and missile strikes in close succession, hitting military targets and cities across both countries.
Ukraine’s General Staff said it launched preemptive strikes “on the eve of mass enemy shelling,” targeting Russian air bases, fuel depots, and a missile systems plant.
Soon after, Russia carried out a nationwide bombardment involving at least 407 drones and 44 missiles, which Ukrainian officials said killed at least four people and injured more than 80.
In the early hours of June 6, Ukraine’s military launched a series of preemptive deep strikes into Russian territory, targeting military airfields and fuel infrastructure. Among the key targets was the Engels-2 air base in Saratov Oblast, a strategic facility that houses Russia’s long-range Tu-95, Tu-160, and Tu-22 bombers.
“A successful strike was carried out on the Engels airfield in the Saratov region, a place where enemy aircraft are concentrated,” Ukraine’s General Staff said in a statement.
Footage shared by residents and independent Russian Telegram channel Astra showed large fires engulfing what is believed to be the Kristal refinery, which supplies fuel to Engels-2.
‼️ Drones have struck a fuel storage base in Engels — the very depot that supplies Russia’s strategic airbase “Engels-2”. pic.twitter.com/hFj51VuJPp
— Bandera Fella *-^ (@banderafella) June 6, 2025
Ukrainian attack drones successfully hit Russia’s Rosreserv Kristall fuel storage depot in the city of Engels this morning.
The facility, which supplies fuel to Russia’s Engels bomber base, is ablaze. pic.twitter.com/R71O8tJDmT
— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) June 6, 2025
Saratov Governor Roman Busargin confirmed a drone strike had hit an “industrial enterprise” and damaged a nearby residential building. Emergency services were dispatched, and flights at Gagarin International Airport were temporarily suspended.
Ukraine also struck the Diaghilev airbase in Ryazan, a key site for refueling and escort aircraft used in Russia’s missile strikes on Ukraine. Local reports noted fire and drone activity around the base, though no casualties were reported.
❗️Explosions and fire in the area of the 🇷🇺Diaghilev airfield, where the Russian strategic aviation is located! – Russian media. pic.twitter.com/ai4HabPlnq
— 🪖MilitaryNewsUA🇺🇦 (@front_ukrainian) June 6, 2025
Elsewhere, Ukraine targeted a military-industrial facility in Michurinsk, Tambov region. The plant, known as the “Progress plant,” produces components for missile and artillery systems. Three people were hospitalized after the strike, regional officials said.
Last night Ukrainian drones attacked the “Progress” plant in Michurinsk, Tambov region. Loud explosions were recorded and a large fire was seen burning. This facility produces equipment & systems for missiles, aicraft, oil & gas. Geolocated at 52.893254657356, 40.4668005893856 pic.twitter.com/Jgj8sYYyta
— raging545 (@raging545) June 6, 2025
In Bryansk, Ukrainian drones reportedly attacked the city’s international airport, triggering a massive explosion captured in videos and photos shared on social media. According to the independent Russian outlet ASTRA, the strike caused a large fireball and damaged airport infrastructure.
Open-source reports and Russian Telegram accounts suggested that the explosion may have destroyed a stockpile of Iskander-M ballistic missiles stored at the site, though these claims have not been independently verified.
💥 Russia: Ukraine destroyed a stockpile of Iskander-M ballistic missiles at the Bryansk airfield.
Each missile costs $3 million to manufacture.
Russia produces around 65 Iskander-M missiles per month. pic.twitter.com/8XCRJ3IM6C— Igor Sushko (@igorsushko) June 5, 2025
In a statement posted on Facebook, Ukraine’s General Staff said its forces conducted preemptive strikes ahead of Russia’s mass bombardment. “On the eve of mass enemy shelling, enemy airbase airfields and other important military facilities were hit,” the statement read.
The General Staff confirmed successful strikes on Engels and Dyagilevo airfields, describing them as sites where “enemy aviation” and “strategic bombers” used to launch missile attacks on Ukraine were based. It also reported “numerous hits” on fuel tanks in the Saratov region, resulting in a “large-scale fire” and “dozens of explosions.”
Russia’s large-scale attack early Friday was carried out in response to Ukraine’s June 1 Operation Spider Web, which reportedly damaged over 40 Russian military aircraft across four airbases.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Moscow launched 407 drones and 44 missiles in one of the war’s largest aerial assaults, killing at least four people and injuring more than 80. The strikes hit cities across nearly the entire country, from Lviv in the west to Sumy in the northeast.
“This was one of the largest air assaults in the history of the war,” Zelensky said. “Almost all of Ukraine was targeted.” He said the three confirmed deaths were state emergency service employees, who were later identified by media reports as firefighters and first responders.
New video showing the Russian air attack against Kyiv this morning.
4 Ukrainian civilians were killed in the city, including a firefighting killed in a double-tap strike. pic.twitter.com/8RpUoGMTBU
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) June 6, 2025
Kyiv suffered extensive damage as air defenses intercepted missiles and drones above the capital. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said four people had been killed in the capital, though other national officials placed the confirmed death toll at three.
In Lutsk, five people were injured in an attack involving 15 drones and six missiles. In Ternopil, officials described the strike as the “most massive air attack” the region has experienced to date.
🇷🇺 Russia is pounding Ukraine right now, across different cities.
Footage from Lutsk Ukraine 🔻 pic.twitter.com/xIV5U0Zqt9— #𝕎𝕒𝕣 ℍ𝕠𝕣𝕚𝕫𝕠𝕟 (@WarHorizon) June 6, 2025
Chernihiv, near the Belarusian border, was struck by 14 projectiles, including cruise and Iskander-M ballistic missiles, while other regions such as Lviv, Kharkiv, and Luhansk faced simultaneous aerial threats.
The Russian Ministry of Defense said the assault was a response to “terrorist acts by the Kyiv regime” and claimed it had used long-range air, sea, and ground-based weapons. Ukrainian military sources reported that the barrage included Kh-31P air-launched anti-radiation missiles, designed to suppress air defenses by homing in on radar emissions.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha condemned Russia’s strikes as indiscriminate attacks on civilians. “They respond to the destruction of their bombers by targeting civilians again,” he said.
Zelensky called on the international community to increase pressure on Russia, warning that inaction amounts to complicity. “Now is exactly the moment when America, Europe, and everyone around the world can stop this war together by pressuring Russia,” he wrote on X. “If someone is not applying pressure… that is complicity and accountability.”
