Kyiv Devastated by Massive Russian Retaliatory Strike Following Destruction of Dozens of Warplanes

In the early hours of June 6, 2025, Russia launched a record aerial bombardment of Kyiv and western Ukraine, firing over 400 drones and over 40 missiles in a coordinated multi-front attack on residential towers, infrastructure, and emergency services. Apartment buildings were engulfed in flames, smoke blanketed the capital, and the metro system was temporarily shut down after a train was struck. Three emergency responders died and dozens of others were injured, some critically, as search-and-rescue operations persisted, officials said.

This strike was a direct response to Ukraine's recent "Operation Spiderweb," when Ukrainian forces had attacked and destroyed more than 40 strategic bomber aircraft on Russian airbases, degrading Moscow's long-range bombing capabilities by a significant extent. Russian drone strikes were followed by Ukrainian drones targeting Russia's Bryansk region, destroying a Mi-8 military helicopter and damaging airport facilities, without any casualties there. In announcing the retaliatory strikes, Russia's defense ministry labeled Ukrainian actions as "terrorist acts" and vowed to hold Kyiv accountable.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the bombing and urged Western allies to increase pressure on Moscow, stating that prolonging the conflict amounted to complicity in additional civilian casualties. European military sources were hopeful, nevertheless, that in spite of the absence of additional American aid, NATO allies might continue to keep Kyiv defended. American political leaders had cautioned only hours earlier that Russia's pending reprisal for the attacks on its airbases would be vicious, foreshadowing the scale of devastation witnessed in Kyiv.

As Kyiv battles blazes throughout its districts and basic utilities severed, Ukrainian authorities continue to assert that it is necessary to put more pressure on Russia diplomatically and with sanctions to further de-escalate the conflict and preserve civilian lives in this war.