Russia targets Ukraine with one of war's largest air attacks

At least three people were killed and dozens injured after Russia launched one of the most intense aerial attacks on Ukraine since the start of the full-scale war more than three years ago, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday.

Zelensky called for increased international pressure on Moscow following the overnight assault that hit "almost all" of Ukraine, naming nine of the country's regions.

"Russia must be held accountable," he wrote on X, adding that Europe, the United States and others must "act decisively" to stop the war.

Those who fail to exert sufficient pressure, he said, are complicit in Moscow's aggression.

Ukraine's Air Force said that 407 drones were deployed by Russia in a single night — the highest number since the invasion began in February 2023.

Zelensky also reported that more than 40 missiles and cruise missiles were fired.

The Ukrainian military said it intercepted 30 of 36 Kh-101 cruise missiles launched from Tu-95 and Tu-160 strategic bombers — the same Russian aircraft targeted by Ukrainian drones in a major June 1 strike.

Four of six Iskander-M ballistic missiles and two Iskander-K cruise missiles were also downed.

In total, Ukrainian forces said they shot down 199 combat drones and electronically disabled or forced down another 169 unarmed drones used as decoys to overwhelm air defences. The previous record was 355 drones, detected on May 26.

While the figures could not be independently verified, analysts say they reflect the scale of the attacks. Military experts believe nightly assaults involving 500 or more drones may soon become routine, as Russia ramps up production.

The Russian Defence Ministry described the drone and missile assault as retaliation.

"The armed forces of the Russian Federation have delivered a massive blow in response to terrorist acts by the Kiev regime," the ministry said.

It remained unclear whether the operation was Moscow's anticipated response to recent Ukrainian strikes on Russian airfields that took out military aircraft.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has also recently accused Ukraine of "terrorism," citing train crashes in Russia believed to have been caused by sabotage.

In Ukraine, air raid sirens sounded across all regions overnight.

Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko said early on Friday that at least four people were killed in the capital alone, with 20 injured. It was not immediately clear why his death toll differed from Zelensky's, who said three people were killed in the country.

The Kiev City Military Administration reported that drones struck multiple residential buildings and caused significant damage to a gas station in the city's Dniprovskyi district.

In north-western Ukraine, at least five people were injured in attacks on Lutsk. Mayor Ihor Polishchuk said 15 drones and six missiles hit the city, damaging an apartment building, vehicles, businesses and a government institution.

Ukraine has been defending itself against a full-scale Russian invasion since February 2022. Efforts to end the war through negotiations have so far made little progress, with both sides maintaining sharply divergent demands.