Russia launched its “most massive airstrike” on Ukraine since the start of the war as part of an escalating bombing campaign, dashing hopes of a ceasefire.
Air raid alerts sounded “almost all night long” on Saturday as Russia fired a total of 537 aerial weapons at Ukraine, including 477 drones – mostly Russian-Iranian Shaheds, plus a number of decoys – and 60 missiles.
The attack targeted several regions, including west Ukraine, far from the front line.
Ukraine’s air force said it had managed to shoot down 249 and a further 226 were lost, likely having been electronically jammed.
At least six people died in the strikes. Three were killed in drone strikes in the Kherson, Kharkiv and Dnipropetrovsk regions. Another person was killed in Kostyantynivka, and the body of a 70-year-old woman was found under the rubble of a nine-story building hit by Russian shelling in the Zaporizhzhia region.
An F-16 pilot, Maksym Ustymenko, was killed after destroying seven aerial targets as his warplane, supplied by Western allies, crashed after sustaining damage.
Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky issued a decree to posthumously award Ustymenko the Order of the Gold Star as he passed on his condolences to the pilot’s family and brothers-in-arms. An investigation has been launched into the circumstances of his death.
Yuriy Ihnat, head of communications for Ukraine’s air force, declared the onslaught the “most massive airstrike” on the country since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
It was also the first time Russia had sent more than 500 aerial weapons after the Kyiv Independent warned that Moscow was ramping up military production and building new launch sites at the start of June.
“Moscow will not stop as long as it has the capability to launch massive strikes,” Mr Zelensky said, citing that this week alone Russia had launched more than 114 missiles, in excess of 1,270 drones and nearly 1,100 glide bombs.
He continued: “Putin long ago decided he would keep waging war, despite the world’s calls for peace. This war must be brought to an end – pressure on the aggressor is needed, and so is protection…
“Protection from ballistic and other missiles, from drones, and from terror. Ukraine needs to strengthen its air defence – the thing that best protects lives.
“These are American systems, which we are ready to buy. We count on leadership, political will, and the support of the United States, Europe, and all our partners. I thank everyone who is helping.”
Poland and other allied countries scrambled aircraft to ensure the safety of Polish airspace in the midst of the shelling.
The weekend’s attacks follow Putin’s claims that Moscow is ready for a fresh round of direct peace talks in Istanbul.
Two recent rounds of talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Istanbul were brief and made no progress towards reaching a settlement.
