Massive Russian Drone Attack Hits Kyiv and Odesa, Causing Casualties and Damage

Russia launched one of its biggest drone attacks on Ukraine overnight, with the capital city Kyiv and the southern port city of Odesa suffering heavy damage. Ukrainian officials reported that four people were injured in Kyiv, while two people were killed and 13 injured in Odesa.

According to President Volodymyr Zelensky, Russia launched 315 drones across Ukraine during the night. Seven out of ten districts in Kyiv were hit, with debris and fires damaging homes, warehouses, and other buildings. Explosions lit up the sky, and loud blasts were heard throughout the capital. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko warned residents to stay in shelters during the ongoing attack.

In Odesa, drone strikes hit residential buildings and even a maternity hospital. Thankfully, patients and staff were able to evacuate, though ambulances were damaged.

President Zelensky called it “one of the largest strikes on Kyiv” and said the attack undermines global peace efforts, especially by the United States and other countries trying to stop the war. He revealed that two of the missiles used were made in North Korea.

Zelensky urged the international community to respond with “concrete action, not silence”, following this latest wave of attacks.

Meanwhile, Ukraine also launched drone strikes deep inside Russia overnight, forcing the temporary closure of several Russian airports. This comes after Ukraine’s secretive drone mission, “Operation Spider’s Web,” struck Russian airbases on June 1. In response, Russian President Vladimir Putin had warned of strong retaliation.

During the Tuesday morning attacks, air raid sirens sounded across much of Ukraine, including eastern regions like Donetsk, Luhansk, and Kharkiv.

The strikes came just after the start of a prisoner exchange program between Ukraine and Russia. This swap will involve injured and sick prisoners, those under 25, and the return of 12,000 soldiers’ bodies. Zelensky described the exchange as sensitive and complex, and said it would happen in several phases.

These new attacks highlight the continued intensity of the war, which began when Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.