In the early hours of 14 June, Russian forces launched a large-scale drone attack on Ukraine, deploying 58 Shahed-type drones, the Ukrainian Air Force reported. Air defenses neutralized 43 of them, including 23 shot down by fire and 20 suppressed or lost from radar through electronic warfare. Hits were recorded in nine locations, and drone debris fell in at least five. The Russian drones injured three people in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, while other attack hurt more people in Donetsk and Kherson oblast, according to local authorities.

Zaporizhzhia hit hardest in drone assault: civilians injured, fires reported

According to the Zaporizhzhia Oblast Military Administration, 14 Shahed drones targeted Zaporizhzhia. The strikes hit residential buildings, a public transport stop, and a store. A humanitarian aid warehouse was destroyed.

NGO head Oleksandr Belyuha told Suspilne,

“This is our main warehouse. We’ve been helping people for three years. We provided humanitarian aid: food, hygiene products. Now everything is destroyed.”

Emergency services responded to fires that broke out in vehicles, multiple buildings, and the warehouse. Over ten cars burned in a parking area. At least 15 apartment blocks, one-family homes, and non-residential buildings were damaged.

Drone attack damages reported in Kharkiv Oblast

In Izium, Kharkiv Oblast, Russian drones caused four direct hits overnight on 14 June. The City Military Administration reported shattered windows, blown-off doors, and damage to garages in both residential and administrative structures.

However, Kharkiv Oblast authorities confirmed that there were no injuries over the past 24 hours despite attacks on five settlements. The region came under varied weaponry, including six KAB guided bombs, one FAB-1500 bomb, four Shahed-136 drones (which the oblast administration, for some reason, persistently calls by their Russian designation, Geran-2), and one FPV drone.

Putin counting on US fatigue to win what his army cannot, WP op-ed argues

Sumy Oblast suffers intense shelling with no casualties

Russian forces struck Sumy Oblast nearly 70 times between the mornings of 13 and 14 June, according to the Sumy Oblast Military Administration. The attacks targeted 21 settlements in nine communities. Most occurred in Sumy Raion. Weapons included around 30 drone-dropped VOG grenades and almost 10 air-dropped KAB bombs.

Two households were damaged in a strike on Pishchane, as confirmed by local official Mykola Sachenko. No casualties were reported.

WSJ: Russia wants the West to believe it’s winning in Ukraine

Five injured in Kherson Oblast as attacks continue

Various Russian attacks targeted Kherson Oblast, with 23 under fire in the past 24 hours. Oblast head Oleksandr Prokudin reported on 14 June that five people were injured. Airstrikes and artillery fire damaged an apartment building, six one-family homes, a gas station, a gas pipeline, a garage, and vehicles.

Russians kill one civilian, injure two others in Donetsk Oblast

According to Donetsk Oblast authorities, Russian strikes resulted in one death and two injuries on 13 June.

The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, the biggest in Europe, occupied by Russian forces since March 2022, remains completely shut down, with all six reactors in a cold shutdown state.

In an interview with Reuters, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi emphasized that restarting the plant is not feasible under current conditions.

The key issues are an unstable power supply and, more critically, a lack of cooling water, which is essential for the safe operation of nuclear reactors.

“We are not in a situation of imminent restart of the plant. Far from that, it would take quite some time before that can be done,” Grossi said.

He explained that to bring even a single reactor back online, it would be necessary to install a new pumping system to draw water from the Dnipro River and inspect all equipment that has remained inactive for nearly three years.

Currently, IAEA missions access the plant from Russian-occupied territory, as Moscow no longer guarantees the safety of international experts entering from the Ukrainian side, as was previously the case.

Meanwhile, Greenpeace reports that Russian forces are building a new power line along the Azov Sea coast to connect the plant directly to Russia’s power grid. This may signal preparations to restart the plant independently, bypassing Ukrainian oversight.

In response, Ukraine has sent a formal diplomatic note to the IAEA, stressing that any attempt to restart the plant without authorization from Ukraine’s nuclear regulatory authority is illegal and poses an unacceptable threat to nuclear safety.

This is no accident. This is a war crime. Russia is waging a deliberate war on Ukrainian rescuers, striking six fire stations in one week, says Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko. 

The Ukrainian minister has accused Russia of deliberately targeting emergency services, calling recent attacks on fire and rescue units a campaign of “deliberate terror.” Over just one week, six fire stations across Ukraine were hit, injuring 12 emergency workers who risk their lives daily under fire.

“Even after the strikes, our rescuers put their uniforms back on and headed to where someone may still be breathing beneath the rubble,” Klymenko says.

From 26 May to 2 June, Ukraine’s State Emergency Service came under fire nearly ten times. Fire-rescue units were hit in Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk, Sumy, and Kharkiv oblasts. The attacks damaged six fire stations and destroyed six emergency vehicles.

One of the most brazen strikes, according to Klymenko, occurred on the morning of 2 June in Stepnohirsk, Zaporizhzhia Oblast. After drones struck a fire station, Russian forces launched a second strike targeting rescuers evacuating the wounded.

Twelve emergency personnel were injured, and two vehicles were destroyed in the attack. The wounded are now receiving medical and psychological care.

Russia launched 479 aerial weapons, including seven missiles and hundreds of drones, on Ukraine overnight on 1 June 2025, marking the largest drone and attack since the full-scale invasion began, according to Ukraine’s Air Force. The drone attack injured four civilians, yet one of the missiles reportedly hit a military training facility, killing 12 soldiers and injuring dozens others.

Ukraine’s Air Force reported that between 19:30 on 31 May and the early hours of 1 June, Russian forces attacked with 472 Shahed-type strike UAVs and decoy drones from directions  in Russia, including Millerovo, Shatalovo, Kursk, Oryol, Bryansk, and Primorsko-Akhtarsk.

Additionally, Russia launched three Iskander-M/KN-23 ballistic missiles from Kursk and Voronezh oblasts and four cruise missiles — both air- and ground-launched — including Kh-101 and Iskander-K types.

Air defense forces responded using aviation, anti-aircraft missile units, electronic warfare systems, drone units, and mobile fire groups.

As of 13:30, a total of 385 aerial threats were reportedly neutralized, including 210 Shahed-type UAVs and three Kh-101/Iskander-K cruise missiles. Of those, 213 were shot down by kinetic means, while 172 were either jammed or disappeared from radar due to electronic warfare.

The air strikes targeted Kyiv Oblast, Kharkiv Oblast, Sumy Oblast, Zhytomyr Oblast, Odesa Oblast, Donetsk Oblast, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, and Zaporizhzhia Oblast. Strikes caused impacts in 18 separate locations, Air Force says.

Following a record 355-drone attack, Russia launches 60 drones—Ukraine intercepts most

Civilian impact in Kyiv oblast, Zaporizhzhia, and Odesa

In Kyiv Oblast, local authorities reported that 15 Russian drones were shot down. Ten detached houses were damaged in Bila Tserkva district, but no casualties were reported.

In Zaporizhzhia, according to the National Police, seven Shahed drone strikes and one missile hit the city and surrounding area between 04:06 and 04:33. Three civilians — two women and a man — were injured and received medical aid. Private homes and critical infrastructure were damaged. Zaporizhzhia Mayor’s Office reported emergency services boarded up windows in 13 homes and two apartment buildings.

A Zaporizhzhia resident named Serhii said his home, built over 10 years, was significantly damaged, Suspilne reported. He said something struck about 10 meters away, but he and his family hid behind a masonry stove, which saved their lives.

The Zaporizhzhia regional prosecutor’s office opened an investigation into a war crime under Article 438 of Ukraine’s Criminal Code.

In Odesa Oblast, Shahed drones struck Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi district. Odesa Oblast Military Administration head Oleh Kiper confirmed private homes and a vacation facility were damaged. A fire broke out but was extinguished by emergency workers. No injuries or deaths were reported.

Drone strikes across Kharkiv Oblast

According to Kharkiv Oblast Military Administration head Oleh Syniehubov, 13 drones struck Izium, Lozova, and Kupiansk districts.

A 45-year-old woman in Lozova suffered acute stress, the State Emergency Service reported. Local authorities reported impacts on a school and a critical infrastructure site.

In Balakliia, seven strikes hit, damaging a civilian residential area and a factory.

A warehouse fire occurred in Izium. In Velykyi Burluk, a strike caused a fire on the second floor of an administrative building, damaging windows and a car. Power lines were also hit in Bunakove, Lozova community.

Russia’s massive missile and drone assault kills at least 12 civilians, injures 52, between two prisoner swaps

Missile strike on Dnipropetrovsk: 12 killed, over 60 wounded

On 1 June, the Russian army launched a missile strike on a Ukrainian Ground Forces training unit in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, according to Ukraine’s Ground Forces command. As of 12:50, 12 servicemen were confirmed dead and over 60 wounded.

The Ground Forces stated:

“No formations or mass gatherings of personnel were taking place. After the air raid alert was announced, most of the personnel were in shelters.” 

Commander of Ukraine’s Ground Forces, General Mykhailo Drapatyi, announced his resignation:

“As commander, I failed to ensure full execution of my orders. I didn’t push hard enough, didn’t convince, didn’t change attitudes. That’s my responsibility.”

Ukrainian Ground Forces commander quits after training base attack kills 12 and injures 60 troops

Ground Forces spokesperson Vitalii Sarantsev told Suspilne the preliminary weapon used was an Iskander missile. He emphasized that any officials found guilty, regardless of past service, will be held accountable.

Today, 25 May, Ukraine has completed the third and final stage of a major 1000-for-1000 prisoner exchange agreement with Russia, achieved recently in Istanbul, bringing home 303 Ukrainian defenders.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed the news on his official Telegram channel, stating,

“303 Ukrainian defenders are home. The third part of the 1000-for-1000 exchange, agreed in Türkiye, is complete.”

Zelenskyy highlighted that the servicemen returning to Ukraine today represent the Armed Forces, the National Guard, the State Border Guard Service, and the State Special Transport Service.

“Thank you to the team who worked around the clock to make this exchange successful,” he added, promising that Ukraine will continue efforts to bring every prisoner home.

Troops from multiple branches among those freed

According to Ukraine’s Coordination HQ for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, the group included representatives from the Naval Forces, Air Forces, Air Assault Forces, and Territorial Defense Forces. All 303 returned individuals were men, with positions held at the rank-and-file or sergeant levels.

The freed defenders had previously served across several strategic regions, including Donetsk and Luhansk directions, as well as in Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, Kherson, Sumy, and Chernihiv oblasts.

Of the 303 soldiers freed in this phase, 70 were Mariupol defenders, illegally held in Russian captivity since 2022. 

Officials emphasized that all released defenders would receive necessary medical assistance, rehabilitation, as well as complete financial compensation for the time spent in captivity. Ukraine also pledged full reintegration support for all those returning after prolonged isolation under Russian control.

Exchanges

The 1000-for-1000 prisoner exchange stands as the only tangible outcome of the Istanbul negotiations with Russia held on 16 May. On 23 May, Ukraine secured the release of 270 military personnel and 120 civilians from Russian captivity, including three women and 387 men. The following day, 24 May, the second phase of the large-scale swap brought another 307 people home.