Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a forceful message on 5 June, highlighting the sheer scale of Russian attacks and warning global leaders that inaction emboldens the Kremlin.

In his 5 June statement, Zelenskyy revealed that since the beginning of the year, Russia has launched nearly 27,700 aerial bombs, approximately 11,200 Shahed-type explosive drones, around 9,000 other attack UAVs, and over 700 missiles, including ballistic ones.

“And that’s in less than half a year,” he noted.

He accused Russia of restructuring its entire state, society, and economy to conduct mass killings in other countries with impunity.

“This is the pace of Russian strikes, and they deliberately set this tempo from the very first days of the full-scale war,” he said.

“Russia is giving the finger to the entire world”

Reacting to Trump’s announcement of his phone call with Putin, Zelenskyy criticized ongoing diplomatic failures.

“Many have spoken with Russia at various levels. But none of these talks have brought a reliable peace,” he stated, arguing that Putin continues to feel “impunity. Even after all of Russia’s horrific attacks, he is reportedly preparing yet more so-called ‘responses’.”

He warned that delays in diplomacy only fuel further aggression.

“With every new strike, with every delay of diplomacy, Russia is giving the finger to the entire world — to all those who still hesitate to increase pressure on it,” Zelenskyy said.

Warning against weakness and silence

Zelenskyy said the only way to stop Putin is by demonstrating strength.

“If the world reacts weakly to Putin’s threats, he interprets it as a readiness to turn a blind eye to his actions,” he said. “When he does not feel strength and pressure, but instead senses weakness, he always commits new crimes.”

According to the Ukrainian president, weak responses amount to silent permission for future atrocities. He thanked all international actors “who tell the killer that he will be held accountable” and stressed that “Russian missiles and bombs must stop taking innocent lives.”

“If the powerful do not stop Putin, it means they share responsibility with him,” Zelenskyy said. “And if they want to stop him but cannot, then Putin will no longer see them as powerful.”

Trump: Putin “will have to respond”

On the same day, Donald Trump stated on Truth Social that Putin warned of retaliation after Ukrainian drone attacks targeting Russian bomber airfields.

“President Putin did say, and very strongly, that he will have to respond to the recent attack on the airfields,” Trump wrote, offering no criticism of Russia’s stated intent to escalate attacks on Ukrainian civilians.

The highly successful Ukrainian Operation Spiderweb targeting Russia’s strategic bomber fleet took place on 1 June, but Trump remained silent about it until referencing Putin’s threats of retaliation.

Overnight on 29 May 2025, Russia launched a massive drone attack on Ukraine, killing six and injuring 33 civilians and damaging homes, while Ukrainian defenses intercepted just 56 out of 90 incoming drones, according to Ukraine’s Air Force and regional authorities.

90 drones launched from Russia, 56 intercepted

The Ukrainian Air Force reported that Russian forces launched 90 long-range explosive drones — including Shahed UAVs and decoys — from Millerovo, Oryol, and Kursk starting at 23:20 on 28 May. Air defense units, electronic warfare teams, and mobile fire groups reportedly neutralized 56 drones, of which 10 were shot down and 46 suppressed electronically.

“A distinctive feature of the airstrike was the targeting of sites in frontline territories,” the Air Force noted, highlighting a shift from Russia’s typical focus on rear cities and infrastructure.

Impacts were confirmed in nine locations across Sumy, Kharkiv, and Donetsk oblasts.

Local authorities also reported bomb and artillery strikes, as well as short-range drone attacks.

Sumy Oblast: Civilian casualties and widespread strikes 

Sumy Oblast Military Administration reported that a man was killed and a woman seriously injured in Bilopillia from a drone strike last night.

The authorities reported more civilian casualties over the past 24 hours. In Esman community, a 74-year-old woman died following a Russian guided bomb attack. Earlier injuries were also reported in Khotin (woman born in 1950) and Berezivka (man born in 1991).

Authorities confirmed 140 Russian strikes across 39 settlements in 14 communities, with the heaviest shelling in Sumy and Shostka districts.

Donetsk Oblast: Kostiantynivka hit twice, one killed; another death and 13 injuries yesterday 

At 04:20 on 29 May, a Russian FPV drone strike on Kostiantynivka killed one person and damaged a detached house, the city mayor reported. Another FPV drone hit the same city an hour later, damaging another residence.

On 28 May, Russian attacks killed one civilian in Donetsk’s Rivne and injured 13 others across Donetsk Oblast, according to the regional authorities.

Zaporizhzhia Oblast: Homes destroyed in aerial bombings, civilians searched under the rubble 

Zaporizhzhia Oblast Governor Ivan Fedorov reported that five Russian guided aerial bombs hit Verkhnia Tersa early on 29 May, destroying several homes. Authorities stated that civilians were trapped under debris, though further details were pending.

Over the preceding day, Russian forces conducted 397 strikes on 10 settlements. A 49-year-old man was wounded in a separate attack in Polohy District yesterday

Dnipropetrovsk Oblast: Three civilians injured in attacks 

According to Governor Serhii Lysak, artillery and drone strikes on Nikopol district injured a 61-year-old man and damaged several homes and solar panels. In Novopavlivka, two civilians were injured by guided bombs; one house was destroyed and two more damaged.

Kherson Oblast: Two killed, multiple injured in drone attacks 

Kherson Oblast Military Administration confirmed two civilian men were killed in Berislav when a Russian drone dropped explosives on them.

A Russian morning strike injured a 1931-born man in Kherson’s Dnipro Raion with blast trauma. A 57-year-old man in Bilozerka and a 38-year-old man in Kherson city were also hospitalized from earlier drone attacks.

Additionally, authorities reported a total of 10 injuries across the oblast in the last 24 hours.