Russia Calls Ukraine War ‘Existential’ As It Launches Massive Retaliatory Strikes On Kyiv

Russia on Friday (6 June) said the Ukraine war "existential" for its future after Moscow launched a wave of retaliatory drone and missile strikes that killed at least three in Kyiv, reported Mint.

Kyiv announced that Russia fired 45 missiles and 407 drones in the barrage after Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed retaliation for a Ukrainian attack on several Russian airbases.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged allies to "decisively" ramp up pressure on Russia to halt the war.

The Kremlin on Friday (6 June) termed its three-year invasion as a battle for Russia's "future."

Zelensky said at least three people died in the capital and that Russia targeted nine Ukrainian regions. "If someone does not put pressure and gives the war more time to take lives, they are complicit and responsible. We need to act decisively," Zelensky wrote on social media.

The Russian defense ministry said its forces launched the "massive" strike in response to recent Ukrainian attacks on its territory.

Putin earlier told Trump that Moscow would retaliate over a Ukrainian drone attack that damaged nuclear-capable military planes at Russian air bases.

The operation involved Kyiv smuggling over 100 small drones into Russia, parking them near Russian air bases, and unleashing them in a coordinated attack.