In the early hours of June 16, Russia launched one of its largest aerial assaults in recent weeks against Ukraine, deploying a total of 138 Shahed-type attack drones and decoys across multiple regions. According to Ukraine’s Air Force Command, 125 targets were successfully neutralized—84 shot down by air defense systems and 41 disrupted through electronic warfare.
In Kyiv and the surrounding oblast, air raid sirens triggered widespread evacuations as explosions rocked residential districts. Debris from intercepted drones struck neighborhoods in Dniprovskyi and Darnytskyi districts, damaging private homes, market kiosks, and several vehicles. Two civilians were injured, including a 20-year-old man who remains in serious condition. In the Obukhiv district, a 60-year-old man was also injured, and his home along with outbuildings sustained damage.
Elsewhere in Ukraine, the Nikopol district of Dnipropetrovsk region came under combined drone and artillery fire, damaging an industrial facility. Authorities reported no injuries. In Zaporizhzhia, a drone strike triggered a fire at a local business site, which was quickly contained without casualties. Mykolaiv region saw an FPV drone hit the Kutsurub community, causing minor structural damage but no deaths or injuries.
In Cherkasy region, falling drone debris damaged a gas pipeline in a residential yard, sparking a fire that was swiftly extinguished. There were no fatalities or injuries. Preliminary assessments indicate that four homes were damaged, a wooden garage destroyed, and a rural village is experiencing partial power outages as utility crews work to restore electricity.
The attacks were accompanied by prolonged air-raid alerts, with alarms lasting over three hours in some areas, forcing thousands of residents into shelters.
