
Putin announces creation of separate drone branch in Russian military
"We have accumulated a great deal of experience to create this branch of the armed forces," Russian President Vladimir Putin said.
"We have accumulated a great deal of experience to create this branch of the armed forces," Russian President Vladimir Putin said.
Key developments on June 11: * Ukrainian drones strike targets in Russia, including gunpowder plant, General Staff says * Zelensky urges 'stronger' EU sanctions on Russia, lower oil price cap * Ukraine repatriates bodies of 1,212 fallen soldiers * Ukraine's SBU releases fresh video of Operation Spiderweb, teases 'new surprises' * NATO summit statement
The Tambov Gunpowder Plant, one of Russia's main manufacturers of gunpowder and explosives for small arms, artillery, and rocket systems, reportedly caught fire following the drone strike.
Sales manager Victoriia Nikishyna was sheltering with her cat in the stairwell when a Russian drone struck a residential building in Kyiv, leaving several rooms in her apartment without windows. “We’re still holding on. We haven’t fully processed what happened,” Nikishyna told the Kyiv Independent as State Emergency
Shahed drones could enable North Korea to strike targets across South Korea, potentially overwhelming air defenses, and could also assist Russia in its war against Ukraine.
Drone attacks targeted Russia's Tatarstan Republic and Leningrad Oblast in the morning of June 10, independent outlet Astra reported.
Key developments on June 9: * Ukraine shoots down nearly 500 drones, missiles in Russian record strike, Air Force says * Ukraine begins new major prisoner exchange with Russia * Russia claims offensive in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast aimed at creating 'buffer zone,' Ukraine denies reports of incursion * Putin approves new naval strategy as
"Today, we see this kind of tactic being reinvented by technical and industrial creativity," NATO Admiral Pierre Vandier said.
The General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces confirmed the strike, saying Ukrainian drone units, in coordination with other units, targeted VNIIR-Progress and ABS Electro in Cheboksary overnight as part of efforts to degrade Russia's capacity to produce air attack systems.
At least one civilian was injured in Rivne, a city far from the front lines in northwestern Ukraine.
Renault will partner with a small French defense company to equip production lines on Ukrainian territory, with the drones expected to serve both Ukrainian and French military forces, according to France Info.
According to Ukraine's Air Force, Russian forces launched 49 drones overnight, including Iranian-designed Shahed-type drones, along with an Onyx anti-ship missile and two X-59/69 guided air-launched missiles.
Russia's Defense Ministry claimed that 61 Ukrainian drones were launched between the evening of June 7 and the morning of June 8.
The video shows the flight path of an FPV drone from the moment it takes off from the roof of a modular building to the moment before it strikes a Russian Tu-22M3 strategic bomber at the Belaya air base in Siberia.
"We are going to embark on a completely unprecedented partnership where a large French car company – I won't name it because it's up to them to announce it – will join forces with a French defense SME (small to medium-sized enterprise) to equip production lines in Ukraine to be able to produce drones," French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu said.
"I wanted very much to use only what we produce and to have the separation (be) very clear," Zelensky said, as quoted by the TV network.
The suspect was allegedly preparing to launch a drone packed with grenades at a military facility in Russia's Ryazan Oblast. The Kyiv Independent could not verify the claim.
Editor’s note: In accordance with the security protocols of the Ukrainian military, soldiers featured in this story are identified by first names and callsigns only. DONETSK OBLAST – From the moment the vehicles duck into pre-prepared positions in the leafy treeline to the first dead Russian soldiers, less than twenty
The JSC Progress Plant in the city of Michurinsk, which produces aviation and missile control systems, came under fire on June 6. Attacks were also reported in Russia's Saratov, Moscow, Tula, Belgorod, and Kaluga oblasts.
Governor Roman Busargin claimed that a fire broke out at an unspecified "industrial enterprise" in Engels, as locals shared footage of an oil depot in flames. The Kristal Plant refinery supplies fuel to the Engels-2 military airfield.
The ramp-up marks a critical expansion of Moscow's drone warfare program, as both Ukraine and Russia increasingly rely on unmanned systems for reconnaissance and front-line attacks.
According to the Wall Street Journal, special fuzes used in ground-to-air rocket systems that protect against drone attacks will be redirected towards units in the Middle East, as the U.S. braces for conflict with Iran as well as Houthi militants in Yemen.
Zelensky said on social media that Russia launched nearly 27,700 aerial bombs, 11,200 Shahed drones, approximately 9,000 other types of attack drones, and over 700 missiles at Ukraine in 2025.
Russia will soon be able to deploy more than 500 long-range drones a night to attack Ukraine as it ramps up production and builds new launch sites for them, a source in Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) has told the Kyiv Independent. According to the source, Russia's production rate for one
The UK pledged on June 4 to supply Ukraine with 100,000 drones by the end of April 2026, marking a tenfold increase from the previous year.
Footage reportedly shows Ukrainian drones hitting two A-50s, rare Russian spy planes that Moscow relies on to detect air defense systems and coordinate targets for fighter jets. Russia has less than 10 A-50s in its arsenal.
During a White House press briefing, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was asked whether Trump was informed by Ukraine about Operation Spiderweb in advance of the attack. "He was not," she said.
Vadym Sukharevskyi has been dismissed as commander of the USF and will be replaced by Robert "Magyar" Brovdi, commander of the elite drone unit "Birds of Magyar."
Key developments on June 3: * Russia's Crimean Bridge rocked by explosions, Ukraine's SBU claims responsibility * Russian strike on downtown Sumy kills at least 4, injures 28, authorities say * Ukraine to deploy new units to counter Russian drone attacks, Air Force says * Ukrainian strike on Russian bombers alarmed Kremlin over nuclear
Kyiv earlier claimed it disabled 34% of Russia's strategic bomber fleet in what is seen as one of the most daring operations during the full-scale war.
A large-scale drone attack carried out by Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU), which reportedly destroyed or damaged 41 Russian heavy bombers on June 1, brought a much-needed morale boost to Ukrainians. Codenamed "Spiderweb," the operation targeted the strategic aircraft that Russia uses for long-range missile attacks on Ukrainian cities. The
Russian officials and propagandists have chosen different strategies for dealing with the unprecedented Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian airfields that took place on June 1. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said that, as part of an operation dubbed Spiderweb, it had destroyed or damaged 41 Russian aircraft parked at