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Drones, missiles, casualties
Ukrainian authorities said Russian attacks across Ukraine over the past 24 hours killed at least five people and injured 40, while Russia launched 290 drones and the Ukrainian air force intercepted 279, according to Adnkronos.
“Le autorità ucraine: "Cinque morti e 40 feriti in 24 ore per attacchi russi" Almeno cinque persone sono state uccise e altre 40 ferite negli attacchi russi che nelle ultime 24 ore hanno preso di mira diverse regioni dell'Ucraina, secondo quanto riferito dalle autorità locali”
Adnkronos also said Russia fired an Iskander-M missile and six Kh-101 cruise missiles, with five intercepted, and quoted Moscow’s Defence Ministry saying the targets were reached and “tutti i bersagli designati sono stati colpiti”.
In occupied Crimea, Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces commander Robert “Madyar” Brovdi reported that Ukrainian drones struck a Russian Project 10410 Svetlyak-class border patrol ship stationed in Yurkyno, and also hit a Pantsir-S1 air defense system in Strilkove in the Kherson region, according to Kyiv Post.
Brovdi further reported that drones hit an RSBN-4N radio navigation system near Saky in Crimea, and struck fuel storage tanks in Makiivka, as part of a broader overnight operation targeting Russian military assets across occupied territories, the Kyiv Post said.
The same reporting thread placed the strikes alongside Ukraine’s continued campaign to degrade Russia’s military logistics, air defenses and naval capabilities far behind the front line, the Kyiv Post said.
Competing claims and warnings
In Crimea, Russia-appointed officials said Ukrainian strikes killed four people, with Sergei Aksyonov saying three were killed and seven injured in Simferopol and later adding that one person was killed and three wounded when a drone struck a commuter train, according to BBC.
The BBC also reported that Ukrainian officials did not explicitly admit carrying out the attacks, but said Ukraine only attacked military targets and accused Russia of waging a campaign of propaganda to create a “parallel reality”.
France 24 reported that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned of a “real” risk of escalation after Kyiv targeted energy and military facilities in Saint Petersburg during Russia’s three-day economic forum, known as “Russia's Davos”.
France 24 said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov vowed Russia would provide a “systemic” response to Ukraine’s strikes on Saint Petersburg, while Ukraine described the attacks as justified retaliation for intensified Russian strikes on its territory.
France 24 added that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his country was responding “accordingly” to Russian bombardment and that “It’s just a matter of time before we can scale up the intensity of our responses,” citing his remarks during a press conference in Kyiv with NATO chief Mark Rutte.
Fuel shortages and escalation
As Ukraine’s drone campaign targeted fuel production and logistics, RFE/RL reported that fuel sales in Crimea had been limited to 20 liters per vehicle since late May, with a ban on filling containers.
RFE/RL said Sevastopol governor Mikhail Razvozhayev announced in a June 4 post that fuel trucks were unable to reach the Crimean city overnight, and quoted him saying, “Standing in lines [for fuel] is now pointless,” and adding that “it is extremely important now to remain calm and not panic.”
In parallel, the BBC said the strikes caused widespread fuel shortages in Crimea, with authorities introducing fuel rationing and suspending fuel sales to residents of Sevastopol for part of Wednesday.
The BBC also described Kyiv’s rationale that attacks on targets in Russia and occupied parts of Ukraine are key to undermining Moscow’s ability to wage war, while noting that Kyiv has recently expanded its attacks inside Russia as well.
Against that backdrop, Adnkronos reported that Moscow’s Defence Ministry said Russian forces launched a long-range precision attack using long-range, ground and air weapons and attack drones against airports and energy, fuel and transport infrastructure used by Ukraine’s armed forces, and said the objectives were reached.
