Russia Responds to Ukraine’s Drone Strike with Massive Air and Missile Assault

The Russian Armed Forces in the afternoon of June 6 launched a large scale air assault on targets across Ukraine, which engaged a wide range of targets from the key military industrial facilities in Kiev, to airfields, fuel depots and Ukrainian Army frontline units. Multiple Russian government sources have specifically stated that the attack was launched in retaliation for the Ukrainian SBU’s launch of Operation Spider’s Web on June 1, which <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/ukraine-most-successful-strike-russian-bomber-bases" >targeted</a> airfields <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/how-damaged-russian-bomber-ukraine-drone-attack" target="_blank">hosting strategic bombers </a>and airborne early warning and control systems across much of Russia. The destruction of a Russian railway bridge by saboteurs shortly before a train crossed it, which caused dozens of civilian casualties and was blamed by Moscow on Ukrainian forces, was&nbsp; further cited as an offence for which the latest attacks would respond. Footage from Kiev shows some of the <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/combat-losses-wont-give-ukraine-patriot-free" target="_blank">country’s remaining </a>Patriot air defence systems launching surface-to-air missiles to intercept the attacks, which involved Iskander-M ballistic missiles, several hundred Shahed 136 single use drones, and dozens of Kh-101 cruise missiles <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/tu95-launch-mass-cruise-missile-strike-ukraine" target="_blank">launched by Tu-95MS</a> strategic bombers. The Russian Navy also launched Kalibr cruise missiles as part of the attack.&nbsp;<img src="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/m/articles/2025/06/07/article_68438b8a8a4006_07709844.png" title="Destruction of Tu-95MS Bomber During Operation Spider`s Web">According to the Russian Defence Ministry, the targets of the latest attack included: “design bureaus, enterprises involved in production and repair of Ukraine’s weapons and military equipment, workshops for the assembly of attack drones, flight training centres as well as warehouses of weapons and military equipment.” “The goal of the strike was achieved. All designated facilities were hit,” its report concluded. Russia has consistently responded to Ukrainian attacks on strategic or civilian targets that are viewed as particularly provocative by launching large scale air and missile barrages, with a notable prior example being the launch of what was then the <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/russia-largest-missile-strike-pressure-ukraine" >largest air attack</a> in Russian industry on December 29, 2023, to respond to the mass civilian casualties caused by Ukraine’s shelling of the city of Belogrod. Previously on October 10, 2022, <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/shift-how-russia-fights-strikes-across-ukraine" >major missile strikes</a> were launched against multiple Ukrainian infrastructure targets in all major regions, with the Kiev region absorbing close to one third of strikes, in response to a bombing of the Kerch Strait Bridge on October 8 which had caused three deaths.&nbsp;