Sunday, June 21, 2026, marked one of the most intense escalations in the air war between Russia and Ukraine since the beginning of the year.
Massive missile strikes, hundreds of kamikaze drones and artillery shelling hit dozens of settlements on both sides of the front. According to the latest data, the attacks have claimed the lives of at least 8 civilians, injured over 50 people, including six children, and caused a serious energy crisis in several regions.
A bloody day in Ukraine
Over the past day and in the early hours of June 21, the Russian army conducted a combined air operation. According to the Ukrainian Air Force, 2 ballistic missiles “Iskander-M/S-400“, 2 aeroballistic missiles “Kinzhal“ and a record number of 105 attack drones were launched. Although Ukrainian air defenses have neutralized 96 of the drones, the remaining assets have caused severe damage in six regions.
The situation is most severe in the Zaporozhye region, where a record 846 strikes on 50 settlements with guided aerial bombs (KAB) and artillery have been recorded in the past 24 hours. Local authorities confirmed the death of five people after rescuers pulled the body of a woman from the ruins of a private house. A total of 13 people were injured in the region, and traffic on the key "Preobrazhensky" bridge in the city of Zaporozhye is severely disrupted. This afternoon, a Russian drone also directly hit a gas station in the city, injuring two women.
In Poltava region, attacks killed two people and injured 13, including six children, after two local businesses were hit.
In Dnipropetrovsk region, a 70-year-old woman was killed and nine other civilians were injured in more than 20 Russian attacks.
Strikes were also recorded in Kharkov, where Russian forces used a new type of drone (the “Lightning“), and in Rivne region, where a strike on the power grid left parts of the Sarny district without power.
Kiev's counterstrike
In response, Ukrainian forces carried out one of their largest coordinated attacks with long-range drones on Russian territory and in occupied regions. The Russian Defense Ministry announced that it had intercepted 239 Ukrainian drones.
The main blow was taken by the occupied peninsula of Crimea, where attacks on the Kerch Peninsula killed four people and injured 28. A key oil base and air defense radars were hit. The attack left large parts of the peninsula, including Sevastopol, without electricity. In response to the critical situation, Governor Sergei Aksyonov declared a state of emergency and a complete halt to the sale of gasoline to civilians and private companies – fuel will be released only for the needs of state and special services.
A huge fire broke out at the Black Sea oil terminal in the village of Chushka in the Russian Krasnodar Territory.
One person died in a strike on the ferry “Panagia“ on the Kerch ferry line.
Serious material damage to dozens of residential buildings was also reported in the Belgorod Region, where FPV drones crashed directly into apartment blocks in the town of Stroitel and the village of Maisky.
In the occupied part of the Kherson Region, three civilians were injured in shelling in the town of Dnepryany.
The situation in the affected areas remains dynamic, with emergency services teams continuing to clear the debris and restore power supply in conditions of continuous risk of new air alarms.