Key Points – Russia launched a massive, hours-long missile and drone attack across Ukraine on Friday, June 6th, killing three emergency responders in Kyiv.
-This assault, involving a reported 407 drones and 44 ballistic and cruise missiles, is seen as the promised retaliation for Ukraine’s “Operation Spiderweb” drone strike on Russian bomber bases earlier in the week.
-The attack comes as peace talks remain deadlocked, with Russia making maximalist demands for Ukrainian territory and neutrality.
-The escalation, which President Zelenskyy condemned as a “massive strike on cities and ordinary life,” underscores the dim prospects for a near-term diplomatic resolution to the conflict.
Putin Goes Into Revenge Mode on Ukraine
At the end of an eventful week in the Russia/Ukraine war, which included failed peace talks in Istanbul and a massive drone attack by Ukraine on Russia, it appears Russia has launched a major attack of its own.
According to the Associated Press, Russia launched an hours-long attack on Friday that struck several different regions of Ukraine, killing three emergency responders in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv.
“They were working under fire to help people,” the Ukrainian Interior Ministry said in a statement of the three workers who died.
The attack, a Ukrainian military spokesman told the AP, included 407 drones and 44 ballistic and cruise missiles. The military also said that it shot down 30 cruise missiles and “up to 200” of the drones.
Promised Retaliation
Russian President Vladimir Putin said, in a discussion with President Donald Trump this week, that Trump relayed on social media, that he would have to retaliate militarily after Ukraine’s drone attack earlier this week.
It’s not clear if the Friday attacks will take up the entirety of the retaliation, or if there will be other attacks.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy responded to the attacks on X.
“Russia doesn`t change its stripes – another massive strike on cities and ordinary life. They targeted almost all of Ukraine – Volyn, Lviv, Ternopil, Kyiv, Sumy, Poltava, Khmelnytskyi, Cherkasy, and Chernihiv regions. Some of the missiles and drones were shot down. I thank our warriors for their defense. But unfortunately, not all were intercepted.”
What Comes Next in Ukraine War?
According to the AP story, Ukraine has offered a 30-day ceasefire, while also offering a direct meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy.
But Russia has rejected this approach, while also issuing a series of demands to end the war.
These included the surrender of land, a smaller military, and a commitment to not join NATO.
Trump’s Approach
President Donald Trump, long known for being more aligned with Russia than Ukraine in the conflict, had promised while running for president in 2024 to end the war, possibly within his first 24 hours of reclaiming the presidency. In February, he and Vice President JD Vance famously berated Zelenskyy in the Oval Office.
Trump, however, has occasionally been critical of Putin as well, and has also engaged in a couple of long conversations with him of late. When the two leaders spoke earlier this week, Trump declared that “it was a good conversation, but not a conversation that will lead to immediate Peace.”
“We discussed the attack on Russia’s docked airplanes by Ukraine, and also various other attacks that have been taking place by both sides…President Putin did say, and very strongly, that he will have to respond to the recent attack on the airfields,” Trump wrote on Truth Social after his discussion with Putin.
Trump also said in his conversation with Putin that the U.S. was not told in advance by Ukraine of the Operation Spider’s Web attack.
Asylum for Elon?
There was another odd wrinkle this week to the latest developments in Russia and Ukraine.
According to Newsweek, a Russian official has floated the idea of Russia giving asylum to Elon Musk, following the high-profile blowup this week of the entrepreneur’s falling out with Trump.
Dmitry Novikov, first deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs, brought up the idea to the news agency TASS.
“I think that Musk has a completely different game, [so] he will not need any political asylum, although if he did, Russia, of course, could provide it,” Novikov said this week, per translation.
Musk has not been accused of any crimes. Also, he provided Ukraine with access to Starlink satellites early on in the war, although he later floated the idea of no longer doing so. Later in 2022, Musk floated a “peace plan” between Russia and Ukraine that Zelenskyy angrily rejected.
Stephen Silver is an award-winning journalist, essayist and film critic, and contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Broad Street Review and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. For over a decade, Stephen has authored thousands of articles that focus on politics, technology, and the economy. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @StephenSilver, and subscribe to his Substack newsletter.
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