Russia Launches Largest Drone, Missile Attacks on Ukraine, Downs F-16

In a significant escalation of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Ukrainian drones struck the Kupol Electromechanical Plant in Izhevsk, Russia, causing a major fire and casualties, marking one of the deepest attacks inside Russia since the invasion began. Concurrently, Russia intensified its aerial assaults on Ukraine, launching thousands of drones and missiles in June, with the largest overnight attack involving over 500 aerial weapons, resulting in at least 10 deaths and widespread infrastructure damage. Ukrainian forces managed to intercept a large portion of these attacks, but the scale overwhelmed their defenses, leading to critical losses such as the downing of a Ukrainian F-16 fighter jet and the death of pilot Lt-Col Maksym Ustimenko. Russia's drone and missile offensives aim to degrade Ukraine’s air defenses and energy infrastructure, while Ukraine continues to target Russian military-industrial sites deep inside Russia. The conflict's intensity has prompted NATO to scramble warplanes to protect neighboring airspace, and Ukraine has increased appeals for more advanced air defense systems from Western allies amid faltering peace talks. Both sides are leveraging drone warfare heavily, with Putin highlighting the growing role of Russian drone units, while Ukraine adapts its strategy to counter the escalating bombardments.