Ukraine’s drone offensive destroys over 2,100 Russian drones and strikes key targets

The Ukrainian General Staff reported that on 8 June Ukrainian forces destroyed 2,103 Russian drones in a single day and recorded 260 separate engagements along the front. The same report listed the loss of 1,370 Russian personnel together with dozens of tanks, armored vehicles, artillery systems and other weapons.

Ukraine also said its drone attacks have put the strategically important Donezk airport – held by Russia since 2014 – under “fire control,” disabling its use for Russian operations. A separate drone strike hit the Novorossiysk oil terminal, the largest oil depot in the Caucasus, igniting a large fire and damaging Russia’s energy infrastructure.

According to a British newspaper, Ukraine’s domestic weapons industry is rapidly expanding, producing new drones, ground robots and missiles that are being fielded on the front lines, a development the Russian leadership finds surprising.

A Russian military observer claimed that between 360 and 500 Ukrainian soldiers might be encircled in the town of Kostiantyniwka in the Donetsk region, though no independent verification of the allegation has been provided.