What's Happening in the Air War Between Russia and Ukraine

On the nights of June 21–22, 2026, Russian missiles and bombs killed six people across Ukraine. At the same time, Ukrainian drones flew toward Moscow, and Russian air defenses shot down more than 80 of them, according to Reuters. This exchange is the latest in a month of intense back-and-forth attacks from the air — strikes that have killed dozens of civilians.

The two weeks before were worse. On June 1, at least 23 people died in a Russian attack. Sixteen of them were killed overnight in the city of Dnipro, including two young boys, local officials said. On June 2, Russia launched one of its biggest air campaigns in months: at least 18 people were killed and over 100 wounded. Two apartment buildings in Kyiv were hit, Reuters reported. Ukrainian officials said at least 13 people died on June 2, including children, and schools and other civilian buildings were damaged.

A Strike on a Sacred Monastery

On or around June 15, Russian forces hit the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, one of the oldest and most respected Orthodox Christian monasteries in Eastern Europe. The attack killed 11 people and wounded 53 on the monastery grounds, Zelensky's office confirmed. This target matters for more than just the casualties. Since 2022, Ukraine has been working to remove Russian Orthodox Church officials from the monastery — making it a place of political tension between the two countries.

A week earlier, on June 8, a Russian missile hit the city of Chuhuiv in the Kharkiv region, killing three people, one of them a 22-year-old pregnant woman, Reuters reported. Kharkiv is only about 30 kilometers (18 miles) from Russia's border, which makes it an easy target. Russian forces regularly drop bombs and fire long-range weapons there.

How These Attacks Are Launched

Russia does not launch attacks with one bomb or missile. Instead, it sends many weapons at the same time — like a wave. On May 24, Russia sent 90 missiles, including 36 ballistic missiles, plus about 600 drones and drone-like weapons, according to Ukraine's presidential office. The idea is to send so many weapons at once that Ukraine's air defense systems cannot shoot them all down. It is like throwing many basketballs at a goalkeeper at the same time — the goalkeeper cannot catch them all.

Ukraine is now doing something similar. On June 21–22, Ukraine sent drones toward Moscow. Russia says it shot down more than 80 of them. This shows that Ukraine has learned to strike far into Russian territory, though Russia's defenses around Moscow are very strong.

Ukraine Strikes Back

Ukraine has not only defended itself — it has also attacked Russian territory. On June 12, a Ukrainian attack on the Bryansk region, near Russia's border, killed two people and injured 10, Reuters reported. In the city of Makeyevka in the Donetsk region (which Russia controls), a Ukrainian drone attack killed one woman and wounded eight others.

Both Russia and Ukraine blame each other for hitting civilian targets on purpose. The truth is hard to know from far away. Military decisions happen in secret, and there is often confusion during fighting about what exactly was hit and why.

What we can see is this: throughout June, both countries launched major air attacks, but neither one won control of the skies. Russia cannot stop Ukraine's attacks, and Ukraine cannot stop Russia's attacks. Both countries can still hurt each other from the air. Right now, there is no sign that either side wants to sit down and make peace.