‘Even Ambulances Cannot Keep Up’: Russia Launches Deadly Attack on Ukraine, Killing and Wounding Civilians

Latest Developments

• Children Among Dead in Russian Strikes on Ukraine: Dozens of people were killed during Russian airstrikes in Ukraine, including a five-year-old boy and an 11-year-old girl. According to Ukrainian officials, at least 17 people were killed by a ballistic missile impact in Dnipro in southeast Ukraine, as well as in Kyiv, where a missile struck an apartment building. More than two dozen others were reported killed in strikes in the Sumy, Kherson, Donetsk, and Odesa regions, along with over 200 people wounded across the country, including at least 18 children.
• Civilian Buildings and Passenger Train Hit: In Dnipro, officials stated that the strikes had caused more damage in the city than any other attack since the start of Russia’s invasion in 2022. The destruction included a passenger train carrying 500 people and nearly 50 buildings, including schools, medical facilities, and municipal and residential complexes. “The number of victims is so high that even ambulances cannot keep up,” Dnipro Mayor Borys Filatov said. “This is not a fight where it’s hard to choose a side,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said. “Standing with Ukraine means defending life.”
• ‘The Whole of Ukraine Is Ours’: Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened that his invading force may still capture more Ukrainian territory, saying in a June 20 speech that Russians and Ukrainians are one people “and in that sense the whole of Ukraine is ours.” Russia has increased its attacks on Ukraine over the past weeks with the world’s attention fixed on Iran, Moscow’s partner in the “Axis of Aggressors.” Andriy Yermak, head of the Ukrainian president’s office, compared the two conflicts on X, saying that both Iran and Russia are ruled by “autocracies that think alike and deny the very right of the Jewish and Ukrainian peoples to exist. In contrast, Ukraine and Israel are simply fighting for the right to exist.”

FDD Expert Response

“Vladimir Putin’s illegal, unrestricted warfare campaign against Ukraine’s civilian population continues. The United States must continue to flow missile defense assets to the Ukrainians, either from European purchases or U.S. loans. Also, the two weeks President Trump gave Putin to determine whether Putin is ‘tapping us along’ have expired, and he should bring down the sanctions hammer on Russia.” — RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery, Senior Fellow and Senior Director of FDD’s Center on Cyber and Technology

“The United States should treat seriously Putin’s threats to seize Ukrainian territory and his denial of Ukrainian nationhood. Putin views himself as a modern-day emperor bent on reestablishing Russia’s lost imperial glory. During Ukraine’s 2014 Maidan uprising, Ukrainian citizens saw themselves on the precipice of two distinct visions for their future: one of corruption and repression as a Russian vassal state and one of freedom and democracy — no matter how imperfect — by following the European model. They emphatically chose the latter, and the United States must stand strong in support of their right to self-determination, which Putin is now working to take away.” — Dmitriy Shapiro, Research Analyst and Editor

FDD Background and Analysis

“What Does Putin Really Want in the Israel-Iran Conflict?” by John Hardie

“EU Works to Weave a Tighter Sanctions Net Around Russia. Will the U.S. Follow?” Angela Howard

“Russia Attacks Kyiv With Deadly Drone and Missile Barrage as World’s Attention Focused on Iran,” FDD Flash Brief