In a startling act of aggression, Russian forces executed a massive aerial assault on Ukraine on Friday morning, June 14. The attack, which involved ballistic missiles, drones, and strategic bombers, primarily targeted Starokonstyantyniv, a region in Khmelnytsky housing what many believe to be a significant Ukrainian air base.

The assault began at approximately 22:40, with the launch of Iranian-made Shahed combat drones. These were quickly followed by the firing of cruise missiles, as well as Kh-101/Kh-55 missiles from five strategic bombers. The attack concluded at 04:43, marking one of the few instances where a Russian Tu-22M3 bomber was deployed near Ukraine's air defense systems since its downing.

Just over an hour later, at 06:00, Starokonstyantyniv became the target of a Kh-47M2 Kinzhal hypersonic missile. While the Ukrainian Air Force managed to successfully intercept five out of seven missiles and 14 out of 17 drones during the assault, the air defenses were actively responding in various regions, including Khmelnytsky, Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhia, Mykolaiv, Kharkiv, and Odesa.

The Russian forces made a total of 31 aerial attempts during the attack. These included launching 10 Kh-101/Kh-555 cruise missiles from TU-95MS strategic bombers stationed in Russia's Saratov region, firing three Iskander-M ballistic missiles from Crimea and Krasnodar Krai in Russia, and deploying one Kh-47M2 Kinzhal aeroballistic missile from the airspace of the Tambov region in Russia. Additionally, 17 Shahed-131/136 attack UAVs were launched from Yeisk, Russia.

In response to the assault, Ukraine's Defense Forces promptly mobilized fighter aircraft, anti-aircraft missile units, mobile fire groups, and electronic warfare equipment. These measures were taken to effectively counter the attack, which, alarmingly, marked the second assault on Ukraine within a week. The previous attack occurred on Wednesday, June 12.

As tensions escalate between Russia and Ukraine, and with the repeated targeting of Ukraine's air assets, the international community is closely monitoring the situation. The long-standing conflict between the two countries continues to threaten the stability of the region, raising concerns of further escalation and potential international intervention.