Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for maximum sanctions against Russia on June 5 following a deadly drone strike on the city of Pryluky in Chernihiv Oblast that killed the family of a Ukrainian firefighter.
“One of the rescuers arrived to respond to the aftermath—only to find that the Shahed drone had struck his own home,” Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram. “His wife, daughter, and one-year-old grandson were killed. This is already the 632nd child killed in this full-scale war. My condolences to all the families and loved ones.”
The president emphasized that Russia used 103 drones and one ballistic missile in the overnight attack, targeting Donetsk, Kharkiv, Odesa, Sumy, Chernihiv, Dnipro, and Kherson oblasts.
“This is yet another massive strike by terrorists—Russian terrorists who kill our people every night,” Zelenskyy said. “This is another reason for maximum sanctions and joint global pressure.”
He said the world—especially the United States, Europe, and others with the capacity to stop Russia—must act. “Strength matters,” he stressed. “Ending the war can only happen through strength.”
Zelenskyy called for Moscow to be pressured “with every available tool,” adding that Russia must be gradually stripped of its ability to continue the aggression.
Ukraine’s Air Force said its air defense systems neutralized 74 drones overnight across the country’s east, south, and north. Of these, 28 drones were shot down and 46 were suppressed or lost via electronic warfare.
The primary targets of the Russian barrage were Chernihiv, Kharkiv, and Odesa oblasts. The Air Force reported confirmed missile and drone strikes at 16 locations.
In Kharkiv, drone attacks triggered fires in multi-story residential buildings, injuring 18 people, including four children. The attack on Pryluky in Chernihiv Oblast killed at least five people, including a one-year-old child. Six others were injured.
In Odesa Oblast, Russian forces destroyed a school, a medical clinic, and a children’s center.
A day earlier, on June 4, Zelenskyy warned that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin feels emboldened by impunity, and that global inaction enables his crimes. “The powerful who fail to stop him share responsibility,” the president said.
Also on June 4, U.S. President Donald Trump held a conversation with Putin. According to Ukrainian sources, the two discussed Ukraine’s Cobweb special operation, which damaged 41 strategic aircraft across four airfields deep inside Russian territory. Those aircraft had been used in mass strikes against Ukrainian cities.
