Russia attacked Ukraine overnight with the largest number of drones since the war began. The attack caused some damage to a military airfield in the western part of the country that was one of its main targets, the Ukrainian Air Force said.

Ukraine's air defenses shot down 460 drones and 19 of the 20 missiles launched by Russia, it was announced.

The main strike is aimed at... one of the operational airfields. There are some hits, Ikhnat told Ukrainian television without giving further details about the damage.

The purpose of the attack

The airport is located in the city of Dubno, about 60 kilometers from the Ukrainian border with Poland. Polish and allied aircraft were activated early Monday morning, June 9, to ensure the security of Polish airspace, the Polish armed forces said.

Russia's Defense Ministry said the strike was another strike carried out in response to Kiev's attacks on Russian air bases. It added that all the designated facilities were hit. It also said the Russian military had taken control of other territory in the central-eastern Dnipropetrovsk region, where the Kremlin said the fighting was partly aimed at creating a neutral zone.

State media reported, citing the Defense Ministry, that Russian troops continued to advance deep into the enemy's defenses and increased the area of Dnipropetrovsk territory they have brought under their control.

Asked whether Russia is trying to create a neutral zone by advancing on Dnipropetrovsk, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters: Without a doubt, it is part of that.

The special feature of the attack

The Russian attack there is notable because Dnipropetrovsk is not one of the five regions of Ukraine - Crimea and four other regions in the southern and eastern parts of the country - that Russia has previously said are part of Russian territory.

The US-based Institute for the Study of War said the aim of Russia's push into Dnipropetrovsk could be to cut off Ukraine's lines of communication and supply to its troops in the Donetsk region, further east.

Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, said over the weekend that the attack on Dnipropetrovsk shows that if Ukraine is unwilling to accept the reality of Russia's territorial gains in peace talks, Moscow's forces will advance further on the ground.