Ukraine President Warns of Russian Attack Preparations as Strikes Kill Six

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Saturday (June 20, 2026) that Russian forces were preparing an impending massive attack on Ukraine, urging residents to heed air raid warnings. In his nightly video address, Zelenskyy stated, “Tonight and in the coming hours, it is especially important to pay close attention to air raid warnings. The Russians have prepared for a massive attack. Please take care of yourselves.”

Zelenskyy’s warning came as Russian strikes in different regions killed at least six people on Saturday. In the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia, a Russian glide bomb attack killed five people and injured ten, according to Regional Governor Ivan Fedorov. He reported that the city endured nine strikes, damaging residential buildings and infrastructure.

Near the Russian border, a bomb attack killed one person on the outskirts of the city of Sumy, local officials said. In the southern Kherson region, Governor Oleksandr Prokudin reported one death in a drone attack on a village north of the region’s main city. Three children were injured when the central city of Poltava came under Russian shelling.

Russian forces have staged a series of heavy attacks on Kyiv and other major cities in recent weeks. A strike on Monday (June 15, 2026) killed ten people across the country and severely damaged the Pechersk Lavra monastery, a 1,000-year-old symbol of Ukrainian spiritual and cultural heritage.

Zelenskyy has pledged that Ukraine’s military would continue its campaign of medium- and long-range strikes, focusing on Russia’s oil sector. On Saturday, Ukrainian drones struck an oil refinery in the Tyumen region of western Siberia, and the same refinery in Moscow was hit twice this week, Zelenskyy said.

The conflict, which began in February 2022, has caused thousands of civilian casualties and widespread destruction. Both sides have continued military operations despite international calls for de-escalation.