Russian drones struck the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia early on June 14, while the Ukrainian military reported hitting Russian military-industrial facilities used for explosives production.
Zaporizhzhia Sustains Drone Attack, Humanitarian Aid Warehouse Destroyed
At least three people were wounded in the Russian attacks on June 14, which involved 14 Iranian Shahed drones, according to Ivan Fedorov, the Ukrainian governor of the Zaporizhzhia region.
“A humanitarian facility caught fire due to Russian shelling. Cars, a shop, and a public transport station were damaged,” Fedorov said in a Telegram post. “The blast wave shattered windows in high-rise buildings.” Local authorities reported that the attack specifically destroyed a warehouse containing humanitarian aid. Oleksandr Belyuga, who oversees the warehouse, told RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Service that “Everything burned down. We had just received five trucks of aid, a total of 100 tons.” Belyuga’s organization, founded after the 2022 Russian invasion, provided aid to internally displaced persons and frontline residents, also collaborating with World Central Kitchen in the region. Fedorov added that 15 residential buildings were also damaged in the June 14 attack, with two police officers and a 62-year-old woman among the injured.
Ukraine Targets Russian Explosives Producers; Bodies Exchanged
Meanwhile, Russian authorities stated that several industrial complexes were damaged during a nighttime Ukrainian drone attack in the Stavropol and Samara regions. The Ukrainian military claimed that two explosives manufacturers were damaged in these strikes. Russian media previously reported that drones attacked two chemical plants in Stavropol and Samara, including the Nevinnomyssky Azot chemical plant. This facility reportedly produces up to one million tons of ammonia and over one million tons of ammonium nitrate annually – a key ingredient for explosives and artillery shells.
Stavropol Governor Vladimir Vladimirov stated that debris fell in the city’s industrial zone, initially reporting one casualty but later clarifying that no one was injured. Russia’s Defense Ministry also claimed to have shot down more Ukrainian drones over the Voronezh and Belgorod regions, as well as over occupied Crimea.
In a separate development, Russia on June 14 handed over 1,200 more bodies of Ukrainian soldiers, marking the third such exchange since Moscow and Kyiv reached an agreement on the matter during talks in Istanbul earlier this month. In total, Ukraine has received 3,012 bodies to date. It remains unclear how many bodies Ukraine has returned to Russia.
Frontline Developments
Russia has intensified its battlefield operations in recent weeks, pressuring Ukrainian defenses in several locations, including the northeastern Sumy region. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed on June 14 that Ukrainian forces have held back the advance of Russian troops. In the south, Russian troops are making strong advances from the Donetsk region into the neighboring Dnipropetrovsk region. Consolidating positions in Dnipropetrovsk would be a symbolic victory for Russian troops and would bring them closer to the Ukrainian-controlled city of Dnipro.
