Ukraine hits Russian airfield day after mass wave of strikes

The Ukrainian military has said it struck a Russian military air base, claiming it hit a glide bomb store.

The attack comes after Ukraine said it recorded the largest number of drones launched by Russia on Friday.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump said Ukraine would need more Patriot missiles after a call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday.

Here are the latest developments from Russia's war in Ukraine on Saturday, July 5:

07/05/2025July 5, 2025

UK MoD: Russia's loss of high-ranking military officials likely cause 'operational difficulties'

The UK Defense Ministry's daily intelligence update said Russia had confirmed the death of Mikhail Gudkov, the deputy commander-in-chief of the Russian Navy.

Gudkov was killed in a Ukrainian strike on March 28.

The update said Gudkov was the second senior Russian general to be killed this year, and the 16th since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022.

"The loss of so many high-ranking officers is likely to have had the effect of undermining command and control in parts of the Russian Armed Forces," the UK Defense Ministry said. "This has likely contributed to Russian tactical and operational difficulties during the conflict."

07/05/2025July 5, 2025

How has Trump reacted to Russia's massive strikes on Ukraine?

Trump and Zelenskyy met at the NATO summit at the end of JuneImage: Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout/AFP

The Russian strikes on Friday came after a call between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin after which the US President said he was "very unhappy."

Trump later held a call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday evening, which appeared to have a more positive result.

Trump told reporters on Air Force One that the call with Zelenskyy had been good.

"We spoke about opportunities in air defense and agreed that we will work together to strengthen protection of our skies," Zelenskyy said on social media after the call.

Regarding his call with Putin, Trump hinted at the possibility of further US sanctions against Russia.

"We talk about sanctions a lot," Trump said. "He understands that it may be coming."

Trump said he would quickly end the war after coming into office, initially showing a closeness to Putin that marked a dramatic change from the previous White House administration.

However, Trump has repeatedly expressed frustration with Putin. Whether this will translate to more support for Ukraine remains to be seen.

07/05/2025July 5, 2025

Ukraine says it hit Russian military airfield

The Ukrainian military said on Saturday that it had hit the Borisoglebsk airfield in the Voronezh region.

According to Kyiv, the base contained Russian Sukhoi Su-34, Su-35S and Su-30SM military jets. They said they hit a glide bomb depot and training aircraft, as well as other machines.

This could not be independently verified.

"The defense forces continue to take all measures to undermine the ability of the Russian occupiers to attack civilian infrastructure and to force the Russian Federation to cease its armed aggression against Ukraine," the armed forces said in a post on Telegram.

Voronezh Governor Aleksandr Gusev reported that there was damage but did not say what had been hit. The Defense Ministry said 94 Ukrainian drones were shot down, 34 of which were over the Voronezh region.

Ukraine also reported further Russian drone strikes on Saturday morning. Military Governor Oleh Synegubov posted on Telegram that at least three people, including a 12-year-old boy, had been injured in the city of Chuhuiv.

07/05/2025July 5, 2025

Welcome to our coverage

Ukraine on Saturday morning was still reeling from Russia's massive wave of strikes early on Friday, with the Ukrainian air force saying 550 drones had been fired on Ukraine, calling it the largest wave of strikes since the war began.

One person was killed and dozens more were injured in the attack.

Russia then launched another wave of attacks on Friday night.

The strikes came after a call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his counterpart Donald Trump who expressed dissatisfaction over the lack of progress.