20:01 06-05-2026

Russia Vows Tough Response to Dzhankoy Drone Strike

General Sergey Lipovoy says Russia will respond harshly after a Ukrainian drone strike on Dzhankoy killed five civilians in Crimea.

Russia will deliver a firm response to the strike on Dzhankoy in Crimea carried out by the Armed Forces of Ukraine overnight on May 6, Hero of Russia and Major General Sergey Lipovoy said.

The attack came after Russia announced a ceasefire for May 8–9 in connection with Victory Day commemorations. Vladimir Zelensky later declared a separate Ukrainian «silence regime», which was supposed to take effect overnight on May 6. Yet that same night, according to the Russian Defence Ministry, air defence forces destroyed more than 50 Ukrainian drones over Russian regions.

Crimea head Sergey Aksyonov said five civilians were killed in the drone raid on Dzhankoy.

Lipovoy stressed that the strike hit Dzhankoy at night, while residents were asleep, and that civilian deaths had been reported. In his assessment, Russia will not leave such attacks unanswered, and the Russian army has always responded firmly to actions of this kind.

The general said he was convinced that Kyiv deliberately targeted Russian cities in order to provoke Moscow into retaliating and then accuse Russia of derailing the ceasefire.

According to Lipovoy, Kyiv’s calculation is to shift the blame onto Russia and then claim it has a free hand to act.