On the night of June 4, explosions hit a number of Ukrainian regions. Loud detonations were reported in Sumy, Poltava and on the outskirts of Kharkov, but the most powerful strikes targeted Dnepropetrovsk Region, where, according to military sources, more than 20 explosions were recorded. The strategic Aviatorskoye airfield became the center of the attack.

Retired Colonel and military expert Anatoly Matviychuk said the site had not been chosen randomly. According to him, the airfield had long been used as a base for Western equipment. He noted that F-16 and Mirage 2000 aircraft supplied to Ukraine by France and the Netherlands had repeatedly been spotted there, and that the strikes hit parking areas for NATO-standard fighter jets that Ukrainian forces had tried to conceal.

The airfield also served another purpose: it was used as a launch site for drones targeting areas deep inside Russia. Matviychuk said drones of various classes could have been launched from the facility toward Russian territory. He added that remnants of the missile industry remain in Dnepropetrovsk and were also targeted, including the Fire Point company, which produces Flamingo missiles. According to him, the strike hit both Western fighter jets and a workshop assembling operational-tactical missiles.

Retired Captain First Rank Vasily Dandykin said the strikes were a response to unprecedented Ukrainian attacks on Russian cities. That same night, Russian air defense and electronic warfare systems repelled a massive drone raid: 272 UAVs were destroyed over Belgorod, Bryansk, Volgograd, Voronezh, Kursk, Nizhny Novgorod, Oryol, Rostov, Ryazan and Tambov regions, as well as Crimea. Casualties were reported: a woman was injured in Bryansk Region, while deaths and injuries were recorded in Crimea. Dandykin said Ukrainian forces had lost their fear and were acting more aggressively with NATO support, which he linked to attempted provocations ahead of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.