Sat Jul 05 18:01:48 UTC 2025: **UN Chief Condemns “Dangerous Escalation” as Russia Launches Massive Drone and Missile Attack on Ukraine**
**New York, NY** – United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has strongly condemned a large-scale Russian drone and missile attack on Ukraine this week, describing it as a “dangerous escalation” in the ongoing conflict. The assault, which Ukrainian officials have called the largest of the war, disrupted power to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, raising serious concerns about nuclear safety.
“The secretary-general is alarmed by this dangerous escalation and the growing number of civilian casualties,” said a statement released by Guterres’s spokesperson on Saturday.
The overnight assault into Friday saw Moscow allegedly firing over 500 drones and 11 missiles at Kyiv, resulting in one death, at least 23 injuries, and widespread damage to buildings across the capital. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy denounced the attack as “deliberately massive and cynical.”
The recent escalation comes amid stalled US-led efforts to broker a ceasefire. Ukraine’s top military commander, Oleksandr Syrskii, warned of a potential new Russian offensive in the Kharkiv region. Reports indicate Russia has been slowly advancing along several parts of the front line, with forces recently pushing into the Sumy region.
Ukraine’s Air Force reported shooting down 157 out of 322 drones and decoys launched by Russia overnight into Saturday, while Ukrainian forces have also ramped up retaliatory strikes within Russia. The Russian Ministry of Defense claimed to have shot down 94 Ukrainian drones. A woman was reportedly killed in a Ukrainian drone attack in the Rostov region. Ukrainian forces also claim to have struck the Borisoglebsk military airfield in the Voronezh region.
Meanwhile, Zelenskyy stated he had a “very important and fruitful” conversation with US President Donald Trump, while Trump himself described a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin as “disappointing,” stating he did not believe Putin was looking to end the conflict.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Russia was still seeking to achieve its goals through “political and diplomatic means”, but continued its “special operation”.
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