New Delhi, June 6 -- The Kremlin on Friday said that the Ukraine war was "existential" for Russia, after it launched a wave of drone and missile strikes in retaliation that killed at least three in Kyiv, the capital city of Ukraine.

Kyiv announced that Russia had fired 45 missiles and 407 drones in the barrage, after Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed an attack in response to a Ukrainian attack on several Russian airbases.

President Volodymyr Zelensky responded to the threat by urging allies to "decisively" ramp up pressure on Russia to pause the war, which has left tens of thousands dead over more than three years of fighting.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told AFP, "For us it is an existential issue, an issue on our national...