On the night of June 2, the Russian military launched a massive combined strike on the Ukrainian cities of Kyiv, Dnipro, and Kharkiv. According to preliminary data, at least six people died in the capital and eleven people in Dnipro, with dozens of others injured. Ukrainian authorities, including President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, had warned of signs of preparation for a new large-scale attack before the strikes took place and urged the population not to ignore air raid alerts.
73 missiles and 656 drones in one night
The Ukrainian military reports that launches of "Kalibr" missiles were registered from the Caspian Sea. The morning bulletin of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine states that a total of 73 missiles and 656 drones of various types were used in the strikes on Ukrainian cities.
Among the missiles used were five "Kalibr" cruise missiles, 33 "Iskander-M" ballistic missiles, 27 "Kh-101" cruise missiles, and eight "3M22 Zircon" anti-ship missiles. According to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, 33 missiles and 33 drones hit their targets, while 40 missiles and 602 drones were destroyed or neutralized by air defense.
Russia claims to have hit "military infrastructure"
The Russian Ministry of Defense reported that the strikes targeted "enterprises of the defense-industrial complex, fuel and transport infrastructure facilities used in the interest of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as well as military airfields of Ukraine." Moscow traditionally uses such phrasing following massive attacks carried out on Ukrainian territory.
The official reports mention Kyiv, Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, and Dnipro, as well as the Poltava, Khmelnytskyi, and Sumy regions. However, Ukrainian authorities emphasize that a significant portion of the strikes hit residential and civilian objects.
Kyiv: destroyed apartment blocks, fires, and over 60 injured
According to the latest information, more than 60 people were injured in Kyiv, announced the head of the Kyiv City Military Administration, Tymur Tkachenko, on his Telegram channel. Among the injured are children aged 3, 11, and 17. Tkachenko clarified that ballistic missiles were fired at the capital.
Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported that in the Podilskyi district, a missile strike on a nine-story residential building caused partial collapse of structures. In a nighttime message, he noted that people could be trapped under the rubble and that at least one person was injured. In a subsequent morning update, Klitschko did not specify whether other victims had been found under the ruins.
Fires in several districts of the capital
According to the mayor, in the same Podil district, debris fell on the roof of another nine-story building, causing a fire and damaging windows. In the Solomianskyi district, fragments fell on the upper floors of a 15-story residential building.
A fire broke out around the 7th–8th floors of a 24-story building in the same district. In the Shevchenkivskyi district, after debris hit a 24-story building, a portion of the structure caught fire at the 4th–5th floor level. In the Sviatoshynskyi district, fire engulfed the first floor of a five-story building after fragments hit it.
Strikes on a polyclinic, kindergartens, and a business center
Falling debris caused several fires in non-residential buildings as well; cars were destroyed or burned in some places. In the Obolonskyi district, fragments were registered falling in open areas—in both cases in the immediate vicinity of kindergartens.
In the Holosiivskyi district, the second and third floors of a polyclinic were destroyed, according to Tymur Tkachenko. A business center was also damaged in the same district. In the Darnytskyi district, debris, presumed to be from a drone, caused a fire on the premises of a gas station. Throughout the night, many Kyivans spent hours in the metro and shelters.
Dnipro: eleven dead, including two children and a rescuer
According to the head of the Dnipropetrovsk Regional Military Administration, Oleksandr Hanzha, eleven people died in Dnipro as a result of the overnight attack. Among the victims was a rescuer who died during a secondary strike on the same area.
Hanzha reported that the death of a three-year-old child was initially confirmed, and later it became known that another child had died—an eight-year-old boy. In total, there are 37 injured in the city, 20 of whom were hospitalized. Four of them are in critical condition.
Injured children and destroyed civilian objects in Dnipro
Among the injured are four children: boys aged 6 and 16 and a 13-year-old girl who were admitted to the hospital in moderate condition, as well as a 14-year-old girl who is receiving outpatient treatment. Apartment buildings, an enterprise, a fire station, and garages were damaged, and several cars were completely destroyed.
Local authorities warn that the number of casualties may rise, as rescue operations and the clearing of destroyed buildings continue.
Kharkiv: ballistic strikes and 15 drones
Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov reported two ballistic missile strikes on the Kyivskyi district of the city. According to him, an additional 15 strike drones were used. One of the so-called "Shahed" drones hit an office building, causing a fire.
By 4:00 a.m., Terekhov reported strikes in four districts—Osnovianskyi, Slobidskyi, Nemyshlianskyi, and Kyivskyi—and 10 injuries, including one child. Fire crews and rescue services are working on site to contain the aftermath of the strikes.
18 settlements in Kharkiv region under shelling
The head of the Kharkiv Regional Administration, Oleh Syniehubov, reported that the city of Kharkiv and 18 other settlements in the region came under fire. In total, 18 people were injured in the Kharkiv region, 15 of them in the city itself. Among the injured is an 11-year-old girl.
Earlier, Syniehubov reported eight injuries in the Slobidskyi district of Kharkiv: seven people suffered acute stress reactions, and one woman was injured by broken glass. According to him, six missiles and 49 drones of various types were used in the attacks on the region.
New escalation in a war without end
The latest massive attack comes against the backdrop of an ongoing war, now in its fifth year. The Ukrainian leadership emphasizes that such combined strikes—with dozens of missiles and hundreds of drones—increase the number of civilian casualties and cause heavy damage to civilian infrastructure.
Meanwhile, warnings to citizens to heed air raid alerts and use shelters remain vital, especially in large cities like Kyiv, Dnipro, and Kharkiv, which are increasingly becoming targets of massive nightly attacks.