Russian forces launched a massive strike with high-precision, long-range weapons early on June 2 against facilities of Ukraine's defense-industrial complex, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation announced. "Tonight, in response to the terrorist actions of the Kyiv regime, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation launched a massive strike with high-precision long-range air, land, and sea-based weapons, including hypersonic aero-ballistic missiles and attack unmanned aerial vehicles, against enterprises of the defense-industrial complex in Kyiv, Zaporizhia, Kharkiv, and Dnipropetrovsk, as well as in the Poltava, Khmelnytskyi, and Sumy regions, against fuel storage facilities and transport infrastructure of Ukraine used for the benefit of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as well as against military airfields," the statement reads. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, all targets were achieved and the designated facilities were hit.
Terrifying attack with 73 missiles and 656 drones
The Russian attack — according to data released by the Ukrainians — was carried out with 73 missiles and 656 drones. As announced by the Air Force of Ukraine, 642 of the 729 aerial targets were shot down during the night attack. According to the service, of the 73 missiles launched, it was possible to intercept 40. Specifically, 11 of the 33 Iskander-M ballistic missiles, 26 of the 27 Kh-101 cruise missiles, and 3 of the 5 Kalibr missiles were shot down. All eight Zircon missiles, according to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, were not intercepted. Furthermore, Ukrainian military forces stated that 602 of the 656 attack drones were hit. Strikes from 30 ballistic missiles and 3 cruise missiles, as well as from 33 attack drones, were recorded in 38 locations. Debris from unmanned aerial vehicles fell in another 15 spots.
At least 13 dead
According to Ukrainian authorities, at least 13 people were killed in the overnight attack — four in Kyiv and nine in the central city of Dnipro — while more than 100 were injured, according to Ukrainian officials. As reported, combined strikes with missiles and drones targeted Kyiv, causing damage to several residential and commercial buildings, fires, and burnt cars, authorities stated. The Mayor of Kyiv, Vitali Klitschko, described the overnight attack as a "massive hostile strike." Fears remain that people are trapped under the rubble of a multi-story apartment building in the Podilsky district, which partially collapsed following a Russian "double tap" strike, according to Klitschko.
Trapped in the rubble
"Preliminary reports indicate that there are people trapped under the rubble," wrote Tymur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv City Military Administration, on Telegram. Images from the State Emergency Service of Ukraine show fire engulfing a severely damaged house, while firefighters attempt to extinguish it. Another image shows the windows and facade of what appears to be the front room of another residence, filled with debris, completely destroyed. "Throughout the night, the enemy launched massive attacks on the Kyiv region using drones, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles. Our peaceful cities and villages were under attack again," said Mykola Kalashnyk, head of the Kyiv Regional Military Administration.
At least 58 people were injured across the city, including three children, Klitschko said, from strikes that caused power outages and forced residents to rush to shelters as air raid sirens sounded. A probable missile strike hit a 24-story residential building in the Shevchenkivskyi district, causing a fire, while a fire also broke out in a nine-story building in Podil when debris fell on the roof, the mayor said. In other parts of the city, Russian strikes caused damage to a clinic, while debris fell on the grounds of a kindergarten, Klitschko added. In Bucha, three houses, storage facilities, and non-residential buildings were damaged, Kalashnyk stated.
DTEK: Damages to energy facilities
The energy group DTEK announced that its energy facilities and a production unit in Kyiv were damaged as a result of the overnight explosions. "A DTEK production unit and energy facilities were damaged," the group's Telegram channel stated. Earlier, DTEK had announced that in Kyiv, after the series of explosions that occurred during the night, 30,000 subscribers remain without electricity. It is noted that the air raid alert in Kyiv lasted a total of 4.5 hours.
Attack on Dnipro, Kharkiv
Russian attacks were also reported in Dnipro, where 36 people were injured, and in Kharkiv, where 14 people were injured, including a child, according to the State Emergency Service of Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reiterated his warning to citizens on Monday regarding a potential "massive" Russian strike. "Intelligence warnings regarding Russian strikes remain in effect. A massive strike is possible — they have prepared it," Zelensky said in his nightly address.
Systematic strikes
The warning came after Russia's announcement last week that it is launching "systematic strikes" against military facilities in Kyiv, according to Russian state media. The Russian Foreign Ministry had also warned foreign nationals, including diplomatic mission staff and international organizations, to leave Kyiv "as soon as possible." The Russian strikes also occurred as Ukraine has expanded its attacks on Russian oil facilities. Zelensky stated in his nightly address on Monday that from January to May, Ukrainian troops struck 15 Russian oil refineries, taking out 40% of Russia's key refining capacity.
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