Russia launches massive air assault on Ukraine, 22 dead; Zelensky demands Patriot missiles
On the night of June 1-2, Russia fired 656 attack drones and 73 missiles at Ukrainian cities, striking residential buildings in Kyiv, Dnipro and Kharkiv. President Volodymyr Zelensky said 22 people had died and 130 were injured, calling for the United States to supply more Patriot air defense missiles.
The overnight assault
Russia launched 656 drones and 73 missiles, including ballistic, cruise and hypersonic weapons, in a coordinated overnight attack. Explosions were heard in Kyiv from 01:30, with successive waves around 02:00, 04:00 and after 07:00. Air defenses intercepted many, but residential areas were hit in the capital and in Dnipro, Kharkiv, Poltava, Zaporizhzhia and other regions.
Attack sequence
Strikes were reported simultaneously in multiple oblasts. In Kyiv, over 40,000 people sought shelter in the metro as fires broke out across six districts. Rescue operations continued through the day as casualty figures climbed.
- First explosions reported in Kyiv
- Second wave of blasts heard in the capital
- Third series of explosions
- Further strikes after 07:00
- Rescue operations ongoing; casualty reports rising
- Zelensky announces 22 dead, 130 wounded
Casualties and destruction
Dnipro bore the heaviest toll. A four-story residential building collapsed, and rescue workers pulled bodies from the rubble. By the evening, Zelensky put the total death toll at 22, with 130 wounded. Earlier reports had counted 13-18 deaths. In Kyiv, at least six were killed and 65 injured. A maternity hospital in Odesa was hit but without fatalities. Kharkiv saw 10 wounded, including an 11-year-old girl.
Zelensky presses for more air defense
Zelensky said the attack was a clear message from Russia that without adequate ballistic missile protection, such strikes would continue. He urged Europe to develop its own missile defense and stressed the absolute need for US-supplied Patriot missiles.
Russia launched 656 attack drones and 73 missiles of various types: ballistic, cruise, anti-ship. A large-scale attack and a completely transparent statement from Russia: if Ukraine is not protected from ballistic and other missile attacks, these attacks will continue. Europe needs its own anti-missile defense, so that this war can finally end. And we absolutely need US help in supplying Patriot missiles.
Russia claims military targets
Moscow’s Defense Ministry said it had carried out a massive attack on Ukrainian defense industry facilities, fuel depots, transport infrastructure and military airfields, using long-range precision weapons including hypersonic missiles. The ministry claimed all targets had been hit. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov added that the war could end by the end of the day if Ukrainian troops withdrew from what Russia considers its regions.
The war could end by the end of the day, provided Zelensky orders his troops to retreat from Russian territory.
Accusations of war crimes
The mayor of Dnipro, Borys Filatov, accused Russia of using cluster munitions and the double-tap tactic, striking rescue workers who arrived after the first blasts. He said the objective was to maximize civilian deaths, labeling it a war crime. Adviser Mychajlo Podoljak linked the escalation to recent Ukrainian successes: according to the Institute for the Study of War, Ukrainian forces recaptured 400 square kilometers between April and May, and Moscow was responding with terrorist methods.
Russia used cluster munitions. It did not aim at a specific military or industrial target, but only to cause the maximum number of civilian casualties.
Regional and diplomatic context
Ukraine also launched a drone attack on Russia’s Kursk region, killing one person, while Russian authorities ordered the evacuation of 7,000 people from border areas in Kharkiv region. The massive strike came as the U.S. shifted attention to potential conflict with Iran, drawing Ukrainian concern over supplies. The EU continues to debate its own air defense capabilities.
