Russia strikes Kyiv, Dnipro and Kharkiv overnight with over 700 missiles and drones, killing at least 22

The overnight barrage

Russian forces launched a large-scale combined air attack on Ukraine during the night of 1–2 June, firing 73 missiles and 656 drones according to Ukrainian Air Force reports. The assault struck the capital Kyiv, the central city of Dnipro, and the north-eastern Kharkiv region. Air raid sirens sent thousands of Kyiv residents into metro stations, some carrying pets and mattresses, as air defence systems engaged targets overhead for hours.

58 people were wounded. Forty of them, including two children, were taken to hospital. Four people died.

In Dnipro, a four-storey residential building was partially destroyed and a rescue worker was killed in a follow-up strike while emergency crews were already on the scene. The State Emergency Service reported that people were likely still trapped under the rubble.

Civilian toll and damage

By midday Tuesday, officials had confirmed at least 22 fatalities across the country: four in Kyiv, eleven in Dnipro, and others in Kharkiv and surrounding areas. Around 130 people were reported injured. In Kyiv, fires broke out in nearly every district — at 29 separate locations, according to Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko. A 24-storey residential tower was severely damaged and partially collapsed; a nine-storey block was hit by a missile, causing a structural failure. Falling debris ignited a petrol station, cars, and a fire near a kindergarten.

We couldn't understand what was happening — is this some kind of apocalypse? Everything was covered in rubble, everything was smoky, nothing was visible.

A medical clinic in the Holosiivskyi district had its second and third floors destroyed. In Dnipro, two- and four-storey residential buildings, an industrial facility, garages and vehicles were damaged. The shockwave blew out windows at the local State Emergency Service headquarters.

Zelensky's warning and air defence gaps

Hours before the strikes, President Volodymyr Zelensky recorded a video address warning that intelligence indicated a powerful attack was imminent. He pleaded with citizens to heed air raid alarms. After the assault, he acknowledged that Ukraine's air defence stockpiles are no longer sufficient.

Unfortunately, the current level of stocks for our air defence does not allow us to intercept a significant portion of the missiles.

Ukrainian forces managed to shoot down or neutralise 40 missiles and 602 drones, the Air Force said. The Russian salvo included eight 3M22 Zircon anti-ship missiles, 33 Iskander-M ballistic missiles, 27 Kh-101 cruise missiles, and five Kalibr cruise missiles. Zelensky called on European partners to build a joint anti-ballistic shield and urged tighter enforcement of sanctions to block foreign components from reaching Russian weapons production.

Regional and allied response

Poland's Operational Command scrambled military aviation and placed ground-based air defence and radar systems on high readiness as Russian long-range aviation operated near its border. The alert was lifted before 04:00 local time with no violation of Polish airspace recorded. The pre-dawn operation was described as a precautionary measure to secure airspace in areas adjacent to the threatened zones.

The front-line context

While Russia pummels Ukrainian cities from the air, its ground forces are struggling to advance. In May, Russian troops captured the smallest amount of Ukrainian territory since October 2023. Analysts cited by OKO.press point to Ukraine's effective "drone wall" tactics, new medium-range unmanned systems striking logistics up to 30 km behind the front, and Russian losses exceeding replacement capacity. Ukraine continues its own deep strikes against strategic targets inside Russia, aiming to degrade the economic and logistical base of the war effort.