Russia launches large strikes on Ukraine

Russia launched a large overnight barrage of missiles and drones across Ukraine early on June 2, striking Kyiv and other cities as rescuers worked at damaged apartment buildings and officials reported deaths, injuries and power outages. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said parts of the capital lost electricity during the attack, and city officials reported fires and structural damage in multiple districts. The Kyiv Independent, citing local officials, said at least nine people were killed and 89 injured nationwide in the developing aftermath. Ukraine’s air force and local authorities also reported damage in Odesa and other regions. Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched 265 combat drones in the overnight assault, and that air defence units shot down 228 of them. Outlook India, citing AFP and local authorities, said one person was killed in Kherson, eight people were wounded in Chernihiv and power was cut to about 10,000 people there. The same report said seven people were wounded in Odesa, four in Kharkiv and one in Zaporizhzhia. (kyivindependent.com) ### Which places in Kyiv were hit? Kyiv officials said the heaviest damage was spread across several districts of the capital, including Podilskyi, Solomianskyi, Obolonskyi, Darnytskyi, Shevchenkivskyi, Sviatoshynskyi and Holosiivskyi. Klitschko said a nine-story building in Podilskyi suffered a collapse after what he described as a double-tap strike, and that people could be trapped under the rubble. (outlookindia.com) Tymur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv City Military Administration, said cars were burning in Podilskyi and that missile debris hit the roof of another building. The Kyiv Independent reported damage at 15-story and 24-story residential buildings in Solomianskyi, debris near a kindergarten in Obolonskyi, and fires at gas stations and commercial buildings in other districts. (kyivindependent.com) ### What do Ukrainian officials say about the scale of the attack? The figure of 265 drones made this one of the larger drone barrages reported by Ukrainian authorities in recent days. Outlook India said the attacks caused casualties, fires and service disruptions across several cities even though most of the drones were intercepted. (kyivindependent.com) Kyiv officials said the capital faced repeated waves of explosions beginning after about 1:30 a.m. local time. The Kyiv Independent reported brief power disruptions in the city before Klitschko confirmed outages in several neighborhoods. ### What hit Russia at the same time? Ukrainian drones struck targets in several Russian regions overnight on May 31 into June 1, including an oil pipeline pumping station, a refinery and a fuel depot, according to Russian regional officials and Ukraine’s General Staff. (outlookindia.com) Reuters reported that Ukraine said it had struck the Saratov oil refinery on the Volga River, the Lazarevo pumping station in the Kirov region, and a fuel depot in Matveyev Kurgan in the Rostov region. (kyivindependent.com) Roman Busargin, the governor of Saratov region, said “civil infrastructure” had been damaged. Kirov regional governor Alexander Sokolov said drones hit a facility in his region, while authorities in Matveyev Kurgan reported a major fire at the fuel depot. Russia’s Defence Ministry said it had downed 216 drones overnight in that wave. (staradvertiser.com) ### Are peace talks moving at all? Outlook India said the latest strikes came with peace talks between Kyiv and Moscow still stalled. The report described both sides as intensifying long-range attacks while negotiations remained frozen. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in remarks carried by Reuters on the Russia strikes inside Russia that Ukrainian forces had applied “long-range sanctions” against the Saratov refinery, about 700 km from the front line. (staradvertiser.com) His public comments underscored that Ukraine is continuing its campaign against Russian fuel and logistics targets while Russia keeps up nightly attacks on Ukrainian cities. (outlookindia.com) ### What comes next on Tuesday? Rescue work in Kyiv was still continuing on June 2, with local officials warning that casualty figures could change as crews searched damaged residential buildings. Kyiv city authorities and Ukraine’s air force are expected to issue further updates later Tuesday on the toll, the sites hit and the number of weapons intercepted. (kyivindependent.com) (staradvertiser.com)