Russia hits Kyiv and Dnipro

Russia launched a large overnight missile and drone attack across Ukraine early on Tuesday, hitting Kyiv, Dnipro and Kharkiv and killing at least nine people, Ukrainian authorities said. In Kyiv, emergency crews searched damaged apartment blocks and other sites after strikes set off fires and caused part of a residential building to collapse. In Dnipro, local officials reported deaths, injuries and people trapped under rubble. The barrage came as Ukrainian officials spoke of ending the war before winter and as Russia repeated that any meeting between President Vladimir Putin and President Volodymyr Zelensky would come only at the end of negotiations, not at the start. ### How extensive was the overnight attack? Kyiv, Dnipro and Kharkiv were among the cities hit in the early hours of June 2, according to Ukrainian officials and Reuters reporting. The nationwide toll reached at least nine dead and more than 60 wounded, with four of the deaths reported in Kyiv. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko and city military administration head Tymur Tkachenko said residential buildings, a clinic, a gas station and other sites were damaged in the capital. Dnipro regional authorities said strikes in the city caused fatalities and injuries and left people trapped under debris, while Kharkiv also came under attack. The Associated Press and other outlets reported that rescuers were working at damaged buildings after the barrage. ### What did Ukrainian officials say about the damage in Kyiv? (usnews.com) Tymur Tkachenko said on Telegram that people were killed in Kyiv and that rescue operations were continuing after the attack. Bloomberg reported that one residential building partially collapsed, while debris caused fires in several districts. Reuters reported that officials were still assessing the damage as the death toll in the capital rose. (apnews.com) Vitali Klitschko said emergency teams were deployed across the capital after the strikes. Ukrainian media and local officials said the attack involved missiles and drones and followed warnings that Russia could mount a major assault. ### What is Ukraine saying about the wider war effort? Kyrylo Budanov, Ukraine’s military intelligence chief, said ending the war before winter 2026 was a realistic goal. (bloomberg.com) The Kyiv Independent and Ukrinform reported that Budanov said President Volodymyr Zelensky had tasked officials with trying to end hostilities as quickly as possible, preferably before winter. (newsukraine.rbc.ua) Separate reporting cited in the source briefings said Ukraine had expanded strikes on Russian energy infrastructure, including refineries, gas facilities, depots, pumping stations and ports. Those attacks were presented by Ukrainian-linked outlets as part of Kyiv’s broader military pressure on Russia while talks remained unresolved. (kyivindependent.com) ### Where do peace talks stand after the latest strikes? Turkey has said it is trying to revive talks between Moscow and Kyiv, according to the source briefings provided for this story. Russia, however, has maintained that a leaders’ meeting would come only after substantive agreements were already in place. Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, said in April that Putin could meet Zelensky only for the purpose of finalizing agreements on the conflict. (newsukraine.rbc.ua) Reuters and other outlets carried that formulation, which has remained central to Moscow’s public line on direct leader-level contact. ### What happens next? Rescue operations were still underway in Kyiv and other hit cities on Tuesday, with casualty figures subject to revision as emergency workers searched damaged buildings. Ukrainian officials were expected to continue publishing updates through city administrations and the State Emergency Service, while diplomatic contacts involving Turkey, Moscow and Kyiv remained under scrutiny after the latest attack. (usnews.com 1) (usnews.com 2)