Russia strikes Kyiv, 22 killed

Russia launched one of the war’s largest overnight aerial attacks on June 2, hitting Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities with 73 missiles and 656 drones, according to Ukraine’s air force. Ukrainian officials said at least 22 civilians were killed and 138 wounded after residential areas were struck in Kyiv, Dnipro, Kharkiv and other regions. Kyiv was the main target, and the barrage continued into daylight after beginning overnight, according to Ukrainian authorities. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the peace process was on hold even as Moscow said it remained open to negotiations. ### How large was this attack? Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched 73 missiles and 656 drones in the overnight assault, one of the biggest combined barrages of the war. The military said 40 missiles and 602 drones were intercepted or suppressed, but 30 ballistic missiles, three cruise missiles and 33 attack drones struck 38 locations nationwide. (usnews.com) June 2 was the second day of reporting on the attack, with casualty totals rising as rescue teams searched damaged apartment blocks and other sites. The U.N. Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine said the strike killed and injured civilians in urban centers and damaged homes, businesses and infrastructure. ### Where were the deadliest strikes? (independent.co.uk) Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said at least six people were killed in the capital and dozens more were wounded, including children. Power company DTEK said the attack cut electricity to 140,000 residents in Kyiv, and later said service had been restored to 110,000 of them. Dnipropetrovsk regional officials said 16 people were killed in the central region, including children, making it the deadliest area hit in the barrage. (ukraine.ohchr.org) Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said 15 people, including a child, were wounded there. ### What did Ukrainian officials say? President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the scale of the attack showed that without stronger protection from ballistic and other missile strikes, Russian attacks would continue. (cbsnews.com) He appealed again for more U.S. and European air-defense support after weeks of intensified Russian bombardment. (aljazeera.com) Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said the heaviest damage was in Kyiv, Dnipro and the Kharkiv region. Emergency crews were still searching rubble and putting out fires after apartment buildings and homes were hit. ### What did Moscow say about the timing? Dmitry Peskov said on June 2 that the war had entered a “different paradigm” because of what the Kremlin called Ukrainian attacks on civilians in Russian-controlled territory. (abcnews.com) He said Russia was systematically striking Ukrainian military targets in Kyiv and other cities and that the Ukraine peace process was on hold, while adding that Russia remained in touch with the United States. Moscow has said the strikes were retaliation for what it described as a Ukrainian drone attack on a student dormitory in Russian-controlled Luhansk last month that killed 21 people. Ukraine denied targeting the dormitory and said it had aimed at a drone command center in the area. ### Where do the stalled talks stand now? (usnews.com) PBS reported that U.S.-led peace efforts had fizzled as Kyiv and Moscow made no progress on core differences and Washington’s attention was diverted by the war in Iran. The Kremlin has repeated its demand that Ukraine withdraw from four regions Russia claimed in 2022, a condition Kyiv rejects. (usnews.com) Kyiv Post reported that Donald Trump had asked Chinese President Xi Jinping to press Vladimir Putin back toward negotiations. That report could not be independently verified here, but it underscored how few channels appear to be producing movement. ### What comes next after the strikes? June 3 brought a new diplomatic visit to Kyiv, with regional reporting saying NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte arrived in the Ukrainian capital a day after the barrage. (pbs.org) Ukrainian rescue operations were still continuing at strike sites as officials updated casualty figures and damage assessments. (kyivindependent.com) (kyivpost.com)