Russia Launches Hundreds of Drones and Missiles, Killing 22 Civilians in Kyiv and Dnipro

Russia launched hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles against Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities overnight, killing at least 22 civilians and wounding 138 others, authorities said Tuesday.

“Ukrainian authorities say at least 22 people have been killed and dozens wounded in Russian missile and drone attacks across Ukraine, days after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that Moscow was preparing for a major offensive”

Al Jazeera

Officials said 16 people were killed in Dnipro and six in Kyiv, as explosions reverberated across cities and rescue crews pulled bodies from wreckage of apartment buildings.

Al Jazeera

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appealed for more U.S. and European support, describing the massive overnight attack as "an explicit statement by Russia: If Ukraine is not protected from ballistic missiles and other missile strikes, those strikes will continue."

Zelensky also said Russia unleashed 73 missiles and 656 drones across Ukraine, while Ukrainian air defenses destroyed or suppressed 40 missiles and 602 drones, according to the air force figures cited in the report.

Zelensky urged additional support from the United States, saying "Assistance from the United States in supplying missiles for patriot systems is absolutely necessary" after Russia hit Kyiv and Dnipro again.

In Kyiv, Tymur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv City Military Administration, said at least 81 people were wounded, while residents described the night as blasts reverberated across the capital.

BBC

Russia’s Defense Ministry said the bombardment struck military-industrial facilities in the Kyiv, Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Poltava, Khmelnytskyi and Sumy regions, while Ukraine said residential, energy and civilian infrastructure was hit.

In a separate account, Al Jazeera reported that Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said six people were killed in the Ukrainian capital and dozens of others, including two children, were injured in the "mass enemy attack."

Zelensky warned that another large-scale attack could occur, saying in a videomessage that "a massive attack could take place this night" and urging people to pay attention to air-raid sirens.

“A barrage of Russian missiles and drone strikes killed at least 22 civilians and wounded more than 100 people across Ukraine, authorities said Tuesday, just days after Ukrainian President Volodymyr was preparing a "massive new strike”

CBS News

He also said he received a report from Oleg Ivashchenko, head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense, and described details on Russian missile production and efforts to elude sanctions.

The attack also fed into broader diplomatic and political pressure, with the RaiNews report noting that Moscow said a U.S. delegation led by Rodney Cook would attend the SPIEF forum in San Pietroburgo from 3 to 6 June.

As the fighting continues, the same RaiNews package said the Forum Economico Internazionale di San Pietroburgo would run "dal 3 al 6 giugno" and quoted Yuri Ushakov on the expected participation of about 30 American companies.