Massive Russian attack on cities across Ukraine kills at least ten people

2026-06-02 07:29:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Russian airstrikes have left at least ten dead across Ukraine, six in the Dnieper and four in the capital Kiev, marking one of Moscow's biggest attacks in recent months.

Dozens were also injured, including several children, after overnight air strikes hit apartment blocks, with emergency crews rushing to find people suspected of being trapped under rubble in Kiev.

Airstrike warnings were in effect across much of Ukraine in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

Moscow last week warned it would launch "systematic strikes" on Ukraine in response to a drone strike last month on a dormitory in the Russian-controlled Luhansk region of Ukraine that killed 21 people.

Huge clouds of smoke could be seen rising from the centre of Kiev and the city's mayor, Vitali Klitschko, has urged people to stay in shelters. The head of the Kiev Military Administration, Tymur Tkachenko, said: "The enemy is striking with ballistic missiles."

Klitschko said he fears people are trapped under the rubble of damaged buildings.

In Russia, the emergency response center in Krasnodar Krai reported a fire at the Ilsky oil refinery after a drone attack. According to the emergency service, there were no casualties.

As Russian attacks pounded Kiev into the early hours of the morning, the sound of drones could be heard amidst more than a dozen loud explosions as the strikes took effect.

The attack set fires near a gas station, a construction site and several apartment blocks, as well as two houses, Klitschko said. Power outages were also reported across the city.

An industrial facility was also attacked in Zaporizhzhia.

The attacks come after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday repeated warnings of a possible major Russian attack and urged residents to pay special attention to airstrike alerts.

"Intelligence warnings about Russian attacks remain in effect. A massive attack is possible, they have prepared one," Zelensky said in his daily video address.

Last week Russia said it would target military and decision-making centers in Kiev and called on foreigners to leave the city, in what it called a response to Ukraine's deliberate attack on a dormitory in Strabolinsk.

In a statement at the time, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said it carried out an attack near Starobilsk on the night of May 21-22, but maintains it hit a Russian military unit.

Kiev said Russia's threats were "nothing less than brazen blackmail" and called on allies to increase pressure on Moscow.
Since a brief ceasefire expired in May, Russia has launched several waves of missile and drone attacks on Kiev, including attacks on an apartment block that killed 24 people, including three children.

A Ukrainian drone strike in the Moscow region killed three people, in what Zelensky called a "fully justified" response to Russian attacks.