KYIV, June 2: Russia launched one of its largest aerial assaults of the war overnight, firing 73 missiles and 656 drones at cities across Ukraine, killing at least 18 civilians and injuring 131 others, Ukrainian authorities said on Tuesday.
The attack targeted Kyiv, Dnipro, Poltava, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia and several other regions, as Moscow intensified its air campaign amid the more than four-year-old conflict.
The deadliest strikes hit the central city of Dnipro, where 12 people were killed.
Rescue workers searching through the wreckage of apartment buildings recovered the bodies of a three-year-old child, a woman and her eight-year-old son.
Authorities later reported another drone strike on a residential building in the city.
In Kyiv, six people were killed and at least 79 others wounded, including three children. Residential buildings, energy facilities and civilian infrastructure were damaged in several districts of the capital.
Residents described harrowing scenes as explosions shook cities through the night and into the morning.
Kyiv resident Iryna Salikova said she spent the night sheltering in a bathtub with her three-year-old daughter as blasts shattered windows nearby.
Another resident, Olena Dniprovska, said a powerful explosion destroyed much of her apartment, injuring both her and her husband and leaving them homeless.
Ukraine’s air force said it intercepted or suppressed 40 missiles and 602 drones, but numerous projectiles still struck their targets.
Officials reported direct hits from 30 ballistic missiles, three cruise missiles and 33 drones across at least 38 locations.
Debris from intercepted drones also caused damage in several areas.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appealed for additional military assistance from the United States and Europe, warning that shortages of air-defence systems have left civilians increasingly vulnerable to Russian missile attacks.
Ukraine has struggled to replenish key air-defence supplies as American stockpiles have been stretched by other conflicts.
The assault came amid stalled peace efforts. Zelenskyy had accepted an unconditional ceasefire proposal backed by US President Donald Trump, but Russian President Vladimir Putin rejected it.
Russia said the strikes targeted military-industrial facilities, while Ukraine said civilian and energy infrastructure suffered extensive damage.
Analysts believe Moscow is escalating attacks to project strength at home and gain leverage in the war despite Ukrainian drone operations that have disrupted Russian supply lines and energy facilities. (AP)
