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A major Russian attack on Ukraine early Tuesday June 2 left eight dead, including three in the capital kyiv hit by ballistic missiles, Ukrainian authorities reported. “The death of three people in kyiv has been confirmed,” declared the head of the military administration of the capital, Tymour Tkatchenko shortly after reporting 29 wounded, including two children, in strikes on several neighborhoods in the city. “The enemy is attacking with ballistic missiles,” he warned earlier on Telegram.
After missile explosions rang out, residents rushed to shelters loaded with bags and blankets in the streets of kyiv, where a large plume of smoke rose, AFP journalists noted.
In the east of the country in Dnipro, the authorities reported five deaths and 25 injured. “The death toll from the Russian attack on Dnipro continues to rise,” said the head of the region’s military administration, Oleksandr Ganja.
Ten people were also injured in Kharkiv, also in eastern Ukraine, including a child, Mayor Igor Terekhov described on Telegram. The city was “attacked by 15 drones and two missiles”, he said.
Intensified strikes
On the Russian side, a civilian was killed Monday in the Kursk region, close to the border, in a Ukrainian drone attack, said local governor Aleksandr Khinchtein. A fire broke out at the Ilski refinery in southern Russia’s Krasnodar region following a drone attack, according to the region’s operational headquarters.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Friday that Moscow was preparing “a new massive strike” against Ukraine, while Russia called on foreign diplomats to leave Kiev. Moscow, which bombs Ukraine almost every night, has intensified its attacks during the day in recent months, leading to a response from kyiv which has for its part hand intensified its strikes, particularly from long distance, against Russia.
In May, the number of Russian missiles was one of the largest since the start of the conflict: 211 in the month, including an Orechnik intermediate-range ballistic missile capable of carrying nuclear warheads, used for the third time since the start of the Russian invasion in 2022. Russia also launched 8,150 long-range drones against Ukraine in May, 24% more than in April, according to a compilation of this data published daily.
This record number of long-range drone attacks against Ukraine came despite a three-day truce from May 9 that briefly raised hopes of a resumption of the negotiation process to end the war.
Insufficient ammunition stocks
Moscow and kyiv had mutually accused each other of having violated this truce announced by American President Donald Trump. Russia launched one of its worst attacks on the Ukrainian capital in mid-May, when a missile destroyed a large part of a residential building, killing around twenty people.
kyiv claims to have intercepted 91% of Russian drones and missiles in May. Ukraine has developed a pioneering air defense system against drones, but remains dependent on supplies from Western allies to defend against missile strikes. Ukrainian officials have repeatedly warned that ammunition stocks for anti-missile systems are insufficient.
Negotiations to end the large-scale offensive on Ukraine, which has left hundreds of thousands dead and millions of refugees in more than four years of conflict, have stalled.
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