Major Russian attack hits Kiev, other Ukrainian cities

DPAUpdated Tue, June 2, 2026 at 3:10 AM UTC2 min readAdd Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google.Key takeawaysPowered by Yahoo Scout. Yahoo is using AI to generate key points from this article. This means the info may not always match what’s in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience.

• Russia launches major missile and drone attack on Ukrainian capital Kiev and other cities, killing at least nine people and injuring nearly 100 others.
• Buildings damaged and caught fire, residents seek shelter in metro stations and bunkers, with fears of people trapped under rubble in residential building collapse.
• Ukrainian President Zelensky had warned of another major Russian air attack, as Poland raises air defences and scrambles military aircraft in response to the strikes.

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Russia has again launched a major missile and drone attack on the Ukrainian capital Kiev and other parts of the country, killing at least nine people and injuring almost 100 others, Ukrainian officials said early on Tuesday.

Powerful explosions were heard across central Kiev overnight. At least four people were killed and 58 injured in the city of about 3 million residents, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram. Forty of the injured were hospitalized, including two children.

Several buildings were damaged and caught fire, Klitschko said. Many residents sought shelter in metro stations and bunkers, while parts of the city experienced temporary power outages and disruptions to water supplies. Black plumes of smoke could be seen rising over central Kiev at daybreak.

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In the city of Dnipro, at least five people were killed and 25 others injured in the overnight attack, according to authorities. Twenty-three of the injured were being treated in hospital, including a 13-year-old girl.

In Kharkiv, at least 10 people were injured, according to the eastern city's mayor. Russia also struck targets in Zaporizhzhya.

The Ukrainian air force said Moscow had used ballistic and cruise missiles in the attacks. The reported information, including casualty figures, could not be independently verified.

Fears people trapped under rubble

In Kiev's Podilskyi district, a multi-storey residential building collapsed after being hit, Klitschko wrote on Telegram. Authorities feared people could be trapped under the rubble.

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Elsewhere in the capital, an attack damaged the upper floors of a 15-storey apartment building. Several fires were reported across the city.

In neighbouring Poland, the military said on social media platform X that air defences had been placed on alert and military aircraft had been scrambled in response to the Russian attacks in Ukraine.

Poland regularly raises its readiness level during major Russian strikes on Ukraine, sometimes also scrambling fighter jets from NATO partners.

Attack follows Zelensky's warnings

Russia had already launched a major attack on Kiev with ballistic missiles and drones in May.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had repeatedly warned since late last week of another major Russian air attack.

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"Intelligence indicating the possibility of a massive strike remains valid," Zelensky said in a video address on Saturday, urging Ukrainians not to ignore air raid warnings.

While saying Ukraine's air defences remained on alert, Zelensky acknowledged that delays in military supplies from Western allies were creating difficulties in defending against ballistic missiles and cruise missiles.

Ukraine has been defending itself with Western support against Russia's full-scale invasion for more than four years.