Large -scale Russian missile and drone attack on Kyiv and other cities, at least 17 killed, injured more than 100

Russian forces carried out a large-scale overnight missile and drone assault on Ukraine, launching 73 cruise, ballistic, and hypersonic missiles along with 656 attack drones. Among the missiles were eight advanced Zircon hypersonic anti-ship missiles, deployed in two waves of four. Ukraine’s Air Force managed to intercept 40 missiles and 602 drones, but the sheer scale of the attack overwhelmed defenses in several regions. The strikes caused widespread destruction and resulted in at least 17 people killed and more than 100 injured across the country.

In Kyiv, Russian missiles and drones struck residential districts, killing at least six people and injuring 64 others, including two children. Several apartment buildings were damaged, fires broke out, and debris fell across multiple districts of the capital. Emergency services worked through the night to rescue people trapped under rubble and provide medical assistance to the wounded.

In Dnipro, the attack proved particularly devastating, with 11 people killed and 37 injured, 22 of whom were hospitalized. Residential areas were heavily hit, causing significant destruction to civilian infrastructure. In Zaporizhzhia, Russian strikes also targeted the city, damaging residential buildings and critical infrastructure, contributing to the overall civilian toll and leaving thousands without power and basic services in the affected areas.

Kremlin claims war could end within a day if Ukraine withdraws troops from "Russian regions"

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia's war against Ukraine could end "by the end of the day" if President Volodymyr Zelensky ordered Ukrainian forces to withdraw from territories Moscow claims as part of Russia.

Speaking after Russia's latest large-scale attack on Ukraine, Peskov repeated the Kremlin's position that Kyiv must abandon the regions Russia seeks to occupy, including parts of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson oblasts.

Peskov said Russia has repeatedly outlined these conditions and claimed that ending the war depends on decisions made by Ukraine's leadership. Kyiv has consistently rejected Russia's territorial demands and insists that any settlement must respect Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Russian Zircon missiles as a new, unexpected threat

According to the Ukrainian Center for Combating Disinformation (UCBS), Russia has accumulated over 200 Zircon (3M22) hypersonic missiles and has recently intensified their use against Kyiv. These advanced anti-ship hypersonic missiles are extremely difficult to intercept due to their high speed (Mach 8–9) and maneuverability. The flight time to Kyiv is critically short — up to 6 minutes when launched from temporarily occupied Crimea and approximately 3 minutes from the Kursk region.

Only Patriot PAC-3 air defense systems have proven capable of intercepting Zircon missiles. However, Ukraine is facing a severe shortage of PAC-3 interceptors, which significantly complicates the defense of major cities against these high-speed threats.

The increased use of Zircons represents a dangerous escalation, as Russia appears to be deliberately employing its most advanced missile arsenal to overwhelm Ukrainian air defenses and put maximum pressure on the capital.

Currently, there is a significant shortage of Patriot missiles worldwide due to the US-Israel military operation in Iran.

Record number of people took shelter in Kyiv metro last night

More than 41,000 people, including nearly 4,500 children, took shelter in Kyiv's metro stations during Russia's large-scale overnight attack on the capital on 1–2 June, according to Kyiv Metro.

Officials said this was the highest number of people seeking refuge in the metro during an overnight air-raid alert in recent years.

Kyiv Metro noted that all 46 underground stations serve as bomb shelters during air-raid warnings, with entrances remaining open to the public throughout alerts.

Poland supports the exclusion of Ukrainian men of conscription age from the EU protection scheme

Poland supports a proposal to restrict access to temporary protection in the European Union for Ukrainian men of conscription age, arguing that individuals who are not legally allowed to leave Ukraine should not receive special protection status in the EU.

The proposal is expected to be discussed by EU ministers on 4 June. According to Polish diplomatic sources, Warsaw believes the measure would be consistent with Ukraine's own position, as Kyiv continues to face manpower shortages on the battlefield.

Poland also backs replacing special benefits for Ukrainian refugees with standard migration rules.

At the same time, Warsaw opposes any system that would limit protection based on a refugee's region of origin within Ukraine. Polish officials argue that all parts of Ukraine remain vulnerable to Russian missile and drone attacks, making geographical distinctions unfair.

The position comes amid ongoing EU discussions about the future of temporary protection measures for millions of Ukrainians displaced by Russia's full-scale invasion.

Ukraine's air defence downed 111 missiles in May, including 12 ballistic

Ukraine's Air Force reported that air defense units destroyed more than 57,000 Russian aerial targets in May 2026, including missiles, attack drones, reconnaissance drones and other unmanned aerial vehicles.

According to the Air Force, Ukrainian defenders shot down 111 missiles of various types, including Kinzhal aeroballistic, Kh-101, Kalibr, Iskander-M/KN-23, Iskander-K and Kh-59/69 missiles. Air defense forces also intercepted more than 5,000 Shahed-type attack drones, over 1,300 reconnaissance drones, and nearly 51,000 other UAVs.

The Air Force added that its aviation carried out 1,089 combat sorties during the month. More than 700 missions were flown to provide fighter air cover, while about 230 sorties were conducted to strike Russian targets and support Ukrainian ground forces.

The figures highlight the growing scale of drone warfare and the heavy workload faced by Ukraine's air defense network amid continued large-scale Russian aerial attacks.