Ukraine talks about a bloody Russian attack and Zelensky calls for urgent air support news

aljazeera.net
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The Ukrainian authorities announced that 22 people were killed and more than 100 others were injured as a result of intense Russian attacks targeting several cities, including Kiev and Dnipro, on Tuesday, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on his country’s allies to increase their support and provide them with additional missiles for Patriot systems.

Zelensky explained that the attack on his country included the launch of 73 missiles and more than 600 drones, considering it a “clear message” from Moscow, while the Russian Ministry of Defense stated that it had carried out an “intensive strike” on defense industry facilities using long-range precision weapons.

The strikes resulted in the death of 6 people in Kiev and the injury of more than 80, while the city of Dnipro recorded the death of 16 people, including two children, in addition to extensive damage to residential buildings and service facilities, and a temporary power outage for tens of thousands.

The Ukrainian authorities reported that the attack – the third of its kind and the most intense on the capital, Kiev, in less than a month – came after warnings that lasted for days about Russian planning to launch a major attack.

In the capital, Kiev, Mayor Vitali Klitschko announced that 6 people were killed and more than 60 others were injured, including 3 children, as a result of the targeting of at least 9 high-rise buildings, a kindergarten, a clinic, and administrative buildings, while the attacks in the city of Dnipro resulted in the killing of 12 people, including 2 children, following the partial destruction of a 4-storey residential building.

The bombing caused a temporary power outage for 140,000 people, while 14 people were injured in the Kharkiv region (northeast).

Ukrainian rescuers work by a damaged building following an air attack in Dnipro on June 2, 2026, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Ukrainian rescue workers work next to a damaged building following an air attack in Dnipro (French)

New style

For its part, the Ukrainian Air Force explained that Russia launched 656 drones and 73 missiles, including 33 ballistic missiles and 8 Zircon hypersonic missiles.

Ukrainian Air Force units confirmed shooting down or neutralizing 40 missiles and 602 drones, without including the “Zirkon” missiles among the targets that were intercepted, with this likely being the largest number of these missiles used by Russia during the war.

On the other hand, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that it had launched an “intensive strike” with long-range, high-precision weapons targeting Ukrainian defense industry facilities, describing the war as turning into a “new pattern” in response to what it called Ukrainian terrorist acts against civilians, especially after a drone attack on a student residence in Luhansk, which previously resulted in the killing of 21 people and which Kiev denied.

Attacks on Russia

On the Russian side, Russian regions also witnessed counterattacks by Ukrainian drones that targeted oil facilities and infrastructure near the border.

The authorities announced that a fire had broken out at the Ilsky oil refinery in the Krasnodar region following a drone attack confirmed by the Ukrainian army, in addition to the injury of a child in the Belgorod border region.

The Russian Ministry of Defense announced that 148 Ukrainian drones were shot down overnight, and that attacks targeting the city of Sevastopol in the Crimean Peninsula were repelled.

epa12931250 President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks to the media during the welcome ceremony for the 8th European Political Community Summit, at the Karen Demirchyan Sports and Concert Complex in Yerevan, Armenia, 04 May 2026. The 8th European Political Community Summit is taking place in the Armenian capital. Topics include European security, including in the context of economics and energy. EPA/Leszek Szymanski POLAND OUT
Zelensky called on Washington to provide support with (European) air defenses.

Demands for air support

For his part, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on Europe to develop its own air defense systems to confront ballistic missiles, and urged Washington to provide more military support and provide additional missiles for Patriot systems to compensate for diminishing supplies.

In the same context, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sepiga considered that these strikes show that Russian President Vladimir Putin has begun to exhaust his military options and only has intimidation cards because Moscow is losing on the battlefield, calling on partners to impose tougher sanctions and real pressure to achieve peace.

On the ground, an analysis conducted by Agence France-Presse based on data from the Institute for the Study of War showed that Ukraine achieved field progress at the expense of Russia last May for the second month in a row, as it regained control of an area of ​​approximately 282 square kilometers.

This progress comes after Moscow had been controlling additional areas since October 2023, before its progress slowed in late 2025, and the area under its control decreased for the first time in two and a half years last April by about 120 square kilometers.



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