In the early hours of June 2, Russian forces launched a significant aerial assault on Ukraine, deploying 656 combat drones of various types, including Shahed, Gerbera, and Italmas, alongside 73 missiles from air, sea, and ground platforms. Ukrainian air defense successfully intercepted 602 drones and 40 missiles during the engagement, according to reports from the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
The primary target of this latest attack was Kyiv, with additional strikes reported in Dnipro, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Sumy, Poltava, and other regions. The Ukrainian military employed a combination of aviation, anti-aircraft missile troops, electronic warfare units, and mobile fire groups to counter the assault.
The Ukrainian Air Force recorded a total of 729 aerial attack assets, comprising 73 missiles and 656 drones. The breakdown of the missile types included:
- 8 anti-ship missiles 3M22 Zircon;
- 33 ballistic missiles Iskander-M;
- 27 cruise missiles Kh-101;
- 5 cruise missiles Kalibr;
- 656 combat drones of various types, including Shahed, Gerbera, Italmas, loitering munitions Bandero, and imitation drones Parody.
As of 8:30 AM, preliminary data indicated that Ukrainian air defense had downed or suppressed 642 targets, comprising 40 missiles and 602 drones of various types. This included 11 Iskander-M ballistic missiles, 26 Kh-101 cruise missiles, and 3 Kalibr cruise missiles, in addition to the drones.
The Ukrainian Air Force also reported that the attack resulted in impacts from 30 ballistic missiles, 3 cruise missiles, and 33 combat drones across 38 locations, with debris from drones falling in fifteen areas. The aerial assault from Russian forces is ongoing, with several drones still active in Ukrainian airspace.
A recent Russian aerial assault on Ukraine involved the launch of numerous drones and missiles, with Ukrainian air defense successfully intercepting the majority of these threats. The attack targeted several key cities, highlighting the ongoing conflict between the two nations.