The real face of Russia is the deliberate and ruthless terror against the peaceful population of Ukraine: June 2 – at least 17 civilians killed, over 100 people injured.

On the night of June 2, 2026, Russia launched a massive combined missile and drone strike on Ukraine. Kyiv, Kyiv region, Dnipro and Dnipropetrovsk region, Kharkiv and Kharkiv region, Zaporizhzhia, Sumy, Chernihiv region, Poltava region, Khmelnytsky region, Odesa region, Mykolaiv region, as well as energy and critical infrastructure facilities in several regions of the country were under attack.

According to updated data, the number of victims of the Russian army’s strikes on Ukrainian cities continues to grow: at the time of writing, it is known of at least 17 dead, over 100 people were injured. In Kyiv, the number of dead increased to 5 people. In Dnipro, a search and rescue operation continues at the site of a destroyed four-story apartment building.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reported that the fate of six people in Dnipro is still unknown. Part of the house, he said, was almost demolished. Nine people died, including a child.

While Kremlin officials try to manipulate the topic of ‘peace talks’ on the international stage, the actions of the Russian army demonstrate the real face of Russia — it is a deliberate and ruthless terror against the peaceful population of Ukraine.

Night of June 2: 729 air targets and a strike on civilian Ukraine

According to the Ukrainian Air Force, Russia used 729 air attack means: 73 missiles of various types and 656 drones. Among them were Iskander-M ballistic missiles, Kh-101 and Kalibr cruise missiles, Zircon anti-ship missiles, Shahed strike drones, Gerbera, Italmas, Banderol loitering munitions, and Parody decoy drones.

Ukrainian air defense destroyed or suppressed 642 air targets: 40 missiles and 602 drones. In particular, Iskander-M, Kh-101, Kalibr missiles, and hundreds of drones of various types were shot down.

But some missiles and drones reached their targets. Hits were recorded at dozens of locations, as well as debris falling on civilian objects.

The main meaning of this attack was obvious by the morning: Russia was again hitting not only military infrastructure. Residential buildings, hospitals, clinics, maternity wards, enterprises, energy facilities, cars, warehouses, educational buildings, administrative objects, gas stations, fire stations, and ordinary city neighborhoods were hit.

This is not a ‘targeting error’ or a side effect of war. This is a terrorist tactic of a state that tries to break people with fear, night explosions, destroyed homes, and a constant sense of danger.

Kyiv: five dead, children among the injured, damage in eight districts

The main strike hit Kyiv. Rescuers worked almost all night in all districts of the capital — at dozens of locations. The consequences of the attack were recorded in Podilskyi, Shevchenkivskyi, Obolonskyi, Sviatoshynskyi, Solomianskyi, Holosiivskyi, Pecherskyi, and Darnytskyi districts.

In Kyiv, 5 people died. More than 60 residents were injured. Among the victims were children aged 3, 11, and 17.

In the Podilskyi district, after a repeated missile strike on a residential high-rise, the building’s structures partially collapsed. According to preliminary information, people could remain under the rubble. Fires also broke out in the non-residential development area, and cars and warehouse premises were damaged.

In the Holosiivskyi district, the clinic was seriously damaged: the second and third floors of the building were destroyed. A business center was also damaged, cars caught fire, and new fire outbreaks appeared.

In the Shevchenkivskyi district, debris damaged a 24-story residential building, where a fire started on the fourth and fifth floors. Non-residential buildings also burned, and one of the nine-story buildings sustained facade and roof damage.

In the Solomianskyi district, debris hit the upper floors of a 15-story residential building. In addition, a high-rise caught fire at the level of the seventh-eighth floors, as well as several private houses.

In the Sviatoshynskyi district, fires broke out in a five-story residential building and in the non-residential development area. In the Obolonskyi district, debris fell near two kindergartens and caused a fire on the territory of an unfinished building. In the Darnytskyi district, after the fall of UAV debris, a gas station caught fire.

Municipal facilities, an academy, utility structures, a car dealership, and the territory of the Ministry of Internal Affairs service center 8041 were also affected. People with appointments had to receive services at other service centers in Kyiv.

Kyiv region: houses, warehouses, terminal, cars, and fires

The Kyiv region was also under attack. Due to hits and debris falls, fires broke out in the residential sector and on civilian infrastructure facilities.

In the Bucha district, rescuers extinguished a fire in a townhouse with an area of about 100 square meters. Cars were damaged on the territory of a logistics facility.

In Sofiivska Borshchahivka, a two-story warehouse building caught fire. The fire covered an area of about 500 square meters, but the fire was extinguished. Debris also damaged private residential houses.

In Kryukivshchyna, a fire broke out in a three-story building that was not in use. In the Fastiv district, private residential houses burned after the attack. In the Vyshhorod district, the fall of drone debris caused grass to catch fire in an open area.

In Kyiv region, damage to a postal terminal and cars was also reported. This shows that the Russian strike covered not only the capital but also the civilian infrastructure around it.

Dnipro, Dnipropetrovsk region, Kharkiv, and Zaporizhzhia: destroyed houses, a dead child, and strikes on enterprises

In Dnipro, the Russian attack led to the partial destruction of apartment buildings. An enterprise, a fire station, garages were damaged, and cars were destroyed.

According to Ukrainian authorities, nine people died in the city, including a child. Dozens more residents were injured. Zelensky separately reported that the fate of six people remains unknown, and the search and rescue operation will continue as long as necessary.

At the site of the destroyed four-story apartment building, rescuers continue to clear the rubble. Part of the building was effectively demolished by the strike.

Among the dead was a State Emergency Service rescuer, Major Anton Yarmolenko, deputy head of the fire and rescue unit. He was on his way to a call at the moment of the Russian strike.

This detail is especially important. Russia kills not only residents but also those who are supposed to save people after shelling.

Dnipropetrovsk region: Kamianske, Nikopol region, Synelnykove region, and Kryvyi Rih

In Kamianske, an administrative building and apartment buildings were damaged. Three people were injured, including a rescuer. The injured were hospitalized, and their condition was assessed as moderate.

In the Nikopol region, the district center, as well as the Chervonohryhorivska, Pokrovska, and Marhanetska communities were under attack. Private and apartment buildings were damaged.

In the Synelnykove region, Russian troops attacked the Vasylkivska community. As a result of the strike, a non-operational building caught fire.

In Kryvyi Rih, the strike hit the Apostolivska community, where a fire broke out. This shows that Russian terror is not limited to regional centers: smaller towns, communities, and residential areas remain under attack.

Kharkiv and Kharkiv region: drones, missiles, energy, and residential neighborhoods

Kharkiv experienced a combined attack by drones and missiles. The city was hit by strike drones and missiles. Hits were recorded in the Osnovianskyi, Slobidskyi, Nemyshlianskyi, and Kyivskyi districts.

In the Osnovianskyi district, private residential houses, administrative buildings, the territory of a preschool institution, and civilian infrastructure facilities were damaged. In the Slobidskyi district, an apartment building, cars, and a street lighting network were affected.

In the Nemyshlianskyi district, the strike damaged an office building, where a fire broke out. In the Kyivskyi district, hits were recorded on the territory of industrial enterprises.

The Kharkiv region was also hit. People were injured, including a child. The Barvinkivska, Donetska, Merefianska, and Vysokhanivska communities were under attack. Residential houses, utility buildings, garages, cars, and other civilian objects burned.

Separately, Zelensky reported strikes on energy facilities in the Kharkiv region and critical infrastructure in Kharkiv. This is an important element of Russian tactics: hitting not only people directly but also the systems that support the city’s life.

Zaporizhzhia: dozens of strikes and damaged high-rises

Zaporizhzhia also underwent a massive attack at night using various types of weapons. Dozens of strikes were recorded, including on one of the city’s industrial facilities.

In the Shevchenkivskyi district, four apartment buildings were damaged. Windows were broken in the apartments, and balconies were damaged.

Specialized services worked on-site, inspecting the territory, documenting the consequences of the shelling, and helping temporarily cover broken windows with OSB boards.

For Zaporizhzhia, this is not a single episode but a continuation of life under constant threat: explosions, damaged houses, emergency work, night alarms, and anticipation of the next strike.

Sumy, Chernihiv region, Poltava region, Khmelnytsky region, Odesa, and Mykolaiv region: geography of Russian terror

Sumy experienced night strikes on the residential sector and infrastructure facilities. Drone hits were recorded on a private house and an apartment building in the Zarichnyi district.

An elderly woman had an acute stress reaction, and she received medical assistance. In the morning, Russian troops also shelled Sumy with artillery. Roofs, windows, and balcony structures of two high-rise buildings were damaged.

Two women and a man who were nearby at the time of the shelling were injured. All were hospitalized, and their condition was assessed as moderate.

NANews — Israel News | Nikk.Agency draws attention to this geography of strikes specifically for the Israeli audience: it is not about one point on the map but a systematic attack on the country’s civilian space. Israelis are well acquainted with the logic of missile pressure, where the enemy tries to hit not only infrastructure but also the sense of security in society.

Chernihiv region: injured teenager, houses, lyceum, and warehouses

In the Chernihiv region, a 15-year-old teenager was injured as a result of a Russian attack. Residential houses, a lyceum, and warehouse premises burned in the region.

In the Horodnia community, a Russian drone hit a residential house, causing a fire. In Chernihiv, a fire also broke out due to the fall of an enemy drone on a residential house.

In the Koriukivka and Novhorod-Siverskyi districts, after Russian strikes, lyceum premises and warehouse buildings caught fire. The fires were extinguished, but the picture again shows: not abstract objects are under attack, but places associated with people’s daily lives.

Poltava region: private enterprise, houses, and an injured person

The Poltava region experienced a combined strike. Drone and missile hits were recorded in the Lubny district.

Premises of a private enterprise were affected. At another location, a missile fell near private houses, damaging residential buildings and utility structures.

One person was injured. His condition was assessed as satisfactory, and he received the necessary medical assistance.

Khmelnytsky region: shot down drones, fire, and damaged enterprises

The Khmelnytsky region was also in the attack zone. A fire broke out at one of the facilities in the Khmelnytsky district.

Air defense forces shot down or suppressed nine drones in the region. As a result of the attack, premises on the territory of enterprises were damaged.

Units of the State Emergency Service were involved in eliminating the consequences of the shelling and extinguishing fires. Information about the dead or injured in the region was not received at the time of the reports.

Odesa region: strike on a hospital and maternity ward

In the Odesa region, Russian strikes hit a hospital and a maternity ward. At the time of the attack, mothers with newborns were there.

According to preliminary data, people were not injured. But the very fact of a strike on such infrastructure shows the level of moral decline of the Russian military machine.

A hospital and a maternity ward are not military targets. These are places where life should be saved, not where infants should be hidden from explosions.

Mykolaiv region: Shahed, critical infrastructure, and a damaged house

The Mykolaiv region was attacked by Shahed-type drones by Russia. Critical infrastructure was under attack.

As a result of air defense work and debris falls in the Mykolaiv district, windows and the roof of a private house were damaged. There were no casualties.

Even where casualties are avoided, the attack leaves behind destruction, stress, and another confirmation: the Russian army deliberately pressures civilian life.

Power outages and strikes on energy

Due to strikes on energy infrastructure, some consumers in Kyiv and several regions temporarily lost power. Outages were recorded in the capital, as well as in the Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Sumy, Kharkiv, and Cherkasy regions.

In Kyiv, a production site and infrastructure facilities of one of the energy enterprises were damaged. Two energy sector workers were injured and hospitalized.

Energy workers worked in an enhanced mode to restore power supply as quickly as possible. Separately, strikes on oil and gas industry facilities were reported. Rescue and operational services worked on-site.

Why this is important for Israel and international security

For the Israeli audience, this attack does not look like distant news ‘somewhere in Europe.’ Israel knows well what air raids, missile strikes, night shelling, air defense work, overloaded hospitals, and the psychological fatigue of the civilian population are.

The difference in scale and geography does not negate the general logic: when a state deliberately hits cities, it tests not only military defense but also the resilience of society.

That is why Zelensky’s words after this night sounded not only as an appeal to Ukrainians. He stated that if Ukraine is not protected from ballistic and other missile strikes, such attacks will continue. According to him, Europe needs its own anti-ballistic defense, and US assistance in supplying missiles for Patriot systems remains critically important.

For Israel, this is understandable language. Without layered air defense, constant replenishment of interceptor missiles, modernization of detection systems, and international support, even a strong defense system quickly comes under pressure if the enemy launches hundreds of targets simultaneously.

The Ukrainian night of June 2 is not only a Ukrainian tragedy. It is a signal for the entire democratic world: missiles, drones, and strikes on cities become a tool of pressure on civilian societies if the aggressor does not receive a tough response.

Not negotiations, but coercion through terror

On the international stage, the Kremlin continues to talk about ‘peace negotiations,’ conditions, and diplomacy. But the night of June 2 showed the real content of this rhetoric.

Russia acts as a terrorist state. It uses missiles, drones, night strikes, and the destruction of civilian infrastructure as a tool of pressure on Ukraine and its partners.

This attack became yet another proof: Russia does not show readiness to end the war. It shows readiness to kill, destroy, and force Ukraine to concessions through terror against the peaceful population.

The main conclusion: Ukraine needs strong defense, not the illusion of peace

After such strikes, it is especially clear that Ukraine’s security cannot rely solely on statements, diplomatic formats, and calls for a ceasefire.

Missiles for Patriot are needed. Additional air defense systems are needed. Defense production, engineers, mathematicians, specialists in drones, electronic warfare, energy protection, and city restoration after strikes are needed.

Ukraine needs an army that can not only hold the front but also protect the sky over Kyiv, Dnipro, Kharkiv, Odesa, Sumy, Zaporizhzhia, Chernihiv, Poltava, Khmelnytskyi, Mykolaiv, and other cities.

And internal resilience is needed — civic cohesion, without which even the strongest defense cannot withstand a long war. Zelensky separately thanked Ukrainians for not ignoring air raid signals. This is a simple phrase, but behind it lies life: shelter, discipline, attention to warnings, and mutual assistance truly save people.

The night of June 2 was another reminder: Russia will not stop from requests. It stops only where it meets strength, defense, technological superiority, and societal unity.

The path to ending this war lies not through beautiful formulas about ‘peace at any cost,’ but through Ukraine’s ability to survive, protect cities, strengthen the army, and deprive the aggressor of the opportunity to strike people with impunity.