Major Russian missile and drone attacks on Ukraine kill several, wound dozens

A barrage of Russian missile and drone strikes killed at least nine people and wounded dozens across Ukraine, authorities said on Tuesday, just days after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that Moscow was preparing a "massive new strike". Moscow has bombarded Ukraine almost daily since launching an offensive in 2022, often provoking retaliation from Kyiv, as talks to end Europe's deadliest conflict since World War II remain stalled. AFP journalists heard several explosions in the Ukrainian capital, where local authorities said Russia struck with ballistic missiles, setting off fires, cutting power in several districts and trapping people in damaged buildings. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said four people were killed and at least 58, including two children, were wounded in the "mass enemy attack." "Explosions in the city. Air defense forces are working! Stay in shelters!" Klitschko had warned earlier. Photo shows an explosion during drone and missile attacks on Kyiv on June 2, 2026, amid the Russian invasion in Ukraine. Eugene KOTENKO / AFP via Getty Images Residents rushed to shelters clutching bags and blankets, AFP journalists observed, as a large plume of smoke emanated from Kyiv's city center. "The enemy is striking with ballistic missiles," said Tymur Tkachenko, the head of Kyiv's City Military Administration. "We couldn't understand what was happening - some kind of apocalypse?" the Reuters news service quoted Olha Mudra as saying at the site of one strike. …