00:00Russian mass strike kills 11 as Moscow demands Ukrainian withdrawal.
00:05Kyiv, June 3rd. Russia launched one of its largest aerial assaults of the war overnight Monday,
00:12firing 73 missiles and 656 drones at Ukrainian cities, including Kyiv, Dnipro, and Kharkiv,
00:20killing at least 11 civilians and wounding more than 100 others. Ukrainian air defense forces
00:26intercepted 602 drones and 40 of the missiles, though 30 ballistic missiles, 3 cruise missiles,
00:33and 33 long-range drones struck 38 locations across the country. The attack targeted energy
00:40infrastructure, defense industry sites, and transport facilities, according to the Russian
00:45Defense Ministry, which described the operation as a response to terrorist acts by Ukrainian forces.
00:51Deadly toll across multiple cities. In Dnipro, five people were killed and 25 injured when a missile
00:58struck residential buildings, destroying apartments and collapsing a four-story structure.
01:04In Kyiv, four died and 51 were wounded, including a 24-story apartment building that partially
01:11collapsed in the Obelan district. Falling missile debris set cars ablaze and damaged a kindergarten
01:17facility. Kharkiv's Osnoviansky district suffered extensive damage as 15 drones and two missiles
01:24struck private homes, administrative buildings, and a preschool facility. Ten people were injured,
01:30including one child. Russian authorities claimed all designated targets were hit, and the objectives
01:36of the massive strike using high-precision weapons had been achieved. May's air defense record.
01:43The June 2nd attack caps a month of intense aerial warfare. Ukraine's Air Force reported that during
01:50May 2026, air defense units destroyed more than 57,000 Russian aerial targets, including two KH-47M-2
01:59Kinzhal aero-ballistic missiles, 50 KH-101 cruise missiles, 10 Iskander-M ballistic missiles,
02:0511 Kalibra cruise missiles, and over 50,000 drones of various types. Air Force aircraft conducted
02:121,089 combat sorties during the month, including more than 700 fighter air cover missions and
02:19approximately 230 strike operations supporting ground troops. Kremlin issues territorial ultimatum.
02:27Hours after the attack, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov repeated Russia's demand that Ukraine
02:33withdraw its forces from the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia, and Kherson regions, territories Moscow
02:40claims to have annexed. The war can be ended by the end of the day, Peskov told state media,
02:46adding that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy needs to give the order to his armed forces to leave the
02:51territory of the Russian regions. President Zelenskyy has repeatedly rejected such demands,
02:57stating that Ukraine will not surrender its territory. The Institute for the Study of War noted
03:02that Russia is demanding Ukrainian withdrawal despite slow battlefield progress and heavy losses.
03:08Unilateral ceasefire in May. Tensions had briefly eased earlier in May when Russia announced a
03:15unilateral ceasefire on May 8th to 9th for the 81st anniversary of Victory Day, marking the defeat
03:22of Nazi Germany in 1945. Moscow warned it would retaliate if Ukraine attempted to disrupt the celebrations.
03:29President Zelenskyy responded that Ukraine would observe the truce beginning at midnight and would
03:35respond in kind to Russia's actions. However, both sides subsequently accused each other of violating
03:42the ceasefire, with Russia reporting over 1,000 violations, including artillery and drone strikes,
03:48while Ukraine reported more than 140 attacks on its positions within the first hours of the truce.
03:54Russian losses and Ukrainian advances. Despite Russia's intensifying aerial campaign,
04:01Ukrainian forces have made gradual gains on the ground. In recent weeks, Ukraine's military has
04:07reportedly retaken several hundred square kilometers of territory from Russian forces in eastern and
04:13southern regions, including in Donetsk and Zaporizhia. Russian military commanders have repeatedly pushed
04:20back their timelines for achieving territorial objectives. Initially promised control of the
04:25entire Donetsk region by summer, Putin has now been told it may not be achieved until the end of the
04:31year. According to sources cited by RBC Ukraine, the Kremlin may be preparing a new wave of mobilization
04:38involving approximately 100,000 additional personnel, potentially for a separate offensive operation in
04:44northern Ukraine, either from Belarusian territory or from Russia's Bryansk region,
04:49President Zelensky has confirmed that Russia is considering attack scenarios against Ukraine from
04:55Belarusian territory, prompting Kiev to strengthen fortifications and border defenses in the north.
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