Russia launched its most extensive aerial assault to date overnight into June 1, deploying a record 479 airborne weapons, according to Ukraine’s Air Force.
Ukrainian air defenses responded by intercepting hundreds of targets, while several impacts were recorded across multiple regions.
In a statement posted to social media, the Air Force reported that the barrage began at approximately 7:30 p.m. on May 31. “From 19:30 on May 31, the enemy attacked with 472 strike UAVs of the Shahed type and decoy drones of various types,” the service said. Launch points included Millerovo, Shatalovo, Kursk, Orel, Bryansk, and Primorsko-Akhtarsk in Russia.
The offensive also involved three ballistic missiles, including Iskander-M and KN-23 variants, fired from Kursk and Voronezh regions, and four Kh-101 and Iskander-K cruise missiles launched from both air and ground platforms.
Ukraine’s Air Force said 385 aerial threats were neutralized by its integrated air defense network, including 210 Shahed drones and three Kh-101/Iskander-K cruise missiles. “213 were destroyed by kinetic means, while 172 were suppressed or lost due to electronic warfare,” the statement noted.
Despite the interception efforts, Ukrainian authorities reported enemy air weapons struck at least 18 locations across the country. Targeted regions included Kharkiv, Sumy, Zhytomyr, Odesa, Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk, and Zaporizhzhia.
The scale of the assault underscores a growing reliance by Russian forces on massed drone swarms combined with precision-guided missiles, challenging Ukraine’s layered defense systems. It also highlights the continuing threat posed by Iranian-supplied Shahed drones, which remain a central component of Russian long-range attacks.
Ukraine has not released casualty figures or full damage assessments related to the strikes, but the scope of the attack and the wide geographic distribution suggest substantial disruption across civilian and military infrastructure.
This latest wave follows months of ongoing aerial attacks by Russia.