On the night of June 1, Russia carried out a massive strike on Ukraine. Tu-95MS bombers launched cruise missiles, there were also missile launches (presumably “Caliber”) from the sea, and all night long “Shahed” drones attacked rear areas. For the first time in a year, missiles reached Transcarpathia, and Lviv and Stryi were under attack.
The target of the attack was energy infrastructure, Energy Minister Herman Galushchenko said. According to him, destruction of facilities was recorded in Zaporizhia, Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Kirovohrad, and Ivano-Frankivsk regions.
Poland scrambled F-16 fighters due to threat of attack.
After 3:30 a.m., missiles from Tu-95MS entered Ukrainian airspace in several waves and headed towards Kyiv and the central part of the country. Calibres from the south also headed towards the center and west.
Part of the "Shahedi" that reached western Ukraine at this time reached the Lviv and Ivano-Frankivsk regions and headed through the Carpathians to Transcarpathia, the Air Force and the head of the Lviv region reported.
Some “Shaheeds” tried to attack Stryi, where important gas facilities are located.
Most of the missiles, according to the Air Force, headed west from central Ukraine.
Authorities in a number of regions reported air defense operations, and explosions were heard in Lviv. In Vinnytsia region, a fire broke out at a critical infrastructure facility due to debris from a downed drone, the regional head said.
Later, the Air Force reported that the missiles reached the Lviv region, some of them flew into Transcarpathia and were headed for Mukachevo. The military also announced a missile attack on Stryi.
In the morning, the missiles reached Ivano-Frankivsk, the Air Force reported, and then headed for Burshtyn.
Some missiles threatened the suburbs of Lviv. The head of the region, Maksym Kozytsky, reported the danger to Pustomyty. The sounds of explosions could be heard as the missiles passed near the city.
At 4:45, the Air Force and the head of the Lviv region reported a threat to Lviv itself - a whole group of missiles were headed there, but they also turned towards Stryi.
After 5:25 a.m., the air raid alert was lifted almost throughout Ukraine. But in the Lviv region, the danger continued until 6:10 a.m.
“It was very long and difficult. The Air Force is the best,” wrote Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi.
During Russia's last two massive strikes on Ukraine, the main target was not only energy facilities, but also Starokostyantyniv in Khmelnytskyi Oblast, where a strategic military airfield is located. Experts suggest that this is related to preparations for the arrival of F-16 fighter jets in Ukraine.
The main target of almost all of Russia’s spring strikes on Ukraine’s rear areas has remained energy infrastructure. Moscow is trying to destroy the country’s energy system by attacking thermal and hydroelectric power plants. As a result, Ukraine has already experienced significant power supply problems, and power outages have been imposed across the country for several weeks. Such outages could last into the winter.
