Russia kills 13, injures more than 100 in overnight Ukraine attack

June 2 (UPI) -- Russia launched a massive drone-and-missile attack overnight, killing at least nine people and injuring dozens more in Dnipro, Kyiv and Kharkiv, officials said Tuesday.

Kremlin forces launched 656 drones and 73 missiles at Ukraine overnight, Ukraine's air force said in a statement. Ukrainian air defenses shot down or suppressed 40 missiles and 602 drones, it said.

The attack included "hypersonic aerial ballistic missiles," attack drones and other assets, targeting what Russia said was Ukrainian defense industries.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said the main strike targeted Kyiv, where dozens of residential buildings and what he called "purely" civilian infrastructure were damaged.

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At least four people were killed in Kyiv, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said in a statement, adding that another 58 people, including two children, were injured.

Klitschko said a repeated missile strike on a nine-story residential building in the Podilskyi district caused a partial structural collapse, with debris falling from its roof setting fire to a second building.

Fires caused by falling debris were reported throughout the city, he said.

In the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro, at least nine people were killed, Oleksandr Hanzha, head of the Dnipropetrovsk regional military administration, said in a statement on Telegram.

At least 37 were also injured, he said, as the casualty toll continued to rise.

Among the wounded was a 13-year-old girl as well as three people listed in serious condition, including a 71-year-old woman and a 22-year-old man.

Hanzha published photos online showing brick buildings demolished, playgrounds smoking and entire residential areas in ruins.

About 50 buildings were damaged in the strikes and more than 2,000 windows were shattered, he said.

In Kharkiv, 10 people, including a child, were injured in the attack, according to Mayor Ihor Terekhov.

Zelensky said energy facilities were targeted in the Kharkiv region and critical infrastructure came under attack in eight regions, including Kyiv.

The attack came as Zelensky has been calling on the international community in recent days for more air defenses and interceptor missiles -- a call he repeated Tuesday.

"If Ukraine is not protected from ballistic and other missile strikes, these attacks will continue," he said online. "Europe needs its own anti-ballistic defense so that this war can finally be brought to an end. And assistance from the United States in supplying missiles for Patriot systems is absolutely necessary."

"We are counting on the support of our partners and on effective responses to today's attack," he said.

On Monday, Zelensky marked the one-year anniversary of Operation Spiderweb, a covert drone attack deep into Russian territory that hit 41 Russian aircraft. He called it "Russia's largest and most unexpected loss in this war."

He also warned Ukrainians in his nightly address that "a massive strike may happen," stating Russia was prepared for such an attack.

"Our defenders of the sky are ready 24/7, to the extent possible with the supplies currently available," he said.

The attack came after Russia killed at least 18 civilians, including three children, the night before.