Russian strikes hit Kyiv, apartment building collapses, people feared trapped

The first explosions in Kyiv came around 1:30 a.m., before the air-raid alert even sounded, and a second wave followed about 2:15 a.m., a sequence that made this attack stand out as more than another overnight barrage. By striking so early and hitting a 24-storey apartment building hard enough to bring part of it down, Russia appeared to be pressing on both civilian nerves and the city’s ability to respond in time.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said a suspected missile strike caused the collapse and that people might be trapped under the rubble. At least four people were injured, and the attack left heavy damage on the building, turning a residential block into a rescue site before dawn. The use of ballistic missiles, reported during the assault, added to the pressure on Ukraine’s air defenses, which had only minutes to react as the city was being hit.

The practical impact reached beyond the damaged apartment block. The Kyiv Independent reported power outages in several Kyiv neighborhoods during the attack, underscoring how these strikes can disrupt not only homes but also the systems that keep a capital functioning during repeated bombardment. When missiles hit with little warning and knock out electricity at the same time, the burden falls on residents, first responders and air-defense crews all at once.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy had warned on June 1 that intelligence alerts about a possible massive Russian strike remained in effect and urged people to pay close attention to air-raid warnings. That warning proved grimly relevant as Kyiv absorbed another attack after weeks of repeated bombardment. On May 24, Ukrainian sources said Russia launched 90 missiles and 600 drones in one of the largest aerial attacks of 2026. Earlier in May, another major strike on Kyiv killed at least 24 people, including a child.

Taken together, the pattern suggests Moscow is not just sustaining pressure on Kyiv but refining how that pressure is applied: faster, more disruptive and harder to outrun. The latest strike hit a city already living under a warning regime, where a few minutes, or the lack of them, can determine whether families reach shelter or are left in the path of collapsing concrete.