On 3 June mining, Russia continued deadly attacks on Ukrainian territory, striking central Sumy city with a long-range rocket system, equipped with cluster warheads, and launching a Kinzhal aeroballistic missile that landed outside Mykolaiv, according to local authorities and airspace monitoring sources. The Sumy attack killed at least two civilians.

Sumy: Russian cluster rocket attack kills civilians, injures children

At approximately 09:18, multiple explosions were reported in central Sumy. According to the Sumy Oblast Military Administration, Russian forces struck one of the city’s main streets, damaging vehicles.

Two civilian men were confirmed dead, and seven others injured, including children. Rescue services responded at the scene. The Sumy Oblast Prosecutor’s Office reported to public broadcaster Suspilne:

“As of 10:00, two civilians are confirmed dead and seven injured, including four children.”

Sumy City Military Administration head Serhii Kryvosheenko added that many of the wounded were being transported to medical facilities.

Ukrainian airspace monitoring Telegram channel YeRadar reported at 10:30 that Russian forces used the Tornado-S multiple launch rocket system with a cluster warhead in the attack. According to the monitoring post, “There were four impacts within the city,” at the time.

The Tornado-S is a modernized version of the Smerch (9K58), with improved accuracy and a range of up to 200 km when equipped with newer rockets. The combination with cluster munitions increases its lethality against exposed personnel, vehicles, and infrastructure.

Update

The Sumy Oblast Military Administration reported that nearly 20 people were injured in the Russian attack on Sumy, with a 17-year-old among the wounded and some victims in critical condition.

“Unfortunately, two people were killed. Our condolences go out to their families,” the administration stated.

According to preliminary data, five impacts from long-range MLRS were recorded in the city center around 09:00. The strikes damaged a medical facility, vehicles, and residential buildings, with one of the hits occurring on Remisnycha Street.

A resident told Suspilne that he had gone out to the store when his apartment was struck:

“If I had been home, I would have died.”

A day of mourning has been declared for 4 June in the Sumy community, acting city head Artem Kobzar confirmed.

Deputy director Mykola Savchenko of the regional hospital told Suspilne that 20 wounded had been admitted, five of whom were in extremely serious condition. One 40-year-old woman died in surgery. He also shared a photo of the MLRS fragments recovered from the Remisnycha Street apartment.

In another part of the city, a woman was wounded by shrapnel at the entrance to a pharmacy on Shevchenko Avenue.

Pharmacist Ruslan told Suspilne:

“The woman was in critical condition. We pulled her into the pharmacy and did everything we could. It was a severe abdominal injury. Later, we helped paramedics carry her to the ambulance. Fortunately, all our staff are safe.”

Mykolaiv: Kinzhal missile tracked from Russian MiG-31K

Ukrainian airspace monitoring channel Nikolaevsky Vanyok, linked to the military, reported at 09:51 that MiG-31K jets took off from Akhtubinsk. At 10:02, the channel stated:

“For the first time during the war, a Kinzhal has struck near us (outside the city).” 

At 10:41, the same source reported: “All is OK.”

YeRadar detailed the event further, confirming the launch from the Kamyshin area in Russia’s Volgograd Oblast and noting a projected trajectory of approximately 1,200 km westward toward central or right-bank Ukraine. The missile, an Kh-47M2 Kinzhal, is capable of maneuvering mid-flight, deviating from typical ballistic paths. It can adjust altitude and direction at hypersonic speeds due to its aerodynamic surfaces, complicating interception efforts.

The channel observed the missile traveling at approximately 7,200 km/h over the northwestern outskirts of Kyiv, heading south. It later received information about a probable impact on the outskirts of Mykolaiv. Due to the Kinzhal’s ability to adjust its path in real time, YeRadar noted it would not attempt to chart the exact route. 

Update

Monitoring channel Raketa UA noted that the Russian MiG-31K fighter jet carried out its first-ever combat sortie from the Akhtubinsk airbase on the day of the strike. Previously, such launches had only been conducted from Savasleyka airbase.

“Russia is again changing its tactics,” the channel stated, adding that this new development would make it even harder to predict potential Kinzhal launches.

Ukrainian drones struck Russian airfields, prompting international airlines to reconsider continuing operations in Russia.

The world’s largest long-haul carrier, Emirates, says it plans to review its flights to Russia. This decision comes amid Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian soil, which have caused flight cancellations and route changes, according to company president Tim Clark, Bloomberg reports. 

He adds that the airline does not currently plan to reduce the number of flights but will monitor the situation closely.

“This latest event was a little more worrying. As things get a little bit more acute, if I can use that word, we’ll be reviewing all of this,” Clark notes. 

Clark also reveals that Emirates has developed “ironclad” contingency plans, including carrying enough fuel for pilots to exit Russian airspace or avoid landing near Moscow if necessary.

Emirates and Turkish low-cost carrier Pegasus remain among the few foreign airlines still flying to Russia, while others abandoned this market after 24 February 2022.

Earlier, Oleh Katkov, editor-in-chief of Defense Express, said that Russia has no way to replace the aircraft it lost in the Operation Web. Among the lost jets, the Tu-160 supersonic missile carriers, developed during the Soviet era, are especially valuable.

Russia cannot produce new Tu-160s or Tu-95s — only repair Soviet-era ones, says expert after Ukraine’s historic Spiderweb operation

He noted that Russia has only about 18 of them left, and not a single one was built from scratch after the Soviet Union collapsed.