Overnight on 30 May 2024, Russian forces launched a missile and suicide drone attack on Ukrainian military targets and critical infrastructure, using eight S-300/S-400 anti-air ballistic missiles in Kharkiv Oblast, 11 Kh-101/Kh-555 cruise missiles, and 32 Shahed-131/136 drones. Ukrainian air defenses intercepted seven cruise missiles and all 32 Shaheds, according to the country’s Air Force command.
The Air Force report says the Kh-101/Kh-555 missiles were launched from Tu-95MS strategic bombers in Russia’s Saratov region, while the Shahed drones were launched from southwestern Russia’s Primorsko-Akhtarsk and Cape Chauda in occupied Crimea. The air assault was repelled by anti-aircraft missile units of the Air Force, mobile fire groups, and electronic warfare units of Ukraine’s Defense Forces.
“As a result of the air battle, 7 Kh-101/Kh-555 cruise missiles and 32 Shahed-131/136 attack UAVs were shot down in Khmelnytskyi, Dnipropetrovsk, Cherkasy, Kirovohrad, Zaporizhzhia, Odesa, Kherson, Kyiv and Vinnytsia oblasts,” the Air Force reported.
Kharkiv Oblast under attack
Russia used ballistic missiles to hit Kharkiv Oblast, where Ukraine doesn’t have Patriot air defense systems, capable of shooting them down. Additionally, the Russians launched guided bombs from its territory across the border, exploiting Western restrictions that prohibit Ukraine from using some supplied weapons outside its own borders.
S-300 missile strikes
At approximately 2:05 a.m., Russians struck a civilian infrastructure building with an S-300 missile, also damaging residential buildings in Kharkiv City, according to local police reports.
Five Russian missiles targeted the Mala Danylivka community in Kharkiv Oblast, according to its head, Oleksandr Hololobov. He says the S-300 strikes hit infrastructure and residential areas, but people were not injured: “There were only rabbits among the dead,” he wrote. The local police say the S-300 attack at about 2:25 a.m. damaged a dormitory, horse stable, sawmill, and several residential buildings in Mala Danylivka.
In Nova Berezivka, Kharkiv Oblast, around 10:30 on 29 May, Russian forces launched S-300 missile strikes. The missiles hit an open area, and there were no casualties, according to the police.
Gliding bomb attacks
On 29 May, at around 4:15 p.m., Tsyrkuny saw Russian forces strike with guided aerial bombs, damaging an infrastructure facility without causing casualties, the police says.
Around 10:30 a.m., Russians targeted Bilyi Kolodiaz with guided bombs, damaging a private house and outbuildings.
At approximately 4:15 p.m., Ruska Lozova experienced Russian airstrikes with guided bombs, damaging private houses, a garage, and a car, and injuring an 82-year-old civilian man.
Artillery attacks
Other Russian attacks in the region targeted several other areas on 29 May. In Cherkaski Tyshky, a strike caused a fire in dry grass and damaged an outbuilding. In Vovchansk, a house and an annex were destroyed, resulting in a fire. In Hlushkivka, shelling ignited a forest belt. In Kolisnykivka, a residential building was damaged. Kurylivka was hit by a 152mm artillery strike, damaging a house and a garage. No civilian injuries were reported in these attacks by the police.
Reports from other regions
A nighttime attack in Khmelnytskyi Oblast partially cut power to one of its cities, reported regional head Serhii Tiurin. According to him, air defense forces shot down over ten Russian missiles and drones in the area, with no reported injuries or damage.
According to Suspilne, the first sounds of explosions in Khmelnytskyi City were heard at 02:38, and repeated almost an hour later. For the third time, residents of the region heard explosions at about four in the morning. Later, a series of explosions were heard in the Khmelnytskyi district. Ukraine’s Air Force noted that Russian missiles were moving towards Starokostiantyniv, where one of Ukrainian air bases is located.
Serhii Lysak, chief of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, reported that overnight, air defenders shot down seven Shahed drones over Kryvyi Rih, Synelnykove, Pavlohrad, and Dnipro districts. Falling debris damaged a detached house and a power line in the latter district.
In the evening, the Russians have shelled the Chervonohryhorivka community in Nikopol, and have been attacking the area since early morning, targeting Nikopol and the Marhanets community with kamikaze drones. The extent of the damage is being clarified, but there are no reported injuries, according to Lysak.
Cherkasy Oblast authorities reported a five-hour air raid alert due to a heightened threat of missile strikes, while air targets were spotted in the region. Air defenders destroyed one suicide drone, with no damage or injuries reported.
Zaporizhzhia Oblast Military Administration Head Ivan Fedorov says Russian targeted eight frontline settlements over the past day, carrying out 379 strikes, with 154 UAVs of various models hitting Huliaypole, Levadne, Robotyne, Mala Tokmachka, and Novoandriivka. The regional leader did not specify how many Shahed drones were among those drones, but most of those UAVs were probably first-person-view strike drones widely used by both Ukraine and Russia. Fedorov says there were six reports of residential destruction, but no civilians were injured.
In Kherson Oblast, Russian attacks from yesterday to this morning targeted multiple localities, including the regional capital, injuring six civilians, according to regional authorities. One of the Shahed drones was reportedly downed in the region.
According to the regional administration, Donetsk Oblast saw 16 Russian attacks over the past day, with artillery shelling damaging multiple buildings across the region and injuring eight civilians in Lyman.
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