What did 1 June 2024 show about the air war?

What did the air war look like on 1 June 2024? Russia launched missile and drone strikes across Ukraine, injuring at least four people and damaging critical infrastructure, including energy facilities. Ukraine said it shot down 35 of 53 missiles and 46 of 47 drones.

The figures point to a gap in interception. By Ukraine's own count, almost all the drones were downed, while a considerable share of the missiles, 18 of 53, was not. Energy facilities were among the sites damaged.

A fortnight of escalation

The strikes followed a tense final stretch of May. On 31 May 2024, Russian missiles hit civilian infrastructure in Kharkiv, killing at least three people and injuring 16 others.

The same day, Ukraine launched missile and drone strikes across Krasnodar Krai in Russia, injuring two people and damaging several oil refineries. Both sides were therefore targeting the other's energy and economic infrastructure.

Loosened restrictions

On 30 May 2024, the United States gave Ukraine permission to strike Russian territory near Kharkiv Oblast with U.S.-supplied weapons, though not with long-range missiles. That same day, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said Denmark had approved Ukrainian airstrikes on Russian territory using Danish-supplied F-16 jets.

Taken together, these decisions widened the range of targets Ukraine could hit with Western-supplied equipment, while the US kept a clear limit on long-range missiles.

One point of contact

Amid the strikes, there was a rare sign of cooperation. On 31 May 2024, Ukraine and Russia announced their first exchange of prisoners of war in nearly four months. 150 people were freed after negotiations mediated by the United Arab Emirates.

The picture on 1 June 2024 was thus mixed: continuing attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure, partial easing of Western limits on Ukrainian strikes, and a limited humanitarian exchange that had been agreed a day earlier.