Firefighters extinguish a fire on a house hit by artillery shells in Russia's Belgorod region.
According to Reuters on June 4, Vyacheslav Gladkov, the governor of Belgorod province in Russia, which borders Ukraine, accused Ukrainian forces of continuing shelling throughout the previous night, forcing many people to evacuate.
"Throughout the night, the shelling was almost relentless," the official wrote on Telegram, adding that the Shebekino and Volokonovsky areas in the province suffered significant damage.
Quick overview: What are the latest developments in Russia's military operation in Ukraine on day 465?
According to Gladkov, more than 4,000 people have been evacuated to temporary shelters. In late May, the Russian military said it had repelled one of the most serious cross-border attacks by a Ukrainian "sabotage group" that had infiltrated Russian territory through the Belgorod region.
On June 3, Gladkov ordered the relocation of approximately 600 children from the Shebekino and Graivoron areas to Yaroslavl and Kaluga. Shebekino, a town of about 40,000 residents near the border, and other areas in Belgorod have been attacked repeatedly recently. Gladkov stated that the region is now in a "state of real war."
Ukraine denies that its forces have infiltrated the Belgorod region, stating that they are Russian volunteer fighters.
Kyiv responds to airstrikes.
In Kyiv province, Ukrainian officials said that Russia launched an airstrike early on June 4th but was repelled. Meanwhile, an airport in central Ukraine was hit by artillery fire, but the extent of the damage is unclear.
Reuters quoted Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yuriy Ihnat as saying that four of the six Russian cruise missiles were shot down by air defenses, but the remaining two struck an airfield near the city of Kropyvnytskyi in central Ukraine.
President Zelensky said Ukraine needs 50 more Patriot air defense missile systems.
Additionally, he stated that two of the five Russian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) attacked infrastructure in the northern province of Sumy.
In the city of Dnipro in the Dnipropetrovsk province of central Ukraine, rescue workers are searching for missing people in the rubble after an airstrike hit a residential area. According to The Guardian , rescuers are having to dig by hand to find survivors.
Rescue workers search for victims in Dnipro.
SCREENSHOT FROM THE GUARDIAN
In Kharkiv province, Governor Oleh Syniehubov said that Russian forces attacked several areas on June 4, with the town of Vovchansk bearing the brunt of heavy fire, damaging an administrative building, two houses, and several other structures.
Russian tanks opened fire on the village of Huriev, damaging a cultural center, but causing no casualties. Meanwhile, Russian helicopters attacked the village of Ivashki but caused no serious damage or casualties.
The Kharkiv province in eastern Ukraine, bordering Russia, has been frequently attacked since hostilities broke out on February 24, 2022.
Russia has not commented on these reports.
Fighting continues around Bakhmut.
Ukraine is ready to counterattack.
In an exclusive interview with The Wall Street Journal on June 3, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the country was ready to launch a major counterattack.
"I think we are ready to do it today. We want certain things, but we can't wait for it for months," Zelensky said of the much-anticipated military move.
The leader was confident the counterattack would succeed, but unsure how long it would last.
"Everyone knows very well that any counterattack in the world without air control is extremely dangerous. Imagine the feeling of a soldier knowing they have no 'roof' and not understanding why their neighbors have it," he said, referring to the call for F-16 fighter jet support.
Poland will not supply F-16s to Ukraine.
In the interview, Zelensky acknowledged Russia's overwhelming air superiority, and said that without protection from the Russian air force, "a large number of Ukrainian soldiers would have been killed" in the counterattack.
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