'Damage in every district of Kyiv' — Massive Russian ballistic missile, drone attack kills 2, injures over 80
Russian forces launched a large-scale combined missile and drone attack overnight on May 24, targeting mainly Kyiv and the surrounding region, killing at least two and injuring over 80 others.
Ukraine's Air Force said that Russia launched 90 missiles and 600 drones, making the attack one of the largest in the last year.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported damage "in every district of the city," as missile and drone strikes hit across the capital — including central areas that tend to see fewer strikes during Russian attacks.
The National Art Museum, one of the oldest and most important museums in Ukraine, was damaged by a blast wave, according to the Culture Ministry. The collection, which ranges from classic to contemporary art, was not damaged.
The windows to the entrance of the Ukrainian House, a major cultural institution on Kyiv's central Khreshchatyk Street, were also damaged in the attack. Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said that for the first time since World War II, the Foreign Ministry building sustained damage from an attack, albeit not severely.
Civilian homes and infrastructure were also targeted in the attack.
"There were sounds… a terrifying explosion. A terrible explosion. Flames. For a brief instant — maybe a second — I lost consciousness," Yevhen, a 74-year-old pensioner, told the Kyiv Independent at one of the attack sites.
"I can't say I was scared. I wasn't scared. You see, we Kyiv residents are already used to this. Our emotions have become a little dulled."
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that Russia used its Oreshnik medium-range ballistic missile during the attack, the third time Russia has used the sophisticated weapon against Ukraine. The strike targeted Bila Tserkva, a town 50 miles south of Kyiv.
Kyiv Independent journalists on the ground reported a massive series of wall-shaking explosions in Ukraine's capital from around 1 a.m local time, and then again multiple times between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m, as Russia launched waves of ballistic and cruise missiles at the city.
"Three Russian missiles hit a water supply facility, set a market on fire, damaged dozens of residential buildings, and several ordinary schools," Zelensky said in a Telegram post on May 24.
As of 12 p.m. local time, Klitschko said 69 people in Ukraine's capital were injured, and among them 36 had been hospitalized. Two people have died.
Over 80 people across the country were injured during the attack, according to Zelensky. The casualty numbers will likely rise as emergency services continue to clear rubble throughout the day.
Damage was reported to at least seven multi-story residential buildings in the Obolonskyi, Shevchenkivskyi, Dniprovskyi, Holosiivskyi, Solomianskyi, and Pecherskyi districts of Kyiv, Klitschko said. Ukraine's State Emergency Service said that the "structural collapse" of the first through the fifth floors of a building in the Shevchenkivskyi district was seen. Several homes were also struck by Russian projectiles across the city.
Among other damage to infrastructure in Kyiv, Russian missiles and drones struck a supermarket and shopping center, office center, dormitory, service station, garage, parked vehicles, and multiple warehouses across various neighborhoods of the city.
A Kyiv Independent journalist also reported seeing a large fire near the Kontraktova Ploshcha metro station following a missile strike.
Ihor Smelyansky, the CEO of Ukrposhta — Ukraine's national postal service — said that the agency's headquarters on Kyiv's central Independence Square sustained damage in the attack.
In Kyiv Oblast, Russian projectiles struck the communities of Fastiv, Bucha, Brovary, Bila Tserkva, Vyshhorod, and Boryspil, Kalashnyk said, striking residential buildings, homes, garages, and utility buildings, and a warehouse.
Elsewhere in Ukraine, explosions were also heard in the cities of Cherkasy and Kropyvnytskyi, as well as in Khmelnytskyi Oblast amid the attack, public broadcaster Suspilne reported.
In response to the attack, Poland's Air Force said it scrambled Polish and allied fighter jets in an effort to protect Polish airspace.
The latest attack comes hours after President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that Russia was preparing a broader assault across the country, including the possible use of its Oreshnik medium-range missile against Ukraine.
"We are seeing signs of preparation for a combined strike on Ukrainian territory, including Kyiv, involving various types of weaponry. The specified intermediate-range weapons could be used in such a strike," Zelensky said, warning citizens to remain vigilant.
Russia first used an Oreshnik against Ukraine in November 2024 in a strike on the city of Dnipro. The missile was most recently used in an attack on western Lviv Oblast on Jan. 9.
The U.S. Embassy in Kyiv issued a similar warning "concerning a potentially significant air attack" that may occur over a 24-hour time period. The embassy's warning did not specify what type of weapons may be used.
Earlier in the night, Russian attacks injured civilians in southern and eastern Ukraine, including in Odesa and Kharkiv oblasts. Explosions were also heard in Kyiv as Russian drones targeted the capital, according to Tkachenko.
Ukraine's Air Force said that Russia launched 90 missiles and 600 drones, making the attack one of the largest in the last year.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported damage "in every district of the city," as missile and drone strikes hit across the capital — including central areas that tend to see fewer strikes during Russian attacks.
The National Art Museum, one of the oldest and most important museums in Ukraine, was damaged by a blast wave, according to the Culture Ministry. The collection, which ranges from classic to contemporary art, was not damaged.
The windows to the entrance of the Ukrainian House, a major cultural institution on Kyiv's central Khreshchatyk Street, were also damaged in the attack. Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said that for the first time since World War II, the Foreign Ministry building sustained damage from an attack, albeit not severely.
Civilian homes and infrastructure were also targeted in the attack.
"There were sounds… a terrifying explosion. A terrible explosion. Flames. For a brief instant — maybe a second — I lost consciousness," Yevhen, a 74-year-old pensioner, told the Kyiv Independent at one of the attack sites.
"I can't say I was scared. I wasn't scared. You see, we Kyiv residents are already used to this. Our emotions have become a little dulled."
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that Russia used its Oreshnik medium-range ballistic missile during the attack, the third time Russia has used the sophisticated weapon against Ukraine. The strike targeted Bila Tserkva, a town 50 miles south of Kyiv.
Kyiv Independent journalists on the ground reported a massive series of wall-shaking explosions in Ukraine's capital from around 1 a.m local time, and then again multiple times between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m, as Russia launched waves of ballistic and cruise missiles at the city.
"Three Russian missiles hit a water supply facility, set a market on fire, damaged dozens of residential buildings, and several ordinary schools," Zelensky said in a Telegram post on May 24.
As of 12 p.m. local time, Klitschko said 69 people in Ukraine's capital were injured, and among them 36 had been hospitalized. Two people have died.
Over 80 people across the country were injured during the attack, according to Zelensky. The casualty numbers will likely rise as emergency services continue to clear rubble throughout the day.
Damage was reported to at least seven multi-story residential buildings in the Obolonskyi, Shevchenkivskyi, Dniprovskyi, Holosiivskyi, Solomianskyi, and Pecherskyi districts of Kyiv, Klitschko said. Ukraine's State Emergency Service said that the "structural collapse" of the first through the fifth floors of a building in the Shevchenkivskyi district was seen. Several homes were also struck by Russian projectiles across the city.
Among other damage to infrastructure in Kyiv, Russian missiles and drones struck a supermarket and shopping center, office center, dormitory, service station, garage, parked vehicles, and multiple warehouses across various neighborhoods of the city.
A Kyiv Independent journalist also reported seeing a large fire near the Kontraktova Ploshcha metro station following a missile strike.
Ihor Smelyansky, the CEO of Ukrposhta — Ukraine's national postal service — said that the agency's headquarters on Kyiv's central Independence Square sustained damage in the attack.
In Kyiv Oblast, Russian projectiles struck the communities of Fastiv, Bucha, Brovary, Bila Tserkva, Vyshhorod, and Boryspil, Kalashnyk said, striking residential buildings, homes, garages, and utility buildings, and a warehouse.
Elsewhere in Ukraine, explosions were also heard in the cities of Cherkasy and Kropyvnytskyi, as well as in Khmelnytskyi Oblast amid the attack, public broadcaster Suspilne reported.
In response to the attack, Poland's Air Force said it scrambled Polish and allied fighter jets in an effort to protect Polish airspace.
The latest attack comes hours after President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that Russia was preparing a broader assault across the country, including the possible use of its Oreshnik medium-range missile against Ukraine.
"We are seeing signs of preparation for a combined strike on Ukrainian territory, including Kyiv, involving various types of weaponry. The specified intermediate-range weapons could be used in such a strike," Zelensky said, warning citizens to remain vigilant.
Russia first used an Oreshnik against Ukraine in November 2024 in a strike on the city of Dnipro. The missile was most recently used in an attack on western Lviv Oblast on Jan. 9.
The U.S. Embassy in Kyiv issued a similar warning "concerning a potentially significant air attack" that may occur over a 24-hour time period. The embassy's warning did not specify what type of weapons may be used.
Earlier in the night, Russian attacks injured civilians in southern and eastern Ukraine, including in Odesa and Kharkiv oblasts. Explosions were also heard in Kyiv as Russian drones targeted the capital, according to Tkachenko.
