Russia launches massive drone, missile Attack on Kyiv

Russia has launched a large-scale coordinated drone and missile attack on Ukraine’s capital Kyiv in the earl hours of Sunday (May 24), shaking the city with multiple explosions shortly after warnings of a possible major strike were issued by Ukrainian and US authorities.

According to Ukraine’s Air Force, the assault began with Russia firing medium-range Oreshnik ballistic missiles toward the capital. Kyiv’s military administrator Tymur Tkachenko said the city had come under a “massive missile attack” and urged residents to immediately move to shelters.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko confirmed that several districts across the capital were hit during the assault, with reports of damage and casualties emerging from different parts of the city. Emergency teams were deployed as air defense systems attempted to intercept incoming missiles and drones throughout the night.

The latest attack is being widely viewed as a retaliatory response by Moscow following a Ukrainian drone strike a day earlier in Starobilsk, located in the Russian-occupied Luhansk region. Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly described that incident as a “terrorist attack” and ordered a strong response.

According to Russian state news agency TASS, at least 18 children were killed in the Starobilsk attack after a college building was struck, while several others are feared trapped beneath the rubble.