Destruction in Ukraine’s capital Kyiv from Russian missile and drone strikes, May 24, 2026
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UPDATE 0745 GMT:
Russia’s overnight assault was carried out as Ukrainian boxer Oleksandr Usyk was defending his world heavyweight title in Egypt.
Oleksandr Usyk says his family is texting him from Ukraine that they are currently under Russian bombing pic.twitter.com/VTmhaVz6QX
— Volodymyr Tretyak (@VolodyaTretyak) May 23, 2026
UPDATE 0708 GMT:
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky’s office and the Ukrainian Air Force have confirmed, to Christopher Miller of the Financial Times, that Russia launched an Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile overnight.
The Oreshnik, capable of carrying multiple conventional or nuclear warheads, has been used on two previous occasions by the Kremlin.
ORIGINAL ENTRY: At least one civilian has been murdered and 24 injured by Russia’s missile and drone strikes on and near Ukraine’s capital Kyiv overnight.
Monitoring groups reported that more than 50 Russian missiles and upwards of 700 drones were launched towards Ukraine, almost entirely targeting Kyiv. The assault began around 1 a.m. with several waves between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m.
The fatality and 21 of those wounded were in the city. Three other people were injured in the surrounding region.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said every district of the capital has reported damage. At least seven multi-story residential buildings were struck, with the “structural collapse” of the first through the fifth floors of a block in the Shevchenkivskyi district. A supermarket and shopping center, office center, dormitory, service station, garage, parked vehicles, multiple warehouses, and several homes were damaged.
Ihor Smelyansky, the CEO of Ukraine’s national postal service Ukrposhta, said the agency’s headquarters in Independence Square was hit.
Apocalyptic scenes. Kyiv suffered one of its greatest attacks this night
Russia completely destroyed a business center and a market near Lukianivska metro. Including the cafe that reopened six times after Russian strikes.
RFE/RL pic.twitter.com/3hhErC3LMI
— Euromaidan Press (@EuromaidanPress) May 24, 2026
Damage to residential buildings and infrastructure was also reported in the communities of Fastiv, Bucha, Brovary, Bila Tserkva, Vyshhorod, and Boryspil.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky warned hours earlier that Russia was preparing an assault across the country, including for the possible use of its Oreshnik medium-range missile.
If Russia is allowed to destroy lives on such a scale, then no agreement will restrain other similar hatred-based regimes from aggression and strikes. We count on a response from the world.
Our intelligence services reported receiving data, including from American and European partners, about Russia preparing a strike with the Oreshnik missile. We are verifying this information.
We are seeing signs of preparation for a combined strike on Ukrainian territory,…
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) May 23, 2026