Overview
- On Sunday, May 24, 2026, Russia launched a large airborne assault on Ukraine that Kyiv says included about 600 drones and 90 missiles and that struck Kyiv and other regions.
- The Russian Ministry of Defence confirmed it fired the hypersonic Oreshnik and other long‑range missiles, saying the targets were military command sites, air bases and defence industry facilities.
- Ukrainian air defenses reported hundreds of interceptions, saying roughly 549 drones and 55 missiles were shot down while some projectiles hit residential areas, schools and public infrastructure causing civilian deaths and many injuries.
- Moscow framed the strike as reprisal for an attack on a student residence in Russian‑occupied Starobilsk that pro‑Russian authorities say killed dozens, a claim Kyiv denies and says it targeted a Russian military drone unit.
- Western leaders and the UN condemned the violence, and Ukrainian officials renewed urgent appeals for more air‑defense interceptors and political pressure on Russia because the assault underlines limits in Ukraine’s ability to stop high‑speed and mass saturation strikes.