Russia launched one of the largest aerial bombardments of the entire war against Ukraine overnight on May 24, firing 600 drones and 90 missiles at Kyiv and surrounding areas. The assault killed at least 4 people and injured more than 83, with damage recorded in every district of the capital. Among the weapons deployed: the Oreshnik, Russia's nuclear-capable hypersonic ballistic missile, used here for only the third time since the full-scale invasion began.
View on X: Zelenskyy's official statement on the attack — @ZelenskyyUa
A City Under Fire From All Directions
Ukraine's Air Force confirmed the numbers: 600 strike drones and 90 missiles in a single overnight barrage. Air defenses intercepted 549 drones and 55 missiles, but what got through was enough. Mayor Vitali Klitschko confirmed damage in every district of Kyiv. A water supply facility was struck by three missiles. Schools and apartment buildings burned. A market was destroyed.
The Oreshnik hit Bila Tserkva, a city of 200,000 people about 50 miles south of Kyiv. It was the third use of the weapon in this war: Russia first deployed the Oreshnik in Dnipro in November 2024, then in the Lviv region earlier in 2026. The missile travels at hypersonic speed and can carry both conventional and nuclear warheads. Ukraine has no air defense system designed to stop it.
Zelenskyy: "Severe" and Must Not Go Unpunished
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had warned Ukrainians hours before the assault, citing intelligence from American and European partners indicating Russia was preparing an Oreshnik strike. When the barrage came, he described it plainly: "The attack was severe."
"Putin launched his Oreshnik against Bila Tserkva. They really are unhinged. It's important that this doesn't go unpunished for Russia. Today, everyone in the world who doesn't stay silent and who helps Ukraine is a defender of life." — President Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Zelenskyy added a pointed observation about Putin: "He can't even pronounce the word 'hurrah' clearly anymore, slurs and mumbles, yet he is still vanquishing residential buildings with his missiles."
Europe Condemns, the Questions Remain
European leaders called the Oreshnik strike "reckless escalation." That framing has grown familiar across four years of full-scale war. Russia deployed the Oreshnik for the first time in Dnipro in November 2024. It reached the Lviv region in early 2026. Now it has struck the Kyiv region in the middle of the most massive single-night aerial assault the capital has faced.
The Oreshnik's hypersonic speed makes interception nearly impossible. The casualty toll from overnight was still rising by Sunday morning. Zelenskyy called for consequences. Whether the United States and European governments respond with anything beyond condemnation is the question Ukraine is waiting to have answered.
Sources
- Kyiv Independent: 'Damage in Every District of Kyiv' — Massive Russian Ballistic Missile, Drone Attack
- United24 Media: Russia Fires Ballistic Nuclear-Capable Oreshnik Missile in Massive Attack Against Ukraine
- NPR: Russia Pounds Kyiv in Powerful Drone and Missile Attack
- NBC News: Russia Uses Hypersonic Oreshnik Missile in Mass Attack on Kyiv
- Euronews: 'Reckless Escalation' — Europe Condemns Russia's Use of Oreshnik Missile
- Ukrainska Pravda: Zelenskyy on Russia's Overnight Attack on Ukraine
Independent. Unfiltered. Unbought.
This is independent, sourced accountability reporting by Impeach 47. No corporate owners, no paywall.
Get new posts delivered free by email: impeachh47.substack.com.
Follow on X: @Impeach_47.
Follow on Threads: @impeach.47.
Follow on Instagram: @impeach.47.
Subscribe on YouTube: @impeach_47.
If this reporting is useful, the way you support us is simple: wear the movement. Every hat, shirt, and sticker from impeach47.earth is a walking billboard and the thing that keeps this research fed.
