Russia launches mass attack on Kyiv, Ukrainian cities for second night in row

Russia launched a major overnight missile and drone attack across Ukraine on May 24–25, killing at least 12 people, including three children, in one of the war’s deadliest assaults.

Russia launched a massive overnight assault on Kyiv and several other Ukrainian regions between May 24 and 25, killing at least a dozen people, including three children, according to local officials.

Ukraine’s Air Force reported that Russia fired 69 missiles and deployed 298 drones and drone decoys. Of those, 45 cruise missiles and 266 drones were intercepted by air defense forces. However, 22 locations across the country suffered direct hits.

The attack came just a day after one of the most intense bombardments of Kyiv since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, and coincided with Kyiv Day, a city holiday typically celebrated on the last Sunday of May. Tymur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv City Military Administration, confirmed that the capital was again under attack and urged residents to seek shelter.

"The night will be difficult. There is a risk of the enemy launching a large number of drones and missiles from strategic aircraft," Tkachenko warned as air defenses engaged targets over the city.

In Kyiv, debris from a downed drone struck a student dormitory in the Holosiivskyi district, causing a fire, according to Mayor Vitali Klitschko. Four people were injured and treated at the scene. Additional injuries were reported in the Desnianskyi and Dniprovskyi districts, where a house and other infrastructure were damaged. A business center in the Shevchenkivskyi district was also hit.

In total, 11 people in the capital were injured, ranging in age from 18 to 62, according to city officials. Outside the capital, three people in Kyiv Oblast were killed and 10 others injured.

In Kharkiv, drone strikes damaged a civilian enterprise and an office building, while shattered glass injured a child. In Konotop, Sumy Oblast, Mayor Artem Semenikhin described the overnight assault as "likely the most massive and complex attack on our city since World War II."

The State Emergency Service reported that drones and missiles also struck Chernihiv and nearby areas, igniting fires at storage sites and industrial buildings, one of which spread across more than 1,000 square meters. Casualty reports there are still being assessed.

In Mykolaiv, a drone strike on a five-story apartment building killed one man and injured five others, including a teenager. In the western city of Ternopil, which is rarely targeted, a Kalibr cruise missile hit an industrial facility, sparking a fire.

In Khmelnytskyi Oblast, four people were killed and five injured in the attacks, which also destroyed civilian infrastructure, according to Governor Serhii Tiurin.

Poland scrambled fighter jets and activated its air defenses in response, continuing a pattern of bolstering air security during large-scale Russian attacks on Ukraine.

The previous night’s attacks on Kyiv injured at least 15 people and damaged residential buildings, further highlighting the ongoing threat to civilian areas. Despite growing international calls for a ceasefire, Russia continues its escalating aerial campaign.

Ukraine’s Air Force warned late on May 24 of incoming drone waves across several regions, along with a ballistic missile alert issued just before midnight. A countrywide air raid alert followed, covering even Ukraine’s far-western oblasts.

Explosions were reported overnight in cities including Kyiv, Odesa, Dnipro, Mykolaiv, Sumy, Konotop, Chernihiv, Ternopil, and Kharkiv, according to local authorities and the news outlet Suspilne.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha condemned the strikes and urged the international community to intensify pressure on Russia to agree to a ceasefire.

“When the world pleads for an end to the violence, Putin responds with even more strikes—more deaths, including children,” Sybiha wrote on X. “This only underscores the urgent need for a full, unconditional, and lasting ceasefire as the foundation for any meaningful peace process. The global community must compel Russia to stop the killing immediately.”

Copied