Russia Launches Hypersonic Missile Strike on Kyiv
Russia launched one of its heaviest strikes on Kyiv, killing at least four people and wounding over 100 with drones, ballistic missiles, and the hypersonic Oreshnik system.
The overnight bombardment damaged or destroyed more than 30 buildings across the capital, according to Brussels Signal, including the Chernobyl Museum, the National Art Museum, and the local bureau of German public broadcaster ARD, which were almost completely destroyed.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the deployment of the Oreshnik system, a weapon European allies view as a deliberate act of nuclear intimidation. Russia has launched three missiles against a water supply plant. They set fire to the market, damaged dozens of homes and several schools, Zelensky said, adding that anyone who helps Ukraine is now a defender of life.
Multiple waves of strikes hit capital and regions
Explosions began at approximately 1:00 a.m. local time on May 24, with a second wave around 3:00 a.m. as Ukrainian air defences tracked dozens of incoming missiles. The Ukrainian Air Force reported intercepting some projectiles, but debris and direct hits struck multiple residential and administrative districts.
Timur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv military administration, reported strikes across eight city districts: Obolonskyi, Shevchenkivskyi, Holosiivskyi, Solomianskyi, Desnianskyi, Darnytskyi, Dniprovskyi, and Podilskyi. Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko confirmed that missile fragments struck a 24-storey residential building in the Shevchenkivskyi district, sending 30 people to hospital, including two children.
Regional officials confirmed deaths in the outlying districts of Bucha and Obukhiv. Mykola Kalashnyk, head of the Kyiv regional administration, reported nine additional injuries outside the capital.
Falling debris damaged the World Health Organisation’s Kyiv offices and struck the residence of Albania’s ambassador, who was unharmed. The Albanian government summoned the Russian ambassador in Tirana in protest.
Strikes extend beyond Kyiv
Ukrainian media reported explosions in Cherkasy, Kropyvnytskyi, and the Khmelnytskyi region in western Ukraine. Earlier Russian strikes in the south and east wounded nine people in Odesa, including three children aged between eight and 12, and three others in the Kharkiv region.
Russia confirms Oreshnik deployment, cites retaliation motive
Russia’s Ministry of Defence confirmed the use of drones, Iskander, Kinzhal, Tsirkon, and Oreshnik missiles, but claimed the strikes targeted military command facilities, airbases, and Ukrainian defence industry sites. Moscow described the bombardment as retaliation for a Ukrainian strike on May 22 against a student dormitory in Starobilsk, Luhansk region, which Russia said killed 21 people—most aged between 19 and 22—and injured 38 others.
The use of the Oreshnik missile, a hypersonic intermediate-range system designed to carry nuclear payloads, marks a significant escalation in the type of weaponry deployed against Ukrainian civilian infrastructure. European officials have interpreted its use as a signal of intimidation rather than military necessity.
EU condemns attack as terrorism
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas joined Western allies in condemning the strikes. Brussels Signal reported that Kallas described the attack as an aberrant act of terrorism, echoing widespread condemnation from European capitals.
With information from Brussels Signal
