UKRAINE PERSPECTIVE

Kyiv, May 24, 2026. During the night of May 23-24, Russian forces launched a combined strike against Ukraine of unprecedented scale: 90 missiles and 600 drones of various types, including an Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile, according to data published by the Ukrainian air force and reported by Ukrainska Pravda. In total, 690 aerial systems were deployed, making this night one of the most massive offensives since February 2022.

The human toll in Kyiv mounted throughout the day. By day's end, the State Emergency Service confirmed 87 injured in the capital, including three minors, and two people killed—two women whose bodies were found under the rubble of a partially destroyed five-story residential building in the Shevchenko district. Rescue teams cleared 165 square meters of damaged reinforced concrete slabs; search dogs inspected more than 100 square meters of debris, while psychologists provided support to 112 people on site.

Tymur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv's military administration, declared: "Today's attack is the largest in terms of sites struck since Russia launched its full-scale invasion." Volodymyr Zelensky reported four deaths and approximately 100 injured across all of Ukraine, with around thirty residential buildings damaged or destroyed in Kyiv alone.

The Kyiv region also sustained substantial damage. Mykola Kalachnyk, head of the regional military administration, documented 110 damaged sites, including 49 private homes, nine apartment buildings, 40 vehicles, logistics facilities, an industrial enterprise, and educational, cultural, and medical institutions. The districts of Bucha, Fastiv, and Vyshhorod recorded the heaviest destruction. In Fastiv district, homes, a clinic, a cultural facility, and vehicles were hit, causing six injuries.

Human dimensions transcend the numbers. Kalachnyk highlighted a particular case: a family whose home in a Vyshhorod apartment building had its child's bedroom wall destroyed by a Russian drone—a family that had already fled their home in 2014 due to the war before taking refuge in the Kyiv region. "Last night, the Kyiv region again endured one of the most massive combined attacks in recent times. Russia targeted peaceful cities and villages with attack drones, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles. Ordinary civilians, their homes, and civilian infrastructure were deliberately struck," he said.

On the diplomatic front, Ukraine has called for an emergency session of the UN Security Council, condemning the deliberate attack on civilian populations and cultural institutions, including the National Museum of Chornobyl and the Foreign Ministry building.