Russia hits Kyiv with Oreshnik missile amid intense overnight assault

Swipe for next article

Liveupdated

Ukraine-Russia war latest: Kyiv region ‘hit by high-speed Oreshnik missile’ after Putin threatens retaliation for school strike

Russia has previously attacked ‌Ukraine twice with the Oreshnik, a missile which Vladimir Putin has boasted is impossible to intercept

Russia has attacked Kyiv with an Oreshnik hypersonic intermediate-range ballistic missile, as it launched an intense assault on the capital overnight.

The combined attack included 600 strike drones and 90 air, sea, and ground-launched missiles, according to Ukraine's air force.

Volodymyr Zelensky warned on Sunday that Russia was preparing a strike against ​Ukraine using the powerful hypersonic Oreshnik ballistic missile.

It comes after Vladimir Putin ordered his military to prepare options for retaliation for a drone strike on a student dorm in the Russian-controlled Luhansk region of eastern Ukraine, which Kyiv denied responsibility for.

Putin said the Oreshnik, which means “hazelnut tree” in Russian, streaks at 10 times the speed of sound and is capable of destroying underground bunkers “three, four or more floors down.”

Russia has already attacked ‌Ukraine twice with the Oreshnik, a missile which Vladimir Putin has boasted is impossible to intercept because of its reported velocity ‌of more than 10 times the speed of ‌sound.

Canadian PM condemns Russian missile and drone attacks

Harriette Boucher24 May 2026 08:30

Russia hit Ukraine's Kyiv region with an Oreshnik hypersonic intermediate-range ballistic missile, Ukraine's air force has said.

Ukraine's air force said in a statement on social media that Russia had launched 600 drones and 90 missiles in its attack, and that one of the missiles was an intermediate-range ballistic missile, without naming it.

Sam Rkaina24 May 2026 08:26

Russia pounds Kyiv with missiles and drones, shaking city center and injuring 10

Russia attacked Kyiv with missiles and drones overnight Sunday in an intense assault that shook buildings across the city center, including near government offices, residential buildings and schools.

At least 10 people were injured, local authorities said, citing preliminary figures. Air raid sirens blared through the night as smoke billowed across the city from strikes. Associated Press reporters heard powerful explosions near the city center and close to government buildings.

The attack was ongoing by sunrise Sunday, with more missiles and drones expected to reach Kyiv.

Damage was recorded across at least nine districts of the capital including residential buildings, Kyiv military administration head Tymur Tkachenko said in a Telegram post.

In Kyiv’s Shevchenko district, a school building was damaged by an attack while people sheltered inside, Mayor Vitalii Klitschko said. Local authorities reported supermarkets and warehouses across the city also were damaged.

Russia pounds Kyiv with missiles and drones, shaking city center and injuring 10

Russia has launched an intense missile and drone attack on Kyiv, shaking buildings across the city center

Harriette Boucher24 May 2026 07:47

Poland says its airspace not violated during Russian strikes on Ukraine

Poland detected ⁠no violations of its airspace after activating military aviation operations ⁠on ​Sunday, following Russian ⁠strikes on Ukraine, the ⁠Polish armed forces said.

The operation were preventive, aimed at safeguarding Polish airspace, particularly in areas next to threatened regions, the army had posted on X.

Harriette Boucher24 May 2026 07:25

Russian missile and drone attack kills four, officials say

Russia struck Ukraine's capital Kyiv on Sunday with a massive wave of missiles and ‌drones that ​killed several people and damaged residential buildings ‌and schools.

Local officials said the attack killed four people in Ukraine's capital city Kyiv and the surrounding region.

Two people were killed ‌in the ‌capital itself, ⁠while two were killed in ‌the Kyiv ​region.

Harriette Boucher24 May 2026 07:19

Zelensky's tweet in full

Dan Haygarth24 May 2026 02:30

Comment: This is why easing Russia’s oil sanctions is a gut punch to Ukraine

The PM’s decision to ease oil sanctions on Russia will kill Ukrainians and enfeeble Britain, and is a stain on the national reputation, writes world affairs editor Sam Kiley, who has spent more than 11 years covering the region.

This is why easing Russia’s oil sanctions is a gut punch to Ukraine

The PM’s decision to ease oil sanctions on Russia will kill Ukrainians and enfeeble Britain, and is a stain on the national reputation, writes world affairs editor Sam Kiley, who has spent more than 11 years covering the region

Daniel Haygarth24 May 2026 01:30

Russia says 16 killed in strike on student dorm that it blamed on Ukraine

The death toll from a drone strike on a student dorm in the Russian-controlled Luhansk region of eastern Ukraine has risen to 16, with most of the victims young women, Russian officials said on Saturday, after a heated ⁠UN debate on the incident.

Vladimir Putin ordered his military to prepare options for retaliation against Ukraine on Friday after Moscow accused Kyiv of what it described as a deliberate drone strike on a college in the town of Starobilsk.

Ukraine's military denied responsibility for the attack, saying it had struck an elite drone command unit in the area and that its ⁠forces complied with international humanitarian law. Putin said there were ​no ⁠military facilities in the area.

Reuters said it was not able to independently verify what happened.

At the scene on Saturday, a crane was working to remove rubble from a yawning gap in the ⁠building. Inside one shattered classroom, bricks and dust covered rows of student desks with "I love English" written on ​the wall. ⁠Elsewhere, a stairwell was blocked by debris.

Dan Haygarth24 May 2026 00:30

Zelensky: 'Please take care of yourselves and use shelters tonight'

The Ukrainian leader wrote on X: “Our intelligence services reported receiving data, including from American and European partners, about Russia preparing a strike with the Oreshnik missile. We are verifying this information.

“We are seeing signs of preparation for a combined strike on Ukrainian territory, including Kyiv, involving various types of weaponry. The specified intermediate-range weapons could be used in such a strike. It is important to act responsibly on air-raid alerts, starting this evening. Russian madness truly knows no bounds, so please protect your lives – use shelters.

“Second, we are drawing the attention of our partners in the United States and in Europe to the fact that the use of such weapons and the prolongation of this war also sets a global precedent for other potential aggressors. If Russia is allowed to destroy lives on such a scale, then no agreement will restrain other similar hatred-based regimes from aggression and strikes. We count on a response from the world – and on a response that is not post factum, but preventive. Pressure must be put on Moscow so that it does not expand the war. We count on a response from the world – and on a response that is not post factum, but preventive. Pressure must be put on Moscow so that it does not expand the war.

“Third, we are preparing our air defense as much as possible, and we will respond fully justly to every Russian strike. We have given permission for a parade, but Russia has no permission for madness. This war must be ended – we need peace, not some missiles satisfying the sick ambitions of one individual. I thank everyone helping to protect lives. Once again, please take care of yourselves and use shelters tonight.”

Dan Haygarth23 May 2026 23:32

'Escalatory and unacceptable' - Britain, France and Germany ‌on the Oreshnik use in January

The leaders of Britain, France and Germany ‌in January described Russia's use of ⁠an Oreshnik ballistic missile in western Ukraine as "escalatory and unacceptable".

Zelensky ⁠said that Kyiv counts on a response from the world and on a "response that ‌is not post ​factum, but preventive."

Pressure must be ‌put on Moscow so that ​it does not expand the war, he added.

Dan Haygarth23 May 2026 22:25