Editor’s note: This is a developing story and is being updated.
Russian forces launched a large-scale combined missile and drone attack on Kyiv overnight on May 24, striking residential buildings and injuring at least five person, officials reported.
Kyiv Independent journalists on the ground reported hearing what they described as a massive series of missile strikes on Ukraine’s capital around 1 a.m local time, and then again at 3 a.m.
Ukraine’s Air Force reported that dozens of missiles were reported flying towards the capital around 12:30 a.m. local time.
Shortly thereafter, the Air Force issued warnings about a possible Russian launch of an Oreshnik medium-range ballistic missile targeting Ukraine at 12:55 a.m., although the Kyiv Independent cannot immediately verify if the weapon has been launched.
Tymur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv city military administration, reported damage at multiple impact sites in the city, including in the Shevchenkivskyi, Holosiivskyi, Solomianskyi, Desnianskyi, Darnytskyi, Dniprovskyi, and Podil districts of Kyiv.
Officials said that at least five injuries reported were across the city.
Damage from debris was reported in the Shevchenkivskyi district after missile fragments fell on a 24-story residential building, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported, with fragments also falling near “non-residential” area and on the grounds of a school.
Debris also struck the roof of a high-rise building in the Darnytskyi district, while a home was damaged in the Solomianskyi district, Tkachenko said.
In the Desnianskyi district, a supermarket building was also struck.
A Kyiv Independent jouranlist records sounds of loud explosions in Kyiv overnight on May 24, 2026 amid a massive ballistic missile and drone attack on the capital. (Chris York/The Kyiv Independent)
Elsewhere in Ukraine, explosion were also heard in the cities of Cherkasy and Kropyvnytskyi, as well as in Khmelnytskyi Oblast amid the attack, public broadcaster Suspilne reported.
The latest attack comes hours after President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that Russia was preparing a broader assault across the country, including for the possible use of its Oreshnik medium-range missile against Ukraine.
“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,” Zelensky said, warning citizens to remain vigilent.
Russia first used an Oreshnik against Ukraine in November 2024 in a strike on the city of Dnipro. The missile was most recently used in an attack on western Lviv Oblast on Jan. 9.
The U.S. Embassy in Kyiv issued a similar warning “concerning a potentially significant air attack” that may occur over a 24-hour time period. The embassy’s warning did not specify what type of weapons may be used.
Earlier in the night, Russian attacks injured civilians in southern and eastern Ukraine, including in Odesa and Kharkiv oblasts. Explosions were also heard in Kyiv as Russian drones targeted the capital, according to Tkachenko.