Russia launched one of its largest aerial assaults on Ukraine in the past year overnight on May 24, firing waves of missiles and drones at Kyiv and other regions in an attack that killed at least four people, injured nearly 100 and damaged some of the capital’s best-known cultural and government buildings, reported The Kyiv Independent.

Ukraine’s Air Force said Russia launched 90 missiles and 600 drones during an attack that lasted several hours, as air raid sirens and explosions echoed across Kyiv through the night.

Journalists in the capital reported repeated blasts beginning shortly after 1 a.m. local time, followed by further waves of strikes between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m. as ballistic and cruise missiles targeted the city.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said four people had been killed and almost 100 wounded in the attack, which struck residential areas and critical infrastructure across the capital and surrounding Kyiv region.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said damage had been recorded “in every district of the city”, including in central neighbourhoods that have typically seen fewer direct strikes during previous Russian bombardments.

Among the buildings damaged were the National Art Museum of Ukraine, the Kyiv Opera Theater, the Ukrainian House, the Valeriy Lobanovskyi Dynamo Stadium and the Chornobyl Museum. Ukraine’s Culture Ministry said the National Art Museum suffered damage from a blast wave, although its collection remained intact.

Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said the Foreign Ministry building had also sustained damage for the first time since World War Two, though he described the destruction as limited.

Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko said the Cabinet of Ministers building was hit by a blast wave that shattered windows but caused no injuries. The government headquarters had previously been damaged during a missile attack in September 2025.

Residential districts suffered extensive destruction. Zelenskiy said around 30 apartment buildings in Kyiv alone had been damaged or destroyed. Missiles and drones also struck a supermarket, shopping centre, office buildings, warehouses, garages and parked vehicles.

“I heard a terrifying explosion. Flames everywhere,” said Yevhen, a 74-year-old pensioner interviewed by The Kyiv Independent near one of the strike sites. “We Kyiv residents are already used to this. Our emotions have become a little dulled.”

Zelenskiy said Russia had also used its Oreshnik medium-range ballistic missile during the assault, marking the third reported use of the weapon against Ukraine. The missile targeted the town of Bila Tserkva, south of Kyiv.

In the wider Kyiv region, Governor Mykola Kalashnyk said Russian strikes hit the districts of Fastiv, Bucha, Brovary, Bila Tserkva, Vyshhorod and Boryspil, damaging homes, garages, warehouses and utility buildings.

Explosions were also reported in Cherkasy, Kropyvnytskyi and the Khmelnytskyi region.

Poland’s Air Force said it scrambled Polish and allied fighter aircraft during the attack to secure Nato airspace near the Ukrainian border.

Ukraine has requested emergency meetings of the United Nations Security Council and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe following the strikes.

Sybiha accused Moscow of attempting to compensate for stalled battlefield advances “with terror against civilians”, while also seeking to intimidate both Ukraine and its international partners through the use of advanced missile systems.