Russia hits Kyiv with hypersonic ballistic missilehypersonic ballistic missile
Russia carried out a large missile and drone attack on Kyiv on May 24, 2026, and Ukrainian officials said it included the hypersonic Oreshnik ballistic missile.
At least two people were killed in the capital, with additional casualties reported in the surrounding region, underscoring the continued intensity of the Russia-Ukraine war and the growing concern around advanced missile use.
Ukrainian Perspective
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Russia was preparing and then carrying out a strike with the Oreshnik missile, framing it as part of a wider campaign against civilian areas. Kyiv officials said the attack showed Moscow is willing to use newer weapons in ways that raise the stakes of the war.
Russian Perspective
Russian coverage highlighted the scale of the attack and the use of multiple missile types, presenting the strike as part of its broader military operations against Ukraine. Russian officials have also portrayed the Oreshnik as a powerful system designed to defeat defenses and hit hardened targets.
- Kyiv sits on the Dnipro River, one of Eastern Europe’s major waterways.
- Hypersonic weapons are generally defined as traveling at more than five times the speed of sound.
- The Oreshnik name means “hazel tree” in Russian.
Russia-Ukraine War
Russia and Ukraine are locked in an retaliatory long-range drone and missile war that now strikes deep into both countries, including Moscow, St. Petersburg, Crimea, and major Ukrainian cities like Kyiv and Dnipro. Ukrainian forces launched one of their largest drone attacks on June 26, striking 12 Russian regions and hitting key energy targets, while Russia continues massive retaliatory bombardments that kill civilians and destroy infrastructure.
26 June, 09:41 AM
Ukraine unleashes massive drone bombardment on 12 Russian regions24 June, 10:31 AM
Ukrainian drones knock out power in Russian-held Sevastopol22 June, 03:20 PM
Ukraine strikes Russian missile electronics plant in Voronezh
