Summary
Between the night of May 23 and the early hours of May 24, 2026, Russian forces launched a large-scale missile and drone assault on Ukraine, marking one of the most extensive aerial attacks since the start of the full-scale invasion. According to the Ukrainian Air Force, the operation involved approximately 90 missiles and 600 drones, with Kyiv and its surrounding oblasts sustaining the heaviest impacts. OSINT analysis confirms the use of twelve distinct missile systems, including the Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile, which targeted Bila Tserkva Airbase. Ukrainian air defenses intercepted 55 missiles and 549 drones, but the attack resulted in significant casualties and widespread damage to military, governmental, cultural, and residential infrastructure. President Zelenskyy reported, “Four people were killed and almost 100 others injured across the country as a result of the attack.” Russian authorities described the operation as retaliation for alleged Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory and confirmed the use of advanced missile systems. This report details the assets used, locations struck, casualty figures, and official statements from both sides.
Detailed Report
1. Scope and Timeline of the Attack
Russian forces initiated a coordinated missile and drone barrage late on May 23, continuing into the early hours of May 24, 2026. The Ukrainian Air Force reported that approximately 90 missiles and 600 drones were launched over several hours, making this one of the largest aerial assaults of the conflict to date. The attack was characterized by its complexity and the simultaneous use of multiple weapon systems, as documented by OSINT analysts and Ukrainian military sources.
2. Missile Systems Employed
According to detailed breakdowns from OSINT account @AMK_Mapping_ and corroborated by Ukrainian Air Force reporting, the Russian strike package included twelve distinct missile systems:
· Approximately 20 Kh-101 cruise missiles launched from four Tu-95MS bombers over western Kostroma Oblast.
· Around 20 Iskander-K cruise missiles from OTRK installations in eastern Bryansk Oblast.
· About 18 Kalibr cruise missiles from three surface vessels at Novorossiysk Naval Base, Krasnodar Krai.
· Approximately 16 Iskander-M/S-400 ballistic missiles from OTRK near Klintsy, Bryansk Oblast.
· Ten Iskander-K cruise missiles from OTRK in northern Kursk Oblast.
· Six Iskander-M/S-400 ballistic missiles from OTRK near Pochep, Bryansk Oblast.
· Six Zircon hypersonic cruise missiles from ground-based launchers in western Crimea.
· Five Kinzhal hypersonic aeroballistic missiles from five MiG-31K fighters over eastern Tambov Oblast.
· Four Iskander-M/S-400 ballistic missiles from OTRK in northern Kursk Oblast.
· Two Iskander-M/S-400 ballistic missiles from OTRK near Liski, Voronezh Oblast.
· Two Iskander-M/S-400 ballistic missiles from OTRK in Crimea.
· One Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile launched from the Kapustin Yar Testing Ground in Astrakhan Oblast, which targeted the Bila Tserkva Airbase. Both Ukrainian and Russian sources confirmed that only one Oreshnik was used and that it did not strike Kyiv city.
3. Drone Component and Launch Sites
The drone element of the attack was significant, with hundreds of Shahed-136/Geran-2 loitering munitions, Italmas strike drones, and Gerbera and Parodiya decoy platforms deployed. Launch sites included Oryol, Kursk, Bryansk, Millerovo (Rostov Oblast), Shatalovo (Smolensk Oblast), Primorsko-Akhtarsk (Krasnodar Krai), occupied Crimea, and occupied Donetsk. The use of decoy drones was intended to saturate and expose Ukrainian air defense positions, according to Ukrainian Air Force assessments and OSINT reporting.
4. Ukrainian Air Defense Performance
Ukrainian air defenses, utilizing Patriot and SAMP/T systems alongside mobile fire groups, Gepard SPAAGs, and interceptor drones, managed to intercept 55 missiles and 549 drones, as reported by the Ukrainian Air Force. OSINT sources further confirmed a minimum of 24 missile interceptions, including at least 8 Kalibrs, 6 Iskander-M/S-400s, 5 Kh-101s, and 5 Iskander-Ks. Despite these efforts, the high volume and sophistication of the attack resulted in numerous projectiles penetrating defenses and causing substantial damage.
5. Locations and Infrastructure Struck
The primary focus of the Russian assault was Kyiv, where every district experienced impacts. Key sites targeted included the Artem Defence Plant, Podilskyi District SBU Office, Cabinet of Ministers building, and the Foreign Ministry building, which was reportedly struck for the first time since World War II. Cultural sites such as the National Art Museum, Kyiv Opera Theater, Chornobyl Museum (with over 40% of its collection reportedly lost), and the Valeriy Lobanovskyi Dynamo Stadium were also damaged. Approximately 30 residential buildings, schools, a water supply facility, supermarkets, shopping centers, office buildings, dormitories, service stations, garages, and warehouses sustained damage. In Kyiv Oblast, the Oreshnik missile strike on Bila Tserkva Airbase marked the weapon’s third known use against Ukraine, as confirmed by both Ukrainian Air Force and Russian military sources. Additional strikes in Fastiv, Bucha, Brovary, Vyshhorod, and Boryspil resulted in damage to homes, garages, utility buildings, and warehouses. Other oblasts affected included Khmelnytskyi, Kirovohrad, Zhytomyr, Odesa, Poltava, and Dnipro, with targets ranging from defense industry sites to energy and logistics infrastructure. Explosions were also reported in Cherkasy and Kropyvnytskyi, and civilian injuries were confirmed in Kharkiv and Sumy.
6. Casualty Figures
According to the Kyiv Independent, President Zelenskyy has stated, “Four people were killed and almost 100 others injured across the country as a result of the attack". In Kyiv city, two fatalities and 81 injuries were reported, including three children, with 31 individuals hospitalized and three in critical condition, according to the Kyiv City State Administration and the State Emergency Service. In Bila Tserkva, one woman was killed and 44 people were injured, as reported by the Kyiv Oblast Prosecutor’s Office. No disaggregated casualty data was available for other oblasts at the time of reporting, though injuries were confirmed in Kharkiv, Odesa, and other regions.
7. Official Ukrainian and Russian Statements
Ukrainian authorities emphasized the unprecedented scale of the assault, with the Air Force confirming the launch of approximately 90 missiles and 600 drones and noting the use of the Oreshnik missile against Bila Tserkva. President Zelenskyy characterized the attack as targeting residential buildings, schools, a water supply facility, and a market, and highlighted the Oreshnik’s third use against Ukraine. Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha noted that the Foreign Ministry building had not been struck by an enemy since World War II. Russian authorities, according to reporting by Reuters, described the strikes as retaliation for alleged Ukrainian attacks on civilian targets in Russia. The Russian Ministry of Defense confirmed the use of Oreshnik, Iskander, Kinzhal, and Zircon missiles, claimed that the operation targeted Ukrainian military command and control facilities, air bases, and military-industrial enterprises, and stated that the Oreshnik was deployed without a nuclear warhead. Russian statements did not acknowledge civilian casualties or damage to non-military sites.
Conclusion
The missile and drone strikes carried out on May 23–24, 2026, constituted one of the largest and most coordinated aerial operations of the conflict to date. The attack involved a wide array of advanced missile systems and drones, resulting in significant casualties and extensive damage to Ukraine’s military, civilian, governmental, and cultural infrastructure.