Kyiv Under Massive Russian Attack as Missiles and Drones Target Capital

Russia launched a multi-wave missile and drone attack on Kyiv overnight after a major daytime drone barrage across Ukraine. Officials reported explosions, air defense activity and debris damage in several Kyiv districts, while residents were urged to stay in shelters. Make us preferred on Google Flip Share Facebook X (Twitter) LinkedIn Bluesky Email Copy Copied This handout photograph taken and released by the State Emergency Service of Ukraine on May 12, 2026, shows rescuers extinguishing a fire at the site of an air attack in Kyiv region. (Photo by Handout / State Emergency Service of Ukraine / AFP) Content Share Facebook X (Twitter) LinkedIn Bluesky Email Copy Copied Flip Make us preferred on Google Kyiv came under a massive, multi-wave Russian aerial assault in the early hours of Thursday, as Russian forces launched a combined missile and drone attack at the Ukrainian capital. The overnight attack followed a devastating daytime barrage on Wednesday, which Ukrainian officials described as one of the longest and largest coordinated bombardments of the war. Follow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official . Air raid sirens sounded across Kyiv and throughout Ukraine as Ukraine’s Air Force tracked multiple groups of Russian weapons moving toward the capital. Explosions were heard across the city as air defense units engaged targets. Kyiv City Military Administration chief Tymur Tkachenko said falling debris from intercepted drones and missiles struck several districts of the capital. In Obolonskyi district, debris hit a residential building, sparking a fire. Damage was also reported in Dniprovskyi, Holosiivskyi and Solomianskyi districts, including residential buildings, roadways, a parked car and a non-residential building. Klitschko urged residents to remain in shelters as Ukrainian air defense forces continued to repel successive waves of strikes. Information about possible casualties was still being clarified. President Volodymyr Zelensky had earlier warned of anticipated Russian attacks, citing Ukrainian intelligence reports that Moscow was preparing further missile and drone strikes. The overnight escalation came after Russia launched a massive daytime drone barrage on Wednesday. Ukrainian officials said the scale of the attack suggested a calculated saturation strategy aimed at exhausting Ukraine’s air defense ammunition and overwhelming monitoring systems before heavier missile waves. Other Topics of Interest Hungary Summons Russian Ambassador for First Time Over Drone Strikes on Ukraine Hungary summoned Russia’s ambassador for the first time over drone strikes on Ukraine’s Zakarpattia region, home to a sizeable ethnic Hungarian community. Budapest condemned the attacks, which hit areas including Uzhhorod, Mukachevo and Svaliava, damaging infrastructure near the Hungarian border. The move marks a rare diplomatic rebuke from Hungary toward Moscow and comes amid a wider Russian drone barrage across Ukraine. Speaking to Kyiv Post during the attack, Elkhan Nuriyev, a member of Ukraine’s Officers’ Union, said Russia had been launching drones in waves for more than a day before switching to missiles overnight. “Drones have been coming in waves for more than 30 hours,” Nuriyev said. “They usually launch missiles at night, when people are asleep, to cause maximum disruption and anxiety.” According to Nuriyev. the assault appeared designed not only to strike Ukrainian cities but also to increase psychological pressure on civilians. “The goal is to create maximum dissatisfaction so that Ukrainian society pressures the president and says it is tired,” Nuriyev said. “But Ukrainians will not do that.” Nuriyev also linked the timing of the assault to the expected Trump-Si meeting, saying Putin wanted to project relevance and ensure that the war in Ukraine remained on the agenda. “Putin wants them to say at the meeting: ‘Look, Russia is finishing off Ukraine,’” Nuriyev said. “It is meant to create an image that Russia matters and that the Ukraine issue must be resolved.” Air raid alerts remained active across parts of Ukraine as officials urged residents to follow safety instructions and remain in shelters until the all-clear. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization since 1995. Its international market reach of 97% outside of Ukraine makes it truly Ukraine’s Global – and most reliable – Voice.