Russia launches massive hypersonic missile attack on Kyiv in retaliation

Russia unleashed its most extensive combined assault on Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, employing hypersonic missiles and drones in what it described as retaliation for a Ukrainian drone strike on a university dormitory in Russian-occupied Luhansk. The attack, which occurred between the night of May 23 and the early morning of May 24, resulted in at least four deaths and over 80 injuries.

Russian forces deployed approximately 90 missiles and 600 drones, including the Kinzhal hypersonic missile, Tsirkon supersonic missile, Iskander-M and S-400 ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and Shahed drones. The arsenal also included the new Oreshnik hypersonic ballistic missile, marking its third deployment since November 2024. This missile, capable of carrying a nuclear warhead and traveling at speeds exceeding Mach 10, struck the Kyiv metropolitan area, proving difficult to intercept despite early detection by Ukrainian and Western forces.

President Vladimir Putin of Russia stated that the missile strikes were ordered in response to a Ukrainian drone attack on a university dormitory in Luhansk, which reportedly killed 18 people. This escalation follows Ukraine's increased drone attacks on Russian territory, prompting Russia's counteroffensive with advanced weaponry. Ukraine, however, denies responsibility for the dormitory attack, claiming instead to have targeted the command center of a Russian drone unit, Rubicon, in the area.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for international attention to the attacks, stating that Russia should not be allowed to act with impunity. The intensified hostilities occur as peace negotiations, mediated by the United States, have effectively stalled, pushing the conflict towards further escalation amidst a stalemate.