Russia launched a large-scale missile and drone attack on several key Ukrainian cities, including Kyiv, Dnipro, and Kharkiv, resulting in at least 9 deaths and over 60 injuries. President Volodymyr Zelensky had warned just days earlier that Russia was preparing a new major offensive, amid a protracted war entering its fifth year with no sign of peace talks.
Vitali Klitschko, mayor of Kyiv, reported at least 4 deaths and 58 injuries, including young children. The attack caused a 24-story residential building to collapse, with people still believed trapped under the rubble. Additionally, a 9-story building caught fire, and there was damage in the Obolon district where missile fragments hit cars and areas near a kindergarten, forcing thousands to seek shelter in underground metro stations.
In the southeastern city of Dnipro, 5 people were killed and 25 injured by missile and drone strikes. Images showed damaged residential buildings, burned vehicles, and a destroyed playground. In Kharkiv, Mayor Ihor Terekhov reported 10 injuries, including one child.
This attack came after President Zelensky delivered a video address warning citizens that "intelligence confirms Russia is preparing a major offensive, and it has already begun." He urged people to heed air raid warnings. Zelensky also appealed to former U.S. President Donald Trump and the U.S. Congress for additional Patriot missile systems to help intercept Russia's destructive ballistic missiles.
Russia had announced last week plans to systematically target "military and political centers" in Kyiv in retaliation for a drone attack on a dormitory in the Luhansk region the previous month, which killed 21 people. Ukraine denied responsibility for that incident.
Meanwhile, Ukraine has also retaliated with drone strikes. Reports indicate that a Ukrainian drone caused one death in Russia's Kursk region and sparked a fire at the Ilsky oil refinery in the southern city of Krasnodar.
The Russia-Ukraine war is now entering its fifth year since the full-scale invasion in 2022. In May alone, Russia launched 8,150 long-range drones against Ukraine, a 24 percent increase from the previous month. Peace negotiations remain stalled as the international community focuses mainly on conflicts in the Middle East.