As a result of a massive airstrike by the Russian Federation on the night of May 24, significant destruction was inflicted on government buildings and cultural monuments in Kyiv. According to analysts, these actions were a response from the Kremlin to potential Ukrainian strikes during the Victory Day celebrations in Moscow, although the Ukrainian side did not carry out such actions.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Significant Damage in Central Kyiv
During the attack, the buildings of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Cabinet of Ministers, the National Art Museum, as well as the Chernobyl Museum and the Lukyanivskyi Market were damaged. Substantial damage was recorded at over 40 locations across various districts of the capital, including Shevchenkivskyi, Darnytskyi, Desnianskyi, Obolonskyi, and Holosiivskyi districts. Among the affected sites were apartment buildings, private homes, shopping centers, educational institutions, administrative buildings of the State Emergency Service and police, as well as a market and the National Museum of Chernobyl.
As a result of the attack, two people died in Kyiv, four more across Ukraine, and about a hundred individuals were injured.
Nature and Consequences of the Attack
According to analysts, Russia used the largest number of missiles since December 2024 during the shelling, including ballistic missiles “Iskander-M” and “Oreshnik,” as well as strike drones of the “Shahed” type. Such actions, experts believe, are driven by a global shortage of Patriot interceptors, which remain a key element of Ukraine’s air defense.
“The Russian strike completely undermines the spirit of the three-day ceasefire for Victory Day, which Ukraine adhered to, and demonstrates Putin’s unreliability regarding any agreements that are not primarily in his favor.”
During the nighttime attack, Ukrainian forces managed to intercept 91.5% of all drones, 36.7% of ballistic missiles “Iskander-M” and S-300, as well as 81.5% of cruise missiles. However, analysts note a trend towards increased use of mass drone strikes to weaken Ukrainian air defense and enhance the effectiveness of subsequent missile attacks.
At the same time, Russian propagandists and nationalist bloggers, the so-called “war correspondents,” assessed the attack as primarily symbolic, considering it costly and ineffective in terms of military objectives, especially against the backdrop of the unsuccessful advance of Russian troops on the front.
The Russian Ministry of Defense announced a massive strike with drones and missiles on military command facilities, air bases, and enterprises of Ukraine’s defense industry, although most of the damage was inflicted on civilian objects in Kyiv.