Russia launched a fierce attack on Ukraine with Oreshnik hypersonic missiles.

On the morning of May 24, the Ukrainian capital Kyiv was subjected to a large-scale attack by missiles and drones from Russia, shortly after the Ukrainian Air Force warned Moscow that it might launch Oreshnik hypersonic ballistic missiles.

Smoke rises over Kyiv during the Russian attack on the Ukrainian capital in the early hours of May 24 - Photo: AFP

According to Reuters, multiple explosions rang out across the capital Kyiv shortly after 1 a.m. on May 24 (local time), following a warning from the Ukrainian Air Force on its Telegram channel about the threat posed by Oreshnik missiles – weapons capable of carrying both conventional and nuclear warheads.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said at least five people were injured, one of whom was hospitalized.

"The capital Kyiv has suffered a large-scale ballistic missile attack. Information indicates that at least four locations were affected by the attack, including the Shevchenkovsky, Dniprovsky, and Podilsky districts. According to preliminary information, there were fires and damage to apartment buildings," said Tymur Tkachenko, a senior official in Kyiv.

Kyiv was attacked at 1:00 AM on May 24th - Photo: AFP

Klitschko said that debris from the attack had caught fire on the grounds of a school in the city center.

On the X platform, AMK Mapping – a verified account specializing in monitoring the Ukraine conflict – stated that the Ukrainian capital was under intense attack, with "at least 20 Iskander-M ballistic missiles, 6 Kalibr cruise missiles, 4 Zircon hypersonic cruise missiles, and 2 Oreshnik missiles targeted Kyiv."

"More missiles have struck targets in Khmelnytskyi, Zhytomyr and Kirovohrad provinces. Hundreds of Geran-2 drones are also attacking targets across Ukraine," AMK Mapping wrote.

Russia has not yet commented. The Ukrainian Air Force has not provided an update on whether the Oreshnik missile hit any targets.

Ukrainian air defense systems fired on a Russian drone over Kyiv early morning on May 24 - Photo: AFP

On May 23, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that Russia was preparing to attack Ukraine with Oreshnik hypersonic ballistic missiles. He cited intelligence from Ukraine, the United States, and Europe.

The warning came a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the Russian military to prepare retaliatory options against Ukraine following a drone attack on a student dormitory in the Russian-controlled Lugansk region of eastern Ukraine.

Russian officials reported that the death toll from the drone attack on a student dormitory in Lugansk has risen to 23. However, the Ukrainian military denied responsibility for the attack, claiming it targeted only a Russian drone manufacturing facility.

Prior to this attack, Russia had previously attacked Ukraine twice with Oreshnik hypersonic missiles – a type of missile that Putin once declared "uninterceptable" due to its speed, which is said to be more than 10 times the speed of sound.

The video was shared by the AMK Mapping account on the X platform with the caption "Close-up footage showing the moment a Russian Oreshnik medium-range ballistic missile struck Kyiv" - Video: X/AMK Mapping

Russia first launched an Oreshnik missile in November 2024 targeting what it described as a military factory in Ukraine. At the time, Ukrainian sources said the missile carried a dummy warhead instead of explosives and caused only limited damage. The second attack occurred in January 2026, when the missile struck the Lviv region in western Ukraine.

Back to the topic

PEACE

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/nga-tan-cong-ukraine-du-doi-bang-ten-lua-sieu-vuot-am-oreshnik-20260524095147147.htm