After huge Russian missile, Oreshnik strike, Kyiv cleanup operation continues for second day

The cleanup operation in Kyiv after Russia's massive missile and drone strike over the weekend continued for a second day, with nearly 100 emergency service workers attending multiple attack sites, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on May 25.

In the overnight attack on May 24, Kyiv and the surrounding region were targeted with hundreds of drones and missiles, with casualties and destruction across the capital.

In total, two people were and 87 others injured in the capital, including three children, Zelensky said.

Efforts to deal with the aftermath of the Russian strike continue in Kyiv's Shevchenkivsky and Podilsky districts, he added. Nearly 100 personnel from Ukraine's State Emergency Service have been involved, while around 300 sites across Kyiv, including nearly 150 homes and apartment buildings, were damaged.

"I am grateful to the medical workers treating and supporting our people. I thank everyone involved in recovery efforts, all emergency and public services," Zelensky said.

"Overall, six of our regions were affected by yesterday's attack. Protection must be strengthened: support for air defense remains a daily priority of Ukraine's foreign policy work at every level. And pressure on the aggressor – along with accountability for all these strikes – must be ensured."

Ukraine's Air Force said on May 24 that Russia launched 90 missiles and 600 drones in an attack that lasted several hours, making the attack one of the largest of the last year, and one of the biggest targeting the capital.

"There were sounds… a terrifying explosion. A terrible explosion. Flames. For a brief instant — maybe a second — I lost consciousness," Yevhen, a 74-year-old pensioner, told the Kyiv Independent at one of the attack sites on May 24.

"I can't say I was scared. I wasn't scared. You see, we Kyiv residents are already used to this. Our emotions have become a little dulled."

Zelensky also confirmed that Russia used its Oreshnik medium-range ballistic missile during the attack, the third time Russia has used the sophisticated weapon against Ukraine. The strike targeted Bila Tserkva, a town 90 kilometers (56 miles) south of Kyiv.

Russia first used an Oreshnik against Ukraine in November 2024 in a strike on the city of Dnipro. The missile was most recently used in an attack on western Lviv Oblast on Jan. 9.