Ukraine war latest: Zelensky orders military response after Russian mass attack on Kyiv kills at least 12
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Key developments on May 14:
- Zelensky instructs military to prepare response to Russia's deadly Kyiv attack
- Russia 'ripping off' Ukraine's drone forces success, Unmanned Systems Forces commander says
- Ukraine's military now 'strongest, most powerful' in Europe, Rubio says
- 'Teachers told children Ukraine does not exist' — Kyiv brings back 8 children from Russian-occupied territories
President Volodymyr Zelensky said on May 14 that he had instructed Ukraine's military to prepare "possible formats for our response" to a deadly Russian missile and drone strike on Kyiv that killed at least 12 people, including two children, and injured at least 45 others.
As of the evening of May 14, search-and-rescue operations were ongoing as emergency crews continued clearing rubble from the collapsed building. More than 10 people remained missing.
Explosions from dozens of missiles and hundreds of drones rocked Kyiv overnight as Russia's latest mass attack on Ukraine partially destroyed a large apartment building.
Russia launched 56 missiles of various types in the overnight assault, including Iskander ballistic missiles and Kinzhal aeroballistic missiles, as well as 675 one-way attack drones, according to Ukraine's Air Force.
Ukraine's air defenses shot down or jammed 29 Kh-101 cruise missiles, 12 Iskander or S-400 missiles, and 652 drones before they reached their targets.
Zelensky, citing preliminary reports, said an Kh-101 missile that struck a residential building in Kyiv had been manufactured in the second quarter of this year, suggesting Russia is still able to import the components, resources, and equipment needed for missile production despite sanctions.
"We are preparing steps that can intensify our joint response: sanctions must be more painful for Russia," Zelensky said on his Telegram, calling on Western allies to take measures to prevent Moscow from circumventing sanctions.
Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said following the attack that he instructed to initiate a United Nations Security Council meeting "to respond to Russia's killings of Ukrainian civilians and attacks against humanitarian personnel."
In a post on social media later in the day, Zelensky pointed both to Ukraine's increasing success at intercepting Shahed-type drones and to the dire shortage of missiles for anti-ballistic capable air defense.
According to Zelensky, of the 1,567 drones and 56 missiles launched at Ukraine over May 13 and 14, the intercept rate was 94% for drones but only 7% for missiles.
"This is a deliberate terrorist tactic by the Russians," he said, "who amassed drones and missiles over a period of time and intentionally calculated the strike so that its scale would be significant, creating the greatest possible difficulties for our air defense."
"I instructed the Defense Forces of Ukraine and the special services to propose possible formats for our response to this Russian attack," the president added, in a possible nod to Ukraine's increasingly powerful long-range strike arsenal.
Russia 'ripping off' Ukraine's drone forces success, Unmanned Systems Forces commander says
Moscow is copying the example of Ukraine's expanding drone force, with the number of personnel in Russian drone crews and units surpassing 100,000 during the spring of 2026, Unmanned Systems Forces commander Robert "Magyar" Brovdi said.
As the battlefield becomes increasingly dominated by unmanned systems with each passing year of Russia's full-scale war, gaining and maintaining the upper hand in the drone fight has become critically important for strategic success.
At the beginning of the year, the size of Russia's drone component stood at only 86,000 and, by May 1, had grown to 114,000, Brovdi said in an interview with Ukrainska Pravda published on May 14.
By the end of the year, Brovdi added, the drone force is set to hit Moscow's reported target of 168,000.
"They are effectively copying the existing franchise of Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces structure," Brovdi said.
"They do have their own experience in certain areas, but for the most part they are trying to steal something from us, to rip it off, to take a ready-made, already-solved path.
Ukraine's military now 'strongest, most powerful' in Europe, Rubio says
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called Ukraine's armed forces the "strongest, most powerful" military in Europe in an interview with Fox News published on May 14.
"If you look, the Russians are losing five times as many soldiers a month as the Ukrainians are, and Ukraine is a smaller country and a smaller army for that matter," Rubio said.
"This war has caused the Ukrainians to develop new tactics, new techniques, new equipment, (and) new technology that is creating a sort of hybrid asymmetrical warfare," he added.
Rubio said Ukraine's military capabilities were shaped both by Western assistance and by years of combat against Russian forces.
The remarks come as President Volodymyr Zelensky continues to promote expanded military cooperation with U.S. President Donald Trump, particularly in drone technology.
Kyiv has proposed sharing its battlefield-tested drone expertise with Washington, especially systems designed to counter Iranian-made Shahed-type attack drones. The proposal gained urgency as the U.S. faced similar threats during the conflict in the Middle East.
Despite Kyiv's push, Washington has so far appeared reluctant to move forward with the proposal.
Rubio also said the Trump administration remains committed to ending Russia's war against Ukraine, even as U.S.-mediated peace negotiations have stalled for more than two months.
"We stand prepared, the President stands prepared, his team stands prepared to facilitate a diplomatic end to the war," Rubio said. "We've lost some momentum over the last few months."
"Hopefully, we'll reach a point here soon where both parties re-engage."
'Teachers told children Ukraine does not exist' — Kyiv brings back 8 children from Russian-occupied territories
Ukraine has returned eight children from Russian-occupied territories to areas under its control over the past week, Save Ukraine, a Ukrainian humanitarian NGO, said on May 13.
"Yet thousands of children remain trapped, forced to forget their roots while being openly prepared for war. But we will not stop," the organization said in a statement posted on social media.
Among those rescued was 15-year-old Kseniia, who said that while studying at a Russian school she was told "that Ukraine does not exist," Save Ukraine wrote.
Lev, 16, decided to leave the occupied territories after receiving a military draft notice at his home. He also said a mobile app had been installed on students' phones at his school to monitor and control them.
Ukraine also returned 15-year-old Maria, who refused to attend a Russian school for two years until authorities began threatening her mother with the loss of parental rights. According to Save Ukraine, fear and isolation from her peers severely affected her health.
The children were returned with the help of partners as part of the Ukrainian president's Bring Kids Back UA initiative.
