Russian Missiles Pummel Kyiv in Retaliation for Dorm Strike That Killed 21

The death toll from the strike in Starobilsk had risen to 21 as search-and-rescue operations closed, the press service of Russia's Ministry of Emergency Situations said late on Saturday, with 42 others injured. The Kremlin-installed authorities of the Luhansk region announced two days of mourning on Sunday and Monday to honor the victims.

Moscow Confirms Retaliation

At a UN Security Council emergency meeting on the strike, held at Russia's request, Ukrainian Ambassador Andrii Melnyk denied his Russian counterpart's accusations of war crimes, calling them a "pure propaganda show" and asserting that the May 22 operations "exclusively targeted the Russian war machine." Ukraine and its allies accuse Russia of routinely targeting civilians and key civilian infrastructure.

Russia says the Oreshnik is immune to any missile defense system and first used it on the Ukrainian city of Dnipro in November 2024. The latest combined attack included 600 strike drones and 90 air, sea and ground-launched missiles, according to Ukraine's Air Force.

Kyiv Bears the Brunt

Damage was recorded in 40 locations across several districts of Kyiv, including residential buildings, Kyiv military administration head Tymur Tkachenko said. "It was a terrible night, and there had never been anything like it in the entire war," said Svitlana Onofryichuk, 55, who had worked in the damaged market for 22 years. "I am very sorry that I have to say goodbye to Kyiv now, I am not staying there anymore, there is no possibility. My job is gone, everything is gone, everything has burned down."

Yevhen Zosin, 74, a Kyiv resident who witnessed the attack, said the moment he heard the explosion he rushed to grab his dog. "Then there was another explosion and she and I were thrown back like a pin by the shock wave. My apartment was blown to pieces."

In Kyiv's Shevchenko district, a five-story residential building was hit, causing a fire, and one person was killed, Ukraine's state emergency service reported. Local authorities said supermarkets and warehouses across the city were also damaged, and multiple communities recorded damage throughout the Kyiv region.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said the number of injured in the capital had risen to 81. President Volodymyr Zelensky said on social media that around 100 people had been injured and at least four killed in the attacks across the country, and government buildings, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Cabinet building, were also damaged.

Diplomatic Fallout

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council and a gathering of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. "Ukraine demands emergency Security Council meeting over Russia strikes Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha also called for a 'strong response' after the overnight attacks, which mainly targeted the Kyiv region and saw the deployment of a medium-range Oreshnik ballistic missile," his statement read. He accused Russia of seeking to compensate for a lack of military progress with "barbaric missile attacks."

Elsewhere, a Ukrainian drone killed a civilian in the Russian town of Grayvoron in the Belgorod region, local authorities reported. Russia's Defense Ministry said its forces shot down or jammed 33 Ukrainian drones overnight, including over the Moscow region and Russian-occupied Crimea.