Russia threatens fresh assault on Kyiv after massive weekend strike

MOSCOW - Russia on Monday threatened to launch another major assault on Kyiv, a day after one of the largest-scale attacks on the Ukrainian capital since the beginning of the war.

A statement from the Foreign Ministry in Moscow urged foreign diplomats to leave Kyiv as soon as possible, saying the Russian military would systematically target military installations and "command centres" in the city.

The ministry said the attack had been planned in response to Ukrainian shelling of a student residential building in the Russian-controlled town of Starobilsk, which occupying authorities said killed more than 20 civilians.

Ukraine's General Staff said the attack on Starobilsk targeted a military unit stationed there.

Russia has been systematically attacking Ukraine's hinterland since the war began in February 2022, repeatedly striking civilian infrastructure and residential buildings in the process.

Over the weekend, Russia bombarded the Kyiv region with 600 drones and 90 missiles, according to the Ukrainian Air Force, in what was already considered an act of revenge for Starobilsk.

Russia's Defence Ministry confirmed the use of the new Oreshnik intermediate-range missile, which is particularly feared because of its destructive power and ability to strike targets across large parts of Europe.

Ukrainian authorities reported two deaths in the Kyiv area, while President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said 87 people had been injured, including three minors.

Kyiv's city military administrator Tymur Tkachenko described the strike as Russia's largest attack since the start of the full-scale invasion in terms of the number of damaged locations.

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This story was originally published May 25, 2026 at 4:21 PM.