Russian forces launched a large-scale missile and drone attack across Ukraine overnight on May 24-25, 2025, striking Kyiv and several other regions and causing civilian casualties and extensive damage to homes and infrastructure.
Early reports put the death toll at eight, but authorities subsequently reported additional fatalities. Later assessments said at least 12 people were killed and dozens were injured. The dead included three children in the Zhytomyr region.
Ukraine Reports 367 Missiles and Drones
Ukraine's Air Force said Russia launched 367 aerial weapons during the overnight assault: 298 drones and 69 missiles of several types. Ukrainian forces said they intercepted or suppressed 266 drones and shot down 45 missiles. Those figures were military assessments and could not all be independently verified in real time.
The barrage struck or affected areas including Kyiv, Zhytomyr, Khmelnytskyi, Mykolaiv, Kharkiv, Ternopil and other regions. At the time, it was described as the largest Russian aerial attack of the full-scale war by the number of drones and missiles launched in a single night.
Deaths and Damage Across Several Regions
In the western Khmelnytskyi region, regional authorities reported four people killed and five wounded. Homes, a school and other civilian infrastructure were damaged.
In the Kyiv region surrounding the capital, later official reports said four people were killed and 16 injured, including children. Fires and damage were reported at residential properties.
Kyiv itself reported 11 people injured. Residential buildings and a student dormitory were among the structures damaged, while residents spent hours sheltering in metro stations and other protected areas as air-raid warnings continued. The attack coincided with Kyiv Day, the city's annual celebration.
In the Zhytomyr region, three children from one family, aged eight, 12 and 17, were killed, according to Ukrainian emergency authorities. Other members of the family were among those injured.
In the southern city of Mykolaiv, a drone struck a five-story residential building. Emergency officials reported that a 77-year-old man was killed and five other people were injured. Part of the building collapsed and rescuers worked at the site.
Authorities in Kharkiv also reported injuries and damage after drones struck parts of the northeastern city.
Russia Reports Ukrainian Drone Attacks
Russia's Defense Ministry, meanwhile, said its air defenses destroyed or intercepted 95 Ukrainian drones over Russian territory during a four-hour period from the evening of May 24 into early May 25. The ministry said drones were detected over several regions.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said 12 drones approaching the Russian capital were intercepted. Aviation authorities temporarily imposed restrictions at Moscow-area airports as the drone threat continued. Russian officials did not initially report casualties in Moscow from that wave of attacks.
The Russian military's interception figures were claims by the Defense Ministry and were not independently verified.
Attack Came During Major Prisoner Exchange
The strikes took place while Russia and Ukraine were carrying out a major prisoner exchange agreed during talks in Istanbul. The two sides had agreed to exchange 1,000 prisoners each in stages, one of the largest swaps since Russia began its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
The aerial attacks nevertheless underscored that the prisoner exchange had not produced a ceasefire. Diplomatic efforts at the time had yet to establish a broader halt to hostilities.
Later Reporting Clarified the Initial Casualty Count
The original reports of eight deaths reflected information available during the first hours after the attack. As emergency crews searched damaged areas and regional authorities updated their figures, the confirmed toll rose. A subsequent United Nations document describing the May 25 attack recorded at least 12 civilians killed and more than 50 injured, including the deaths in Kyiv, Zhytomyr, Khmelnytskyi and Mykolaiv regions.
Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Crimea, internationally recognized as part of Ukraine, has been occupied and claimed as annexed by Russia since 2014, while Russian forces have also occupied parts of eastern and southern Ukraine. Territorial-control figures remain time-sensitive because the front line continues to change.
0 Comments