The alleged attack follows three days of constant Ukrainian drone raids in which Russia claims to have intercepted nearly 1,200 hostile UAVs
Ukrainian officials have claimed that Moscow launched a wave of missile and drone strikes on Kiev overnight. The Russian Ministry of Defense has yet to comment.
The first wave of explosions in Kiev was heard at around 10pm on Friday, with further blasts reported at 1am and continuing into the early morning hours. Ukraine’s Air Force repeatedly issued warnings about incoming ballistic missile and drone threats throughout the night.
Ukrainian authorities said that the capital’s air defenses were engaging multiple incoming targets simultaneously. They later reported that at least eight people were injured by falling debris, but no fatalities were confirmed.
Russia tonight has launched a major ballistic missile and drone attack against the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, likely one of the largest since the full-scale invasion began in 2022. Hundreds of drones have reportedly been downed by Ukrainian air-defenses and fighter jets, while a… pic.twitter.com/9OTmPZBruO— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) May 23, 2025
The Russian Defense Ministry has not yet issued a statement on the incident. Moscow regularly carries out drone and missile strikes on Ukrainian military infrastructure, insisting that its operations do not target civilian facilities.
Ukrainian forces have significantly stepped up attacks over the past week, the Russian military reported on Friday, stating that a total of 1,177 long-range drones were intercepted between 8pm on May 20 and 8am on May 23.
The large-scale air raid began on Tuesday evening, with the border regions of Belgorod, Kursk, and Bryansk absorbing most of the initial strikes. Air defenses were also activated in the Orel, Ryazan, Kaluga, Ivanovo, Vladimir, Voronezh, and Lipetsk regions, according to the ministry.
Meanwhile, Moscow Region – far from the front line – also endured multiple nights of fixed-wing drone barrages. Airports in the capital and several surrounding regions were repeatedly forced to suspend operations due to the incursions, resulting in significant flight delays. Similar disruptions occurred earlier this month in the lead-up to celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II.
The chairman of the lower chamber of the Russian parliament, Vyacheslav Volodin, had warned that Moscow would deliver an “appropriate and harsh response” to the nightly attacks Ukraine carried out with drones and Western-supplied missiles.
On Friday, Moscow and Kiev began the first stage of a major military and civilian prisoner exchange, with additional swaps expected over the weekend. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that once the exchange is complete, Moscow will likely be ready to present its proposed peace memorandum, as discussed during last week’s negotiations in Istanbul.
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