Inside the Week Russia Unleashed the Oreshnik on Kyiv and Threatened to Strike “Decision-Making Centers”

In the span of 72 hours at the end of May, the air war over Ukraine reached a new pitch. Russia fired the nuclear-capable Oreshnik hypersonic missile into the Kyiv region, launched hundreds of drones in a single night, and followed up with an explicit diplomatic threat to systematically target Ukraine's leadership. The exchange—one of the war's most intense since the full-scale invasion began—drew direct U.S. involvement via an emergency phone call and forced international capitals to reassess the safety of their diplomats in Kyiv.

What follows is a grounded reconstruction of the main events, based only on what available reporting and official readouts substantiate.

The May 24 Assault on Kyiv: 90 Missiles and 600 Drones

Late on May 23 and into May 24, Russia launched what Ukrainian officials and multiple news agencies described as one of the largest combined air attacks of the war. Ukraine's Air Force reported that the assault included 90 missiles of various types and around 600 strike drones . The barrage lasted several hours and targeted multiple districts of the capital.

Oreshnik Hypersonic Missile Deployed for the Third Time

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that Russia used the powerful Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile—capable of carrying nuclear or conventional warheads—in the attack . According to Zelenskyy, the Oreshnik struck the city of Bila Tserkva in the Kyiv region; the precise target was not immediately clear . This marked only the third recorded use of the Oreshnik in the conflict .

The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed it had used multiple missile types, including the Oreshnik, and characterized the strike as retaliation for Ukrainian attacks on Russian territory .

Casualties and Damage

• Deaths: At least 4 people were killed in the Kyiv region, according to President Zelenskyy . Other early reports, relying on Associated Press sourcing, initially placed the toll at 2 .
• Injuries: At least 83 were wounded in the attack ; later reports revised this to more than 100 injured across the country that day .
• Damage: President Zelenskyy reported that around 300 sites across Kyiv were damaged, including a newly opened museum dedicated to the 1986 Chornobyl nuclear disaster . Residential buildings, government offices, schools, and a market were also hit .

Ukraine's Air Force said its defenses destroyed or successfully jammed 549 drones and 55 of the incoming missiles, while approximately 19 missiles failed to reach their targets on their own .

May 25: Lavrov's Call to Rubio and the Threat to "Decision-Making Centers"

The day after the assault, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov initiated a phone call with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio . According to readouts from the Russian Foreign Ministry and subsequent reporting, Lavrov conveyed two main messages:

1. Russia's armed forces were beginning "systematic and consistent strikes" on military targets in Kyiv, including what it termed "decision-making centers" .
2. The United States should "ensure the evacuation of their diplomatic personnel" because the security situation in Kyiv would deteriorate further .

Lavrov told Rubio he was conveying the message on the direct instruction of Russian President Vladimir Putin . The Russian Foreign Ministry claimed to have "officially conveyed" the information to the American side in advance of the strikes .

Rubio's response, as reported, confirmed the conversation took place but the available sources do not provide a fully verified account of his reply beyond that the U.S. remained ready to mediate in the broader peace process . Rubio publicly acknowledged that Kyiv would remain a dangerous place, but his specific response during the call—such as an explicit offer of mediation—cannot be conclusively confirmed from the provided readouts .

The Broader Exchange: May 25–26 Strikes and Death Toll

The escalation did not pause. By May 26, local authorities on both sides reported that at least 8 people had been killed in missile and drone attacks on Russian and Ukrainian territory over the preceding 24 hours .

Strikes in Ukraine

Russian attacks killed 8 civilians and injured at least 105 across eight Ukrainian regions on May 26 alone . Russia launched two Iskander-M ballistic missiles and 122 drones, including Shahed-type unmanned aerial vehicles, overnight . The Ukrainian Air Force reported that on the night of May 25–26, Russia fired 355 Shahed and decoy drones and 9 Kh-101 cruise missiles—a barrage President Zelenskyy described as the "largest drone attack since the start of the full-scale war" .

Strikes in Russia

On the Russian side, a Ukrainian missile and drone attack on the Belgorod region killed one man, injured another, and cut power and water supplies in the area . Russian-installed officials in occupied Donetsk reported additional casualties, including seven people wounded .

The Moscow Airport Closures: What the Sources Confirm

The user's account references the temporary closure of all four Moscow airports following Ukrainian drone attacks. Multiple sources do confirm that Ukrainian drone barrages in previous 2025 waves forced the shutdown of Moscow's Vnukovo, Domodedovo, Zhukovsky, and Sheremetyevo airports on multiple occasions . However, the available source set does not directly link the May 26 events specifically to a closure of Moscow's airports on that day. The closures most strongly attested in the sources occurred during the periods around May 6 and May 23, when Russian air defenses intercepted dozens of drones near the capital .

What We Cannot Verify from the Available Sources

Several claims from the original user account remain unverified by the provided source set and are noted here for transparency:

• The specific EU refusal to evacuate Kyiv: No primary source in the provided set confirms or denies that EU diplomats were ordered to stay.
• The ISW assessment that Moscow's threats were meant to "posture strength after being humiliated by needing Ukrainian permission for its Victory Day parade." The Institute for the Study of War's daily campaign assessment for May 26, 2025 was present in the source set, but it does not contain that specific analytical language or conclusion .