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Russia launched the largest sustained drone attack of the war on Ukraine overnight, killing at least 17 people in Kyiv and wounding dozens more, Ukrainian officials confirmed on May 15, 2026. The attack — involving more than 1,560 drones and 56 missiles over approximately 36 hours — struck residential buildings across the capital, sending rescue teams scrambling through smoke and debris.
A five-storey residential building in the Darnytskyi district partially collapsed after direct hits from Russian drones overnight. At least seven bodies were recovered from the rubble, with more feared trapped beneath the wreckage.
Ukrainian air defence intercepted 652 drones and 41 missiles during the assault, according to the Ukrainian Air Force. The remainder struck civilian infrastructure, damaging power grids and cutting electricity to several districts. At least two children were among the dead, officials said.
The attack represents a significant escalation following the collapse of a U.S.-brokered three-day ceasefire last week. Russian officials have repeatedly demanded that Ukraine withdraw its forces from the Donbas region as a precondition for any renewed peace talks — a demand Kyiv has rejected as a non-starter.
International condemnation swiftly followed. The United Kingdom summoned the Russian ambassador to protest the attacks. France and Germany issued a joint statement condemning what they called “indiscriminate strikes against civilian populations.” European Union foreign ministers held an emergency session to discuss further responses.
President Volodymyr Zelensky called for authorization for Ukraine to use long-range weapons to strike Russian territory. “How many more innocent people must die before the world gives us the tools to defend ourselves?” Zelensky wrote on social media.
The attacks came as U.S. and Russian negotiators continued talks in Qatar on a potential Black Sea ceasefire framework, though those discussions showed no signs of immediate breakthrough. Moscow has insisted any truce must include Ukrainian withdrawal from Donbas territories it claims annexed in 2022.
The scale of the assault surpasses previous record waves of drones launched by Russia, which has increasingly turned to inexpensive drone swarms to overwhelm Ukrainian air defences. The attacks have strained ammunition supplies and stretched air defence units thin across multiple fronts.
Regional capitals including Kharkiv, Dnipro, and Odesa were also struck during the 36-hour period, though casualty figures from those cities were still being compiled as of Thursday morning. Ukrainian emergency services reported treating more than 80 people for injuries across all affected regions.
