The situation 1524 – May 24, 2026

1. Russia conducted a devastating missile and drone strike, including with an Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM), against Ukraine, heavily targeting Kyiv City, on the night of May 23 to 24.
2. Russian strikes damaged government buildings and cultural sites in Kyiv City, as the Kremlin threatened it would if Ukraine struck Russia’s May 9 Victory Day celebrations in Moscow City, which Ukraine did not strike.
3. Russian forces are increasingly using mass Shahed drone strikes to overwhelm Ukrainian air defenses to facilitate successful missile strikes amidst high Ukrainian Shahed interception rates.
4. Russian nationalist milbloggers dismissed the strikes as mostly symbolic and noted that the strikes come amidst Russian failures on the battlefield.
5. Russia’s justification for the combined strike on Kyiv City contradicts Russia’s long-term practice of deliberate targeting of civilians.
6. Ukrainian forces advanced in the Kostyantynivka-Druzhkivka tactical area and the Hulyaipole direction.

The full update of the Russian offensive 1524 is available on UNDERSTANDING WAR.