00:00European leaders condemn Russian missile and drone attack on Kyiv.
00:04Kyiv, London, Paris.
00:06European leaders have strongly condemned Russia's massive missile and drone attack
00:11on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv early Sunday, May 24th,
00:15which tilled at least four people and injured dozens more.
00:18The attack, described by officials as one of the largest coordinated strikes since the war began,
00:24has drawn sharp criticism from across the continent.
00:28Details of the attack.
00:30The assault began shortly after 1 a.m. local time,
00:33with air raid sirens sounding across the capital.
00:36Ukraine's air force warned that Russia might launch a Reshnik hypersonic ballistic missiles,
00:41a weapon President Vladimir Putin has previously boasted is virtually impossible to intercept
00:46due to its speed exceeding Mach 10.
00:49Russia reportedly used up to 90 missiles and up to 600 drones in the attack.
00:54Ukrainian air defense systems successfully intercepted 549 drones and 55 missiles,
01:01according to Ukrainian officials, though significant damage was still inflicted on the city center.
01:07Kyiv Mayor Vitaly Klitschko reported that a nine-story residential building in the central
01:12Shevchenkovsky district was hit, killing at least one person and trapping others.
01:16A school in the city center was also damaged,
01:20with debris blocking the entrance to an air raid shelter where several people were trapped.
01:24The city's military administration reported 20 people were injured in the overnight attack,
01:29with three more injured in the broader Kyiv region.
01:33International Condemnation
01:34French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the attack on social media,
01:39stating that three Russian missiles hit a water supply facility, a market,
01:43burned dozens of residential buildings, and damaged several schools.
01:47He described the assault as further evidence of Russia's war of aggression
01:51and indifference and disregard for human life.
01:55EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kalas wrote on social media that Russia was deliberately targeting the city center,
02:02calling the use of medium-range missiles designed to carry nuclear warheads a political scare tactic.
02:09European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated that the EU would stand with Ukraine
02:14and continue supporting it in strengthening its air defenses.
02:18Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, referred to as Manny Pence in the original,
02:22strongly condemned the full-scale years of illegal aggression by the Putin regime,
02:27which he said has indiscriminately bombed Ukraine's energy infrastructure, schools, hospitals, and homes.
02:33He called on Russia to stop this aggression and end this illegal war.
02:38Hungary's Unexpected Condemnation
02:40In a notable shift from previous policy,
02:44Hungary's new government under Prime Minister Peter Magyar has also condemned the attack.
02:48Foreign Minister Anita Orban summoned the Russian ambassador to Budapest,
02:53Yevgeny Stanislavov, to express protest,
02:56the first time since the full-scale invasion began
02:59that Hungary has officially summoned a Russian diplomat over an attack on Ukrainian territory.
03:05This is an attack that Hungary cannot accept at all, Orban said.
03:09She described the attack on Kyiv as
03:11a violation of human life, a war against humanity,
03:15adding that the assault was extremely brutal and a great threat.
03:19Civilians should not be awakened by drones and explosions.
03:23Orban also expressed condolences for the loss of homes and family members,
03:27stating that Hungary would stand with the victims and the people of Ukraine.
03:30The diplomatic move represents a significant policy shift
03:34from the previous pro-Moscow stance under former Prime Minister Viktor Orban,
03:38who lost power in April.
03:39Putin's Justification
03:41President Putin ordered the attack in response to a Ukrainian drone strike
03:46on a student dormitory in the Russian-controlled Luhansk region of eastern Ukraine on Friday,
03:52May 22nd.
03:53Russian authorities claimed 18 people were killed in that strike.
03:57The Ukrainian military denied targeting civilians,
04:00stating that its forces had struck a Russian drone command unit based in the Starobilsk region.
04:06Oreshnik Missile Concerns
04:08Zelensky had warned on Saturday, May 23rd,
04:11that Russia was preparing a combined strike on Ukrainian territory,
04:15including Kyiv, using various types of weaponry,
04:18citing intelligence from Ukraine, the U.S., and Europe.
04:21The U.S. Embassy in Kyiv issued a similar warning about
04:24the possibility of a serious airstrike within 24 hours.
04:28The Oreshnik missile has been used only twice before in the war,
04:32first against the city of Dnipro in November 2024,
04:35and most recently in January 2026, targeting Lviv region in western Ukraine.
04:41European leaders previously described Russia's use of the Oreshnik as escalatory and unacceptable.
04:48Ukrainian Response
04:50Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged citizens to take shelter and warned of the severity of the threat.
04:57Russian madness truly knows no bounds, so please protect your lives. Use shelters.
05:04This war must be ended.
05:06We need peace, not some missiles satisfying the sick ambitions of one individual, Zelensky wrote.
05:13Ukrainian officials confirmed that while air defenses performed effectively,
05:18they were unable to fully control the situation, leading to significant destruction in the city center.
Comments