Russia finally responds to the latest Ukrainian/NATO provocations and hammers Kiev with several ballistic missiles. On Friday, Ukraine/NATO hit Lugansk Pedagogical University, including a dormitory where students were sleeping, with waves of drones killing at least 21. The public outrage made a response inevitable, and here it is. Will there be more?
Here’s the latest from RT:
Ukrainian media and Telegram channels have circulated videos showing clusters of bright objects rapidly descending from the sky. They claimed the footage captured the use of Russia’s intermediate-range hypersonic Oreshnik system, although Moscow has not officially confirmed the launch.
The latest footage resembles videos that circulated in January, when Russia used the Oreshnik system in a strike on a Ukrainian aviation plant in Lviv that was repairing and servicing warplanes and producing long-range drones.
The reported strike came after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the Defense Ministry to “submit proposals” for a response to a Ukrainian drone attack on a school dormitory in the Lugansk People’s Republic, which left 21 people, mostly children, dead and 42 injured.
And here’s video and commentary from the Twitter:
ENOURMOUS attack on Kyiv tonight.
At least 20 Iskander-M ballistic missiles, 6 Kalibr cruise missiles, 4 Zircon hypersonic cruise missiles, as well as 2 Oreshnik IRBMs have targeted Kyiv. At least 12 Kh-101 cruise missiles are now on their way to Kyiv.
Additional missiles… https://t.co/sy803KVrty
— AMK Mapping 🇳🇿 (@AMK_Mapping_) May 24, 2026
First time we’ve seen Oreshnik out of a clear sky.
Kiev’s having a bad night right now. https://t.co/7nWAdLCySY pic.twitter.com/Tu1htzqpJQ
— Armchair Warlord (@ArmchairW) May 23, 2026
Massive fires seen burning in Kiev.
Multiple military industrial plants were targeted. pic.twitter.com/PBu022HExs
— ayden (@squatsons) May 24, 2026
Unconfirmed reports that Ukraine’s Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi may have been killed https://t.co/ckVAGDHy3P pic.twitter.com/3Pc2D6H6SH
— RUnews (@runews) May 23, 2026
NASA FIRMS data shows that large fires are burning at the Artem Defence Plant in Kyiv following overnight Russian ballistic and cruise missile strikes.
The Artem plant is known to produce air-to-air missiles, automated air-guided missile training and maintenance systems,… pic.twitter.com/Lb4OpPAGZl
— AMK Mapping 🇳🇿 (@AMK_Mapping_) May 24, 2026
🇷🇺🇺🇦 A fragment of a Patriot anti-aircraft missile somewhere in Kiev. The Ukrainian propagandists traditionally claim that this is a “Russian” missile. pic.twitter.com/9mpc5g8W6m
— Black Diamond (@blackdiammon) May 24, 2026
Will the strikes have any effect on Ukrainian leaders determination to keep feeding the meat grinder? Will European leaders do anything other than call for more assistance for Ukraine?
footage is Apocalyptic and just a fraction of the damage Russia is capable of if the chihuahuas in Europe continue to greenlight Kiev’s terrorist attacks on Russia. You see the sky light up as the strikes hit home, one layered barrage after another. Moscow isn’t playing games. https://t.co/fnymRGHZdU
— THE ISLANDER (@IslanderWORLD) May 24, 2026
Just prior to the Russian strikes on Kiev, Ukraine was making renewed and impeccably timed demands on EU membership. From Reuters:
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in a letter to EU leaders that a German proposal to grant Ukraine “associate” membership of the European Union was “unfair” because it would leave Kyiv without a voice inside the bloc.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz suggested earlier this week allowing Ukraine to participate in EU meetings and institutions without a vote as an interim step toward full membership of the bloc, which he said could help facilitate a deal to end the four-year-old war triggered by Russia’s invasion.
In response, Zelenskiy said in a letter sent late on Friday, reviewed by Reuters, that Ukraine was pressing ahead quickly with the reforms needed for full EU membership while also acting as a bulwark against Russian aggression for the whole of the 27-nation bloc.
“We are defending Europe – fully, not partially, and not with half-measures,” said the 48-year-old leader, accusing Russia of trying to destroy European unity and destabilize parts of the continent. “It would be unfair for Ukraine to be present in the European Union, but remain voiceless.”
So there’s that.
Regardless of the strikes, models of attritional warfare continue to suggest that Ukraine is nearing a breaking point.
Source: Cliodynamica by Peter Turchin
Warwick Powell predicts that the tipping point will come in July-September. Peter Turchin is more cautious but agrees the collapse is nearing. The growing number of complaints—and attacks—against Ukrainian enlistment officers back up these predictions.
