Twenty-four civilians, including three children, were killed overnight on May 14 when a Russian missile struck residential areas on the outskirts of the Ukrainian capital as residents slept in their homes.
Search and rescue operations concluded on Friday, May 15. Emergency crews spent hours clearing rubble in Kyiv’s Darnytsia district following the large-scale attack, which Russia’s Defense Ministry described as a “retaliatory strike.”
Russian officials did not specify what the strike was retaliation for. In the days leading up to the May 9 military parade in Moscow, however, Russian authorities had warned of retaliation if Ukraine attempted to disrupt the event with attacks on the Russian capital.
Ukraine did not launch attacks on Russia between May 9 and May 11 during a ceasefire announced by Donald Trump. Nevertheless, Moscow carried out what it called a “retaliatory strike,” killing 24 civilians and injuring dozens more across Ukraine.
Kyiv has increasingly targeted Russian oil and gas infrastructure in an effort to curb the billions of dollars in revenue Moscow uses to finance its invasion. Russian strikes on Ukraine, meanwhile, have repeatedly hit residential areas, killing civilians and destroying entire neighborhoods.
A number of analysts say the Russian attacks are driven more by political objectives than military necessity, arguing that they are intended to intimidate civilians and pressure the Ukrainian government into capitulation.
The video shows rescuers in Kyiv recovering the body of a child killed in the strike from the rubble of a multi-story residential building in the city’s Darnytsia district:
As a reminder, according to The New York Times, as of May 2026, Russia has purposefully intensified attacks on the facilities of major American companies in Ukraine. This campaign is aimed at destroying Ukraine’s economic base and creating unacceptable risks for foreign investors. The NYT wrote, that the Trump administration’s muted response has raised concerns.
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