A look at destruction in Ukraine as Russia launches 2 days of intense attacks 01:10
Entire residential buildings were demolished in Ukraine's capital as Russia launched a "massive and virtually nonstop" aerial barrage on Kyiv and other major cities on Wednesday and Thursday, according to Ukrainian officials. They said more than 1,500 drones and over 50 missiles were launched over the two days.
At least 24 people were killed in Kyiv, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, many in a strike that leveled an apartment building on Thursday. Three children were killed, the president said, including a 15-year-old girl, according to Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko.
"My sincere condolences to everyone who lost their families and loved ones because of this savage terror," Zelenskyy said as he visited the site of the razed apartment building on Friday. "The world must remember the price Ukraine pays every day so that Russian aggression does not spread to other nations."
I honored the memory of those killed at the site of the residential building destroyed by a Russian missile strike. Here, Russia took the lives of 24 people, including three children. My sincere condolences to everyone who lost their families and loved ones because of this savage…pic.twitter.com/amDQGLdfZ3
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa)May 15, 2026
Zelenskyy said he had met with his top staff on Thursday about the "massive and virtually nonstop Russian attack that lasted nearly 48 hours."
"This is a deliberate terrorist tactic by the Russians, who amassed drones and missiles over a period of time and intentionally calculated the strike so that its scale would be significant, creating the greatest possible difficulties for our air defense," Zelenskyywrote on X.
He said 20 locations were attacked in the capital in all, including locations such as the residential building, a school and veterinary clinic.
Zelenskyy said 94% of drones were intercepted, but only 73% of the missiles were shot down, and cited the need to improve in that regard.
Other cities coming under fire over the two days included Odesa, Rivne, Ivano-Frankivsk and Kharkiv.
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Zelenskyy accused Russia of stockpiling the weapons for the attack to coincide withPresident Trump's visit to China.
"It certainly cannot be called a coincidence that one of the longest massive Russian attacks against Ukraine takes place precisely at the time when the President of the United States arrived for a visit to China — a visit from which much is expected," he said.
The Ukrainian president added, "In this difficult geopolitical moment, Russia is clearly trying to disrupt the overall political atmosphere and draw attention to its evil — seeking to do so at the expense of Ukrainian lives and Ukrainian infrastructure."
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday answered questions from reporters following a Victory Day parade, and made headlines for saying he thoughtthe war may be nearing its closeafter more than four years.
"I think the matter is coming to an end, but it's still a serious matter,"he told reportersin remarks translated from Russian.
Mr. Trump was asked about Putin's comments when leaving for China on Tuesday, and he delivered an optimistic response.
"The end of the war in Ukraine, I really think it's getting close," he told reporters on the White House's South Lawn.
Zelenskyy has said the actions of Putin do not show he believes the end of the war is coming.
"Russia itself chose to end the partial silence that had lasted for several days," Zelenskyy wrote on Tuesday, referring to apause in the fightingfor Victory Day, a celebration of the Soviet Union's defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II. "Russia must end this war, and it is Russia that must take the step toward a real, lasting ceasefire."
As part of a summit in Bucharest, Zelenskyy met with the leaders of several European countries on Wednesday — including Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Romanian President Nicușor Dan, Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs, Polish President Karol Nawrocki and Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda — about steps toward ending the war.
Zelenskyy also announced the return of about 200 Ukrainian prisoners of war on Friday morning,part of a dealexchanging 1,000 Russian prisoners for 1,000 Ukrainian prisoners. The president said most of the Ukrainian prisoners of war had been held since 2022.
"I thank everyone working to bring our people home — first and foremost, our warriors, who replenish Ukraine's exchange fund, and our team," Zelenskyysaid on X. "I thank all partners who help free Ukrainians from captivity. We will continue to fight for every single person who remains in captivity."
