At 19:01 on May 23, President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on Telegram that intelligence services — together with American and European partners — had detected signs of preparation for a combined strike on Ukraine, including Kyiv, using the "Oreshnik." "We are verifying this information," he clarified and asked citizens to respond to air raid alerts from that evening onwards.
The following night, Russia launched a massive missile and drone attack. According to the Air Force, confirmed by the head of the communications directorate Yuri Ignat, Russia fired a medium-range ballistic missile RS-26 "Rubezh" ("Oreshnik") from the Kapustin Yar training ground in Astrakhan Oblast — it struck the Bilotserkva district of Kyiv region.
There was a report from our intelligence: we received data, including from American and European partners, about Russia's preparation for a strike using the "Oreshnik." We see signs of enemy preparation for a combined strike on the territory of Ukraine.
President Zelensky, Telegram, May 23, 2026
What is known about the "Oreshnik"
The first combat launch of the "Oreshnik" took place on November 21, 2024 — against Dnipro. The second, confirmed by Ukrainian Air Force — on the night of January 9, 2026, against Lviv region, also launched from Kapustin Yar. The strike on May 24 — the third documented case of combat use.
The missile carries several independently targetable warheads (MIRV configuration, previously characteristic only of nuclear systems) with submunitions. Due to hypersonic speed — over 10 Mach — modern air defense systems have extremely limited interception time, although next-generation ballistic interceptors are structurally designed to counter this type of threat.
Belarus as a second staging ground
Separately, Zelensky previously reported that Kyiv has data on the deployment of the "Oreshnik" complex on the territory of Belarus. Lukashenko publicly stated that missiles were put on combat alert in Belarus as early as December 2025. Zelensky called this complex a "legitimate target for NATO" — the Alliance gave no official response to such phrasing.
In January-February 2026, the Armed Forces of Ukraine delivered a series of strikes against Kapustin Yar with Ukrainian-made "Flamingo" missiles. The General Staff confirmed damage to pre-launch preparation hangars. Despite this, the launch on May 24 took place from the same training ground.
Scale of the strike
- Affected communities in Kyiv region: Bila Tserkva, Fastiv, Bucha, Brovary, Vyshhorod, Boryspil.
- Residential buildings, warehouses, and farm structures were damaged.
- Explosions were also recorded in Cherkasy, Kropyvnytskyi, and Khmelnytskyi region.
- According to Kyiv Independent, at least 1 killed and 24 wounded in Kyiv and the region.
Russia's Ministry of Emergency Situations separately claimed 21 killed and 42 wounded on its side — allegedly from a Ukrainian strike on a college in Starobilsk, which they named as the official reason for the attack. Ukraine denies responsibility for the college strike.
After the strike, Zelensky stated that the world's response should be preventive, not post-factum, and called for diplomatic pressure on Moscow. The negotiation process involving the US, meanwhile, has effectively reached a dead end, according to NPR's assessment.
If strikes from Kapustin Yar continue despite documented damage to the training ground, the key question is not "will they strike again," but what is the distance between intelligence warning and the actual ability of partners to influence Moscow's decision before launch — not after it.
