This weekend, as the people of Kyiv celebrated the 1,543rd anniversary of their capital, Russia launched the largest aerial attack on Ukraine since the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Since 1982, Kyiv Day has been celebrated every year on the last weekend of May with festivities aimed at bringing people together around their heritage and identity.
Usually marked by concerts, exhibitions, street performances, and charity marathons, this year’s celebration took place in the aftermath of a night of unprecedented bombardment.
On the night of Saturday to Sunday, May 25, at least 12 people — including three children — were killed when Russia launched 298 drones and 69 missiles against Ukraine. President Zelensky stated that more than 30 cities and villages were hit across the regions of Kyiv, Zhytomyr, Khmelnytskyi, Ternopil, Chernihiv, Sumy, Odesa, Poltava, Dnipro, Mykolaiv, Kharkiv, and Cherkasy. Ukrainian authorities described the assault as the most massive aerial attack since the beginning of the war.
Subway station during a night-time Russian drone attack in Kyiv, May 25, 2025 – Kateryna Denisova / The Kyiv Independent
This large-scale attack, carried out on a highly symbolic day, once again shows that Russia’s war is not only aimed at destroying infrastructure and lives, but also at crushing every moment of celebration, respite, joy, or relief. It reflects a deliberate intent to reject peace and plunge Ukraine into a state of constant terror.
Now more than ever, the international community must intensify diplomatic, political, and economic pressure on Russia to bring this war to an end.
Cover photo: Bogdan Susol & Ukraine’s Ministry of Emergency Situations
