Children are running across the street by a damaged shopping center following Russian strikes in Kyiv on May 25, 2026, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Photo by Tetiana DZHAFAROVA / AFP via Getty Images)
Dispatches from Ukraine. Day 1,553.
Russia has issued the United States and other countries with diplomats in Kyiv, urging them to leave Ukraine or face what it called “systematic strikes” on the Ukrainian capital.
The warning came just days after the Ukrainian capital faced one of the heaviest attacks since the start of the Russian invasion. European countries rejected the Kremlin’s call to leave Kyiv, vowing to stay put.
Kyiv. Overnight on May 24, Russia hit Ukraine with an Oreshnik missile in one of the war’s biggest overnight missile and drone bombardment on Ukraine’s capital, resulting in four deaths, nearly 100 injuries, and significant damage to civilian and historical infrastructure across the city. In addition to residential and commercial buildings, several important historic sites were damaged. The Ukrainian National Chornobyl Museum lost roughly 40% of its artifacts. Other affected venues include the National Art Museum of Ukraine (NAMU), the Kyiv Mala Opera, and the Taras Shevchenko Institute of Literature.
