Russia Launches 2 Ballistic Missiles + 122 Shahed Drones at Ukraine Overnight; Kyiv Market Destroyed, 4 Killed — Day 1,552

On the night of May 25–26, 2026 — Day 1,552 of Russia's full-scale invasion — Russian forces launched 2 ballistic missiles and 122 Shahed-type kamikaze drones at Ukraine in a follow-on attack after the May 23–24 mass barrage. Ukrainian air defenses shot down 111 of the 122 drones; the 2 ballistic missiles were not intercepted. In Kyiv, strikes ignited a large fire at one of the capital's oldest market complexes; a subway station used as a civilian shelter was also damaged. At least 4 people were killed and dozens were wounded across Kyiv. In Sumy's Romny district, Russian drone strikes caused fires and injured 3 people. In Mykolaiv, a drone strike damaged an administrative building and two high-rise residential buildings. The wave was part of Russia's sustained aerial campaign — the third successive night of large-scale attacks following the Oreshnik IRBM strike on Bila Tserkva on May 24 and the mass 600-drone/90-missile assault of May 23. The Russian military framed the attacks as retaliation for Ukraine's strike on a facility in occupied Starobilsk (May 22) that Russia claimed killed 21 students.