Russia Strikes Kyiv With Intermediate-Range Missile

Ukrainians endured a harrowing night starting Saturday, May 23, and into the early hours of May 24, as the country came under intense Russian bombardment. At least four people were killed and more than 100 wounded in attacks that particularly targeted the capital.

Both Kyiv and Moscow reported that Russia used its Orechnik intermediate-range ballistic missile, which is capable of carrying nuclear warheads. This marked the third time Moscow had deployed the weapon against Ukraine – so far, without nuclear warheads – since the launch of the full-scale invasion in February 2022.

Russia deployed the missile last year in Belarus, a Moscow ally that borders three member states of the North Atlantic alliance and the European Union – Poland, Lithuania and Latvia – as well as Ukraine. " In a rare phone call on Sunday, French officials urged their Belarusian counterpart not to let the country be "dragged" into the war in Ukraine, according to sources close to the French leader.