LONDON — Russian aerial and rocket assaults resulted in the deaths of at least eight individuals and left approximately 20 unaccounted for, potentially buried beneath the debris, following a period of rigorous attacks on the Ukrainian capital and other regions nationwide, according to statements from Ukrainian authorities.
The Ukrainian aerial defense force announced via a Telegram post on Thursday that Russia had launched 675 unmanned aerial vehicles and 56 rockets into the nation overnight, of which 652 UAVs and 41 rockets were either neutralized or intercepted.
The air force reported that fifteen rockets and 23 UAVs impacted across 24 locales, with reports of falling remnants in 18 different areas. The Russian assault was still ongoing as of Thursday morning, the air force cautioned.
The overnight offensive came after an intense day of strikes on Wednesday, when the air force noted that 892 Russian UAVs had been launched into the country, with 821 failing to reach their designated objectives.
Rescuers work at the site of an apartment building that was damaged and partially collapsed during Russian missile and drone strikes in Kyiv, Ukraine, on May 14, 2026.Thomas Peter/Reuters
In total, the Ukrainian aerial defense force documented no less than 1,623 Russian munitions unleashed upon the country from Wednesday through Thursday, in what seems to be the most extensive continual aerial bombardment of the conflict thus far.
Ukrainian figures revealed that a minimum of 16 individuals had perished and upwards of 100 sustained injuries during two days of Russian offensives.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated in a post on X on Thursday that Russia had been launching attacks "practically without pause" for close to 48 hours.
"This represents a premeditated strategy of terror employed by the Russians, who accumulated drones and missiles over a certain duration and deliberately orchestrated the attacks to ensure a substantial scale, thereby maximizing the challenges for our air defense systems," Zelenskyy noted in the message.
The Ukrainian State Emergency Service announced on Thursday that emergency teams were excavating through the wreckage of a partially-collapsed nine-story residential building situated in Kyiv’s southeastern Darnytsia sector, in efforts to locate missing persons.
Zelenskyy conveyed via a social media post that a minimum of 20 structures had been impacted in Kyiv, which included a school. "There will be a proportionate response to all of these offensives. And it is essential that we apply pressure to Moscow so that they become aware of the ramifications of their acts of terror there," he penned.
"It's crucial that there exist global penalties imposed against Russia. Russia's accountability for the conflict and the intensity of our penalty measures ought to be operating at their highest levels. Moreover, it remains vital that the global community not remain indifferent to this instance of terror but instead remain in solidarity with Ukraine," Zelenskyy emphasized.
An explosion lights up the sky over Kyiv, Ukraine, during a Russian missile and drone strike on May 14, 2026.Anna Voitenko/Reuters
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha appealed to international leaders — which included President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping — to publicly denounce the recent strikes.
"This act of barbarity occurring during such a crucial summit demonstrates that the Russian regime constitutes a global hazard to worldwide safety. Instead of cultivating peace and advancement, Moscow actively pursues hostility and acts of terror," he stated in an X post, referencing Trump's ongoing diplomatic visit to Beijing.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, Sybiha expressed, "desires for the war to persist with the aim of extending his position of influence and domination across Russia. There should be no delusions or wishful contemplation: exerting pressure on Moscow is the sole mechanism capable of compelling him to cease."
The Russian Defense Ministry reported that 36 Ukrainian UAVs were intercepted throughout the night into Thursday. The ministry asserted that they had brought down 431 Ukrainian drones during the day on Wednesday.
Rescuers carry an injured person at the site of a residential building that was partially destroyed following Russian drone and missile strikes in Kyiv on May 14, 2026.Roman Pilipey/AFP via Getty Images
Both Russia and Ukraine have notably increased their long-distance offensives substantially throughout the preceding year, with current frontline engagements resolving into an almost immovable situation with little indication that either entity can attain significant strategic gains.
The month of April witnessed the most attacks initiated by Russia during any single month of the war to date, according to Ukrainian aerial defense force information. Kyiv disclosed encountering 6,663 Russian UAVs and 141 rockets during that particular month.
Ukrainian long-distance UAV offensives achieved their zenith in March, based on information published by the Russian Defense Ministry. In that instance, Moscow announced that its armed forces had neutralized a minimum of 7,347 Ukrainian UAVs.
ABC News is unable to autonomously validate the information issued by either Russia or Ukraine. Authorities have posited that it is plausible that both entities may attempt to overstate the performance of their respective air defense systems, or to accentuate the offensives conducted against them in an attempt to corroborate assertions that their adversaries lack any sincere interest in pursuing a cessation of hostilities.
This photograph shows an explosion near residential buildings during a Russian drone and missile strike in Kyiv, Ukraine, on May 14, 2026.Sergei Supinsky/AFP via Getty Images
Neither side furnishes comprehensive specifics concerning the scale of their own offensives or the specific targets thereof, although they frequently issue communiqués portraying these targets as locations of military, energy-related, or industrial nature. Both participants levy reciprocal accusations concerning the deliberate targeting of civilian populations.
The Ukrainian aerial defense force issues what it designates as a daily summary of Russian UAV and rocket attacks, which encompasses information about the volume of munitions intercepted versus those that penetrated the air defenses.
Moscow, in contrast, solely publishes the number of Ukrainian UAVs and various projectile types that it purports to have intercepted.
ABC News' Patrick Reevell, Natalia Popova and Othon Leyva were contributors to this report.
Sourse: abcnews.go.com