Translated with AI
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine strongly condemns the latest massive terrorist attacks on Ukrainian cities carried out by the Russian Federation on May 24 and 25, 2025.
Russia has carried out one of the largest combined attacks since the beginning of full-scale aggression in these days.
On the night of May 24, Russian occupation forces launched an attack on Ukraine using 264 air attack weapons, namely 14 Iskander-M/KN-23 ballistic missiles, as well as 250 Shahed-type attack drones.
The attack continued throughout the night and continued on May 25 with a massive missile strike involving Tu-160 and Tu-95MS strategic bombers, which launched Kh-101 cruise missiles, as well as Kalibr cruise missiles from the Black Sea.
On the night of May 25, the enemy carried out a combined attack on Ukraine using 367 air attack weapons, including 9 Iskander-M/KN-23 ballistic missiles, 55 Kh-101 air- and sea-based cruise missiles, Kalibr from Tu-95 and Tu-160 strategic aviation aircraft, 1 Kh-22 cruise missile from a Tu-22M3 aircraft, 4 Kh-59/69 guided air missiles from tactical aviation aircraft, and 298 Shahed-type attack drones.
The strikes on Kyiv were particularly intense, but missile and drone strikes also hit the Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Zhitomir, Zaporizhia, Kiev, Nikolaev, Odessa, Sumy, Ternopil, Kharkov, Khmelnytsky and Chernihiv regions. Russia hit residential areas, student dormitories, shopping centers, schools, hospitals and other objects that have no military significance.
As a result of these terrorist attacks, dozens of civilians were killed and more than a hundred people were injured to varying degrees of severity.
These barbaric shellings are a direct violation of international humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions, and constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Russian attacks once again demonstrate that the Russian Federation has no intention of ending its aggressive war against Ukraine and terror against civilians. What is especially cynical is that the attack occurred against the backdrop of active peace efforts by Ukraine and international partners, calls for a complete and unconditional ceasefire. The Russian Federation demonstrates complete disregard for international peace initiatives and continues to intensify terror instead of constructive dialogue.
We note that Moscow understands only the language of force, economic pressure and isolation. Only decisive actions by the international community, increased sanctions pressure and provision of Ukraine with the necessary means of defense can force the aggressor to stop terror.
We call on our partners to increase pressure on Russia and strengthen Ukraine, in particular by providing additional air defense capabilities, Patriot, IRIS-T, NASAMS systems and other ammunition for them.
We call for strengthening the sanctions regime against Russian companies in the military-industrial complex, energy, all Russian banks and the Central Bank of the Russian Federation, and other areas.
We insist on the inevitability of punishment of the military-political leadership of the Russian Federation for planning, organizing and committing crimes of aggression, war crimes and crimes against humanity on the territory of Ukraine and call on the international community to ensure that they are brought to criminal responsibility.
Russia must bear full responsibility for its actions, which threaten not only Ukraine, but undermine global security and stability. Ukraine will continue to defend its territorial integrity, sovereignty and right to exist by all available means, acting within the framework of international law.
May 25, 2025
