Published on: 2026-05-28
Source: United Nations – United Nations –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned the Security Council about the risk of “uncontrolled escalation” of the war against Ukraine following one of the largest Russian air attacks since the beginning of the full-scale invasion.
“Stop the death spiral”
Speaking on Thursday at the Security Council meeting, the UN chief stated that the strikes carried out by Russia on the night of May 23 to 24 “underline the full seriousness of the current moment.”
“The current course is unacceptable. The trajectory must change. The spiral of death must stop,” said Guterres, calling for an “immediate and sustainable de-escalation,” as well as for a “full and unconditional ceasefire.”
The meeting was initiated by Ukraine with the support of European Security Council members – Denmark, France, Greece, Latvia, and the United Kingdom. In a letter to the Security Council, Kyiv declared a “new level of Russian aggression.” According to the Ukrainian side, Kyiv has suffered the most destructive strike throughout the war.
Massive strike on Ukraine
The Assistant to the UN Secretary-General for the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific, Khaled Khiari, presented detailed information received by the UN.
According to these data, on the night of May 23 to 24, the Russian armed forces struck several regions of Ukraine, using, among other weapons, the medium-range ballistic missile “Oreshnik,” which hit the city of Bila Tserkva in the central part of the country. “This is already the third known case of the use of this weapon by the Russian Federation against Ukraine,” noted Hiari.
Overall, according to reports, during this massive attack Russia used 90 long-range missiles and 600 drones. According to him, at least five people died as a result of the attack, and more than 110 were injured. The most severe consequences were recorded in Kyiv, where more than two million residents “heard explosions for over seven hours.” Dozens of residential buildings were damaged. UNESCO also reported damage to more than 30 cultural sites.
According to Chiari, due to the falling debris in the center of Kyiv, the residence of the Albanian ambassador and the complex where UN employees work were damaged. None of them were injured.
Losses among civilians
Since February 2022, more than 15 thousand civilians have been killed in Ukraine, including almost 800 children. At the same time, as noted by the Secretary-General in his speech, in the first four months of 2026, the number of civilian casualties was higher than in the corresponding periods of 2025, 2024, and 2023.
“The front line has practically frozen while a flow of drones is causing heavy losses. Civil infrastructure is being destroyed on a massive scale, especially the energy infrastructure,” Guterres said.
He warned about the risk of miscalculations and further escalation with “unknown and unintended consequences.”
He also reported that Russian authorities claim an increase in civilian casualties as a result of alleged Ukrainian strikes. According to available data, on May 25, two civilians died in Belgorod and Bryansk regions of Russia.
Threat of further escalation
Chiari, for his part, expressed concern regarding recent statements by Russian authorities about the intention to deliver “systematic strikes” on Ukrainian defense enterprises, as well as on “decision-making centers and command points” in Kyiv.
The UN representative emphasized that this statement followed reports of an attack by a Ukrainian drone on a college building and dormitory in the Ukrainian city of Starobilsk, currently occupied by Russia.
In the UN, “all attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure, wherever they occurred, are resolutely condemned,” emphasized Chiari. “Such attacks violate international humanitarian law. They must stop immediately. Civilians must be protected,” he said.
Humanitarian aid
The UN also reported that humanitarian workers continue to operate in extremely dangerous conditions. Over the past two weeks, personnel from humanitarian organizations and their facilities have been subjected to attacks at least five times.
Despite this, the UN intends to continue providing humanitarian aid, monitoring the situation with human rights, as well as supporting efforts to return Ukrainian children “deported or forcibly displaced during the war.”
The USA called on Russia to refrain from escalation
Deputy US Permanent Representative to the UN, Temmy Brues, condemned the recent massive Russian strikes on Kyiv, calling it an “inexplicable, dangerous, and barbaric escalation” of the war. She expressed particular concern, saying, about the use of hypersonic ballistic missiles “Oreshnik.”
She reminded that as a result of the attacks, civilians were killed, more than 100 people were injured, and significant damage was caused to residential buildings, museums, public transport, and infrastructure facilities.
“Deliberate attacks on the civilian population are disgusting and unacceptable,” said the U.S. representative, expressing condolences to all those affected.
Washington also warned Moscow against inflicting the so-called “systematic strikes” on Kyiv, emphasizing that such actions could lead to new civilian casualties and further delay the prospect of peace. It called on the parties to return to negotiations on ending the war.
Material is being updated…
Please note; This information is raw content obtained directly from the information source. It represents an accurate report of what the source asserts, and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.