A Night of Fear Over Kyiv: Russia Pushes the War Into a New Phase of Pressure

When air raid sirens once again echoed across Kyiv on the night of May 24, residents of the Ukrainian capital already sensed this would not be another routine episode in the long cycle of war. For hours, the sky above the city flashed with interceptions of missiles and drones, while Ukrainian Telegram channels circulated images of fires, shattered apartment blocks, and broken windows in museums and libraries. For many Ukrainians, the night became a symbol of how the conflict is evolving from a battle between armies into a war of societal exhaustion.

Western media described the strikes as one of Russia’s largest combined aerial assaults in recent months. According to The Washington Post, Russia launched around 90 missiles and up to 600 drones, targeting not only Kyiv but also the regions of Odesa, Kharkiv, Sumy, Kirovohrad, and Khmelnytskyi. Ukrainian authorities reported several deaths and dozens of injuries, while Western outlets estimated the number of wounded in Kyiv alone at more than one hundred.

Yet the scale of destruction appeared to be only part of a much broader picture. In Western analytical circles, the attacks are increasingly viewed as evidence that the Kremlin is changing the nature of the war. Rather than focusing solely on rapid battlefield breakthroughs, Moscow now appears to be concentrating on sustained pressure against the Ukrainian state, its economy, and the psychological resilience of its population.

Particular attention was drawn to the use of the “Oreshnik” missile, which The Guardian described as part of a “jerky and dangerous escalation.” Even if the missile carried a conventional warhead, many analysts interpreted its deployment as a signal not only to Kyiv but also to NATO. Across European capitals, there is growing concern that Moscow is attempting to restore fear as a strategic factor in Western calculations, demonstrating its ability to raise the stakes further.

For official Kyiv, the attacks became yet another indication that Russia has no intention of stopping. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the strikes as “terror against civilians” and accused the Kremlin of trying to break Ukrainians through fear and the destruction of civilian infrastructure. Kyiv also used the attacks to reinforce calls for additional Patriot air defence systems and tougher sanctions against Moscow. Ukrainian officials stressed that the strikes coincided with another diplomatic deadlock and portrayed the events as “diplomacy under fire.”

Moscow, meanwhile, framed the operation as a “retaliatory response.” Russia’s Ministry of Defence stated that the attacks targeted Ukrainian military infrastructure, airfields, and defence industry facilities. Russian President Vladimir Putin directly linked the strikes to recent Ukrainian attacks on Russian territory and promised a “harsh and proportionate response.” The Kremlin insists it does not deliberately target civilian sites and portrays the operation as part of a broader strategy of “deterrence” against Ukraine.

In the West, however, there is growing belief that the campaign serves a far more complex combination of objectives. Analysts at CSIS and the French think tank Fondation pour la Recherche Stratégique argue that Russia is attempting to overload Ukraine’s air defence systems, increase the economic cost of the war for Kyiv, and simultaneously persuade the West that time is working in Moscow’s favour. Large-scale aerial assaults are therefore becoming not merely military operations, but instruments of political pressure.

The symbolism of striking Kyiv is also difficult to ignore. After more than three years of war, the Ukrainian capital has become a symbol of national survival. Every new attack on the city therefore carries not only military but also psychological significance. Damage to museums, libraries, and historic buildings reinforced the perception that Russia is seeking not only to destroy infrastructure, but also to undermine Ukraine’s cultural resilience.

Across European diplomatic circles, concern is growing that the war is entering a prolonged phase of attrition in which neither side appears prepared for major concessions. For Russia, the air campaign offers a way to compensate for the absence of a decisive battlefield breakthrough. For Ukraine, it serves as a reminder of how dependent the country’s survival remains on Western military support. And for Europe, the attacks are yet another signal that the conflict is steadily evolving into a long-term confrontation with increasingly unpredictable limits of escalation.