STORY: Black smoke billowed over Kyiv on Sunday (May 24) as firefighters battled blazes in residential and commercial buildings following a mass Russian missile and drone attack that killed several people and injured dozens, officials said.

Emergency crews worked through debris-strewn streets, using excavators to clear rubble as damaged apartment blocks and a business centre burned.

More than 40 locations across the capital were hit, authorities said, with strikes also reported in the surrounding region.

Residents took shelter in metro stations during the overnight assault, which sent explosions reverberating across the city shortly after 1 a.m.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

SHOWS: KYIV, UKRAINE (MAY 24, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

1. VARIOUS WALKING SHOTS OVER RUBBLE ON STREET, DAMAGED BUILDINGS, FIRES

2. EMERGENCY SERVICE VEHICLE ARRIVING

3. FIREFIGHTERS PREPARING FOR WORK / BUILDING ON FIRE

4. VARIOUS OF BUSINESS CENTRE 'KVADRAT' ON FIRE

5. RESIDENTIAL BUILDING HEAVILY DAMAGED IN STRIKE

6. FIREFIGHTERS ON CRANE LADDER PLATFORM

7. EXCAVATOR MOVING RUBBLE

8. SMOKE BILLOWING FROM HEAVILY DAMAGED RESIDENTIAL BUILDING

9. (SOUNDBITE) (Ukrainian) INTERNALLY DISPLACED PERSON FROM RUSSIAN-OCCUPIED TERRITORY, IHOR KRAVCHENKO, AGED 20, SAYING:

"I was so scared. Honestly, I thought it was my last day."

10. VARIOUS OF KRAVCHENKO SEATED ON BENCH

11. (SOUNDBITE) (Ukrainian) INTERNALLY DISPLACED PERSON FROM RUSSIAN-OCCUPIED TERRITORY, IHOR KRAVCHENKO, AGED 20, SAYING:

"The building shook, my windows were blown out, and only then I started running away. I reached the bathroom to hide myself at least there."

12. FIREFIGHTERS HOSING DOWN FLAMES AT RESIDENTIAL BUILDING

13. FIREFIGHTER WITH HOSE / BEAM OF WATER / RESIDENTIAL BUILDING

14. SMOKE BILLOWING FROM RESIDENTIAL BUILDING

15. BUSINESS CENTRE ON FIRE / METRO STATION 'LUKIANIVSKA'

16. VARIOUS OF DAMAGED METRO STATION SEEN FROM INSIDE

17. VARIOUS OF FIREFIGHTERS BATTLING FLAMES, BUILDINGS ON FIRE

18. RESIDENTIAL BUILDING ON FIRE

19. (SOUNDBITE) (Ukrainian) LOCAL RESIDENT, IHOR SHEVCHENKO, 69 YEARS OLD, SAYING:

"The bathroom is intact, but every other room was destroyed. The windows were blown out together with their frames. if I had stayed in (the bedroom), I could have been crushed just like that."

20. MEDIC ESCORTING LOCAL RESIDENT

21. VARIOUS OF SMOKE BILLOWING FROM RESIDENTIAL BUILDING

22. (SOUNDBITE) (Ukrainian) LOCAL RESIDENT, IHOR SHEVCHENKO, 69 YEARS OLD, SAYING:

"I tried to get out, the doors were blown into the staircase. I had to climb over them. And then I saw the second floor had caught fire (Shevchenko lives on 3rd floor)."

23. POLICE CORDON, HEAVILY DAMAGED RESIDENTIAL BUILDING

24. BUSINESS CENTRE ON FIRE

25. PEOPLE GETTING OUT OF METRO STATION

26. DAMAGED BUILDINGS ON MARKET SQUARE

27. BUILDING ON FIRE, FIREFIGHTER HOSING DOWN FLAMES

28. BURNED OUT CARS