Ukraine Strikes Back: Massive Drone Attack Hits Russian Oil Refinery as Kyiv Mourns 24 Dead in Apartment Block Tragedy

15 May 2026 | Kyiv / Ryazan / Brussels / Warsaw

KYIV, Ukraine – The skies over Ryazan turned orange. A giant plume of black smoke rose from one of Russia's largest oil refineries – the unmistakable signature of Ukraine's long-range drones finding their mark.

Ukraine launched a large-scale long-range drone attack targeting several regions in Russia on Friday, including the huge Ryazan oil refinery, after three days of massive strikes by Moscow against Ukraine that killed 24 people, including three children, when a cruise missile hit an apartment block in Kyiv.

As Ukraine declared a national day of mourning, the Council of Europe said it was moving towards setting up a war crimes court to try Russia's leadership for its war of aggression against Ukraine.

"The Russians Practically Levelled an Entire Section of the Building"

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the site of the destroyed apartment block in Kyiv's Darnytskyi district, on the left bank of the Dnipro River. He placed flowers and spoke to rescue workers who had worked non-stop for more than a day.

"The Russians practically levelled an entire section of the building with their missile," Zelenskyy said on the Telegram app.

According to initial analysis, the weapon that struck the building was a recently manufactured Russian Kh-101 missile. Russia did not immediately comment on the strike. Moscow denies deliberately targeting civilians but has frequently hit residential buildings and other civilian infrastructure during more than four years of war.

City officials in Kyiv said 24 bodies had been recovered from the rubble and about 30 people had been rescued alive. Nearly 50 people were wounded, and about 400 people required psychological support, the interior ministry said.

The search-and-rescue operation at the apartment building lasted more than 28 hours. Hundreds of rescuers sifted through 3,000 cubic metres of rubble.

People lay flowers in front of a house heavily damaged after a Russian strike on a residential neighbourhood in Kyiv, Ukraine.

Ukraine Strikes Back: Ryazan Oil Refinery in Flames

Ukraine's response was swift and powerful. A large-scale long-range drone attack targeted several regions in Russia, with the Ryazan oil refinery – one of Russia's largest – engulfed in a large blaze after being hit by several impacts.

Witnesses suggested the refinery was the primary target. Russian authorities said four people, including a child, had been hit in the Ukrainian strikes. Russia's investigative committee said it had opened a terrorism investigation, claiming the strikes had targeted "residential and civilian infrastructure."

Kyiv did not publicly claim responsibility, but the message was unmistakable: Ukraine can strike back – and will.

Day of Mourning: Flags at Half-Mast

Kyiv officials declared Friday a day of mourning, with national flags at half-mast across the city of 3 million. All entertainment events were cancelled or postponed. Residents brought flowers, stuffed animals and sweets to a makeshift memorial at the destroyed housing block.

Lviv mayor Andriy Sadovyi said the western Ukrainian city also lowered its flag as a sign of respect.

War Crimes Tribunal: 36 Countries Back Justice for Ukraine

As Ukraine mourned, 36 countries and the European Union backed plans for the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine. During a Council of Europe meeting in Chişinău, Moldova, ministers "expressed their intention to join a new Enlarged Partial Agreement" – diplomatic language for wanting to join the tribunal.

Alain Berset, the secretary general of the Council of Europe, said the tribunal "represents justice and hope" and "the time for Russia to be held to account for its aggression is fast approaching."

"The path ahead of us is one of justice – and justice must prevail," he said.

Russia launched more than 1,500 drones and dozens of missiles in attacks across Ukraine this week over three consecutive days, Ukrainian officials said. The sheer scale of the assault – and the civilian toll – has galvanised international support for accountability.

Merz and Trump Discuss Ukraine, Iran, NATO

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he spoke with US President Donald Trump as he returned from China. "I had a good phone call with President Trump," Merz posted on X. "We agree: Iran must come to the negotiating table now. It must open the strait of Hormuz. Tehran must not be allowed to have nuclear weapons."

"We also discussed a peaceful solution for Ukraine and coordinated our positions ahead of the NATO summit in Ankara. The US and Germany are strong partners in a strong NATO."

However, earlier in the day, Merz told a meeting of German Catholics that he "would not recommend to my children today that they go to the US to get an education and to work."

"I am a great admirer of America's, but right now my admiration is not increasing," he said, to laughter from the audience. It remains unclear whether he repeated any of that in his chat with Trump.

US army soldiers drive a tank through the Vistula River during the DRAGON-24 NATO military defence drills in Korzeniewo, Poland.

Poland, Lithuania Monitor US Military Presence in Europe

Poland and Lithuania continue to ask questions about US plans on military presence in Europe, including the consequences of widely reported plans to cancel the temporary deployment of 4,000 US-based troops to Poland.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said he "received assurances that these decisions are logistical in nature and they will not directly affect the deterrence capabilities and our security."

He said the US decision to shift its policy on overseas deployments had been coming "for years," putting more onus on Europe "to take greater responsibility for its security."

Several senior Polish politicians recently said they were engaging with the US on potentially increasing their military presence in the country. Similar signals are coming from Lithuania, which is also closely monitoring US announcements.

Lithuania's defence minister said last night that Lithuania was looking into whether it could convince the US to deploy more troops to the country, potentially including some of those recently withdrawn from Germany.

However, a recent survey showed that Poland is the only EU country where the general public is keen to see a permanent US military base in their country (51% in favour), while Lithuanian voters are much more sceptical (29% in favour, 43% against).

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