Almost two days of terror: Russia launched 1,567 drones and 56 missiles at Ukraine

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky reported that 14 May 2026 he held a meeting of the Headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief after a massive Russian strike that lasted almost two days. The main issue was the military report on the defensive operation against the virtually continuous attack by the Russian Federation. Information about the meeting was also released by the NSDC of Ukraine.

According to the head of state, the Russians had stockpiled drones and missiles in advance, and then calculated the attack so that its scale would be as large as possible and the strain on Ukraine’s air defense – the most difficult. Volodymyr Zelensky called this a special terrorist tactic by the Russians aimed at exhausting Ukraine’s air defenses and striking cities and rear-line infrastructure.

“This is a special terrorist tactic by the Russians, who accumulated drones and missiles over a period of time and deliberately calculated the strike in such a way that its scale would be significant and the complication for our air defense – the greatest”.

Overall, during the waves of massive attacks on 13 and 14 May Russian forces used 1567 drones and 56 missiles of various types. According to Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine’s air defense shot down 94% of the drones and 73% of the missiles. A key challenge for defending the sky remains ballistic missiles and the protection of thousands of rear-line infrastructure facilities and Ukrainian cities. At the Headquarters, together with military commanders, the Minister of Defense, the Minister of Energy and other officials, they discussed the needs of the air defense forces. In particular, they talked about increasing the supply of necessary equipment, among which – radars.

As a result of the discussion, specific instructions were given to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Air Force and the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. During the meeting, reports were also made about strikes in various regions of the country – from Rivne and Ivano-Frankivsk to Kyiv and Kharkiv region.

In Kyiv, search and rescue operations continue at the site of the destroyed entrance of a residential building after the Russian attack. According to the president, the entrance was practically blown away from the first to the ninth floor. At the time of his report, the fate of almost 20 people who may have been in the building remained unknown. In the capital at that time, seven dead and 39 injured were reported. All necessary forces of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, the National Police, communal and medical services were involved in the operations.

Volodymyr Zelensky thanked everyone working at the strike sites and rescuing people. He specifically emphasized that he would speak with Ukrainian diplomats about procuring missiles for air defense.

According to the president, everyone must focus on anti-ballistic systems and missiles for them. He called this priority number one. The assessment of Ukrainian diplomacy’s work in May – June will depend, in particular, on the adequate provision of Ukraine’s air defense forces.

The head of state also instructed the Defense Forces of Ukraine and special services to propose possible formats of a Ukrainian response to this Russian strike.

Earlier we wrote:

• There may still be people under the rubble: Russia destroyed the entrance of a nine-story apartment building in Kyiv
• The RF began a combined attack: first massive drones overload air defenses, then missiles target the energy sector
• 13 FPV drones on one community, artillery on another: Mykolaiv region endured another day of attacks
• In a day – 44 missiles and 659 drones: air defenses shot down 31 missiles, neutralized 636 UAVs; strikes on 26 locations
• Ballistic missiles were not stopped: Russia struck Ukraine with missiles and hundreds of drones