What Just Happened

On May 24, Russia launched 90 missiles and 600 drones at Kyiv and the surrounding region.

According to CBS News, the barrage included cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, and an intermediate-range hypersonic ballistic missile — a weapon with nuclear capabilities. Two people were killed. 83 were wounded. Shopping centers and cultural institutions were destroyed, according to Meduza.

It was the single largest aerial assault on the Ukrainian capital since the war started in 2022.

Zelensky Warns Another Attack Is Coming

On May 29, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned publicly — and confirmed in an exclusive interview with CBS News' Face the Nation — that intelligence shared by U.S. and European allies indicates Russia is preparing another massive attack. His timeline: Friday or Saturday night.

"Our people have to be very, very careful, cautious, and children — they have to use bomb shelters," Zelensky told CBS News.

According to the Kyiv Independent, Zelensky described the intelligence warning as evidence that Moscow is still choosing "missiles and further war" over diplomacy. He met with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha on May 29 to discuss what partners could do in the coming weeks to shore up defenses.

"It is important that all our partners know what is happening," Zelensky said.

The Air Defense Shortage

Ukraine used everything it had to defend against the May 24 strike. Anti-ballistic missiles included. According to CBS News, Zelensky called anti-ballistic missile capability "the biggest deficit for us."

Zelensky has since sent a letter to both Congress and President Donald Trump asking for more Patriot missile systems. According to Meduza, he told the public that "adequate supplies depend on the United States" and expressed hope Washington would respond.

As of the time of reporting, Washington has not committed to new Patriot deliveries.

Meanwhile, according to the Kyiv Independent, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov personally called U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on May 25 to warn that Russia planned to strike Ukrainian "decision-making centers" — and urged Washington to evacuate its Kyiv embassy. No foreign embassies evacuated. Russia also told all foreign citizens, including diplomats, to leave the city.

Russian Strike Hits NATO Territory

A Russian drone struck a residential apartment building in Galați, Romania — a full NATO member state. According to CBS News, Romania's defense ministry confirmed the strike. NATO spokesperson Martin O'Donnell told CBS News the alliance "concurs that the drone was Russian," and NATO jets were scrambled.

A senior NATO military official said it "detected and tracked the Russian drone, but it entered Romanian airspace only minutes before striking the apartment building in Galați."

Separately, a Russian drone hit a Turkish-owned cargo ship in the Black Sea, wounding two crew members, according to Ukraine's Navy. Turkey is also a NATO member.

Vladimir Putin, at a press conference Friday, claimed the origin of the Romanian drone "can't be determined" until wreckage is examined. NATO and multiple member nations disagreed. U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker posted support on X but notably stopped short of directly attributing the attack to Russia.

NATO has condemned Russia's "reckless behavior" and pledged to "defend every inch of Allied territory."

What This Means

If you're in Ukraine, the message from your president is simple: get to a bomb shelter tonight.

If you're American, the question is whether the Trump administration responds to Zelensky's Patriot request before the next attack lands — or after. Patriot systems aren't cheap. But the cost of a Russian hypersonic missile hitting a NATO capital is a bill nobody wants to calculate.

Russia just struck Romanian soil and hit a Turkish ship. The alliance said the right things. Now it has to decide if it means them.