[51909] A series of ballistic and drone attacks across Ukraine on May 5, 2026

A day of widespread airstrikes across Ukraine

During the day of May 5, 2026, Ukraine experienced a series of widespread airstrikes that included the use of ballistic missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). According to the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, multiple alerts were received regarding the launch of ballistic missiles from several directions, including from Bryansk and the Voronezh region.

The "Real War" channel – a channel that consistently supports the Ukrainian war effort – reported that the occupation forces used about 10 "Iskander-M" ballistic missiles launched from three different directions. This channel emphasizes the severity of the event and calls on citizens to remain in protected spaces.

The attacks did not spare critical transport infrastructure. According to Ukraine NOW, the Ukrainian railway network ("Ukrzaliznytsia") was attacked at several sites: a drone hit and destroyed a railcar in the Kharkiv district, while damage was caused to mobile equipment, including locomotives, in the Poltava and Dnipro districts. Thanks to early warning systems, most employees managed to enter shelters, and no casualties were reported in these incidents.

At the same time, TSN.ua channel reported on a drone attack in the Kholodnohirskyi district of Kharkiv, which caused one person to be injured. Simultaneously, in the capital Kyiv, explosions were heard throughout the day, as channels like Kyiv City Official updated residents on the immediate need to find shelter due to ballistic threats.

An unusual incident was reported by hromadske, which noted that for the first time in a long time, air raid alerts were heard deep inside Russia, at a distance of about 2,000 kilometers from the Ukrainian border, in the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug region. This channel emphasizes the spread of the war's influence to Russian territory as well, while using sources reporting on local panic and lack of preparedness.