War in Ukraine: Deadly night in kyiv and the Latvian government, collateral victim of the conflict

recap – “20 Minutes” takes stock for you every evening on the conflict in Ukraine. This Thursday, May 14, 2026, Russia shelled Ukraine, further driving away the hope of peace while the conflict led to the fall of the Latvian government

Have you missed the latest events on the war in Ukraine? 20 Minutes takes stock for you every evening. Here is the gist of this Thursday, May 14, 2026, on the 1,541st day of the conflict.

Fact of the day

While there were whispers behind the scenes of the hope of launching new negotiations, Russia carried out a particularly deadly attack during the night from Wednesday to Thursday. The massive bombings which affected the country left eight dead (including at least one little girl) and 45 injured, further reducing hopes of a settlement of this deadly conflict which has lasted for more than four years.

Russia launched 675 drones and 56 missiles, the Ukrainian air force said, claiming to have shot down 652 and 41 respectively. The capital, kyiv, the hardest hit, will observe a day of mourning on Friday, announced its mayor, Vitali Klitschko.

Earlier in the day, a UN vehicle was hit by Russian explosive drones in the south of the country, without causing any injuries, according to Volodymyr Zelensky. “The Russians could not have been unaware of the vehicle they were targeting,” he denounced.

Today’s statement

By bombing civilians, Russia demonstrates less its strength than its weakness: it is short of solutions on the military front and does not know how to end its war of aggression.

This is a statement by French President Emmanuel Macron, after the wave of Russian air attacks. Like him, many went to the UK(…)

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Also read:
War in Ukraine: Attacks prove that Russia “does not know how to end its war”, for Macron
Latvia: Prime Minister resigns following political crisis caused by Ukrainian drones