Massive Russian drone strike on Kyiv kills two, injures at least 25, hits Darnitsa plant and other sites
Russia launched a large-scale drone attack on Kyiv on September 23, hitting multiple districts in at least two waves. Strikes damaged the Darnitsa pharmaceutical plant, two gas stations, a railway facility, the Diprozviazok communications-design institute in the Solomianskyi district, a data center, and the long-empty 'Shayba' market building near the Central railway station. Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko reported two people killed and at least 25 injured. The EU delegation said it saw columns of smoke and heard multiple powerful explosions from its offices.
Key points
- Russian forces struck multiple Kyiv districts with drones on the morning and later in the day on 23 September
- Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko reported two killed and at least 25 injured; 17 of the injured were hospitalized
- Hits were recorded at the Darnitsa pharmaceutical plant, a Ukrnafta and a UPG gas station, the Diprozviazok institute, a UTELS data center, and the 'Shayba' market building
- Ukrzaliznytsia denied that Kyiv's Central or Darnytsia railway stations were damaged, despite initial reports of hits near the station
- Ukraine's Air Force said 161 drones were launched overnight; 119 drones and three 'Banderoli' were intercepted
- Kyiv City Express commuter trains were suspended in both directions during the heightened air threat; train departures were delayed
- In Kyiv Oblast, three people were injured and 18 civilian infrastructure objects were damaged across four districts
Why it matters
The attack was a large-scale, multi-site drone strike on Ukraine's capital hitting civilian, industrial, transport-adjacent and infrastructure targets in a single day. It caused confirmed civilian casualties — two killed and at least 25 injured — including workers, passers-by and people near struck buildings. It damaged strategically and symbolically significant sites: a major domestic pharmaceutical manufacturer (Darnitsa), a communications-design institute (Diprozviazok), a UTELS data center, gas stations and a railway facility. The EU delegation in Kyiv was close enough to the strikes to see smoke from its offices and hear multiple explosions, underscoring how deep into central Kyiv the attack reached. Railway operations at Kyiv's Central and Darnytsia stations were maintained throughout, with Ukrzaliznytsia explicitly denying station damage despite initial reports.
What happened
Russia carried out a massive drone attack on Kyiv on September 23, hitting multiple districts in at least two waves during the day. In the morning wave, drones struck a Ukrnafta filling station in the Holosiivskyi district and a UPG station in the Darnytskyi district — fires broke out on both roofs and, according to Ukrnafta, it was the sixth such hit on the company's network in recent weeks — along with a railway facility, warehouses in the Holosiivskyi district, a four-storey business centre, transport infrastructure in the Darnytskyi district, and the territory of a transport enterprise in the Solomianskyi district where a fire broke out. The Darnitsa pharmaceutical plant was hit, with the company confirming no employee fatalities but withholding details on damage. In the Solomianskyi district a drone struck a nine-storey non-residential building at the level of the fourth floor — the Diprozviazok communications-design institute building — and another fell on a shop building; nearby, the long-empty 'Shayba' market building next to the Central railway station caught fire. A UTELS data centre hosting nodal equipment was damaged, leading to internet service disruptions for providers Pavutyna and Utels. Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko reported two people killed and at least 25 injured, with 17 hospitalized. Ukraine's Air Force said Russia launched 161 strike drones overnight into September 23 plus 'Banderoli' decoy munitions; 119 drones and three 'Banderoli' were intercepted. Kyiv City Express commuter trains were suspended in both directions during the attack, and train departures from Kyiv were delayed. Ukrzaliznytsia said neither the Central station nor the Darnytsia station was damaged despite initial reports of hits nearby. EU Ambassador to Ukraine Katarina Mathernova said three powerful explosions were heard from the EU delegation offices and large columns of smoke were visible. In Kyiv Oblast, three people were injured and 18 civilian infrastructure objects were damaged across the Buchanskyi, Obukhivskyi, Fastivskyi and Vyshhorodskyi districts; in the Bucha district alone 14 objects were damaged including six private homes.
Where reporting differs
Casualty figures changed throughout the day: Mayor Klitschko initially reported three injured (two in serious condition); by around 10:00 the Kyiv City Military Administration reported one killed and seven injured; later in the morning the toll rose to one killed and eight injured; by around 13:30 Klitschko reported two killed and 25 injured, with 17 hospitalized. A separate afternoon update cited two killed and 22 injured with 16 hospitalized. Initial reports also suggested a strike on Kyiv's Central railway station, but Ukrzaliznytsia explicitly denied that the Central and Darnytsia stations were damaged; the damage near the station was to the long-empty 'Shayba' market building next door rather than to the station itself.
Background
The attack came in at least two waves during the day: a morning wave that struck two gas stations and a railway facility, and a later wave that caused additional casualties and damage across multiple districts. The 'Shayba' market building near the Central railway station, which caught fire, had been empty for several years before the strike. Darnitsa is one of Ukraine's major pharmaceutical producers; the company stated that no Darnitsa employees were killed.