Russia launches massive missile and drone attack on Ukraine, killing one person in Kyiv
Russia launched a large-scale combined missile and drone attack on Ukraine overnight on October 22, with Kyiv as the main target. The strike killed one person and injured 22 others in the capital, while damage was reported in six Kyiv districts and other regions. Ukrainian officials condemned the attack and contrasted it with US envoy Steve Witkoff’s recent description of Vladimir Putin as a “humanist.”
Key points
- Russia used Iskander-M, S-400, Zircon and Onyx missiles and 210 strike drones, including 110 jet-powered Shahed-type drones.
- Kyiv was targeted by ballistic missiles in three waves, at around 22:00, 02:00 and 03:30.
- By 09:00, air defenses had downed or suppressed 181 drones, including 87 jet-powered ones; 10 strike drones remained in the air.
- Kyiv recorded one death and 22 injuries, including four children, according to most reports.
- Damage was recorded across six Kyiv districts, including residential buildings, a monastery, an Epicentr store and the Pivdennyi Bridge.
- The bridge’s metro infrastructure was damaged, restricting traffic and suspending metro service across the Dnipro River.
- The attack also caused damage in Kharkiv, Poltava, Odesa, Vinnytsia, Khmelnytskyi and other regions.
Why it matters
The attack combined several missile types with 210 drones and hit Kyiv in three ballistic-missile waves. No ballistic missiles were reported as downed by air defenses, exposing a significant vulnerability despite the interception of most drone targets. Damage to homes, medical services, transport and commercial infrastructure, along with casualties that included children, highlights the humanitarian and infrastructural cost. Ukrainian officials also used the timing of the attack to reject what they described as appeasement toward Russia.
What happened
Russia began the attack at 18:00 on October 21 and continued it overnight into October 22. It launched missiles from Kursk, Bryansk and Rostov oblasts, while drones came from several locations in Russia and from occupied parts of Donetsk and Crimea. Kyiv was the main target and was struck by ballistic missiles in three waves. As of 09:00, Ukrainian air defenses had downed or suppressed 181 of the 210 drones, but no ballistic-missile interceptions were reported. The attack caused deaths and injuries in Kyiv and damage to civilian, medical and transport infrastructure, with effects also reported across multiple Ukrainian regions.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
Ukrainian coverage emphasized the scale of the attack, the damage to civilian infrastructure and the absence of reported ballistic-missile interceptions. Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha connected the strike with US envoy Steve Witkoff’s characterization of Putin as a “humanist,” saying Kyiv residents had heard how Russian “humanism” truly sounded. President Volodymyr Zelensky said the attack showed no meaningful change in Russia’s position toward ending the war and called for stronger air defense, faster weapons supplies and sanctions pressure.
Where reporting differs
Reports differ on the number of people injured in Kyiv. Most sources reported 22 injured, including four children. One outlet reported 24 injured, including 16 hospitalized, while another reported 22 injured including seven children.
Background
US special envoy Steve Witkoff met Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg on October 21 and called him a “humanist” after the release of American Stephen Hubbard from Russian captivity. Putin is subject to an International Criminal Court arrest warrant for war crimes committed against Ukraine. The attack followed Ukrainian officials’ criticism that appeasement and flattery would not stop the war.