By Main Directorate of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine in Kyiv
KYIV, Oct 22 — At least seven people, including two children, were killed during a series of intense Russian drone and missile strikes on Ukraine overnight, officials said on Wednesday. The large-scale assault caused extensive destruction in Kyiv and Kharkiv, as well as damage to energy facilities across the country.
Widespread Destruction in Major Cities
A kindergarten was hit in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, killing a 40-year-old man and injuring seven others, among them children. Dozens were evacuated from the area after the strike, which local officials described as one of the most severe in recent weeks.
In the capital, a couple in their 60s died when a drone struck their high-rise apartment building, while four others were killed in the wider Kyiv region. Among the victims were a 36-year-old woman, a six-month-old baby, and a 12-year-old girl, whose home in the village of Pohreby, north of the city, was set ablaze by a Russian attack. A man in a nearby village later succumbed to his injuries.
Hundreds of Drones and Missiles Fired
Ukraine’s air force reported that Russia launched 405 drones and 28 missiles, including 15 ballistic missiles, in one of its largest overnight barrages in weeks. Kyiv was under a ballistic missile alert for most of the night, and residents reported loud explosions as air defences intercepted multiple incoming targets.
By dawn, emergency services were battling fires in residential areas across the capital. Authorities said several power facilities had been hit, forcing emergency electricity cuts in many regions.
“In most areas, we are without electricity and water,” Kyiv MP Inna Sovsun told the BBC’s Newsday programme, calling the strikes a direct attack on civilian infrastructure.
Trump-Putin Summit Put on Hold
The renewed Russian bombardment came just hours after US President Donald Trump said his planned summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Budapest had been shelved. Trump said he did not want a “wasted meeting,” indicating stalled diplomatic progress.
However, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov contradicted the US president’s remarks, saying preparations for the summit were still underway. “A date has not been set yet, but it remains the mutual desire of both presidents,” Peskov said, dismissing “rumours and speculation” about its cancellation.
Zelensky Links Delay to Missile Request
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, speaking in Oslo at the start of a European visit, suggested that the delay in the Trump-Putin summit was tied to Washington’s reluctance to supply long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine.
He said Trump’s proposal to freeze the front lines was “a good compromise,” but doubted that Putin would agree. “I told the president that I’m not sure Putin will support it,” Zelensky told reporters.
The Ukrainian leader also linked Moscow’s intensified attacks to the weapons dispute: “As soon as the issue of long-range missiles became more distant for Ukraine, Russia immediately became less interested in diplomacy.”
Ukrainian Strike on Russian Plant
Ukraine’s latest strikes on Russian territory preceded the bombardment. Military officials said British-supplied Storm Shadow missiles were used to hit a chemical plant in the Bryansk border region that produces gunpowder, explosives, and rocket fuel components.
Describing the attack as “a successful hit,” Kyiv said the facility was part of Russia’s ammunition and missile production network used to target Ukrainian cities.
Zelensky Urges More Pressure on Moscow
Zelensky said the latest Russian attacks demonstrated that Moscow remained undeterred by international calls for a ceasefire. He criticised the Kremlin’s rejection of proposals from both Trump and European leaders to pause fighting along the existing front lines.
The overnight assault — the first major strike on Kyiv in nearly two weeks — was widely seen by Ukrainian officials as an attempt to undermine diplomatic initiatives and strain the country’s energy grid as winter approaches.
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