Russian Drone Strike Near Kyiv-Odesa Highway Kills 3

A Russian drone strike near the Kyiv-Odesa highway in Chabany killed three people and wounded four on Tuesday, Oct. 20, according to preliminary information from prosecutors.

The strike happened during the morning commute, when civilians were traveling along one of the main routes south from Kyiv. Kyiv Regional Military Administration head Tymur Tkachenko described the victims as people “who were simply on their way to work, going about their business.” He said the drone attack set cars ablaze on the Kyiv-Odesa highway in Fastiv district, where emergency services were responding and traffic was restricted.

The Kyiv Oblast Prosecutor’s Office said⁠ the drone struck near the highway, close to a shopping center, setting cars on fire.

“Preliminarily, three people were killed, and four others were injured,” the statement said. Authorities were still clarifying the number of casualties.

The Kyiv-Odesa highway connects the capital with towns and communities to the south, including Chabany, which lies just outside Kyiv. The strike near the shopping center brought the attack directly to a busy public road, where drivers and passengers had little shelter from the blast or the fire that followed. The prosecutor’s office has not yet released details about the victims or the vehicles involved. Its initial statement said the casualty count was still being clarified, so the figures may change as investigators identify those killed and injured.

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A review of 20 news broadcasts on Rossiya 1, Channel One and NTV on Oct. 18 and the morning of Oct. 19 found no dedicated reports on the attack across the three federal channels.

Prosecutors, Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) investigators and other emergency services were working at the scene. Traffic was restricted on the affected stretch of the highway.

Prosecutors opened an investigation into a suspected violation of the laws and customs of war.

The Chabany strike comes amid repeated Russian attacks involving drones over Kyiv and the surrounding region. In late August, Russia shifted toward prolonged waves of smaller groups of drones, alongside faster, jet-powered variants, extending the threat beyond short overnight barrages. The pattern can keep residents under air-raid alerts for hours and disrupt daily routines, transport and businesses.

Earlier drone strike hit a road near Kyiv

The attack follows a similar incident in Vyshneve, in the Kyiv region, on Sept. 27, when a Russian drone crashed onto a road as cars were passing⁠, killing one person and injuring three others. Five vehicles were damaged. The drone crashed onto the road as cars were passing. Five vehicles were damaged, and all four victims – one person killed and three injured – were taken to hospital.