Russia used an Iskander ballistic missile carrying a cluster warhead against Kyiv’s historic center during its overnight attack on Thursday, Oct. 22, Ukrainian presidential adviser Serhii Beskrestnov said.
Beskrestnov, known by the callsign “Flash,” said in a Telegram post that the missile carried a K5 warhead designed to disperse explosive elements over a wide area.
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According to him, the warhead operates above the ground and contains 58 explosive elements intended to strike people and equipment across an area measuring approximately 400 by 400 meters (437 by 437 yards).
He reported civilian injuries and destruction, accusing Russia of deliberately attacking the historic part of the capital.
“The aim was to destroy part of the old city and injure as many people as possible,” Beskrestnov said.
Beskrestnov identified the K5 warhead and assessed the attack’s intended target. He did not provide a separate casualty count attributable specifically to that missile.
Homes, monastery and emergency vehicles damaged
The statement followed successive waves of Russian missile and drone strikes across Kyiv, which killed one person and injured at least 24 others, according to morning updates from Ukrainian authorities.
The Kyiv City Military Administration said at 9:21 a.m. that 16 of those injured had been hospitalized.
Emergency services reported damage in six districts, including residential neighborhoods, transport facilities and civilian businesses.
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In the central Pecherskyi district, buildings and a monastery sustained damage. Eight people were injured there, including three children, according to the State Emergency Service’s district-by-district account.
Mayor Vitali Klitschko separately confirmed damage to an ambulance station and six emergency medical vehicles. He said no medical personnel were injured.
In the Dniprovskyi district, one person was killed, homes and vehicles were damaged, and fires broke out in residential and non-residential buildings. Six people were injured in the Holosiivskyi district, while two others were hurt in the Obolonskyi district.
A restaurant complex and another non-residential building caught fire in the Sviatoshynskyi district. Transport infrastructure was damaged in the Darnytskyi district.
Zelensky reports 3 waves of ballistic strikes
President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia launched 21 ballistic missiles toward Kyiv in three waves during the overnight attack.
He reported damage to residential buildings, energy facilities, railway and metro infrastructure, shopping centers and industrial enterprises.
Zelensky said 12 regions across Ukraine came under attack. His morning statement reported two deaths and 34 people wounded nationwide, including five children.
The bombardment came after Russian President Vladimir Putin met US envoy Steve Witkoff in St. Petersburg on Wednesday for discussions about ending the war.
Zelensky argued that the strikes demonstrated no genuine change in Moscow’s approach despite the diplomatic contacts. He called for greater pressure on Russia, stronger air defenses and faster deliveries of interceptor missiles.
Ukraine’s Air Force said Russia also launched 210 drones during the broader overnight assault. By 9 a.m., Ukrainian defenses had shot down or suppressed 181, while Russian weapons struck 32 locations and intercepted-drone debris fell at eight others.
Missile attacks leave further hazards
The latest barrage follows earlier ballistic missile strikes that left unexploded warheads near homes in the capital.
On Oct. 8, the National Police reported disposing of two unexploded Iskander-M warheads from an attack the previous day.
The warheads, each weighing approximately half a metric ton (1,102 pounds), had fallen near residential buildings in the Shevchenkivskyi and Darnytskyi districts.
Police bomb technicians and emergency service specialists used specialized equipment to remove the fragments to a temporary demolition site for destruction. That earlier operation involved separate missiles from the cluster-warhead strike Beskrestnov described on Thursday.
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