Russian troops on the evening of October 21 and the night of October 22 carried out three waves of ballistic strikes on Kyiv, using a total of 21 missiles. In particular, the historic center of the capital was attacked with an "Iskander" missile with a cluster warhead designed to destroy people and equipment over a large area.
The scale of the attack was reported by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Details of the use of cluster munitions were disclosed by presidential adviser on defense technologies Serhiy Beskrestnov, known as "Flash".
According to Beskrestnov, for the strike on the historic part of Kyiv, the Russian military used an "Iskander" ballistic missile with a cluster warhead K5.
The expert explained that such a warhead is designed to hit targets on an area of approximately 400 by 400 meters. It opens above the ground, and 58 submunitions explode in the air, increasing the impact zone.
Beskrestnov is convinced that the use of such munitions in the historic center of the capital was aimed at causing maximum harm to the civilian population and urban infrastructure. In his assessment, the strike had no military purpose.
Zelenskyy said that in total, Russia launched 21 missiles at Kyiv during three waves of ballistic attacks. In the capital, numerous hits and damage to residential buildings, energy facilities, railway and metro infrastructure, shopping centers and enterprises were recorded. A monastery was also damaged.
According to the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, during the combined attack, the Russian troops used "Iskander-M", S-400, "Zircon" and "Oniks" missiles. In addition, 210 drones of various types were launched at Ukraine, including 110 jet drones.
As of 09:00, Ukrainian air defense shot down or suppressed 181 drones, including 87 jet ones. Hits of air attack means were recorded at 32 locations, and at eight others the fall of debris from downed targets was detected.
According to Zelenskyy, during the night 12 regions of Ukraine were subjected to Russian attacks. At the time of his statement, in Kyiv and other regions, two people were killed and 34 injured, including five children. These figures refer to the overall consequences of the shelling across the country, not just the capital.
The president emphasized that the massive strikes occurred actually right after the next negotiations dedicated to the possible end of the war. In his opinion, such actions by Russia demonstrate the need to increase international pressure, sanctions, and supply Ukraine with missile defense systems.
Source: Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Serhiy Beskrestnov, Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
