'Everything was in ruins' — At least 2 killed, 2 injured in Russian drone attack on Kyiv
An emergency worker stands inside a residential building after a Russian drone struck a high-rise in Kyiv's Sviatoshynskyi district, in Kyiv, Ukraine, on the morning of Oct. 21, 2026. (Olena Zashko / The Kyiv Independent)
on GoogleA Russian drone attack on Kyiv killed at least two people and injured two others on the morning of Oct. 21, local authorities said.
An air raid alert sounded in Kyiv at around 5:20 a.m. local time as drones approached the capital, which has faced an unrelenting barrage of Russian drone attacks this fall.
In the Sviatoshynskyi District, a Russian drone struck a 24-story residential building, sparking a fire on the 20th floor. At least two people were killed, and two others were hospitalized with injuries, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.
Kateryna Dzomina, a student who lives nearby, told the Kyiv Independent that she did not hear the drone approaching, only a powerful explosion as it struck the high-rise.
"It was very scary for me because I was sleeping. One second — and immediately an explosion. Of course, there was panic," she said.
Dzomina added that this was not the first such strike in the area, saying a similar attack had occurred even closer to where she lives last year.
Nataliia, a 63-year-old resident who asked to be introduced only by her first name due to ongoing security concerns amid the ongoing war, said she heard drones fly over her neighborhood all night until "an incredibly powerful explosion."
The whole building shook, Nataliia recalls. She only realized that her building had been hit when she checked the group chat with her neighbors, in which she was instructed to go outside because part of it had caught on fire.
"When I finally got outside, I saw the whole horror of it — everything was in ruins," Nataliia said, recalling the moment when she stepped out of the building for the first time to see the damage on the 20th floor.
In the Desnianskyi District, drone debris fell on a car, while in the Solomianskyi District, debris landed in an open area, Klitschko said.
This fall, Russian forces have intensified their attacks on Ukraine using jet-powered drones, which can reach speeds of up to 600 kph and fly at higher altitudes than older propeller-driven models, making them harder for Ukraine's limited air defenses to intercept.
Russia also attacked Kyiv with drones on Oct. 20, killing one person and injuring 21 others. Twelve people were hospitalized, three of them in serious condition, Klitschko reported.
Alongside drone attacks, Russia has intensified strikes on Kyiv's energy infrastructure, leaving residents facing emergency blackouts, water disruptions and metro shutdowns caused by electricity shortages.
