Help us keep bringing the truth to light, even when Russia turns the lights out.

Shop and support
War

Russian daytime attack on Chernihiv civilian businesses kills 1, injures at least 25

• 2 min read
Russian daytime attack on Chernihiv civilian businesses kills 1, injures at least 25
A rescue worker extinguishes a fire caused by a Russian attack on an enterprise in Chernihiv, Ukraine, on Oct. 23, 2026. (Ukraine's Emergency Service)

Russian forces attacked the city of Chernihiv during the day on Oct. 23, killing one man and injuring at least 25 people, local authorities said.

An air raid alert was declared in Chernihiv at around 1:40 p.m. local time due to a missile threat. Minutes later, Ukraine's Air Force reported drones and a Banderol low-cost cruise missile heading toward the city.

Chernihiv City Council said two private businesses were targeted in the Russian attack but provided no further details.

As of 4:30 p.m. local time, emergency services continued to assist the injured and deal with the aftermath of the Russian attack.

A regional police investigative team was also working at the scene, documenting the damage and collecting evidence of a Russian war crime.

Chernihiv, the regional capital, had a population of around 280,000 before Russia's full-scale invasion. Located in northern Chernihiv Oblast, which borders Belarus and Russia, the city has been repeatedly targeted by Russian forces.

Chernihiv was under Russian siege and occupation from Feb. 24 until early April 2022.

Avatar
Kateryna Hodunova

News Editor

Kateryna Hodunova is a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a sports journalist in several Ukrainian outlets and was the deputy chief editor at Suspilne Sport. Kateryna covered the 2022 Olympics in Beijing and was included in the Special Mentions list at the AIPS Sport Media Awards. She holds a bachelor's degree in political journalism from Taras Shevchenko University and a master's degree in political science from the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.

Read more
News Feed
Video

Kyiv Independent journalists Jimmy Rushton and Danylo Mokryk argue that Donald Trump’s pressure on Kyiv is backfiring — strengthening support for Volodymyr Zelensky while undermining trust in the United States.

Three members of the Russian Embassy, as well as a Russian delegate at the OSCE responsible for military security and arms control, "carried out activities incompatible with their diplomatic status," Austria's Foreign Ministry said.

Show More