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Russian drones kill 2 in Kharkiv Oblast, strike university building in Kremenchuk

• 2 min read
A residential building damaged in a Russian drone attack on Korotych.
A residential building damaged in a Russian drone attack on Korotych, Kharkiv Oblast, overnight on Oct. 20–21, 2026. (Kharkiv Oblast Military Administration/Telegram)

Editor's note: This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.

Russian drone attacks killed two elderly residents of Kharkiv Oblast and struck a university building in central Ukraine's Poltava Oblast overnight on Oct. 20–21, local authorities reported.

An 81-year-old woman and an 83-year-old man were killed when Russian drones attacked the village of Korotych, Kharkiv Oblast Governor Oleh Syniehubov reported.

Another 11 people experienced acute stress reactions, including a 2-month-old boy and an 8-year-old girl, Syniehubov said. All received medical assistance.

Emergency crews responded to the scene, and the attack damaged 13 private houses, a vehicle, and an outbuilding, which was destroyed by fire.

In Kremenchuk, Poltava Oblast, a Russian drone struck a university building late on Oct. 20, sparking a fire and injuring two people, including a 16-year-old child, according to regional Governor Vitalii Diakivnych. The child was hospitalized with a concussion and blast-related injuries, while the other injured person was in moderate condition.

Local media identified the damaged building as the fifth academic building of Kremenchuk Mykhailo Ostrohradskyi National University.

Kremenchuk Mayor Vitalii Maletskyi said students had attended classes in the building earlier that day. Emergency services responded to the fire, while authorities continued assessing the damage.

Kremenchuk has faced repeated Russian attacks in recent weeks. An Oct. 7 missile strike killed two people and injured dozens more, damaging residential buildings in the city.

Russia continues to launch day and night drone and missile attacks against Ukrainian cities, killing and wounding citizens, and damaging residences, schools, healthcare facilities, and other civilian infrastructure.

T
Tamara Nowakowsky

News Editor, North America

Tamara Nowakowsky is an editor on the North America desk at the Kyiv Independent. She is a Canadian journalist with more than two decades of experience across radio, television, print, digital media, and communications. Her previous work includes reporting for CBC Radio and Television, serving as editor-in-chief of Long Beach Magazine in Long Beach, California, and hosting travel and adventure segments on CKUA Radio. She has also worked in communications and media relations, including with the David Suzuki Foundation.

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