Russia strikes Kyiv with ballistic missiles carrying cluster warheads; one missile damages monastery, Zelenskyy says
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia used three ballistic missiles with cluster warheads against Kyiv overnight on 22 October. One struck the capital’s historic centre, between the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra and St. Vvedensky Monastery.
He reported this on social media, Censor.NET reports.
Characteristics of the Russian missiles
According to Zelenskyy, these missiles explode in the air as they approach their targets, striking everything within a 400-metre diameter.
He said one struck the Pecherskyi district, in the area between the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra and St. Vvedensky Monastery. Monastery buildings, homes, shops, cafés and other civilian infrastructure were damaged.
"A deliberate choice"
The president called the strike "particularly revealing" and said it was no accident.
"The choice of weapon was deliberate, the choice of area was deliberate, and so was the intent to cause as many civilian casualties and as much damage as possible. There was no military facility nearby, even in theory, and the weapon was designed to cause damage over a wide area," Zelenskyy said.
He added that Russia had not changed its approach to the war and was taking no steps that would indicate a genuine desire to stop it.
Strikes on other cities
Zelenskyy also said air raid alerts and strikes were continuing during the day in Kyiv and many other cities. An ordinary urban commuter train was hit in Kharkiv, he said.
According to the president, Dnipro, Marhanets, Mykolaiv and Kherson also came under attack, as did cities and villages in Kyiv, Zhytomyr, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Chernihiv and Rivne oblasts.
Russian attack on Kyiv on 22 October
- Overnight on 22 October, Russian forces launched a massive ballistic missile attack on Kyiv, firing 21 missiles. Hits were reported in six districts.
- Two people were killed and 34 others injured, including four children.
- Private homes and non-residential buildings were destroyed in the capital. St. Vvedensky Monastery, the Epicentr shopping centre in Pochaina and Pivdennyi Bridge were also damaged. Traffic across the bridge was closed in both directions.
