Russia Strikes Areas Around Kyiv...1 Dead and Power Outages Reported

Russia carried out airstrikes using missiles and drones on areas around Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine. One person was killed in the attack, and homes and energy facilities were damaged.

Ukraine's capital Kyiv reduced to ruins by Russian airstrikes - Yonhap News

According to the Associated Press and other outlets on the 22nd (local time), Ukraine’s emergency services said that one person was killed near Kyiv in Russia’s attack that day, and that eight people, including a child, were rescued from under the rubble of destroyed buildings. The damage occurred in areas on the outskirts of Kyiv, including Obukhiv, Brovary, Boryspil, Bucha, and Fastiv, and fires also broke out one after another.

Russia also targeted energy facilities. Ukrenergo, Ukraine’s state-owned power company, said that the attack caused power outages in several regions, including Kyiv. Energy infrastructure in the southern Odesa region of Ukraine was also hit, triggering a large fire, which was later extinguished.

The airstrikes were concentrated in the early morning hours. According to AFP, just before 4:00 a.m. the Kyiv city authorities issued an air raid alert, warning of a possible ballistic missile attack and urging residents to take shelter. Immediately after the alert, multiple powerful explosions were heard in various parts of the capital, followed by additional blasts.

The Ukrainian Air Force detected signs that Russian bombers had taken off and, at around 4:47 a.m., expanded the alert to cover the whole of Ukraine. The Kyiv authorities said that air defense units were conducting operations to intercept drones.

Since its full-scale invasion in February 2022, Russia has continued missile and drone strikes on Kyiv, which it has designated as a primary target. In recent weeks it has stepped up its offensive on energy facilities, causing ongoing disruptions to electricity and heating supplies across Ukraine.

Meanwhile, after midnight the same day, a series of explosions also occurred in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv, killing one police officer and injuring 15 security personnel. The motive for the attack was not immediately confirmed, but Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi described it as a “terrorist attack.”