Europe
Russian overnight strikes after Witkoff visit: seven killed in Ukraine, metro hit near Kyiv’s Pivdenny Bridge
Russia resumed massive attacks on Ukraine just hours after the Putin–Witkoff meeting, while Moscow says it shot down hundreds of Ukrainian drones over the capital region.
By ANN Newsroom · Newsroom
October 22, 2026, 08:30 · Updated 12:23 · 1 min read
In brief
- Russian overnight strikes killed seven people in the Sumy, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk regions.
- In Kyiv, at least 15 people were injured, according to Mayor Klitschko, and metro infrastructure near the Pivdenny Bridge was damaged.
- Moscow reports 630 Ukrainian drones launched toward its region, 163 of them toward the capital, most of them shot down.
Just hours after U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff met Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg, Russia and Ukraine traded heavy drone and missile strikes overnight Wednesday into Thursday. According to Ukrainian authorities, the Russian strikes killed at least seven people in several regions of the country.
The death toll includes three killed in the Zaporizhzhia region, two in Donetsk, a man in Sumy and a woman in Kharkiv. The Ukrainian air force said it shot down 181 Russian drones overnight, while warning that attack drones were still in the air Thursday morning. Kyiv residents were urged to take shelter after alerts of ballistic missiles headed toward the capital.
Damage in the capital
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said 15 people were injured in the capital, eight of whom were hospitalized. The national emergency service later reported at least one dead and 22 injured, including four children. The strikes damaged metro infrastructure near the Pivdenny Bridge over the Dnipro River, limiting traffic between parts of the city.
Ukrainian drones over Russia
Meanwhile, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said 630 drones were launched toward the Moscow region, 163 of them toward the capital itself, and that most were intercepted by air defenses. Two people were injured. The governor of Tula reported 70 drones destroyed, while a man was injured in Lipetsk.
The strikes come as the Kremlin said it is ready “in principle” to resume three-way talks with the U.S. and Ukraine, possibly in mid-November. President Zelensky said Kyiv wants a meeting as soon as possible, while Ukrainian diplomats warn that pressure on Moscow, not concessions, can stop the war.
