Kyiv came under a heavy Russian missile attack in the early hours of Thursday, October 22, 2026 — hours after the Kremlin said it was ready, in principle, to return to the negotiating table. Diplomats were talking peace in St. Petersburg while missiles flew over Kyiv and Moscow in the same night.
Overnight strikes hit Kyiv and Moscow in the same night
The attacks on Kyiv began overnight and continued into Thursday morning, damaging homes, transport infrastructure and civilian sites across several districts, Ukraine's State Emergency Service said. In the Dniprovskyi district, east of the Dnipro River, one person was killed and six wounded, including a child, as fires broke out, the Associated Press reported.
Ukraine said Russia fired at least 21 ballistic missiles in three waves, and Ukrainian officials said central Kyiv was hit with a cluster warhead, CNN reported. Ukraine's Air Force said none of the ballistic missiles that reached Kyiv were intercepted — a sign, it said, of the country's critical shortage of US-made Patriot air-defence missiles.
While Kyiv was under fire, Ukraine struck back: Russia said about 630 Ukrainian drones flew toward the Moscow region overnight, with two people wounded in the rural Voronovo area, according to Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, and most intercepted at long range. In the border region of Belgorod, one man was killed and another wounded by Ukrainian drones, local officials said, per Reuters.
The confirmed toll — and the disagreement
Casualty figures moved through the day as rescuers worked through the rubble. Early reports from Kyiv city officials put the toll at one person killed and 22 wounded. Later on Thursday, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy gave a higher figure — two people killed and 34 injured, including five children, across a dozen Ukrainian regions, Reuters reported. Russia separately claimed a "massive strike" on port infrastructure in Ukraine's Odesa region, which could not be independently verified.
The Witkoff-Putin meeting: what was agreed
The strikes landed just hours after one of the year's most significant diplomatic meetings. On Wednesday, October 21, US special envoy Steve Witkoff met Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg for three hours — a day after Witkoff had met Zelenskyy and the leaders of Norway and Finland in Oslo. Kremlin adviser Yuri Ushakov said Putin had agreed "in principle" to resume three-way negotiations with Ukraine and the United States after November 10, a week after the US midterm election, with the next round possibly in Abu Dhabi. Zelenskyy wants the talks — the first since February — "no later than the beginning of November."
Substance remains thin. A senior Russian official told Reuters the St. Petersburg talks were short and not substantive: Witkoff brought Oslo-drafted proposals and handed them to Putin for review. A source close to the Kremlin said the proposals included a scenario in which Ukraine would cede all of its Donbas region to Russia for a future NATO security guarantee — unconfirmed by Washington or Kyiv. Ushakov said the Oslo ideas contained "little of actual value."
Witkoff's "humanitarian" remark draws Zelenskyy's fire
One of the meeting's most controversial moments came after it ended. Witkoff praised Putin as a "humanitarian" for releasing 74-year-old American prisoner Stephen Hubbard, who had been detained in Russia for more than four years after being captured by Russian forces in Ukraine. Zelenskyy snapped back on X on Thursday: "Three waves of ballistic missiles have been launched at Kyiv by Russian 'humanitarians' since yesterday evening. They used 21 missiles," Reuters reported.
It reflects Kyiv's worsening mood toward Washington. Ukraine has accused the US this month of failing to provide early-warning data on Russian missile launches, throttling the SpaceX satellite system used to guide its drones, and withholding European-bought missile-defence systems — charges Washington denies. Trump said Wednesday his administration was "the closest we've been" to settling the war; CNN noted the first explosions hit Kyiv three minutes before he said it.
Why it matters
The timing of Thursday's strikes was the story. Missiles fell on Kyiv hours after Putin agreed in principle to resume talks, and hours after Trump declared the war closer than ever to ending. That gap between diplomatic language and battlefield reality is what has sunk previous rounds: meetings in Istanbul last year and US-mediated talks in Abu Dhabi and Geneva earlier this year produced no breakthrough. With Russia demanding the full Donbas, a shrunken Ukrainian military and a permanent ban on NATO membership — and Ukraine refusing to hand over land it controls — the distance between the two sides remains enormous.
Read more on the diplomacy: Putin, Zelenskyy Back Three-Way Ukraine Talks in November · Russia Frees US Citizen Stephen Hubbard at Witkoff Talks · Related: Russian Drones Kill Two Overnight in Ukraine's Kharkiv Region
What happens next
All eyes are on whether the promised trilateral round materialises — Zelenskyy wants it "no later than the beginning of November," while the Kremlin's calendar says after November 10. Until then the fighting continues: Ukraine's Air Force has warned of further incoming ballistic missiles, and air-raid sirens were still sounding in Kyiv on Thursday. As an official in Oslo told CNN, getting Russia to treat any plan seriously is a bigger problem than the plan itself.
Key Takeaways
- Russia fired at least 21 ballistic missiles at Kyiv in three waves overnight; Zelenskyy later reported two killed and 34 injured, including five children, updating earlier city tallies of one killed and 22 wounded.
- Ukraine launched about 630 drones toward the Moscow region overnight; two people were wounded in the Voronovo area, and one man was killed in Belgorod, Russian officials said.
- The strikes came hours after Putin agreed in principle to resume US-mediated trilateral talks with Ukraine after November 10 — the first such talks since February.
- Zelenskyy rebuked Witkoff for calling Putin a "humanitarian" over the release of 74-year-old American prisoner Stephen Hubbard, posting that "Russian humanitarians" had fired 21 missiles at Kyiv.
- A war-dead exchange saw Moscow hand over 252 bodies and Ukraine return 25, in a move that has historically accompanied steps toward negotiations.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many missiles did Russia fire at Kyiv overnight?
Ukraine said Russia fired at least 21 ballistic missiles in three waves at Kyiv overnight into October 22, 2026 — a figure Zelenskyy confirmed on X. Ukrainian officials said central Kyiv was hit with a cluster warhead, and the Air Force said none of the ballistic missiles were intercepted amid a shortage of US-made Patriot missiles.
How many people were killed and injured in the Kyiv strikes?
Early reports from Kyiv city officials put the toll at one person killed and 22 wounded. Later on Thursday, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported two people killed and 34 injured, including five children, in attacks across a dozen Ukrainian regions. The figures come from Ukrainian authorities; Russian officials have not confirmed Ukrainian casualty claims.
How many drones did Ukraine send toward Moscow?
Russia said Ukraine launched about 630 drones toward the Moscow region overnight — 163 headed for the capital itself, per Mayor Sergei Sobyanin. Two people were wounded in the rural Voronovo area, and most were intercepted at long range. Separately, local officials said one man was killed and another wounded by Ukrainian drones in Belgorod.
What did Witkoff and Putin agree at St. Petersburg?
At their October 21 meeting, Putin agreed at Witkoff's request to resume trilateral talks with Ukraine and the United States "in principle" after November 10, per Kremlin adviser Yuri Ushakov, possibly in Abu Dhabi. But a senior Russian official called the talks short and not substantive, and Ushakov said the Oslo-drafted US proposals held "little of actual value."
When could new trilateral peace talks resume?
Zelenskyy wants the talks — the first since February — "no later than the beginning of November." The Kremlin says talks resume after November 10, a week after the US midterm election. With fighting set to continue until any ceasefire is agreed, the calendar is the only firm point both sides have named.
Why did Zelenskyy criticise Steve Witkoff?
Witkoff praised Vladimir Putin as a "humanitarian" after Russia released 74-year-old American prisoner Stephen Hubbard, who had been detained for more than four years. Zelenskyy snapped back on X, noting that "Russian humanitarians" had launched three waves of ballistic missiles at Kyiv the same evening. The remark reflects Kyiv's growing frustration with what it sees as Washington's tilt toward Moscow.
Who is Stephen Hubbard, the American released by Russia?
Stephen Hubbard is a 74-year-old American who was captured by Russian forces in Ukraine and detained in Russia for more than four years. His release was announced by Witkoff as a goodwill gesture following the October 21 St. Petersburg meeting with Putin, and CNN reported that a video showed the freed detainee speaking with Witkoff at the airport.
Sources
- Reuters (via ThePrint), "Russia pounds Kyiv, Ukraine launches drones, despite talk of renewing negotiations" — full report (published October 22, 2026)
- CNN, "Massive strikes hit Kyiv hours after Putin agrees to fresh peace talks" — full report
- Associated Press (via KCAU 9), "Russia pounds Ukraine's capital Kyiv with missiles and drones, hours after agreeing to peace talks" — full report (October 22, 2026)