Russia attacked Kyiv overnight on 23 June in several waves, employing drones, ballistic missiles and later cruise missiles. The assault resulted in at least six deaths and more than 20 injuries, with rescue efforts continuing into the morning.
Explosions were reported across the city, with damage recorded in Shevchenkivskyy, Podilskyy, Holosiyivskyy, Svyatoshynskyy, Solomyanskyy and Darnytskyy districts. The Air Force confirmed that the primary targets were the capital and the surrounding Region.
By 8:40 a.m., the Prosecutor General’s Office confirmed six fatalities, including a married couple. As of 9:56 a.m., 22 individuals had been injured, among them a 15-year-old girl. Twelve victims required hospitalisation.
Shevchenkivskyy district bore the brunt of the attack. A five-storey residential building was partially destroyed, with an entire entrance collapsed. Search and rescue operations are ongoing, as authorities fear more people may be trapped beneath the rubble. A 25-storey neighbouring building also sustained damage to its windows, and parked cars were set ablaze. Windows in seven other buildings were shattered by the blast wave.
In Svyatoshynskyy district, office premises, a catering facility and trade pavilions near a metro station were damaged. A metro station was also hit, injuring two people. In Solomyanskyy and Holosiyivskyy districts, business centres and multiple vehicles were damaged. Podilskyy district reported shattered windows in multi-storey residential buildings, while a private house was damaged in Darnytskyy.
During the initial drone wave, two people were injured in Solomyanskyy and hospitalised. A fire broke out following debris impact in the area. Mayor Vitali Klitschko stated at 07:27 that 19 people were known to be injured at that point, with eight hospitalised. He added that rescuers had evacuated ten individuals, including a child and a pregnant woman, from the affected 25-storey building in Shevchenkivskyi.
Timur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv City Military Administration, confirmed the attacks occurred in successive waves involving a large number of drones. He urged residents to remain in shelters until the all-clear. He also reported damage to a business centre in Holosiyivskyy district and a crater found in the yard of a house in Desnyanskyy.
Early reports as of 2:56 a.m. described the following:
- In Darnytskyy, UAV debris struck a two-storey house. No fire or casualties were reported.
- In Solomyanskyy, fires broke out in the private sector and a non-residential building; debris also landed near a residential area. Two injured individuals were hospitalised, though they required only outpatient care.
- In Svyatoshynskyy, window glazing was damaged in a high-rise flat, and UAV wreckage fell on a stadium. No casualties or fire occurred.
Following the drone and ballistic missile phases, cruise missiles were launched. A fire broke out in a residential building in Shevchenkivskyy district, and a car caught fire in Podilskyy.
“The exact number of victims and the full consequences of the attack are still being established,” the Prosecutor General’s Office said. “Rescuers and law enforcement officers are documenting another war crime.”
