This article was originally published by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and is reprinted with permission.
Russian drone and missile strikes on Ukraine killed at least seven people, including two children, as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for increased pressure on the Kremlin with the chances of a summit in the immediate future between US President Donald Trump and President Vladimir Putin dimming.
Amid the stalled peace efforts, Zelenskyy called the October 22 attack “vile” and said it struck energy and civilian infrastructure in at least 10 Ukrainian regions, including the capital, Kyiv.
“Another night proving that Russia does not feel enough pressure for dragging out the war…. Russian words about diplomacy mean nothing as long as the Russian leadership does not feel critical problems,” he said in his X post.
Zelenskyy, who visited Norway and Sweden on October 22 to discuss defense cooperation, once again claimed that Ukraine’s long-range capabilities could change the course of the 44-month-old war.
Welcoming Zelenskyy in the Swedish city of Linkopin, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said his country intended to export up to 150 of its domestically produced Gripen fighter jets to Ukraine.
“From today we are committed to exploring all the possibilities in providing Ukraine with a large amount of Gripen fighters in the future,” Kristersson said, while warning of a “long road ahead.”
Previously, Ukraine signaled that the US administration’s decision not to green-light deliveries of Tomahawk missiles for the war-torn country had weakened its diplomatic leverage.
A senior White House official, speaking days after Trump had indicated that a summit in Budapest was being arranged with his Russian counterpart, said on October 21 there are no plans to meet in the “immediate future.”
Trump said the possibility of a “wasted meeting” had led him to put plans for a summit with Putin on hold, though Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on October 22 that preparations for a possible meeting continue.
“Preparations for the peace summit are continuing. The date is still uncertain. When the time comes, we will hold it,” Orban said.
Added Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov: “No one wants to waste time – neither President Trump nor President Putin. These two presidents are used to working efficiently with high productivity. But efficiency always requires preparation.”
As the Ukrainian president departed Kyiv early in the morning, the country’s State Emergency Service said that three people, including two children, were killed in the region.
Energy And Civilian Infrastructure Targeted
Tymur Tkachenko, the head of Kyiv’s military administration, added that at least 29 residents were injured in the attack. Mayor Vitali Klitschko said that a two-year-old child was among the injured.
Klitschko said that debris from drones and missiles caused fires in Kyiv’s Dnipro, Pechersk, and Darnytsya districts, damaging residential buildings and industrial sites.
The attack began late on October 21 as witnesses reported hearing explosions and air defense units in operation. Emergency services were dispatched to several sites where debris from the destroyed air weapons fell, sparking fires.
A house caught fire in the region surrounding Kyiv, injuring an elderly woman, said regional Governor Mykola Kalashnyk on Telegram.
Mykola, a resident of Pohreby village in the Kyiv region told RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Service that he witnessed a drone strike and tried to help deal with its aftermath on the scene.
“There was a direct hit on the building, and a fire started… I ran there, calling out for people, but no one responded,” Mykola said.
“I think those who were killed had no chance [of surviving the attack],” he added.
Authorities in southeastern Ukraine also reported attacks. Russian drones hit the city of Zaporizhzhya, igniting fires in several residential buildings, regional Governor Ivan Fedorov said on Telegram.
“Due to an enemy attack overnight, nearly 2,000 people are without electricity. Recovery work will begin as soon as security allows,” he reported.
Volodymyr Kohut, the head of the Poltava regional military administration, said that direct hits and falling debris caused damage to oil and gas industry facilities in the Myrhorod district.
Later in the day, Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv, was also targeted by Russian drones, which hit a local kindergarten, Mayor Ihor Terekhov said. He added that the strike killed one person and injured at least five others.
Russian Chemical Plant Hit In Storm Shadow Attack
A Ukrainian attack on a chemical plant took place earlier in Russia’s southern Bryansk region. The General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces said on October 21 that Ukrainian forces used French-British Storm Shadow missiles in the attack.
“A massive combined missile and air strike was carried out, including with Storm Shadow air-launched missiles, which overcame the Russian air defense system,” the General Staff said in a statement. “The results of the strike are being assessed,” it added.
The General Staff described the chemical plant as an important component of the Russian military-industrial complex, producing gunpowder, explosives, components for rocket fuel, and “for ammunition and missiles that the Russian military uses to shell the territory of Ukraine.”
The air force launched the attack in cooperation with ground forces, the navy, and other components of the Ukrainian defense forces.
Aleksandr Bogomaz, the governor of Bryansk region, said on Telegram that Ukraine attacked the region with drones and missiles. He added that no one was injured, and no damage was reported.
The Russian Defense Ministry said on Telegram that during the afternoon on October 21 its air defense units destroyed 57 Ukrainian drones over the Bryansk region.
