Russia used cluster ballistic missiles to strike Kyiv's historic center, Zelenskyy says
Photo: Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine (Getty Images)
Russia deliberately targeted central Kyiv with ballistic missiles carrying cluster warheads. The attack damaged the historic center of the capital in the area between the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra and the Holy Presentation Monastery, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
Russia struck the Pechersk district
Zelenskyy said that overnight on October 22, Russia used three ballistic missiles with cluster warheads, among other weapons, against Kyiv.
"These missiles are designed to detonate in the air as they approach their targets, spreading damage across an area 400 meters in diameter," he explained.
According to the president, one of these missiles struck the Pechersk district in Kyiv's historic center, specifically the area between the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra and the Holy Presentation Monastery.
"Monastery buildings, homes, shops, cafés, and other civilian infrastructure were damaged," Zelenskyy said.
He said the attack was a particularly telling example of Russia's actions and was not accidental.
"The choice of weapon was deliberate, the choice of target area was deliberate, and so was the intent to inflict as much loss and damage on civilians as possible. There was no military target nearby, not even in theory, and the weapon was designed to cause widespread destruction," he said.
Zelenskyy said he was convinced that Russia had not changed its approach to the war and was taking no steps to end it.
Russia's attacks on Ukraine
Zelenskyy also noted that air raid alerts continued in Kyiv and many other cities during the day on October 22.
"In Kharkiv, a regular commuter train was hit. Dnipro, Marhanets, Mykolaiv, and Kherson, as well as cities and villages in the Kyiv, Zhytomyr, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Chernihiv, and Rivne regions, came under attack," the president said.
Russia targets Ukraine's energy infrastructure
Russia's attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure are also continuing.
"Since October 11, there have been more than 170 strikes on critical energy facilities, even though we are shooting down a significant number of Shaheds and some of the missiles," Zelenskyy said.
RBC-Ukraine previously reported that Zelenskyy warned that if Ukraine surrendered Sloviansk and Kramatorsk in the Donetsk region to Russia, the war could spread further into a neighboring region.
In addition, 15 people were injured in Russia's overnight attack on Kyiv on October 22, including two 15-year-old children. Eight of the injured remain in city hospitals.
