The key facts
- In Kyiv, missiles wounded at least 15 people, eight hospitalized; metro infrastructure on the Southern Bridge was damaged
- euronews reports seven killed on the Ukrainian side; a woman was killed in Kharkiv region, four more wounded
- The Mayor of Moscow said 630 drones flew toward the region, two people wounded; Ukraine's Air Force reported downing 181 UAVs
Nighttime attacks after diplomacy
Overnight into Thursday, October 22, Russia and Ukraine exchanged large-scale strikes — shortly after US envoy Steve Witkoff held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg. Earlier this week, Witkoff met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Norway. Donald Trump's administration is trying to act as a mediator to end the conflict, which began with Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Strikes on Ukraine
According to Kyiv city authorities, missiles hit the capital in the early hours of Thursday, wounding at least 15 people, eight of whom were hospitalized. Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram that metro infrastructure on the Southern Bridge across the Dnipro was damaged, restricting traffic between parts of the city. Ukraine's Air Force warned throughout the night of ballistic missiles heading toward Kyiv and urged residents to stay in shelters; in the morning it reported downing 181 Russian UAVs, noting that attack drones were still in the air. Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said a strike with dozens of ballistic missiles hit energy infrastructure, medical facilities, shopping malls and residential areas. His post contained a reference to Witkoff's recent statement calling Putin a 'humanist' for freeing American Stephen Hubbard. According to euronews, seven people were killed in total on the Ukrainian side. Kharkiv region Governor Oleh Syniehubov said another Russian strike killed a woman and wounded four in the region. A drone also hit energy infrastructure in Poltava region, local authorities said without details.
Strikes on Russia
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said that 630 drones were launched toward the region overnight, wounding at least two people; according to him, most were destroyed by air defenses, with 163 drones heading toward the capital. In Lipetsk, according to Governor Igor Artamonov, drones hit residential buildings and a medical facility, one person was injured.
Diplomatic context
Putin reportedly agreed 'in principle' to resume peace talks mediated by the US as early as next month. The Kremlin, according to euronews, said it was ready 'in principle' to resume trilateral talks between Russia, Ukraine and the US, possibly in mid-November — after the US midterm elections. Zelensky said on Wednesday that Ukraine supports the American proposal for trilateral talks at the negotiators' level as soon as possible. After Witkoff's meeting with Putin, Trump said the sides were 'closest' to ending the war, though no breakthrough was announced. Witkoff described his talks with Putin as 'constructive,' acknowledging that 'important work' still lies ahead.
Hubbard's release and the diesel deal
After the talks, Russia agreed to free American Stephen Hubbard, a retired teacher convicted in Russia of mercenarism on Ukraine's behalf — charges he denies; he was released on Wednesday. Trump postponed further sanctions against Russia, saying this helped secure Hubbard's release. In addition, according to euronews, Trump concluded a new agreement with Russia to sell diesel fuel, aimed at lowering fuel prices that had risen amid the Middle East conflict; the move drew criticism from Kyiv and several European governments.
