On the eve of the third anniversary of the full-scale invasion, Russia launched a massive attack on Ukraine, firing a record number of drones and striking with ballistic missiles.
Reports of Russian drone launches over Ukraine emerged on the evening of February 22. Later, Ukraine’s Air Force warned of ballistic missile threats and detected high-speed targets moving toward Kryvyi Rih.
As of the morning of February 23, Russia had launched 267 attack drones and decoy UAVs at Ukraine. The Russian forces also fired three Iskander-M/KN-23 ballistic missiles from Crimea. This marks the highest number of drones Russia has used in a single attack on Ukraine.
According to Ukraine’s Air Force, air defense forces shot down 138 drones. Another 119 Russian decoy drones were lost due to navigation failures, with three flying toward Belarus and one toward Russia.
Air defense systems were active in the regions of Kharkiv, Poltava, Sumy, Kyiv, Chernihiv, Cherkasy, Kirovohrad, Zhytomyr, Khmelnytskyi, Rivne, Mykolaiv, Odessa, and Dnipropetrovsk.
Kyiv
Russian forces launched attack drones at Ukraine’s capital. Air defense systems were activated multiple times, and explosions were heard across the city.
Kyiv City Military Administration Chief Tymur Tkachenko reported that a Russian drone was shot down, with debris falling in several districts.
According to the State Emergency Service (SES), multiple areas of Kyiv sustained damage. In the Holosiivskyi district, a fire broke out in a private house, affecting an area of 100 square meters. Two private houses, several cars, and the roof of a Nova Poshta branch were damaged. Debris was also found on the grounds of the Hryshko Botanical Garden.
As of now, no casualties have been reported.
Kryvyi Rih
On the evening of February 22, Russian forces launched a missile strike on Kryvyi Rih. According to the head of the Dnipropetrovsk Regional Military Administration, both civilian infrastructure and an industrial facility were damaged. The SES reported that the attack caused a fire covering 60 square meters.
The strike also destroyed the Church of St. Stephen the Protomartyr and Archdeacon of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The church’s rector, Archpriest Dominian, told local media that one of the missiles hit the building directly, leaving it beyond repair.
Emergency responders rescued a man and a woman from the rubble and transported them to the hospital. Unfortunately, the man later died.
As of the morning, the number of injured has risen to five, including four women and one man. Three remain hospitalized, with one woman in critical condition.
Zaporizhzhia
Zaporizhzhia also came under drone attack overnight. According to regional authorities, the strike caused fires in a residential area, damaging windows in several apartment buildings.
Rescue teams extinguished fires in a two-story residential building and a cargo truck covering 80 square meters. The blast wave and debris damaged nearby homes.
A 53-year-old woman was injured in the attack and hospitalized.
Odessa Region
Late last night, the head of the Odesa Regional Military Administration reported that Russian forces attacked Odessa district with strike drones.
According to the SES, a private residential house was damaged. Fires caused by the attack were quickly extinguished by firefighters.
Preliminary reports indicate that three people were injured in the strike.
