Russian occupying forces carried out a massive combined strike against Ukraine in the early hours of 24 April, launching various types of missiles and attack drones primarily targeting Kyiv, according to Ukraine’s Air Force. The air strikes and other Russian attacks killed at least 11 Ukrainian civilians and injured more than 100, according to reports from local authorities.
The Air Force says the Russian attack began around 19:30 on 23 April, with Russian forces launching air, ground, and sea-based missiles, as well as Shahed attack drones and other types of drone decoys.
Ukrainian Air Force radar systems detected and tracked 215 Russian aerial targets, including:
- 11 Iskander-M/KN-23 ballistic missiles launched from Russia’s Bryansk, Voronezh, and Kursk oblasts, of which the Ukrainians downed 7;
- 37 Kh-101 cruise missiles from Tu-95MS strategic bombers operating in Saratov oblast, with 31 of them later shot down;
- 6 Iskander-K cruise missiles from Donetsk oblast;
- 12 Kalibr cruise missiles from the Black Sea, with 6 reportedly downed;
- 4 Kh-59/Kh-69 guided air missiles from tactical aircraft in Belgorod oblast, with all neutralized by the air defenses;
- and 145 Shahed attack drones and various decoy drones launched from Bryansk, Millerovo, Kursk, Primorsko-Akhtarsk in Russia, and Chauda in occupied Crimea. Of the drones, the air defenders reportedly shot down 64, with 68 additional decoy drones being lost from radar without negative consequences.
The Air Force’s figures suggest that at least 22 Russian missiles and 13 drones may have reached their intended targets.
Aviation played an active role in repelling the attack, with F-16 and Mirage fighter pilots accounting for dozens of downed aerial targets, the Air Force reported.
Russia targets residential neighborhoods
Kyiv and Kyiv oblast
Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, was hit hardest by the Russian attack. By 10:30, Interior Minister Klymenko reported eight deaths, including two children. Mayor Klitschko said 77 people needed medical attention, and twelve buildings were damaged. Rescue teams were dispatched to 13 sites across the city.
In Bucha district of Kyiv Oblast, two women suffered acute stress reactions. According to the Oblast Military Administration, damage was reported to three five-story buildings, several shops, vehicles, and a public transport stop. Emergency crews also responded to the aftermath of the attacks in the Vyshhorod and Brovary districts.
Ukrainian railway operator Ukrzaliznytsia reported that a train driver was injured during the assault on Kyiv.
Photo: Mykola Kalashnyk / Telegram
Kharkiv oblast
Kharkiv experienced three series of explosions overnight and in the morning of 24 April. The city was struck by 10 missiles and 14 drones. Six people were reported injured as a result of 24 strikes on three districts of Kharkiv, Suspilne reported.
Zhytomyr oblast
Russian forces attacked Zhytomyr oblast with missiles and Shahed drones, causing damage and injuries. Zhytomyr Oblast Military Administration head Vitaliy Bunechko reported that the attack damaged private garages, causing a fire, and the blast wave blew out windows in several apartment buildings.
A 39-year-old rescue worker was injured during a repeated Russian strike on the State Emergency Service unit that had arrived to extinguish a fire from the initial attack. Four emergency service vehicles were also damaged.
Additionally, Ukrzaliznytsia reported that a train conductor in Zhytomyr was injured during the massive missile and drone attack. The railway infrastructure was under fire during the night.
Sumy oblast
Two people were wounded in an attack on the Nedryhailiv community in Sumy oblast on the morning of 24 April, according to the Oblast Military Administration. Russian forces attacked an agricultural enterprise in the community with four Shahed drones. As a result of the attack, a security guard of the enterprise and a local resident were injured, the Sumy prosecutor’s office clarified.
The Sumy Oblast Military Administration reported 46 Russian attacks on border communities over the past 24 hours. 123 explosions were recorded, including FPV dorne attacks, KAB guided bomb strikes, and artillery shelling. The report does not mention any additional civilian casualties.
Khmelnytskyi oblast
Nearly 20 detached homes in the village of Volytsia were damaged as a result of the Russian attack on 24 April, Oleksandr Zhuhda, the head of the Staroostynskyi district, told Suspilne Khmelnytskyi.
Zaporizhzhia oblast
On 24 April, Russian forces attacked Zaporizhzhia with Shahed drones. An administrative building was damaged, as were windows in a nearby residential building. Preliminarily, there were no injuries or fatalities, reported Oblast Military Administration head Ivan Fedorov on his Telegram channel.
Kherson oblast
Ten people were injured due to Russian attacks in Kherson oblast over the past day, according to Oblast Military Administration head Oleksandr Prokudin. An 81-year-old woman in Romashkove was reported dead. She received fatal injuries during the shelling of the village on 17 April, Prokudin said.
This morning in Havrylivka, Kherson oblast, Russian military forces attacked a 61-year-old man with a drone. He suffered an explosive injury, multiple wounds to the chest, and a heart contusion. The wounded man is in serious condition, according to the Oblast Military Administration.
Donetsk oblast
Russian forces carried out four rocket strikes on Kostiantynivka using Smerch multiple launch rocket systems between 22:05 and 22:10 on 23 April. A child and a woman were killed, and a man and another local resident were injured, according to the Donetsk Regional Prosecutor’s Office.
Dnipropetrovsk Oblast
The authorities reported that last night, air defenders shot down four missiles and five drones in the region. Blast waves damaged 14 high-rises in Pavlohrad, but no one was injured.
Zelenskyy cuts short international visit
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the cancellation of part of his visit to South Africa following the Russian attack on Ukraine in the early hours of April 24. After meeting with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Zelenskyy is returning to Ukraine.
He stated that part of the foreign visit had been canceled due to the attack. The President also instructed the Minister of Defense to urgently step up coordination with international partners on strengthening Ukraine’s air defense systems.
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