Overnight on 21 October, Russian forces hit Kharkiv with guided bombs, targeted Kherson with drones, and damaged energy infrastructure in Chernihiv and Sumy oblasts. Ukraine’s Air Force reported that it had downed or suppressed 58 drones out of 98 launched in the massive assault involving multiple missile types and UAVs.
Kharkiv bombed with KABs, nine civilians injured
Kharkiv came under heavy Russian bombardment around midnight, with six KAB guided aerial bombs hitting the city. Mayor Ihor Terekhov confirmed explosions in the Industrialnyi and Nemyshlianskyi districts, with most strikes concentrated in the former. Fires broke out at impact sites, damaging at least 15 detached homes and a civilian business. Initial reports indicated four civilians were affected, all suffering acute stress reactions. That number later rose to nine — seven women and two men — aged between 45 and 76.
Oleh Syniehubov, head of the Kharkiv Oblast Military Administration, reported that three additional settlements in the oblast also came under Russian fire during the past 24 hours, injuring a 65-year-old man in the village of Podoly.
In total, Russia used nine KAB bombs and two drones of unspecified type in the oblast.
Chernihiv’s energy grid crippled, emergency shutoffs imposed
The Chernihiv Oblast Military Administration said the region faced a massive Russian UAV assault, with 51 aerial targets recorded, including two ballistic missiles. The previous evening, on 20 October, a Russian drone strike hit an energy facility in the oblast, leaving northern areas without electricity. As a result, water supply was disrupted in Chernihiv, and the local water utility advised residents to stock up. National railway operator Ukrzaliznytsia reported train delays due to the blackout. Law enforcement launched a war crimes investigation in response to the strikes.
Sumy Oblast faces intense shelling, 18 villages hit
The Sumy Oblast Military Administration reported that between the morning of 20 October and the morning of 21 October, Russian forces carried out 38 shelling attacks across 18 settlements in eight different territorial communities. The hardest-hit were the Sumskyi and Shostkynskyi districts. No civilian casualties were reported, but a civilian infrastructure site in the Mykolaivka community was damaged.
Air raid alarms lasted 12 hours and 33 minutes in Sumy Oblast over the course of the day. Ukrzaliznytsia reported train delays due to damage from Russian attacks. Ukrainian President Volodymy Zelenskyy noted that Russia targeted energy infrastructure in Sumy and Chernihiv oblasts.
Russian drones injure four in Kherson, school and homes hit
In Kherson, Russian forces attacked the city with what local prosecutors said were likely three Shahed drones between 1:16 a.m. and 1:25 a.m, damaging an apartment building and a school. Other Russian attacks hit a café, seven more apartment buildings, and 12 single-family homes. Four civilians were injured: two women aged 60 and 70, and two men aged 53 and 76. One vehicle was also damaged.
The Kherson Oblast Prosecutor’s Office opened a criminal case for a war crime under Article 438 of Ukraine’s criminal code. Investigative teams were working on-site to document the evidence.
Air Force: 98 drones launched, 58 neutralized
According to Ukraine’s Air Force, Russia launched 98 strike drones and six missiles — two ballistic Iskander-M/KN-23 and four S-300s — from Bryansk, Kursk, Primorsko-Akhtarsk, as well as occupied areas of Crimea. About 70 of the UAVs were Shaheds. Ukrainian air defense intercepted or suppressed 58 drones.
Despite successful interceptions, 37 UAVs struck 10 Ukrainian locations. Debris from downed drones also fell on two separate sites. The Air Force warned that, as of the time of reporting—around 8:30 a.m.—enemy drones remained airborne over Ukraine.
Zelenskyy: Only pressure brings Putin to the table
Zelenskyy said in his morning Telegram post that repair crews were working nearly nonstop in Chernihiv, Sumy, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts to restore services. The latter saw Russian FPV drone strikes on power transformers, the President said.
“The Russian tactic is killing people and terror through cold. On the eve of winter, the Russians are literally striking our infrastructure and energy facilities every day. Only pressure on Russia can correct and stop this. Only sufficient range of our defense brings Putin back to reality. This war must be ended — and only pressure will bring peace,” he said.
