Kyiv under fire: Latest Russian missile and drone onslaught
During the night of April 23 to 24, Kyiv suffered a massive missile and drone attack from Russia. According to United24 journalists, Kalibr missiles and Shahed drones were used. As a result of the attack, nine people died, and 70 were injured, 54 of whom were hospitalized.
Russian forces fired approximately six Iskander-M/KN-23 ballistic missiles and six Kalibr cruise missiles towards the capital of Ukraine. The attack resulted in destroyed buildings and cars engulfed in flames. In one district of the city, a fire broke out in a residential building, trapping people under the rubble.
Russian attacks on Ukraine
The attack on Kyiv is part of a broader Russian offensive targeting Ukraine's civilian infrastructure. Besides the capital, the shelling also affected Kharkiv and Pavlohrad. In Kharkiv, there were three hits by cruise missiles, and in Pavlohrad, two Iskander-M/KN-23 missiles and three cruise missiles were reported. The weapons were transported by Tu-95ms and Tu-160 bombers, whose presence in the region's airspace was confirmed by the Ukrainian military.
During the attack, the Russians also used Shahed drones. These drones, also known as Geran-2 in Russian military nomenclature, have become one of the most recognizable tools Russia utilizes in its invasion of Ukraine. Shaheds are a product of Iranian military engineering. Initially constructed by the Iranian Aviation Industries Organization (IAIO), they were designed for asymmetric conflicts and low-cost warfare.
The version most commonly used by Russia is the Shahed-136—an unmanned kamikaze aircraft designed to hit a designated target and detonate its warhead. Moscow has never officially admitted to receiving weapons from Tehran. Still, abundant evidence—from debris found after attacks to intelligence from Western countries—confirms that Russia receives Shaheds directly from Iran or through joint production within Russian territory, in factories located in Tatarstan.
The technical specification of the Shahed-136 may not be impressive, but what matters in this case is the scale effect. The drone is approximately 3 metres long and has a wingspan of about 2.4 metres. It is powered by a simple piston engine that allows it to achieve a cruising speed of about 180 km/h and a range of up to 2,500 km. This is sufficient to fly from southern Russia deep into Ukrainian territory, bypassing major air defence lines.
The construction of composites and wood makes it difficult to detect using conventional radars, and its low cost, estimated at a few thousand dollars, allows Russia to use these drones in large numbers, forming so-called swarms aimed at overloading Ukrainian defences. The armament of the Shahed-136 is limited to a single warhead, most often a fragmentation-explosive type weighing about 30-50 kg. This is enough to destroy transformers, fuel depots, infrastructure targets, or residential buildings.
The drone is not intended for precise attacks on moving targets—its primary role is to wreak havoc and destabilization, especially during periods of increased energy demand or before key military events. Shaheds are also part of a broader psychological strategy—their presence over cities, continuous air raid alarms, and occasional successful strikes aim not only at physical destruction but also at instilling fear.
