Kyiv under fire: Deadly missile and drone assault from Russia
During the night of 23rd to 24th April, Kyiv suffered a significant missile and drone attack from Russia. According to United24 journalists, Kalibr missiles and Shahed drones were utilised. As a consequence of the attack, nine individuals lost their lives, and 70 were injured, with 54 hospitalised.
Russian forces launched approximately six Iskander-M/KN-23 ballistic missiles and six Kalibr cruise missiles towards the Ukrainian capital. The attack resulted in destroyed buildings and vehicles engulfed in flames. In one area of the city, a fire broke out in a residential building, trapping residents under the rubble.
Russian attacks on Ukraine
The assault on Kyiv is part of a broader Russian offensive aimed at Ukraine's civilian infrastructure. Beyond the capital, the shelling also impacted Kharkiv and Pavlohrad. In Kharkiv, there were three cruise missile strikes, 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 deployed Shahed drones. These drones, also referred to as Geran-2 in Russian military nomenclature, have become one of the most identifiable tools Russia employs in its invasion of Ukraine. Shaheds are the creation of Iranian military engineering. Initially developed by the Iranian Aviation Industries Organisation (IAIO), they were designed for asymmetric conflicts and cost-effective warfare.
The version most commonly used by Russia is the Shahed-136—an unmanned kamikaze aircraft engineered to hit a designated target and detonate its warhead. Moscow has never officially acknowledged receiving weapons from Tehran. Still, ample evidence—from debris found after attacks to intelligence from Western countries—confirms that Russia obtains Shaheds directly from Iran or via joint production within Russian territory, in factories located in Tatarstan.
The technical specifications of the Shahed-136 may not be impressive, but the scale effect is crucial in this context. The drone is approximately 3.4 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 use of composites and wood in its construction makes it difficult to detect using conventional radars, and its low cost, estimated at a few thousand pounds, enables Russia to deploy these drones in large numbers, forming so-called swarms intended to overwhelm 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 cause chaos and destabilisation, particularly during periods of heightened energy demand or before major military events. Shaheds are also integral to 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.
