During the early morning hours of 21 September 2023, Ukrainian air defense systems destroyed at least 20 Russian missiles targeting the capital Kyiv. Falling debris damaged commercial buildings in the districts of Darnitsky, Desnyasnsky, Goloseevsky and Shevchenkovsky, causing power outages. The attack injured at least seven people. Elsewhere, Russian missiles targeted the regions of Cherkasy, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kharkiv, Kherson, Khmelnytskiy, Lviv, Rivne and Vinnytsia.
In Cherkasy, falling debris struck a hotel, located approximately 160 km (100 mi) southeast of the capital. At least two people were killed, and 10 others were injured, though rescue operations remain ongoing to free people trapped in the rubble. The strikes came hours before Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s scheduled meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden in the United States.
