Russia strikes Kyiv after agreeing in principle to renewed talks

According to the Guardian, ballistic missiles struck Kyiv on 22 October 2026, several hours after Vladimir Putin announced his provisional consent to renewed negotiations involving Russia, Ukraine and the United States. The attack killed and injured civilians, although reports differed on the death toll in the Ukrainian capital.¹⁴

Missile waves and civilian casualties

The BBC reported three waves of Russian missiles following Moscow’s announcement that it was prepared in principle to return to peace talks. A Reuters account published by ThePrint reported that Ukraine was targeted by no fewer than 21 Russian ballistic missiles. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said numerous locations in Kyiv had been hit.²³

The Guardian reported at least two people killed in Kyiv and 22 wounded, including four children. Anadolu Agency gave a different death toll, reporting one person killed, while also reporting 22 injuries, four of them children. The available accounts do not resolve that difference.¹⁴

Across Ukraine, Zelenskyy said two people had died and 34 had been injured, including five children, in attacks affecting twelve regions, according to Reuters. Those nationwide figures are separate from the casualty accounts concerning Kyiv.²¹⁴

Damage in Kyiv included a southern bridge crossing the Dnipro, homes, energy facilities, an ambulance station, offices and a monastery, the Guardian reported. Zelenskyy said the strikes demonstrated that Russia was not committed to peace and urged Ukraine’s foreign partners to strengthen air defences and introduce further sanctions against Moscow.¹

Talks proposed for November

Putin’s agreement in principle concerned negotiations involving Russia, Ukraine and the United States after 10 November, according to the Guardian. Reuters reported that Putin had hosted US envoy Steve Witkoff in St Petersburg and that Moscow said it was prepared to resume US-mediated negotiations the following month.¹²

The accounts of the diplomatic exchanges showed differing assessments. Witkoff said meetings in Oslo had generated “some degree of momentum”, Reuters reported. Kremlin foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov said the Americans had conveyed nuances arising from Oslo, but that these did not fully satisfy Russia. A senior Russian official described the Putin-Witkoff meeting as relatively brief and lacking substance.²

Attacks reported on both sides

Russia said Ukraine sent 630 drones towards Moscow overnight, according to Reuters. Sergei Sobyanin reported two people wounded near the capital, while local officials said one man was killed and another injured in Belgorod region. Russia also said it had struck port facilities in Odesa and vessels used by Ukraine’s military.²

Separately, Zelenskyy said the United States had resumed intelligence warnings about Russian missile attacks, the Guardian reported. Washington denied deliberately changing policy to obstruct Ukrainian forces, according to Reuters. Russia and Ukraine also exchanged the bodies of war dead, with Russia handing over 252 and Ukraine returning 25, Reuters reported.¹²