Russian strike on Kyiv kills 21-year-old woman; U.S. gave Ukraine no advance warning, journalists report
Russian forces struck Kyiv with ballistic missiles overnight on October 19, damaging buildings in the Desnianskyi and Dniprovskyi districts, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said. Three people were injured, and a 21-year-old woman was killed.
In the Solomianskyi district, debris hit the first floor of a 25-story residential building, injuring five people. Klitschko also said one of Kyiv’s metro stations on the left bank of the Dnipro was damaged but did not elaborate. Ukraine’s State Emergency Service reported that the strike killed one person and injured eight.
RFE/RL’s Ukrainian service journalist Alex Raufoglu said Ukraine once again received no warning of the ballistic missile strike on Kyiv. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, responding to Raufoglu’s question about the strike, said:
“What happened last night, I don’t know exactly. I know a few nights ago there was a software problem involving their early warning system. I know EUCOM [U.S. European Command] had been involved in looking at it,” Rubio said, declining further comment.
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What debris?
Russian propaganda often uses the phrase “drone debris” to obscure the scale of an attack and play up the effectiveness of air defenses. Ukraine has adopted the same tactic. Fragments of drones and missiles sometimes do fall to the ground, but in wartime conditions, we cannot quickly confirm or refute this information. Treat reports of “drone debris” with caution.