Kharkiv Kindergarten Drone Strike Amid Nationwide Wave

On Oct. 22, a Russian drone struck a private kindergarten in Kharkiv’s Kholodnohirskyi district, killing at least one person and forcing the evacuation of roughly 48–50 children as firefighters fought a blaze. Ukrainian officials said seven people were injured and many children are showing acute stress reactions, though some local reports say child injuries remain unconfirmed. The strike was one episode in an overnight wave of drone and missile attacks across Ukraine that authorities said involved hundreds of strikes and killed six to seven people nationwide. Kyiv blamed Russia; Russia said it targeted energy infrastructure tied to Ukraine’s defense industry, and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the attack as a “spit in the face” and urged greater international pressure and military support. Rescue operations and investigations into the kindergarten strike were ongoing.