Russia strikes central Kyiv with cluster-tipped ballistic missile

Russia struck central Kyiv with an Iskander ballistic missile carrying a cluster warhead on the night of October 21-22, killing at least two people and wounding 34, including five children, Ukrainian officials reported. The missile, equipped with a K5 cluster warhead, detonated in the air and scattered up to 58 explosive submunitions over a 400-by-400-meter area, according to presidential adviser Serhiy Beskrestnov, who accused Moscow of deliberately targeting civilians and the historic Old City rather than military objectives. Ukrainian air defenses intercepted 181 of 210 drones and reported 21 missiles launched at the capital, with damage across five districts. The attack came hours after US envoy Steve Witkoff met Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg, where Witkoff called Putin a "humanist" despite the International Criminal Court warrant against him, highlighting the contrast between Washington's diplomacy and Moscow's strikes on Ukrainian cities.