Russian forces launched a massive drone attack on Kropyvnytskyi on the night of March 20. It was the largest strike on the city since the beginning of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Points of attention
- Russian forces carried out a massive drone attack on Kropyvnytskyi on the night of March 20, causing injuries and extensive destruction.
- The attack resulted in casualties, including children, as residential neighborhoods and civilian infrastructure were hit.
- Several areas in Kropyvnytskyi suffered damage, with residential buildings on Myru Street being massively affected.
Russia attacked Kropyvnytskyi: there are injuries and destruction
The first explosions were heard in the city around 10:00 PM on March 19. Residents reported on social media about a series of explosions, as well as massive fires.
The head of the Kirovohrad OVA, Andriy Raykovych, reported that this was the most massive drone attack on Kropyvnytskyi since February 2022.
Unfortunately, residential areas of the city of Kropyvnytskyi were affected. During the Great War, this was the most massive attack on the city. About 21 drones and their fragments flew in, and in some places drone strikes fell on residential areas, both the private sector and high-rise buildings.
According to the head of the Kirovohrad OVA, residential buildings on Myru Street in Kropyvnytskyi were massively damaged. As a result of the attack, windows and doors were broken in the houses.
As the State Emergency Service later clarified, the massive attack in Kropyvnytskyi damaged civilian infrastructure — residential buildings in several areas. Windows were broken, balconies were destroyed, and the structure suffered damage.
Initially, the State Emergency Service reported eight victims, including a child. As of 7:15 a.m., police clarified that the number of victims had increased to 10, four of whom were children.
All relevant services continue to work at the scene of the shootings in Kropyvnytskyi. Psychologists from the State Emergency Service provided assistance to 25 people. A checkpoint was set up in the city, and the OVA held a meeting of the operational headquarters.
"Ukrzaliznytsia" reported that infrastructure was damaged as a result of shelling of the Kirovohrad region. For safety reasons, "UZ" changed the route of a number of trains:
No. 53 Dnipro — Odesa;
No. 92/60 Odesa — Kharkiv/Kramatorsk;
No. 7 Kharkiv — Odesa;
No. 128 Lviv — Zaporizhia;
No. 52 Odesa — Zaporizhia.
Due to the detours, train traffic was delayed for three hours. Passengers were transported to stations in the Kirovohrad region that trains were forced to bypass by morning commuter trains and additional shuttles.
Train No. 790/789 Kropyvnytskyi — Kyiv departed later than the time specified in the schedule due to infrastructure inspections. As of 2:30, Ukrzaliznytsia has resumed train traffic via the Kropyvnytskyi station.
