Two streets turned into hell: Who and what Putin is fighting on Kyiv’s Left Bank

Kyiv is reeling from a combined Russian missile and drone strike. While public attention is currently focused on the strike near the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, where the Dormition Cathedral sustained damage, the aftermath on the capital’s left bank is no less harrowing. Russian missiles devastated parts of streets in the residential neighborhoods of Osokorky and the village of Troieshchyna.

Missile strike on Kyiv: Russia targets old post office building

The scale of destruction in the village of Troieshchyna is catastrophic. Private residences on Vitovetska Street (formerly Lermontov Street) bore the brunt of the attack. A Russian missile struck adjacent to a building that once housed a local post office, leaving virtually nothing left of the structure.

The impact site features a massive crater, measuring up to four meters deep and 7 to 8 meters in diameter. One of the private houses situated directly next to the crater suffered the worst damage. Local residents say it is nothing short of a miracle that no one was inside at the time of the attack.

«We were incredibly lucky that the missile struck an uninhabited spot at the moment of the attack. The aftermath is horrific, and it could have been much worse had the missile landed just a few meters to the left or right. Numerous homes surrounding the epicenter of the blast were damaged—across eight streets in the village. The local community center had 11 windows blown out. In a house on Radosynska Street, the ceiling collapsed from the blast wave, trapping a resident, who managed to pull himself out from under the rubble. In another house near the epicenter, a woman was buried by debris in her bed and had to be dug out from the wreckage,» Volodymyr Sukhorukov, head of the local community self-organization body (OSN), told TSN.ua.
According to him, eight private homes sustained severe damage, with the total number of damaged properties exceeding 20. Fortunately, the Russian missile strike resulted in no casualties or injuries.

«During the attack, people took cover in basements and cellars. That is actually what saved many lives. Otherwise, the blast wave would have caused severe injuries from shattered glass and flying debris. This missile caused immense destruction for us. It is still unclear what exactly it was, but experts explained to us that it was supposedly a Kh-101 cruise missile, though there are rumors it might have been an Iskander-K,» Sukhorukov said.

Devastation in the residential sector: displaced roofs and shattered windows

The head of the OSN said that the homes located closest to the crater sustained the most severe structural damage. Elsewhere, the damage was less critical: some roofs were lifted and shifted, corrugated roofing sheets were torn off, greenhouses were shattered, and plastic components were thrown 200 meters away by the blast wave. Gables, awnings, and gates were also ripped out, and fences were twisted.

«Many houses were left without windows. We are currently sourcing materials to cover 100 windows blown out by the blast wave. The Desnianskyi District State Administration has promised assistance. We are highly grateful to the local road maintenance department. They helped clear the debris and belongings turned into refuse by the explosion. The road between the houses has already been cleared, and residents are now gathering the wrecked property into a single location to be hauled away by the road maintenance department workers,» the OSN head said.

Residents are counting on municipal support to restore their damaged property.

Meanwhile, what remains of the structures urgently needs to be covered to protect them from the elements.

«People need assistance, especially those who were at the epicenter of the blast. Others fared better. For instance, I live 200 meters away, so I escaped with just a scare. What the Russians did is a crime. Where are the military targets here in the village of Troieshchyna? That is why there is a strong desire to see even more of our drones flying toward Moscow, so they can feel what the war they started is actually like,» Volodymyr Sukhorukov added.

In the residential sector of Osokorky, the impact of the strike closely mirrors that seen in Troieshchyna: demolished private homes, destroyed vehicles, shattered windows, and battered fences. The sole difference is that the missile crater there is somewhat smaller.

What Russia attacked with and why the crater was so large

Aviation expert Valeriy Romanenko states that the crater in Troieshchyna is circular, suggesting it was likely left by a ballistic missile.

«It appears that the crater formed after the explosion in the village of Troieshchyna was left by a ballistic missile. The crater is nearly circular, which happens when an ordnance impacts vertically. If a crater is elliptical, it indicates the missile flew in at an angle. In Osokorky, the crater is smaller, but the scale of destruction is also substantial. In both cases, I believe it was either ballistics or a Kh-101 cruise missile, as only they carry a powerful 450-kilogram warhead,» Valeriy Romanenko told TSN.ua.

The aviation expert added that the crater in Troieshchyna turned out so massive due to the sandy soil.

«Generally, a concrete shelter can protect against a strike from such a missile. This serves as another reminder that people must head to shelters during air raid alerts. The shelter will not be penetrated, and any damage would be localized. In this instance, the Russians struck sandy soil with a high-explosive blast warhead rather than a penetration warhead. A high-explosive warhead detonates almost instantly upon contact with the target. It does not penetrate deep into the ground, and it was the blast wave that created such a crater and such an effect. The shockwave propagates in a circle, which explains the high number of houses damaged by it,» Valeriy Romanenko concluded.