A Russian drone struck an apartment building in central Chernihiv in broad daylight on Ukraine’s Independence Day, injuring 20 people including two children and setting the residential high-rise on fire, regional officials said on August 24.
Chernihiv Regional Military Administration head Viacheslav Chaus confirmed the attack, calling it a “cynical strike by Russian terrorists on a residential building in Chernihiv. Right in the middle of the day – on Independence Day.” Police explosives experts said preliminary evidence suggested Russia used a Geran-5 drone in the assault.
The drone tore into the building in the city center, sparking a fire that emergency crews rushed to contain. Among the 20 wounded, seven were children. The strike came as Ukraine celebrated 35 years of independence from the Soviet Union, a day Moscow has repeatedly targeted in past years.
Earlier the same day, a Russian attack on the Boryspil district of Kyiv region killed two people and injured at least eight, continuing a pattern of holiday-period strikes on Ukrainian population centers. Chernihiv, located roughly 140 kilometers north of Kyiv near the Belarusian border, has been a frequent target throughout the war.
A City scarred Since 2022
Chernihiv endured a devastating siege in the opening weeks of the full-scale invasion, with Russian forces bombarding residential areas, hospitals, and a theater where civilians sheltered. The city was largely encircled before Russian troops withdrew in March 2022, leaving behind widespread destruction.
The latest strike underscores that even as Ukraine pushes deep into Russian territory with long-range drones, its own cities remain vulnerable to Russian aerial attacks. The Geran-5, an improved variant of the Iranian-designed Shahed series, carries a larger warhead and improved navigation over earlier models.
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