Kyiv smog prompts closed-windows advice after overnight strikes
Thick smog from overnight Russian strikes blanketed Kyiv on Wednesday, and the State Emergency Service told residents to keep their windows shut.
Thick smog blanketed Kyiv on Wednesday, made up of smoke and soot left over from overnight Russian strikes on the city, Ukraine's State Emergency Service said. The service urged residents to keep their windows closed until the air clears.
The haze is the residue of earlier shelling that rose into the upper atmosphere and has now been pushed back down towards ground level by an anticyclone sitting over the city, the service said. There is currently almost no wind, so the smoke and soot are not dispersing, and visibility in parts of the city has been noticeably reduced since the morning.
Officials said the smog would begin to clear once the wind picked up and the sun came out, though they gave no specific timeframe for that. Residents of the Podilskyi, Lukianivskyi and Shevchenkivskyi districts, as well as the Borshchahivka area, were told to keep their windows and vents shut and to avoid airing out their homes for now.
Drivers across the city were advised to switch on their fog lights and to keep extra distance from other vehicles because of the reduced visibility, the State Emergency Service said in its guidance.
The smog followed a night of Russian drone and missile strikes on Kyiv and the surrounding region. At least two people were confirmed dead in the capital, and a child died in a strike on Kyiv Oblast, Hromadske reported, citing the overnight attack.
What we know
- Thick smog of smoke and soot from overnight Russian strikes blanketed Kyiv on Wednesday, the State Emergency Service said.
- The service urged residents in several districts to keep windows and vents closed until the air clears.
- An anticyclone with almost no wind is trapping the smoke and soot near ground level, officials said.
- Drivers were advised to use fog lights and keep extra distance because of reduced visibility.
- At least two people were confirmed dead in the capital and a child died in Kyiv Oblast in the overnight strikes, Hromadske reported.
Not yet confirmed
- No specific timeframe has been given for when the smog will clear.
Why it matters for Europe
The smog is a secondary effect of Russia's continued strikes on Kyiv, which have hit the capital on successive nights this week, forcing authorities to issue public-health guidance on top of counting casualties and damage. Officials told residents in several districts to shut their windows and drivers to slow down because of the reduced visibility, showing how the strikes' effects reach well beyond the immediate impact sites.
The smog is also the latest sign of a week of repeated Russian strikes on Kyiv's infrastructure. An attack on 27 September damaged the headquarters of mobile operator Kyivstar, though the company said none of its staff were hurt, Ukrainian outlets NV and NV.ua reported. Kyiv's city prosecutor's office said a 56-year-old security guard was killed elsewhere in the capital that day, and that a 24-year-old woman and two 16-year-old girls were injured by glass fragments in the Shevchenkivskyi district.
Updates
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Updated with new reports from our sources.
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Updated with new reports from our sources.
First published.
Sources
Reported by 4 reports from 4 independent outlets in 1 countries.
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Questions and answers
- Why is there smog in Kyiv?
- The State Emergency Service said the smog is smoke and soot from overnight Russian strikes, trapped near the ground by an anticyclone with almost no wind.
- What have authorities told residents to do?
- Residents in several districts were told to keep windows and vents shut, and drivers were advised to use fog lights and keep extra distance.
- Were there casualties in the strikes that caused the smog?
- At least two people were confirmed dead in Kyiv and a child died in a strike on Kyiv Oblast, Hromadske reported.
This article was written with AI assistance from 4 verified reports and checked under the ECTV editorial policy. Spotted an error? Request a correction.