Russian missile and drone attacks on nine Ukrainian regions killed at least eight people, injured about 60 and cut electricity to more than a million people on Friday, Ukrainian officials said. Ukraine's Ministry of Energy said repair crews had since restored power to over a million of those affected, as Russia presses a campaign against the country's power grid.
In Kharkiv, a major city in the northeast, two people were killed and 12 wounded across three districts, Governor Oleh Syniehubov said. Two people died in Kramatorsk, a frontline city in the Donetsk region, and two more in the southeastern Dnipropetrovsk region. In the northwestern Volyn region, which borders Poland, a drone strike on a food-processing facility killed one person and wounded eight, according to Governor Roman Romaniuk. Drones also hit a customs terminal and set about 10 trucks on fire in Kovel, on a main route from Kyiv to Poland. In Rivne, a drone strike on a large shopping centre killed one person and wounded seven; a shopping centre in Sumy, near the front line, was also hit. About 370,000 households in Volyn lost power, and the mayor of the regional capital Lutsk warned the blackout there could last at least 24 hours. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said power stations in several districts of the capital were hit, water pressure dropped in parts of the right bank of the Dnipro river, and the heating season began "in extreme conditions".
The attacks fit a pattern described in an assessment that Ukrainian intelligence says it intercepted from Russia last month, seen by The Guardian. The document, whose authoring agency is not specified, outlines how strikes on power plants, substations and water and heating systems could make Ukrainian cities close to unliveable. European officials familiar with it believe it was likely produced by analysts linked to Russia's military or intelligence services. Ukrainian Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal said it contains tables of the weapons needed to destroy each facility. This week, strikes hit three major power plants in the Kyiv region and a key substation. Local media reported that the plants can no longer generate electricity, though the government does not generally confirm such damage. Russia's military chief told President Vladimir Putin on Friday that the necessary assets had been allocated for the aerial campaign against the energy system.
The human toll is rising. The UN said at least 328 civilians were killed and 2,105 wounded in Ukraine in September, 85 percent more than a year earlier. From January to September, 2,570 civilians were killed, almost 60 percent more than in the same period last year. "The first two weeks of October were among the deadliest periods for civilians in years," said Danielle Bell, head of the UN human rights monitoring mission in Ukraine.
The strikes come amid diplomatic strain. US President Donald Trump unilaterally declared an energy ceasefire last week; Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv would no longer observe it because of continued Russian drone attacks, and Ukraine resumed strikes on Russian oil refineries. Trump called that a disgrace, saying it raises fuel prices. Reuters, citing sources, reported the White House told officials to limit Ukraine's use of the Starshield satellite network, hampering its drones and air defence. Analysts warn that a hard winter of blackouts could also create political pressure on Ukraine's wartime government, with protests over heating and power cuts planned in Kyiv.