At least five civilians lost their lives in Ukraine following a significant nighttime assault by Russia involving drones, missiles, and guided aerial bombs. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy disclosed that more than 50 ballistic missiles and approximately 500 drones were deployed across nine regions by Moscow. One of the strikes, a combination of drones and missiles, resulted in the deaths of four individuals, including a 15-year-old, in Lviv. This historic western city, known for being a sanctuary from conflict, suffered power outages in two districts, with public transport briefly suspended. The attack also caused a fire at a civilian business complex on the city’s outskirts.
In addition to Lviv, the Ivano-Frankivsk region south of Lviv reported one injured person due to the assault. In Zaporizhzhia, a southern city, a civilian woman perished and nine others were injured, including a 16-year-old girl, in a nighttime aerial attack. The attack, involving drones and guided aerial bombs, led to the destruction of residential buildings and left around 73,000 households without power in Zaporizhzhia and nearby areas.
Separately, in Sloviansk, six individuals, including a child, sustained injuries after a Russian guided aerial bomb struck an apartment block. The city in the eastern Donetsk region, under Ukrainian control, witnessed damage to residential buildings, cars, shops, and a café from Russian airstrikes the previous evening.
President Zelenskyy renewed his plea to Western allies to provide additional air defense systems to counter Russia’s “aerial terror.” Ukraine has been conducting its own long-range strikes on Russia for months, targeting Moscow’s oil facilities and contributing to ongoing fuel shortages.
The Kremlin has intensified attacks on Ukraine’s power grid in preparation for winter, following a similar pattern seen in previous years since the invasion on February 24, 2022. Moscow’s efforts to disrupt civilian services, including heating, electricity, and water supply, have been condemned by Kyiv. Furthermore, Russian airstrikes on Ukraine’s railway network have escalated, impacting vital military transport routes, with a recent drone strike at a railway station in Shostka resulting in casualties and injuries.
The situation underscores the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, with civilian casualties mounting and infrastructure being targeted in the attacks.
