KYIV: Russia launched a barrage of drones and missiles at Ukraine on Wednesday, killing at least eight people and damaging residential buildings, industrial facilities and infrastructure, Ukrainian officials said. Two people died in Kyiv, four in the northern city of Pryluky and two in the central Poltava region. Russia’s defence ministry said the strike was aimed at military-industrial sites linked to Ukrainian company Fire Point. The attack came a day after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that Moscow was preparing a massive strike.
Background: A War That Has Entered Its Fifth Year
Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, after years of conflict that began in 2014 with the annexation of Crimea and fighting in the eastern Donbas region. Since then, the war has caused huge losses, displaced millions of people and become the biggest conflict in Europe since World War II. Russia and Ukraine regularly carry out long-range drone and missile attacks against each other.
In recent weeks, the fighting has focused heavily on strikes deep behind the front line. Ukraine says it has expanded its domestic production of long-range weapons, and last week Zelenskyy announced the first combat use of a Ukrainian-made ballistic missile built by Fire Point. Russia, for its part, has been attacking Ukrainian cities, defence plants and energy sites with large numbers of drones and missiles.
Details: What Happened Overnight
According to the Ukrainian air force, Russia fired 130 drones, 48 cruise missiles and several ballistic missiles overnight. Air defence units shot down 161 of these targets, but a number of missiles still hit their targets. The areas under attack included Kyiv, Poltava, the south-eastern Dnipropetrovsk region and Kharkiv in the north-east.
In Pryluky, in the Chernihiv region, a missile hit a high-rise apartment building. The State Emergency Service said that at least four people were killed and 20 were injured, among them three children, and rescuers continued to search the rubble for people who might still be trapped. In Kyiv, ballistic missiles struck the capital at around 3am, with explosions heard across the city centre, and two people were killed.
Other damage was reported across the capital. A rocket hit a non-residential building in the Podilskyi district and started a fire, while a garage complex in the Darnytskyi district was also set on fire. The head of the Kyiv regional military administration, Tymur Tkachenko, said that three production and storage facilities were damaged in the Obukhiv district.
Russia’s defence ministry said its forces had carried out a massive strike with high-precision weapons and drones on military-industrial facilities in Kyiv and several regions, including Chernihiv, Kirovohrad, Dnipropetrovsk, Poltava and Kharkiv. It said the targets included sites where Fire Point makes and stores its Flamingo cruise missiles and drones. AP also reported that the ministry said port and ship repair facilities in the Odesa region, and ships carrying cargo for the Ukrainian military, were hit.
Quotes: What Officials Said
Dmytro Lubinets, Ukraine’s parliamentary commissioner for human rights, wrote on Telegram that it was “another act of terror,” after another sleepless night in which people still had to plan their working day. Ukrainian officials say that the strikes hit homes and civilian sites, and they have repeatedly called for more air defence systems from their allies.
Moscow has said that it attacks only military and related targets. Independent verification of damage and casualties from the battlefield is difficult, so numbers may change as rescue work continues.
Note for the writer: please add a fresh statement from Zelenskyy or from another senior official if one is published later today. Do not publish invented quotes.
Impact: Civilians, Air Defence and Arms Production
The strikes again show the heavy toll of the war on civilians, especially in apartment blocks and residential areas. For months, Ukraine has suffered from a shortage of air defences, and officials have asked Western partners for more systems and ammunition to stop missile attacks. The latest barrage will probably increase those calls.
The attack also shows the growing role of arms production in the war. Fire Point has become one of Ukraine’s most important drone and missile makers, and Russia has openly said that it is targeting its sites. Ukraine, in turn, says its new long-range weapons allow it to hit military and energy targets inside Russia.
For the wider region, the attacks raise concerns about escalation and the safety of civilians in cities far from the front line. Many people searching for Russia attacks Ukraine updates, the latest news today or breaking news from Ukraine are looking for confirmed numbers, and officials have warned that casualty figures may rise.
Conclusion: What to Watch Next
Rescue teams are still working in Pryluky and other affected areas, and the death toll could rise as more people are found. Ukrainian authorities will also carry out assessments of the damage to homes, industry and power infrastructure.
Both sides are expected to continue long-range strikes in the coming days. Further updates will follow as officials release more information about the casualties, the damage and any new attacks.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Why did Russia attack Ukraine?
Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. President Vladimir Putin gave several reasons, including opposition to NATO’s expansion, claims about protecting Russian speakers in eastern Ukraine, and a statement that Russia wanted to “demilitarise” and “denazify” Ukraine. Ukraine, the United States, the European Union and most other countries rejected these claims and described the invasion as an unprovoked act of aggression. The UN General Assembly also voted to condemn it. The conflict has deeper roots, since Russia annexed Crimea and backed separatists in eastern Ukraine in 2014. The war has since led to a huge loss of life and displacement, and it has affected energy and food prices around the world.
Why did Russia attack Ukraine today?
According to Russia’s defence ministry, Wednesday’s strike was aimed at military-industrial facilities, including sites where Fire Point makes and stores Flamingo cruise missiles and long-range drones. Fire Point is also the company behind the first domestically produced Ukrainian ballistic missile, which Zelenskyy said was used in combat last week. Ukrainian officials say that the attack hit homes and civilian buildings in several cities and killed at least eight people. The timing came after Zelenskyy warned a day earlier that Russia was preparing a massive strike. The motives of military leaders are not independently verified, so readers should rely on official statements and reports from trusted news agencies.
Did Ukraine recently attack Russia?
Yes. Ukraine has carried out several long-range strikes on Russian territory in recent weeks. On September 20, Ukraine launched what media described as its largest drone attack of the year on the Moscow region, and Russia’s defence ministry said it had shot down 1,110 Ukrainian drones. Reports said that the Moscow oil refinery was hit, and Zelenskyy said that Ukraine used a Pelican ballistic missile for the first time. Russian officials said two people died and 20 were injured in the Moscow region. On October 1, Zelenskyy also announced the first combat use of the FP-7 ballistic missile. Ukraine says it targets military, energy and logistics sites, while details of the damage are often hard to verify independently.
