Post by : Rameen Ariff

KYIV — Overnight, Russia launched a massive barrage of drones and missiles targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, leaving seven people dead, including a seven-year-old girl, and forcing nationwide power restrictions, officials reported on October 30.

Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko condemned Moscow’s attacks, stating that Russia aimed to plunge Ukrainians into darkness as winter approaches. “Its goal is to plunge Ukraine into darkness. Ours is to preserve the light,” she said via Telegram. She called for increased air defense systems, tougher sanctions, and maximum international pressure on Russia.

The attacks hit multiple regions. In Zaporizhzhia, two men were killed, while a later strike on a nearby village claimed another life and injured one more. A seven-year-old girl from Vinnytsia succumbed to her injuries in a hospital. In Sumy, 10 drones struck within an hour, injuring two and setting several apartments ablaze.

President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that Russian strikes on a thermal power plant in Sloviansk killed two people and injured others, while residential attacks in Kramatorsk claimed one life and left three injured. These cities remain key targets as Russian forces slowly advance through the Donetsk region.

Russia’s Defence Ministry claimed the strikes targeted Ukraine’s military-industrial complex and denied civilian targeting, calling the attacks a response to Ukrainian drone operations on Russian infrastructure.

Ukraine reported that over 650 drones and 50 missiles were used in the assault, with air defense units neutralizing 592 drones and 31 missiles. Despite these defenses, energy facilities across central, western, and southeastern regions sustained damage, prompting nationwide electricity rationing and disruptions to water and heating supplies.

DTEK, Ukraine’s largest private energy company, confirmed that several of its thermal power plants were attacked. CEO Maxim Timchenko called the strikes “a severe blow” to Ukraine’s winter energy supply, emphasizing that Russia aims to cripple the nation’s energy system entirely.

In total, 17 people were wounded in Zaporizhzhia, including six children, while four others were injured in Vinnytsia. Air alerts lasted throughout the night in Kyiv, forcing residents to seek shelter in underground metro stations.

Victoria, 39, a mother in Kyiv, shared the fear of families across the city: “There’s nothing good in it. We are doing our best to hide. There’s a lot of stress involved. When you wake your child in the middle of the night, he cries because he doesn’t understand why he has to do it.”

The relentless strikes underscore Russia’s continued campaign to weaken Ukraine’s infrastructure, disrupt civilian life, and increase pressure as winter sets in, leaving the country’s population bracing for further attacks and energy challenges.

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