Kyiv (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Russian strikes across Ukraine kill civilians, including children, damage homes, and cut power, while Ukraine targets Russian fuel lines and troops.
As reported by Al Jazeera, nearly nine people have died and numerous others have been injured in Ukraine following Russian air strikes.
What did authorities say about children among the victims of air attacks?
Ukrainian authorities said a Russian air strike on Saturday killed four people, including two children aged 11 and 14, and set a shop on fire in Dnipropetrovsk.
In southwestern Odesa, Russian airstrikes on trucks and vehicles left two people dead and three injured, according to reports.
One person was killed and two others injured in Kherson Oblast after Russian forces attacked over 20 settlements with drones, artillery, and air strikes.
In Mykolaiv, a ballistic missile believed to be an Iskander-M with a cluster warhead killed a 20-year-old man and injured 19 others, including two children.
In Zaporizhzhia’s front-line region, Governor Ivan Fedorov said Russian airstrikes on 18 settlements killed one civilian, injured three, and damaged homes.
Mr Fedorov reported that nearly 60,000 residents are without electricity, with emergency crews set to carry out repairs once conditions allow.
Ukraine’s national energy operator, Ukrenergo, said scheduled power cuts will begin across the country following “massive Russian missile and drone attacks on energy facilities.”
Ukraine also carried out strikes targeting Russian forces and infrastructure.
Russia’s Ministry of Defence said its air defences intercepted 164 Ukrainian drones overnight, including 39 over the Black Sea and 26 over Crimea.
How are Ukrainian forces targeting Russian logistics and fuel supplies?
Ukraine’s military intelligence said its forces delivered a “serious blow” to Russian logistics by striking the 400km Koltsevoy pipeline, which supplies gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel.
All three fuel lines were destroyed near the Ramensky district, with no immediate response from Moscow.
Robert Brovdi, commander of Ukraine’s drone systems forces, said,
“Blackouts are not scary. They’re just a bit inconvenient…The birds of the drone systems forces, together with other components of Ukraine’s deep strike capabilities, promise you a rapid, if somewhat forced, adaptation.”
A Ukrainian drone attack hit the town of Tuapse on the northeast Black Sea coast, reportedly damaging a tanker and an oil terminal pier. Both sides remain locked in combat over Pokrovsk, central to Russia’s campaign to control eastern Donetsk.
Moscow claimed it killed several Ukrainian special forces during a helicopter landing, but Ukraine’s army rejected claims of encirclement.
Russian media reported that two pro-Russian hacker groups breached six major Ukrainian insurance firms, accessing personal data of senior officials and millions of customers.
Moscow’s official said,
“In the port of Tuapse, fragments of UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) fell on an oil tanker, damaging the deck superstructure. A fire broke out on the vessel. The crew were evacuated.”
What did Gen Oleksandr Syrskyi say about Russia’s infiltration attempts?
Ukraine’s top commander, Gen Oleksandr Syrskyi, said Kyiv’s forces are holding out against a “multi-thousand-strong” Russian group.
He stated,
“Our soldiers have to restrain the pressure of a multi-thousand-strong enemy group, which continues to try to infiltrate residential areas and cut off our supply routes.”
The military commander added,
“I emphasise once again that in the current difficult conditions, effective interaction between units and coordinated implementation of the assigned tasks are extremely important.”
How many missiles did Russia fire in October?
According to AFP analysis of Ukrainian air force data, Russia fired 270 missiles in October, marking the highest monthly total since Kyiv began regular reporting.
Russia’s strikes on Kyiv’s energy grid have caused widespread outages, with officials saying the entire Donetsk region and around 58,000 people in Zaporizhzhia were without power on Sunday.
How many people have died in the Ukraine conflict?
Since the conflict started in 2014, estimates of military casualties are around 14,200 to 14,400 before 2022, with Ukrainian military deaths reaching approximately 31,000 by early 2024.
Civilian casualties since the full-scale invasion in February 2022 are over 41,783, with about 13,883 civilians killed, as reported by the UN in early 2025.
Overall, the combined military and civilian death tolls since 2014 and during the ongoing war are estimated to be over 55,000.