On October 16th, Ukraine stated that Russia had launched over 130 drones on Tuesday night, marking one of the largest drone attacks in recent months, targeting Kyiv and other cities. Fortunately, there were no casualties, although a fire broke out at an industrial facility in the western part of the country.
According to the Ukrainian Air Force, their anti-aircraft systems successfully shot down 68 out of the 136 drones. Two drones returned to Russia, 64 drones went missing, possibly disappearing after being intercepted by electronic warfare systems. While two drones hit their targets, Ukraine did not specify the exact nature of the targets hit.
The drone attack in the Ternopil region of western Ukraine sparked a “major fire,” with nearly 50 firefighters responding to extinguish the blaze.
The Ukrainian Air Force also reported that Russia launched two missiles towards Chernihiv in the north and Donetsk in the east, without specifying the outcomes.
Russia has not immediately commented on this latest attack. However, Moldovan authorities reported finding debris suspected to be from missiles in the northern part of the country, about 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) from the Ukrainian border. It is currently unclear whether this is related to the recent or previous attacks.
The governor of the Kyiv region noted that a drone attack outside the capital caused a fire at a private residence and damaged several other buildings. Due to the attack, the area remained under air alarm for over 12 hours, but no casualties were reported.
The head of the Kyiv City Military Administration stated that all drones attacking Kyiv were destroyed, with no reports of damage or casualties.
This year, Russia’s attacks have severely impacted Ukraine’s power facilities, leading to prolonged blackouts and other disruptions that are likely to pose difficulties for ordinary Ukrainians in the upcoming winter, especially those far from the frontlines.
On Wednesday, Russian state media cited the country’s defense ministry, reporting that Russian forces occupied two villages in eastern Ukraine, Krasnyi Yar in the Donetsk region and Nevske in the Luhansk region.
However, the Ukrainian military stated that in the past day, they repelled Russia’s attack near Krasnyi Yar, with Russian forces attempting to breach Ukraine’s defenses near Nevske.
(Reference: Reuters)