Seven people, including two in Kyiv, were killed in Russian strikes on several parts of Ukraine on Wednesday, while more than 40 others were injured and civilian facilities and infrastructure were damaged. The escalation on the ground coincided with Moscow announcing that it would not suspend its military operations, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy vowing to make winter «painful» for Russia by targeting heating and energy facilities.
Strike damage and internet outage in Kyiv
Officials in Kyiv said the strikes hit petrol stations, offices, a college building, businesses and the railway network, killing and injuring people. The attacks also cut internet service to about 100,000 subscribers, as air defence systems were activated in the capital and smoke rose from several parts of the city.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha accused Moscow of targeting «Ukraine’s main data centres», saying the aim was to «disrupt the flow of information». The Kyiv region is facing Russian strikes at an intensity not recorded since March 2022, according to an analysis of data from conflict-monitoring organisation Acled, as attacks intensify in other parts of Ukraine.
Acled data showed that the number of Russian strikes recorded during the first 18 days of September exceeded the total for any full month since the start of the war, except March 2022. A total of 118 incidents were recorded during the September period, compared with 174 incidents throughout March 2022, when the pace of military operations was accelerating.
Reporters in Kyiv described smoke rising over parts of the city and the smell of fire in the air as air defences operated. Artem Derevyaha said his colleagues evacuated the cafeteria where they worked after the building was hit in an attack. He added: «Everyone got out, and we were literally only two metres away when the second attack happened».
Civilian deaths and strike on a vessel in Odesa
In Oleksandrivka in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region, where most of the fighting is concentrated, four people were killed and four others injured when a strike hit a residential building, according to Ukraine’s ombudsman, Dmytro Lubinets. These deaths formed part of the total of seven people killed in strikes on Ukrainian areas.
In the south, a Russian strike hit a cargo vessel inside a port in the Odesa region, killing its captain, regional governor Oleh Kiper said on Wednesday. Russia’s Defence Ministry, for its part, said its attacks in Odesa targeted sites linked to the production of military drones, as well as a vessel it said was carrying military cargo.
The ministry added that recent strikes on the Kyiv region targeted a warehouse and a company linked to the production of military drones. This Russian account contrasted with statements by Ukrainian officials that civilian facilities, offices, the railway network and data centres had been damaged, with people killed and injured in the attacks.
Rising risks of attacks on Black Sea vessels
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan described strikes targeting commercial vessels in the Black Sea as «unacceptable» on Tuesday, criticising Russia and Ukraine in a speech to the United Nations General Assembly. On the diplomatic front, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told the UN Security Council that Moscow «will not suspend» its war.
He accused European countries of seeking to exploit any pause in the fighting to «supply the Kyiv regime with weapons», in a position that confirms the continuation of military operations more than four years after the war began.
Lavrov and Zelenskyy exchange positions on war and energy
By contrast, Zelenskyy told the UN General Assembly that his country would respond, warning that Ukrainian forces would target heating and energy facilities inside Russia during the winter. He directly criticised Russian President Vladimir Putin, accusing him of seeking to expand the war and seize more territory.
Zelenskyy said: «Putin is always looking for someone who can help him kill more, kill more people for every kilometre of land, seize more territory and seize another country instead of stopping and managing his own country». The Ukrainian president added: «Ukrainians understand that this winter could be very hard for us, but at the same time we will have no choice but to make it painful for Russia too».
His threat to target Russian energy and heating facilities came as Moscow and Kyiv exchanged attacks on energy infrastructure. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington was pressing Russia and Ukraine to stop the reciprocal attacks targeting energy infrastructure in both countries.
He also announced that the United States had invited Putin to attend the G20 summit scheduled to take place in Miami in December.
