Russia launched a new drone attack against Ukraine: at least three dead and blackouts in eight regions

The Ukrainian state electricity company, Ukrenergo, has announced power cuts in Kyiv and seven other regions. At least three people died in Kharkiv from new Russian attacks, which also caused power outages in eight regions of Ukraine, including its capital Kyiv, following an offensive against energy infrastructure. The state electricity company Ukrenergo reported supply cuts in Kyiv and seven other regions. The head of the regional Military Administration, Oleg Syniehubov, reported that Russia attacked the city's Shevchenko district with several drones. The mayor of Kharkiv, Ihor Terekhov, noted that at least one of the devices hit one of the city's largest markets. The Ukrainian Air Force reported that Russia launched 149 long-range drones overnight and into the early morning. The defenses failed to intercept 27 of them, which hit targets not detailed in the official report. Firefighters from Ukraine's State Emergency Service extinguishing fires after Russia's attack (Credits: State Emergency Service Facebook page) The Volhynia region, in northwestern Ukraine, was among the affected areas. Some 370,000 subscribers remained without power in Lutsk, the regional capital, due to damage to the power grid after the attacks. The new offensive occurred amid doubts about the continuity of US aid to Ukraine in communications and intelligence sharing. Kyiv did not receive alerts about Russian ballistic missile launches on at least two occasions this week. The Ukrainian army also registered limitations on SpaceX terminals. In parallel with this morning's Russian bombings, the European Union (EU) High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Kaja Kallas, stated that the bloc does not have the capacity to replace the Starlink system in the short term, which Ukraine uses for its military communications against the Russian invasion. A firefighter from the State Emergency Service extinguishing fires in Ukraine after Russia's attack (Credits: Facebook of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine) "Starlink is really necessary for Ukraine and, unfortunately, in the short term Europe cannot replace that system," Kallas declared, after Kyiv reported restrictions on the use of the US satellite internet network in recent days. The warning came a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on the allies of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to maintain arms shipments and prioritize ballistic missile interceptors and ammunition for F-16 aircraft. For his part, the President of the European Council, António Costa, stated this Friday in Brussels that "it is not the time to reduce support for Ukraine" or to reduce sanctions against Russia. "It is time to increase our support (for Ukraine) and increase our pressure on Russia, and this is essential to bring Moscow to accept a true ceasefire and come to the negotiating table," said Costa, who arrived at the meeting alongside Zelensky and the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. Von der Leyen highlighted the joint work with Kyiv to advance on the path to EU accession. She noted that two new clusters of negotiation chapters had been opened and that Brussels plans to begin talks on the two remaining clusters before the end of the year, in order to start the reforms required for accession. The Ukrainian president thanked the "enormous support" of the European leaders, the Council, and the Commission. He also described them as "true leaders" for having stood by Ukraine since the beginning of the war. The President of the European Council, António Costa; the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky; and the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, speak to the press upon their arrival at the European Union leaders' summit held in Brussels, Belgium. October 16, 2026 (REUTERS/Yves Herman) The close ties between Ukraine and the EU are increasing while relations between Kyiv and Washington have deteriorated since last week, after US President Donald Trump announced the easing of sanctions against Russia in exchange for Moscow supplying large volumes of diesel to international markets. Zelensky called the agreement "unworthy" and stated that it will only encourage Russia to prolong the war it started in February 2022. "Everyone in Europe wants this war to end. And for that to happen, strong signals are needed: more real pressure on Russia and more military support for Ukraine," the Ukrainian leader wrote. (With information from EFE)