Five people have died and tens of thousands have been left without power in Ukraine after intense Russian missile and drone attacks overnight, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said.
Four members of one family, including a 15-year-old girl, were killed by a strike in the village of Lapaivka as attacks mostly targeted the western region of Lviv. One person also died in Zaporizhzhia. Zelensky said Russia fired more than 50 missiles and around 500 attack drones. Ukraine's air force put the combined figure at 549.
Russia's defence ministry said it had successfully carried out a massive strike on Ukrainian military and infrastructure targets.
Ukraine's neighbour Poland scrambled fighter jets to ensure the safety of Polish airspace, its military confirmed. Allied Nato aircraft were also deployed. Lviv endured several hours of strikes, leading to the suspension of public transport services and the cutting of electrical supplies.
Maksym Kozytskyi, Lviv's regional head, said it was the largest attack on the region since Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. He said around 163 drones and missiles were identified in the area.
Kozytskyi said the arms targeted residential buildings, hospitals, civilian industrial facilities and gas transportation infrastructure. He added that the attack was especially cynical as it came as Ukrainians typically begin heating their homes.
Another family member of those killed in Lapaivka was injured, as were two neighbours.
The Ivano-Frankivsk, Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, Kherson, Odesa, and Kirovohrad regions were also targeted, according to Zelensky. He added: We need more protection and faster implementation of all defense agreements, especially on air defense, to deprive this aerial terror of any meaning.
Russia continues to focus its attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure as winter approaches. Kyiv's energy ministry said that overnight attacks caused damage in Chernihiv, Sumy and Zaporizhzhia. In Zaporizhzhia, Russia's overnight attack left more than 73,000 consumers... without electricity after a power plant was struck. A woman was killed and several others injured in Zaporizhzhia, including a 16-year-old girl who needed medical assistance.
Emergency outages were implemented in Chernihiv and Sumy. Lviv's mayor Andriy Sadovyi said part of the city - 70 km (43 miles) from the border with Poland - had no power, adding that city's air defence systems were engaged heavily in repelling first a drone and then a Russian missile attack.
The Russian assaults came days after a US official stated that the US would support Ukraine in launching strikes deep inside Russian territory. Ukraine has repeatedly attacked targets inside Russia but has been limited by the range of weapons supplied to it. With winter approaching, the situation remains dire as the country continues to face assault on its critical infrastructure.
Four members of one family, including a 15-year-old girl, were killed by a strike in the village of Lapaivka as attacks mostly targeted the western region of Lviv. One person also died in Zaporizhzhia. Zelensky said Russia fired more than 50 missiles and around 500 attack drones. Ukraine's air force put the combined figure at 549.
Russia's defence ministry said it had successfully carried out a massive strike on Ukrainian military and infrastructure targets.
Ukraine's neighbour Poland scrambled fighter jets to ensure the safety of Polish airspace, its military confirmed. Allied Nato aircraft were also deployed. Lviv endured several hours of strikes, leading to the suspension of public transport services and the cutting of electrical supplies.
Maksym Kozytskyi, Lviv's regional head, said it was the largest attack on the region since Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. He said around 163 drones and missiles were identified in the area.
Kozytskyi said the arms targeted residential buildings, hospitals, civilian industrial facilities and gas transportation infrastructure. He added that the attack was especially cynical as it came as Ukrainians typically begin heating their homes.
Another family member of those killed in Lapaivka was injured, as were two neighbours.
The Ivano-Frankivsk, Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, Kherson, Odesa, and Kirovohrad regions were also targeted, according to Zelensky. He added: We need more protection and faster implementation of all defense agreements, especially on air defense, to deprive this aerial terror of any meaning.
Russia continues to focus its attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure as winter approaches. Kyiv's energy ministry said that overnight attacks caused damage in Chernihiv, Sumy and Zaporizhzhia. In Zaporizhzhia, Russia's overnight attack left more than 73,000 consumers... without electricity after a power plant was struck. A woman was killed and several others injured in Zaporizhzhia, including a 16-year-old girl who needed medical assistance.
Emergency outages were implemented in Chernihiv and Sumy. Lviv's mayor Andriy Sadovyi said part of the city - 70 km (43 miles) from the border with Poland - had no power, adding that city's air defence systems were engaged heavily in repelling first a drone and then a Russian missile attack.
The Russian assaults came days after a US official stated that the US would support Ukraine in launching strikes deep inside Russian territory. Ukraine has repeatedly attacked targets inside Russia but has been limited by the range of weapons supplied to it. With winter approaching, the situation remains dire as the country continues to face assault on its critical infrastructure.
