Russia resumes drone attacks on Kyiv region, killing 1 and damaging dozens of buildings
Russian forces launched another wave of drone attacks on Ukraine’s Kyiv region Friday, damaging residential buildings, warehouses and vehicles as aerial strikes continued for a second consecutive day.
The attacks came after prolonged air raid alerts kept Kyiv largely shut down for about 15 hours Thursday, disrupting daily life and economic activity. Ukrainian officials warned that Russia is also intensifying strikes on energy infrastructure ahead of winter, raising concerns about prolonged power and heating outages.
Officials said Russian strikes in the Kyiv region damaged 14 warehouses, 16 private homes, three apartment buildings and 16 vehicles. One location was hit again after emergency crews arrived, in what authorities described as a “double tap” attack targeting first responders. One person was killed, and two others were wounded.
Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed one of the strikes hit a warehouse containing Ukraine’s Flamingo cruise missiles and rocket fuel, though Ukrainian officials did not immediately confirm the claim.
The attacks continued into daylight, prompting authorities to urge residents to remain in shelters and follow air raid warnings. Officials also reported worsening air quality in some areas and advised residents to keep windows closed and limit time outdoors.
Andrii Kovalenko, head of Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation, said Russia has increasingly been sending waves of smaller, fast-moving jet-powered drones toward Kyiv in an effort to overwhelm air defenses and exhaust the population.
The attacks have also affected critical infrastructure in other parts of Ukraine. Four Russian glide bombs destroyed a postal sorting center in the northern Sumy region, while a drone struck another facility operated by Nova Poshta in the Kyiv region.
In the southern Kherson region, officials urged tens of thousands of residents to consider relocating ahead of winter because of the threat of extended electricity and heating outages. Officials said Russia has sharply increased attacks on infrastructure in the region, including the use of hundreds of glide bombs and thousands of drones in recent months.
Ukrainian authorities said Russia launched 164 drones overnight. In Sumy, a Russian glide bomb attack killed a 61-year-old man and wounded seven others.
Russia also reported Ukrainian drone attacks on its territory. The Russian Defense Ministry said its air defenses destroyed 512 Ukrainian drones across 18 regions, Crimea and the Black Sea.
Ukrainian officials said their forces struck the Slavneft-YANOS refinery in Russia’s Yaroslavl region, about 600 miles from the Ukrainian border, causing a fire. The refinery produces gasoline, diesel, aviation fuel and other petroleum products.
Yaroslavl Gov. Mikhail Yevrayev said a Ukrainian drone attack killed one person and wounded 27 others, including 10 people injured when debris struck a bus. Industrial infrastructure, residential areas and retail facilities were also reportedly damaged.
In the Moscow region, a drone struck a supermarket and shattered windows at a nearby outpatient clinic. In Sevastopol, a five-story residential building was heavily damaged in a drone attack that wounded four people, according to Russian-installed officials.
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