Russian attacks on nine regions of Ukraine knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of households and wounded at least 15 people, officials said, as a new report showed that civilian casualties from Russia’s invasion have climbed steeply.
The latest aerial strikes on civilian targets came amid mounting fears that a sharp deterioration in relations between Ukraine and the United States this week could leave Ukraine further exposed to Russia’s escalating assaults with winter approaching.
Russia’s heavy bombardment of the power grid before cold weather arrives has been an annual feature of the war, aiming to wear down Ukraine’s appetite for the fight by denying civilians heat and running water. Ukrainian officials have warned that Russia is stockpiling ballistic missiles for more attacks in the coming months.
Ukraine on Thursday abandoned a brief truce on energy-related targets that it said Moscow didn't heed despite US President Donald Trump's demand for a ceasefire.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday attended a summit of European Union leaders who share his concerns about Russian aggression and Moscow’s wider plans on the continent. The leaders in Brussels applauded Zelensky when he entered the meeting room, vowed to maintain support for Ukraine and urged the US to put pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Trump and Zelensky barbs raise questions about US support
Uncertainty gripped Ukraine and Europe after Zelensky and Trump made cutting public remarks about each other. On Thursday, Zelensky said that he felt betrayed by the American president, and Trump openly declared his dislike of the Ukrainian leader, saying in an interview with Newsmax that “Zelensky is not a good guy for us to deal with”.
Arriving at the EU summit in Belgium, Zelensky thanked the 27-nation bloc for its support from what he said were “real leaders”.
“We want to end this war as (quickly) as possible,” Zelensky told reporters in English. “We don’t see now signals from (the) Russian side that they are ready for this, to end this war. That’s why we have to prepare for the winter.”
The tension between Trump and Zelensky raised the spectre of further reductions in US support for Ukraine’s war effort.
Starlink speeds improving but not back to normal, Zelensky says
Ukraine is desperately short of the US-made Patriot missiles it needs to protect against Russia’s devastating ballistic missile attacks, despite pleas from Zelensky for Washington to send more. He said in Brussels that small numbers of Patriot interceptors have reached Ukraine in recent months, either bought for Kyiv from the US by European countries or provided by other countries around the world from their own stocks.
Zelensky complained about a breakdown in Western intelligence sharing and sudden speed restrictions on the use of Starshield, the military-grade version of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service that is the backbone of Ukraine’s drone operations and military communications.
The Starshield limits that slowed Ukrainian drone interceptors to 70 km/h were “a dangerous and unpleasant surprise,” Zelensky said in Brussels. But the higher speeds needed to stop jet-powered Russian drones moving at more than 400 km/h are being restored, he said.
“Have they returned to previous speed limits? No. But is it coming back? Yes,” he told a news conference.
He also slammed Trump’s diesel deal with Russia, which happened despite an international effort to sanction Russia and diplomatically isolate Putin over Moscow's invasion. Trump promised to swiftly end the war, but Ukrainian officials have complained that he's trying to bulldoze Zelensky into surrendering land to Russia.
“There are so many people with good hearts in America who sincerely want evil to lose and Ukraine to stand strong,” Zelensky said in a speech to the EU summit. “And at the end of the day, the American people will have their say.”
The war will cost Ukraine US$174 billion next year, Zelensky says
The EU is working to persuade Washington to stick with Ukraine, said Kaja Kallas, the bloc’s foreign policy chief.
“We are trying to convince also our American partners that if we want to end this war, then we have to squeeze the aggressor,” Kallas said. “With our American allies it’s very difficult at the moment.”
Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin, whose country currently holds the EU's rotating presidency, said there's “a lot of concern around Europe in terms of what’s happening in Ukraine right now”.
Zelensky told EU leaders that the war will cost Ukraine 155 billion euros (NZ$308 billion) next year and that his country will need at least 70 billion euros (NZ$139 billion) from Europe.
September civilian casualties jump 85% higher than last year
Russia is blitzing not just Ukraine's power grid but also apartment buildings, public transportation, cargo ships, data centres and grocery stores.
Ukrainian civilians are paying a high price for the escalating Russian attacks, the United Nations human rights office in Kyiv said in a monthly report published Friday.
At least 328 civilians were killed and 2105 wounded last month, a total that is 85% higher than in September last year, the report said, noting that intensifying Russian attacks in October have already killed dozens of civilians, including children.
“The first two weeks of October were among the deadliest periods for civilians in years,” said Danielle Bell, the head of the UN office.
Ukrainian drones force Russian airport flight cancellations
Ukraine is using domestically developed long-range drones to hit back at Russia.
The Russian Defence Ministry said Friday that its air defences intercepted 644 Ukrainian drones overnight in multiple Russian regions, the illegally annexed Crimean Peninsula and the Black Sea.
More than 200 flights out of four Moscow airports were delayed because of overnight restrictions, Russian news agency Interfax reported Friday.
Another 46 flights were delayed or cancelled at St Petersburg airport, which also faced overnight restrictions, local media reported.
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