Zelensky says Ukraine again received no advance warning from allies before Russian strikes
President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that there was once again no early warning from Ukraine’s allies of overnight Russian attacks. He said Russia launched 16 ballistic missiles and over 200 drones, hitting energy facilities and knocking out power.
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Aftermath of Russian attack in Kyiv
On the night of 19 October, Russians killed a 21-year-old woman and injured eight people, the State Emergency Service of Ukraine and Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported. Russian forces also attacked Dnipro, where an elderly woman was injured. In addition, an attack on the Rivne Region (Oblast) damaged several civilian infrastructure facilities and left people injured.
In Kyiv’s Desnianskyi District, a non-residential building caught fire. Cars and a metro station were damaged. Rescuers found the body of a 21-year-old woman at the scene of the fire.
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Chernihivska metro station in Ukraine’s capital was damaged following an attack on Kyiv on 19 October
In the Solomianskyi District, a fire broke out in a medical facility. The facade and windows of an apartment block were also damaged. Five people were injured in this district, Klitschko said, with one taken to hospital while medics treated the others at the scene. In total, eight people are known to have been injured in the capital.
An educational facility was damaged in the Dniprovskyi District.
Meanwhile, the number of injured people in Irpin, Kyiv Oblast, has risen to 19, including nine children. Eighty-six structures have been damaged in the city, including private houses, multi-storey buildings, cars and industrial premises. A woman is also known to have been killed.
Three others are missing after a Russian attack, the head of the Kyiv Oblast Military Administration, Tymur Tkachenko, reported.
In the Vyshhorod District, the attack damaged a private house, five cars and an infrastructure facility.
Aftermath of Russian attack in the Dnipropetrovsk OblastIn Dnipro, the overnight attack damaged infrastructure facilities and private houses, destroying three more homes, Head of the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Military Administration Oleksandr Hanzha reported.
An 84-year-old woman was taken to hospital in a moderate condition. In the Nikopol District, the city of Nikopol and the Pokrovska and Marhanetska “hromadas”, local government areas that each include one or more nearby settlements, came under attack. An enterprise was damaged.
Russian forces also attacked the Rivne Oblast overnight. Head of the Rivne Oblast Military Administration Oleksandr Koval said that the Ukrainian military shot down a significant number of aerial targets.
At the same time, Russian strikes hit several civilian infrastructure facilities. According to preliminary information, two women were injured.
On the night of 18 October, Russian forces attacked Ukraine with an Iskander-M ballistic missile and 180 strike drones of various types. Air defence forces reported that they shot down or suppressed 152 drones. People were killed and injured in the attack, particularly in Zaporizhzhia and Poltava.
Solutions to satellite communication problems are also being sought by the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the front line. Starlink equipment in certain areas stops working at speeds of 130 to 161km/h, complicating logistics and the use of interceptor drones.
Ukrainian energy infrastructure also remains under attack. Following the latest wave of strikes, 28 substations and other important facilities were damaged, the president said. More than 2,100 attacks on energy infrastructure have been recorded since mid-July, and not a single day has passed without strikes, Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi said.
On 18 October, Zelenskyy told NBC News that if the US were to support Russian ruler Vladimir Putin, it would be unbelievable. He said that would be “a historic mistake” and “a big tragedy”. Ukrainian president called on Trump and his team to be on Kyiv’s side or at least take the middle ground.
Earlier in October, US president Donald Trump announced he had reached an agreement with Putin to supply Russian diesel to the US and global markets. Trump also signed an executive order to block most new sanctions against Russia from taking effect. Trump also strongly criticised Zelenskyy for targeting Russia’s diesel refineries, knowing the attack seriously damaged global diesel markets, including those in the US. Observers say that by addressing soaring fuel costs, Trump apparently wants to shore up support ahead of the midterm elections coming up in just over two weeks.
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