(KYIV) – At least 17 people have been killed in the latest wave of Russian missile and drone attacks across Ukraine, as the country experiences a surge in civilian casualties due to critical shortages of air defence interceptors.
The most serious incident occurred in the Kharkiv region in northeast Ukraine, where a double missile strike hit houses, shops, a post office and a cafe in the settlement of Paniutyne. Ten people were killed there, with at least 17 wounded. Officials warned that the casualty figure could rise further.
President Volodymyr Zelensky posted a message stating that Russian forces had “brutally struck a busy intersection.” He added: “We will definitely respond to this Russian strike.”
Additional casualties were reported across the country. Two people were killed in Zaporizhzhia, two in Kherson, and three in Sumy. The capital Kyiv also came under repeated attack, with air raid sirens sounding five times during the night and again in the morning. Explosions and fires were reported on the edge of the capital, though no casualty figures have been confirmed.
Ukraine has considerably stepped up its strikes on Russian territory in recent weeks. Overnight, more than 600 Ukrainian drones were reportedly launched towards the Moscow region.
In an interview with BBC correspondent Dan Johnson, Major General Vadym Skibitskyi, deputy head of Ukrainian intelligence, defended the long range strike campaign. He said Ukraine has been targeting oil refineries, warehouses and transport networks that support Russia’s military capability.
“It’s one of the elements of the logistic system of Russian Federation to wage the war, including through Wildberries, some military equipment, military components and other elements that Russian Federation uses for war,” he said.
When asked whether the deep strikes would continue even if more Russian civilians were killed, Major General Skibitskyi said: “Unfortunately, even if more Russian civilians are killed, first of all we must destroy and disrupt the main elements of the wage of war of Russian Federation, not civilian people.”
The intelligence chief said the long range strikes were having a positive impact by disrupting military supply routes and bringing home to Russians the economic cost of the conflict. He said Russians were facing increasing disruption to their everyday lives and a declining standard of living, which was helping build opposition to the Kremlin’s war.
Major General Skibitskyi acknowledged that Ukraine’s most pressing vulnerability remains the shortage of air defence missile interceptors. However, he said his greatest fear was the impact Russia could have on Ukrainians this winter through a campaign of attacks on power networks, which could leave people without heating, lighting or clean water supplies.
“He said he thought people may suffer more this winter than they did last, when the situation did get particularly desperate,” Dan Johnson reported.
When asked whether ordinary Ukrainians would agree that Ukraine was winning the war, Major General Skibitskyi said: “We have not another way for surviving because we are an independent state. It’s our territory. It’s our land. It’s our culture. It’s our history and we must fight to prevent the full occupation of our territory by Russian Federation.”
Asked directly if Ukraine was succeeding, he replied: “I think yes.”
Meanwhile, Russia has warned the United Kingdom against supplying drones to Ukraine, stating that London will “pay for doing so.”
The report was compiled by BBC News correspondent Dan Johnson in Kyiv.
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