Russia strikes 9 Ukrainian regions as a new report shows a spike in civilian casualties
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian attacks on nine regions of Ukraine knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of households and wounded at least 15 people, officials said Friday, 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.
Meanwhile, Russia’s military chief reported to President Vladimir Putin on Friday that the military has allocated the necessary assets to press its aerial campaign against Ukraine’s energy system.
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 U.S. President Donald Trump's demand for a ceasefire. The Kremlin said terms of an energy truce had not been set.
Elsewhere, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy 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 Zelenskyy when he entered the meeting room, vowed to maintain support for Ukraine and urged the U.S. to put pressure on Putin.
Uncertainty gripped Ukraine and Europe after Zelenskyy and Trump made cutting public remarks about each other. On Thursday, Zelenskyy 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 “Zelenskyy is not a good guy for us to deal with.”
Arriving at the EU summit in Belgium, Zelenskyy 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,” Zelenskyy told reporters in English. Ukraine does not see “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 Zelenskyy raised the specter of further reductions in U.S. support for Ukraine’s war effort.
Ukraine is desperately short of the U.S.-made Patriot missiles it needs to protect against Russia’s devastating ballistic missile attacks, despite pleas from Zelenskyy 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 U.S. by European countries or provided by other countries around the world from their own stocks.
Zelenskyy 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 kph (43 mph) were “a dangerous and unpleasant surprise,” Zelenskyy said in Brussels. But the higher speeds needed to stop jet-powered Russian drones moving at more than 400 kph (250 mph) are being restored, he said.
“Have they returned to previous speed limits? No. But is it coming back? Yes,” he told a news conference.
Trump told reporters Friday that he did not order restrictions on the system. He also doubted that the disruption came from Elon Musk, who owns SpaceX.
“Well, I don’t know if it was anybody, but it wasn’t me, and I don’t think it was Elon,” Trump said outside the White House before leaving for Georgia. “And from what I understand, it’s the same as it’s always been.”
Zelenskyy 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 Zelenskyy 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,” Zelenskyy said in a speech to the EU summit. “And at the end of the day, the American people will have their say.”
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.”
Zelenskyy told EU leaders that the war will cost Ukraine 155 billion euros ($174 billion) next year and that his country will need at least 70 billion euros ($79 billion) from Europe.
Speaking Friday during a visit to military headquarters overseeing operations in Ukraine, Putin hailed Moscow’s gains, emphasizing that capturing the Ukrainian-controlled part of the Donetsk region remains a priority.
He also instructed the military to press on with its aerial campaign.
Chief of the General Staff, Gen. Valery Gerasimov, reported that the military has launched a series of strikes on Ukraine’s energy facilities and has the means to knock them out. He also said attacks on Ukrainian bridges, railways and data centers will continue.
Russia is blitzing not just Ukraine's power grid but also apartment buildings, public transportation, cargo ships, data centers 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 2,105 wounded last month, a total that is 85% higher than in September last year, the report said, noting that intensifying Russian attacks in October already have 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 U.N. office.
___
Hatton reported from Lisbon, Portugal. Associated Press writers Lorne Cook in Brussels and Ben Finley in Washington contributed.
___
Follow the AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
© Copyright The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in this news report may not be published, broadcast or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
