Russia Launches Massive Attacks Across Ukraine, Killing Eight and Injuring 60; More Than One Million Lose Power

International Desk | PNN

At least eight people have been killed and 60 injured in extensive Russian drone and missile attacks across several regions of Ukraine. The attacks on Friday damaged various facilities, including two shopping centres. Power outages have also left more than one million people facing difficulties. Ukrainian officials provided the information.

According to officials, Russia attacked nine regions of Ukraine on Friday. In three districts of the eastern city of Kharkiv, a 71-year-old woman and a 58-year-old man were killed. Another 12 people were injured. Regional Governor Oleh Syniehubov confirmed the casualties.

Two people were killed in Kramatorsk, a frontline city in the eastern Donetsk region. Two more people were killed in Russian attacks in the southeastern Dnipropetrovsk region.

In the northwestern Volyn region, which borders Poland, a drone strike on a food-processing factory killed one person and injured eight others, according to regional Governor Roman Romaniuk. A customs terminal in the city of Kovel, also in the same region, was hit by a drone. The attack set fire to approximately 10 trucks.

The attack in Kovel, which lies on an important transport route connecting Kyiv with Poland, has raised concerns about transportation and the movement of goods.

Meanwhile, a drone attack on various facilities, including a large shopping centre in the western city of Rivne, killed one person and injured seven others. Regional Governor Oleksandr Koval provided the information. A shopping centre in the city of Sumy, located near the frontline, was also attacked.

Russian attacks have caused extensive damage to Ukraine’s electricity infrastructure. The country’s Energy Ministry said that electricity had already been restored to more than one million people who lost power on Friday. However, electricity supplies have yet to return to normal in several areas.

In the Volyn region, electricity connections were cut off to approximately 370,000 households. Power has been restored to at least 100,000 of them. Andrii Razumovskyi, the mayor of the regional capital Lutsk, said the power outage in the city could last at least 24 hours.

Large areas of the Rivne region also experienced power cuts. The outages have disrupted people’s daily lives and raised concerns about the operation of emergency services.

Moscow has also indicated that it is preparing to continue air attacks targeting Ukraine’s energy system. On Friday, the head of Russia’s military informed President Vladimir Putin that the necessary military equipment and capabilities had been allocated to intensify air strikes against Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.

Meanwhile, the United Nations has reported a worrying increase in civilian casualties in Ukraine. According to data from the UN human rights monitors, at least 328 civilians were killed and 2,105 injured in Ukraine last month. The figures represent an 85 percent increase compared with September 2025.

The report stated that 2,570 civilians were killed and 15,211 injured in Ukraine between January and September 2026. The number of casualties was approximately 60 percent higher than during the same period the previous year. It was also more than double the figure recorded during the corresponding period in 2024.

Daniel Bell, head of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, said the first two weeks of October had been among the deadliest periods for civilians in several years.

Continued attacks, damage to electricity infrastructure and civilian deaths are making Ukraine’s humanitarian situation increasingly difficult. In particular, prolonged disruptions to energy and electricity supplies ahead of winter could further intensify the suffering of ordinary people.