The key facts
- Strikes on nine regions: emergency blackouts for hundreds of thousands of households, at least 15 injured, two killed in a strike on a market in Kharkiv
- UN: 328 civilians killed and 2,105 injured in September — 85% more than a year earlier
- Zelensky said he felt betrayed by Trump; Trump openly expressed dislike for the Ukrainian leader
Strikes on nine regions and power outages
Russian attacks on Friday on nine regions of Ukraine caused emergency power outages for hundreds of thousands of households and damaged many residential buildings, with at least 15 people injured, authorities said. According to Ukrainian officials, 149 attack drones were used on the night of October 16, 114 of which were shot down by air defenses, with hits recorded at 24 locations. The outages affected Kyiv and the Kyiv region, Lutsk, Volyn, Odesa, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, Sumy and Chernihiv regions. A strike on a market in Kharkiv killed two people and injured at least 14, one of them in critical condition. In Sumy, a drone hit a shopping mall, and in Uman, Cherkasy region, five people were hurt on the morning of October 16. Drones struck a residential area and a large shopping mall in Rivne; significant destruction was reported in Bakhmach, Chernihiv region, where four people sought medical assistance.
Attacks on the power grid and rising civilian casualties
Massive strikes on the energy system on the eve of winter have become an annual feature of the war: Moscow, it is assessed, seeks to undermine Ukraine's willingness to continue resisting by depriving citizens of heating and water supply. Ukrainian officials warn that Russia is stockpiling ballistic missiles for new attacks in the coming months. On Thursday, Ukraine abandoned a brief moratorium on strikes against energy facilities, saying Moscow had not honored it despite US President Donald Trump's demand to end the fire. According to the monthly report of the UN Human Rights Office in Kyiv, at least 328 civilians were killed and 2,105 injured in September — 85% more than in September last year. In October, strikes have already killed dozens of civilians, including children. 'The first two weeks of October were one of the deadliest periods for civilians in recent years,' said the head of the office, Danielle Bell. The strikes target not only the power grid but also residential buildings, public transport, cargo ships, data centers and food warehouses.
Public feud between Zelensky and Trump
On Thursday, Zelensky said he felt betrayed by the American president, while Trump openly declared his dislike for the Ukrainian leader. This is the first public spat since the well-known clash in the Oval Office. It has raised fears of a further reduction in US support. According to US media reports citing White House and NATO officials, Ukraine has completely exhausted its stockpile of interceptor missiles for Patriot systems, which it urgently needs to defend against ballistic strikes. Zelensky also complained about disruptions in intelligence sharing with Western partners and sudden restrictions on the use of Starshield — the military version of SpaceX's Starlink, which underpins Ukrainian drone operations and military communications. He also criticized Trump's diesel deal with Russia, concluded despite international efforts to sanction and isolate the Kremlin. Ukrainian officials claim Trump is pressuring Zelensky to make territorial concessions to Russia.
EU summit in Brussels
On Friday, Zelensky took part in the EU summit in Brussels, thanking the bloc's 27 countries for their support from 'true leaders.' The leaders pledged to maintain support for Ukraine and called on the US to pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin. 'We want to end this war as soon as possible. Right now we do not see any signals from Russia indicating readiness for this, so we must prepare for winter,' Zelensky told journalists. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said European politicians are trying to convince American partners that pressure on Russia is necessary to end the war. According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin fully shares the US president's position, who blames Zelensky for unwillingness to negotiate an end to the war.
