In what the regional administration says was the largest Russian drone attack on the Kirovohrad region since the start of the full-scale invasion, three people were killed and six others injured in Kropyvnytskyi overnight into Thursday. As the head of the regional military administration, Andriy Raikovych, announced on Facebook on Thursday, nearly 360 enemy drones were recorded over the area, with strikes at 26 locations.
Raikovych spoke of the “largest enemy attack since the start of the full-scale invasion” for the region. The Russian armed forces had deliberately targeted critical infrastructure, transport companies, logistics facilities and residential buildings. The greatest destruction and hits were in Kropyvnytskyi, as the news agency Ukrinform reports. Znamianka, Oleksandriia, Pomichna and several communities in the region were also hit.
Medical care for the injured was provided in time, Raikovych stressed. “All relevant services have worked without interruption and continue to work now. The elimination of the consequences is ongoing,” said the head of the administration. At the impact sites, special commissions are to assess the damage and calculate the losses in order to provide those affected with the necessary assistance.
According to Ukrinform, Ukrainian air defence destroyed 536 of 580 drones overnight with which Russian troops had attacked Ukraine since the evening of 14 October. The figures for the intercepted drones refer to the entire country, while the nearly 360 drones recorded relate solely to the Kirovohrad region.
What the attacks mean for Ukraine
The massive drone waves hit not only the energy and transport infrastructure but also the logistics through which supplies and exports flow. For the people in the region, this means above all interruptions to electricity, water and transport – and the fear of further nights with similar attacks. Raikovych announced that the commissions would record the damage to residential buildings so that those affected receive compensation and assistance.
The attack comes at a time when Ukraine is expanding its own striking power against the Russian oil economy. According to Handelsblatt, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced new attacks on Russian refineries. At the same time, concern is growing in Kyiv about the reliability of US support.
Zelenskyy: “Not the right side of history”
In an interview with British presenter Piers Morgan, according to the Berliner Morgenpost, Zelenskyy said he felt “betrayed” by US President Donald Trump’s diesel deal with Russia and other decisions by Washington. After a conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump had announced on his platform Truth Social that Russia would immediately provide more than 300,000 tonnes of diesel for the USA and the world market; in return, sanctions were to be suspended.
“It is a pity that we are losing a strong partner,” Zelenskyy described his reaction. Ukraine could not afford weakness: “We are not selling our country.” It was not about business but about life and one’s own country. It was painful when Trump did not choose their side, the president said. It was fine if the US president stood “in the middle” – “but if you are in the middle, you have to stay in the middle”. He did not know who was pushing Trump to the wrong side, “but that is not the right side of history”.
Separately, Handelsblatt reports a fire at a facility of the satellite internet service Starlink in Bulgaria. Prime Minister Rumen Radev confirmed the incident near the capital Sofia during parliament’s question time. Due to ongoing investigations, he did not want to give further details. Previously, the pro-Western opposition alliance Democratic Bulgaria had publicised the fire; according to it, eleven of 17 antennas were deliberately set on fire on 9 September at a secret facility near Sofia. These antennas served as the main connection to SpaceX and would be used in the Ukraine war. Pro-Western opposition parties suspect a connection to Russia. There had previously been an attack on a Starlink ground station in Poland.
Editor’s note: The figures on casualties and damage come from the Kirovohrad regional military administration; independent confirmations are not available. The number of intercepted drones refers to the entire country, the number of drones recorded over Kirovohrad refers to the region.
