On the night of Saturday, 17 October, Russia attacked Ukraine with drones as well as ballistic and cruise missiles, according to, among others, “Rzeczpospolita”. In Kherson an ambulance driver was killed, in Vinnytsia the power went out, and people were injured in Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia.
According to Ukrainian media, including the agency Ukrinform, air defence shot down or neutralised four Kalibr missiles and 289 drones overnight. “Rzeczpospolita” writes of more than 330 drones used in the attack and hits at 22 locations. The difference between the number launched and the number downed is due to the fact that not all drones are shot down; we have not been able to verify the full statement of the Ukrainian Air Force as of the time of publication.
Kherson: double attack on a residential district
The most serious effects were recorded in Kherson. As Ukrinform reports, citing the head of the city military administration, Roman Shanko, Russian aviation dropped eight guided aerial bombs within an hour on residential buildings and social infrastructure facilities in the Korabelnyi district. A second strike came when medical rescuers arrived at the scene. An ambulance driver was killed, and a medic was wounded.
Ukrinform reports that 21 people were affected: one killed and 20 injured, including children aged one month and 11 years. Reuters quotes regional governor Oleksandr Prokudin, who spoke of one fatality and 19 injured; the number of injured rose during the morning, so the toll may still change.
Vinnytsia without power, injuries in Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia
In Vinnytsia, according to Ukrainian media, the city’s electricity network went down after the night attack. Mayor Serhiy Morgunov said critical infrastructure is running on emergency power. The Kyiv Independent reports that six people were injured in the region and air defence shot down 24 drones there. In Zaporizhzhia residential blocks were damaged; Ukrainian media report five injured, including a child. In Kharkiv, 15 people were injured in a Russian missile attack.
Context: another attack on the energy sector
President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on Saturday morning that the day before Russia had carried out one of the largest attacks on Ukraine’s energy sector, targeting more than 15 key power generation and transmission facilities in various regions.
According to Zelensky, work is under way to restore power. We have already written about the broader effects of the approaching winter on Ukraine’s grid, including in the context of Zelensky’s warnings to airlines.
What it means
There is no direct threat to Poland, but further strikes on Ukraine’s power grid may increase pressure for refugee departures before winter and for help with energy equipment. The Ukrainian government has not yet released a full tally of infrastructure losses from last night.
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