Two Children Among Six Killed as Russia Launches Overnight Drone and Missile Strikes on Ukraine

Overview

Russian forces launched a wave of drones and missiles overnight, killing at least six people — including two boys aged 11 and 14 — and wounding around a dozen, Ukrainian officials said. The strikes knocked out power across the eastern Donetsk region and left almost 58,000 households in Zaporizhzhia without electricity, regional authorities reported.

Government response and air-defence reinforcement

President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the attacks as an attempt by Moscow to "inflict harm" on civilians and said Kyiv had strengthened its air-defence network in response. He said Ukraine had boosted the "Patriot" component of its defences with support from Germany, and publicly thanked Berlin and its partners for assistance.

"These strikes are aimed at civilians," Zelensky said, while calling for continued international support to protect critical infrastructure and communities.

Fighting in Pokrovsk

Both Kyiv and Moscow reported gains around the strategic eastern city of Pokrovsk, where Ukrainian commanders say they face heavy pressure from a Russian assault involving thousands of troops. Ukraine's top commander, Oleksandr Syrsky, announced the deployment of special forces to the area. Kyiv has reported that hundreds of Russian soldiers have infiltrated the city's logistics hub, and battlefield maps from the Institute for the Study of War show Russian formations closing in on Pokrovsk's outskirts in a pincer movement.

Russian military statements also claimed "destruction" of Ukrainian units in Pokrovsk city centre and near the rail station; Ukraine has said it is resisting and inflicting losses on attacking forces.

Retaliatory strikes and damage reports

Ukraine has responded to attacks on its energy grid with strikes on Russian energy targets. Early Sunday, a Ukrainian drone attack on the Black Sea port of Tuapse reportedly set an oil tanker on fire and damaged port infrastructure. A source in Ukraine's SBU security service told AFP the Tuapse oil terminal, owned by Rosneft, was also hit; the source reported "hits by five drones." Images circulated on social media showed multiple fires, but AFP did not immediately verify them and Russian authorities had no immediate comment.

Wider context

AFP analysis of Ukrainian air force data found that Russia launched more missiles during October overnight strikes than in any other month since at least the start of 2023. The conflict — launched by Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, which Moscow calls a "special military operation" — remains Europe’s largest and deadliest war since World War II. Tens of thousands of combatants and civilians have been killed and millions displaced since the invasion began.

Sources: Ukrainian prosecutor general's office, Ukraine's human rights commissioner, regional governors, Ukrainian military statements, AFP analysis and SBU source reporting.