Ukraine Launches Massive Drone Strikes as Russia Hits Civilian Parks
Ukraine deployed over 1,000 drones across Russia while Russian strikes killed six people in a Kharkiv park and disabled power in the Volyn region.
Aerial warfare escalated over the weekend as Volodymyr Zelenskyy ordered one of Ukraine's largest bombardments to date, deploying over 1,000 drones across 15 Russian regions, Crimea, and the Black Sea. The strikes targeted the Petersburg Oil Terminal and Ruchi oil depot in St. Petersburg, causing fires that killed one person and wounded five. Other targets included a VKontakte data center and an Ozon logistics center. The Russian Ministry of Defense claimed to have destroyed 1,015 drones.
Simultaneously, the Russian Armed Forces launched strikes across Ukraine. A Geran-3 drone hit a central park in Novo Vodolaha, Kharkiv region, killing six people, including three children. In the Volyn region, approximately 15 drones targeted infrastructure in Lutsk, Kovel, and Manevychi, leaving 66,000 metering points without electricity. A separate Russian attack in Zaporizhzhia killed one woman.
President Zelenskyy condemned the Kharkiv strike as absolute brutality and accused Russia of violating an energy ceasefire announced by U.S. President Donald Trump on October 11. He urged the United States to maintain sanctions on Moscow, criticizing a recent executive order by Trump that waived tariffs and sanctions on Russian imports and energy.
In a separate incident, a Ukrainian drone carrying explosives crashed in Juodžioniai, Lithuania, after entering from Poland. Lithuanian officials acknowledged a delay in public alerts because the aircraft originated from a friendly Schengen country. Prime Minister Ingrida Sinkevičius has since ordered a review of response procedures for unmanned aircraft entering from the Schengen Area.
