Ukraine announced on Monday that at least four people were killed and 15 others injured in a series of overnight Russian airstrikes targeting the northeastern Kharkiv region and the southwestern Odesa region, as hostilities escalate ahead of winter.
According to Ukraine’s State Emergency Service (DSNS), missile strikes hit a residential district in the city of Balakliia, approximately 70 kilometers southeast of Kharkiv. “According to preliminary data, three people were killed, 13 more were injured, including four children,” the agency said in a statement on Telegram. The attack damaged residential buildings, cars, high-rise apartments, and a kindergarten, with all resulting fires quickly extinguished. Kharkiv Governor Oleh Synyehubov confirmed that emergency units continue to operate at the site, while Balakliia’s military administrator Vitalii Karabanov said the city was struck by two missiles.
The DSNS later reported that a drone strike on the village of Velykyi Burluk, also in the Kharkiv region, killed one person and injured another. Meanwhile, the Odesa region was hit by overnight drone attacks that ignited fires at energy and port infrastructure facilities. “According to preliminary information, one person was injured,” the agency said. Private energy provider DTEK confirmed that its facilities were damaged in Odesa, leaving 32,500 customers temporarily without electricity. The company warned that repairs would take time due to the extent of the destruction.
Ukraine’s Air Force claimed its air defenses intercepted 91 out of 128 drones launched by Russia overnight, adding that two Iskander-M ballistic missiles were also fired. Russian authorities have not yet commented on the strikes. The attacks come amid growing accusations exchanged by Moscow and Kyiv over targeting each other’s energy infrastructure as winter approaches.
