Russian forces launched a fresh wave of overnight strikes on Ukraine, killing at least four people in the eastern Dnipro region and wounding 28 others across two oblasts, according to Ukrainian authorities. The attacks, which combined drones and aerial bombs, targeted residential areas and critical infrastructure, underscoring the continued intensity of Moscow's aerial campaign.
Oleksandr Hanzha, head of the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Military Administration, said Russian forces struck the Dnipro area more than 20 times across three districts. The bombardments damaged infrastructure in the city of Dnipro and destroyed private homes, apartment buildings, shops, and cars in the Synelnykivskyi district. A private residence was also hit in the Nikopol district, he added.
In a separate attack, a Russian drone struck a high-rise apartment building in Vinnytsia, a city in west-central Ukraine, injuring six people. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, writing on social media, also reported that a hypermarket in Kharkiv, in the northeast, had been targeted. He described a particularly brutal tactic: “In Kharkiv, the Russians first struck a home improvement hypermarket and then carried out a cynical double-tap strike on the emergency services that arrived at the scene.” An unspecified number of emergency responders were injured in that follow-up attack.
Week of relentless bombardment
Zelenskyy said that over the past week Russia has launched roughly 1,600 guided aerial bombs, 48 missiles, and nearly 2,300 attack drones against Ukraine. The overnight strikes also hit energy infrastructure, including a thermal power plant and electrical substations, part of a broader pattern of targeting Ukraine's power grid as winter approaches.
Ukraine's military responded with its own strikes against Russian targets, including army radar stations, command posts, and concentrations of personnel, according to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The military said that “striking radars creates gaps in the enemy’s radar coverage and expands the Defence Forces of Ukraine’s ability to employ unmanned systems at all levels.”
The escalation comes amid a shifting geopolitical landscape. The EU has been pushing for a seat at any Ukraine peace talks as the US adjusts its stance, a development that could reshape the conflict's trajectory. Meanwhile, Ukrainian drone strikes have also crippled Russian data centres, slowing Moscow's AI ambitions and adding a new dimension to the war.
Starlink access restored
In a separate development, Kyiv announced on Saturday that its forces had re-established a “stable” connection to Elon Musk's Starlink satellite network, following a dispute with the US. Zelenskyy said speeds had returned to adequate levels, noting that “the restoration began overnight, and by this morning, speeds were already sufficient.” He stressed the importance for frontline logistics and for defending against jet-powered Shahed drones.
The restoration comes after earlier reports suggested that Starlink limits remained despite claims by former President Donald Trump that they had been lifted. The service has been vital for Ukraine's military communications and drone operations, and any disruption could have serious consequences for the war effort.
As the conflict grinds on, European nations are watching closely. Germany recently arrested a Ukrainian national suspected of spying for Russia, highlighting the espionage risks that accompany the war. Meanwhile, a Budapest reset signals a new EU-Hungary chapter amid the scramble for peace, as European leaders seek a unified approach to the crisis.
The human cost of the latest strikes is a stark reminder of the war's toll. In Dnipro, families are mourning the dead, while in Vinnytsia and Kharkiv, residents are once again picking up the pieces. Ukraine's resilience, however, remains unbroken, as its forces continue to strike back at Russian military assets and its leadership presses for international support.
