Russian Strikes Kill Eight in Ukraine and Damage Kyiv Maternity Hospital
Deadly Overnight Barrage Hits Kyiv and Regions
Russian drone and missile strikes on Ukraine’s capital Kyiv and its northeast killed eight people on Thursday in attacks that included a maternity hospital and a farm, officials said. Moscow has stepped up its air war in recent months, deploying more of its faster and harder-to-stop drones while Ukraine is short of interceptors to down ballistic missiles. Two people died in the latest assault on Kyiv, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who was in New York for the UN General Assembly. [1] “As people were sleeping, flashes from explosions lit up the sky,” Zelenskiy said on Telegram. “Once again, the main targets of their strike were Kyiv and civilian infrastructure, residential buildings, a maternity hospital, energy infrastructure, and logistics.” [1] The overnight barrage around Ukraine included an unspecified number of hypersonic and ballistic missiles, 282 drones and other weapons, Ukraine’s air force said. [1] Authorities in the northwestern region of Rivne said infrastructure was damaged in overnight strikes that continued into Thursday morning, without providing further details. [1] Volyn region bordering Poland also came under attack. [1] In the Black Sea port of Odesa, military administration head Serhiy Lysak said overnight Russian strikes damaged a medical facility and shattered windows in nearby houses and a school. [1] Moldova’s President Maia Sandu said four Russian drones crossed into its airspace and at least one exploded, while Romania said a drone also crashed in its territory. [1] Nato alliance member Poland said it deployed aviation twice on Thursday due to Russian attacks on Ukraine. [1]
Maternity Hospital and Civilian Sites Damaged in Capital
In Kyiv, eight people were injured as well as the two fatalities, one of whom was in the parking lot of the maternity hospital, city mayor Vitali Klitschko said. [1] Part of the hospital’s facade, windows and doors were damaged, officials said, adding that no patients or medics were injured. [1] Police said nine homes, a post office, warehouses and dozens of cars were also damaged in Kyiv. [1] Russia’s defence ministry said its forces hit Ukrainian defence facilities, logistics and telecoms centres, as well as vessels used by the military. [1] Kyiv under missile attack, emergency crews dispatched to two districts, mayor says. [5]
Russian strikes damaged a Kyiv data centre in overnight attack. — Source: ukrainskapravda
Farm Strike in Kharkiv Kills Six
A separate Russian attack on a vegetable storage facility at a farm in a village of the northeastern Kharkiv region killed six people and injured a further 12, prosecutors said. [1] During the past 24 hours, eight settlements in Kharkiv region were under Russian attacks, six people were killed and ten were injured, according to the head of Kharkiv regional military administration Oleg Sinegubov. [4]
Data Centre Destroyed in Kyiv
Russia has destroyed a MiroHost data centre in Kyiv. A data centre housing infrastructure belonging to hosting provider MiroHost has been destroyed in a Russian attack, leaving the company unable to say when operations will be restored. [2] Oleksandr Olshanskyi, MiroHost founder and Internet Invest chief, said the disruption will affect only the company's infrastructure in Ukraine. About 95% of MiroHost customers are based outside Ukraine and services for them are continuing as normal. [2] On 23 September a Russian attack damaged one of Kyiv's data centres housing the core equipment of the Utels internet service provider UTELS. Internet services were disrupted for around 100,000 households in Kyiv and Kyiv Oblast following a Russian attack. [2] On 24 September, Ukraine's telecommunications providers whose networks had experienced temporary disruptions reported that emergency repair work was gradually nearing completion. [2]
FPV Drone Kills Driver in Kramatorsk
Russian forces attacked a lorry in Kramatorsk, Donetsk Oblast, with an FPV drone on the morning of 24 September, killing the driver. [3] Oleksii Honcharenko, Head of Kramatorsk City Military Administration, said a Russian FPV drone attacked a lorry belonging to one of the city's trading bases while it was on the move. [3] The driver, a man aged about 52, was killed in the strike. [3] Honcharenko noted that the lorry was carrying goods needed to keep the city operating and was marked as a vehicle belonging to the trading base. [3] “The Russians are once again deliberately attacking civilians who are simply doing their jobs. Kramatorsk lives under the threat of Russian strikes every day. People go to work, deliver goods and keep the city functioning – and even at such a moment they can become targets of a Russian drone.” [3] Nine people were injured in a Russian strike with cluster munitions, reportedly launched from Uragan multiple-launch rocket systems, on Kramatorsk on the morning of 23 September. [3]
Zelenskiy Calls for Stronger International Response
Insufficient pressure on Moscow was allowing it to launch repeated strikes, said Zelenskiy. [1] “Right now, the United States has the opportunity to respond strongly,” he said. “We need ballistic interceptors to protect lives.” [1] Zelenskiy on Wednesday called on world leaders to continue to choke Russian revenues and disrupt its war effort, telling the UN General Assembly that “Russian revenues must remain the target.” [4]
What to watch next: Zelenskiy is expected to continue pressing for ballistic missile interceptors during his time at the UN General Assembly while neighbouring NATO members monitor further Russian drone incursions near their borders.
