Russian missile strike on village cafe in Kharkiv region kills 51 civilians. Russia expected to carry out many missile, drone attacks this winter, Zelenskyi says. A Russian airstrike hits a hospital in Beryslav, Kherson region, injuring two medical workers. Third gathering to discuss Ukraine peace could take place in Istanbul in October.
Russian missile strike on village cafe in Kharkiv region kills 51 civilians
On October 5, a Russian missile hit a cafe and store during a wake service in the village of Hroza in Kharkiv region, killing 51 people, including a six-year-old boy, and injuring six others. The attack took place at 1.25 p.m. A preliminary investigation indicated that the strike was carried out with an Iskander missile.
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This is the deadliest attack against civilians in Kharkiv region since the invasion, head of the Kharkiv regional state administration Oleh Synehubov said.
Russia expected to carry out many missile, drone attacks this winter, Zelenskyi says
Ukraine needs to bolster its air defenses to shield the country from possible Russian drone and missile strikes this winter, President Zelenskyi said ahead of a meeting of the European Political Community in Granada, Spain on Thursday.
“It is important for Ukraine to have a defending shield for the winter as Russia is expected to carry out many attacks with different kinds of missiles and Iranian-made drones,” Zelenskyi said.
Answering a question from a reporter whether he is worried that the U.S. support for Ukraine could waver, Zelenskyi said: “In Ukraine, we stopped worrying in the first days of the full-scale war. I think it’s too late for us to worry. We have to work on it.”
Last autumn and winter, Russia continuously targeted Ukraine’s energy system in a massive barrage of missile and drone attacks. Russia launched more than 10 major waves of missile strikes on Ukraine in the course of several months, using dozens of missiles of various types.
Ukraine’s energy infrastructure survived frequent missile and drone attacks which resulted in electricity deficit and rolling power cuts. Yet Russia failed to achieve its goal of causing a total blackout in Ukraine.
On September 9, 2023, President Zelenskyi met with top government officials and military commanders to discuss how to protect Ukraine’s energy system and port infrastructure from Russian attacks.
Despite Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure likely continuing this winter, Ukraine demonstrated last winter that it has the skilled workforce and expertise needed to operate and maintain the power network, even in wartime conditions, the UK Defense Ministry said in August.
Russian airstrike hits hospital in Kherson region, injuring two medical workers
A Russian airstrike on Thursday, October 5, hit a hospital in Beryslav, Kherson region, said head of the regional military administration Oleksandr Prokudin.
He earlier said that Russia carried out five air strikes in the area. A direct strike on the hospital completely destroyed the fourth floor. Another floor was partially destroyed. Emergency vehicles were also damaged, Prokudin said.
Two medical workers were injured. An ambulance driver suffered a broken leg and a head injury, and a paramedic suffered concussion.
On the morning of the same day, a Russian artillery strike killed two people in Kherson, including a worker who was trimming trees. Earlier this week, Russia dropped a dozen guided bombs on Kherson region, hitting the Beryslav district.
Third gathering to discuss Ukraine peace could take place in Istanbul in October
Turkey is preparing to host the third international gathering of national security advisers working to build support for a peace summit Ukraine wants to hold later this year, Bloomberg said, quoting people familiar with the matter. The meeting is tentatively scheduled for later this month in Istanbul.
Russia is not invited and has denounced the previous meetings as illegitimate. White House spokespeople declined to comment.
Last week, Andriy Yermak, President Zelenskyi’s chief of staff voiced hopes that the third gathering to discuss the peace formula will happen in October without specifying the place.
It follows similar gatherings in Denmark in June and in Saudi Arabia in August. In August, the Saudi government invited national security and diplomatic advisers from Ukraine, several of Kyiv’s key allies and others in the Group of 20 such as India, Brazil and China, for talks. Representatives from about 40 countries attended, Bloomberg said.