Russia strikes nine Ukrainian regions as strain grows between Zelensky and Trump

Russian attacks on nine regions of Ukraine caused emergency power outages for hundreds of thousands of households and damaged numerous homes, wounding at least 15 people, officials said on Friday.

The latest aerial strikes on civilian targets came as fears mount that a sharp deterioration in relations between Kyiv and Washington this week could leave Ukraine further exposed to Russia’s escalating aerial assaults as the bitter winter approaches.

Russia’s heavy bombardment of the power grid before winter sets in has been an annual feature of the war, aiming to wear down Ukraine’s appetite for the fight by denying civilians heating and running water.

Ukrainian officials have warned Russia is stockpiling ballistic missiles for more attacks in coming months.

Ukraine on Thursday abandoned a brief truce on energy-related targets that it said Moscow did not heed despite US President Donald Trump’s demand for a ceasefire.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday attended a summit of European leaders who share his concerns about Russian aggression and Moscow’s wider plans on the continent.

The officials in Brussels vowed to maintain support for Ukraine and urged the US to put pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Tension and uncertainty are gripping Ukraine and Europe after Mr Zelensky and Mr Trump publicly made cutting remarks about each other.

On Thursday, Mr Zelensky said he felt betrayed by the American president and Mr Trump openly declared his dislike of the Ukrainian leader.

Arriving at the EU summit in Belgium, Mr Zelensky thanked the 27-nation bloc for its support from what he said were “real leaders”.

“We want to end this war as (quickly) as possible,” Mr Zelensky told reporters. “We don’t see now signals from (the) Russian side that they are ready for this, to end this war. That’s why we have to prepare for the winter.”

The public spat between Mr Trump and Mr Zelensky raised the spectre of further reductions in US support for Ukraine’s war effort.

Ukraine is desperately short of the US-made Patriot missiles it needs to protect against Russia’s devastating ballistic missile attacks, despite Mr Zelensky’s pleading for Washington to send more.

Mr Zelensky complained about a breakdown in Western intelligence sharing and sudden restrictions on the use of Starshield, US company SpaceX’s military-grade version of the Starlink satellite internet service that is the backbone of Ukraine’s drone operations and military communications.

He also slammed Mr Trump’s diesel deal with Russia, which came despite an international effort to sanction Russia and diplomatically isolate Putin over his invasion.

Mr Trump promised to swiftly end the war, but Ukrainian officials have complained he is trying to bulldoze Mr Zelensky into surrendering land to Russia.

The EU is working to persuade Washington to stick with Ukraine, the bloc’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said.

“We are trying to convince also our American partners that if we want to end this war then we have to squeeze the aggressor,” Ms Kallas said. “With our American allies it’s very difficult at the moment.”

Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin, whose country currently holds the EU’s rotating presidency, said there is “a lot of concern around Europe in terms of what’s happening in Ukraine right now”.

Russia is blitzing not just Ukraine’s power grid but also apartment buildings, public transport, cargo ships, data centres and food stores.

Ukrainian civilians are paying a high price for the escalating Russian attacks, the United Nations human rights office in Kyiv said in a monthly report published on Friday.

At least 328 civilians were killed and 2,105 wounded last month, a total that is 85% higher than in September last year, the report said, noting that intensifying Russian attacks in October already have killed dozens of civilians, including children.

“The first two weeks of October were among the deadliest periods for civilians in years,” said Danielle Bell, the head of the UN office.

Ukraine is using domestically developed long-range drones to hit back at Russia.

The Russian Defence Ministry said on Friday its air defences overnight intercepted 644 Ukrainian drones over multiple Russian regions, illegally annexed Crimea and the Black Sea.

Nearly 160 flights were delayed or cancelled at Moscow’s four airports, according to the state-backed Moskva news agency. Data from Rosaviatsia, Russia’s civil aviation authority, showed restrictions on the four airports were in place from late on Thursday night through to early Friday.

Another 46 flights were delayed or cancelled at St Petersburg airport, which also faced overnight restrictions, local media reported.