Ukraine war latest: 'Missiles, one after another' — Kyiv blackouts as Russia strikes Ukraine's energy infrastructure once again
Key developments on Oct. 10:
- 'Missiles, one after another' — Kyiv blackouts as Russia strikes Ukraine's energy infrastructure once again
- US Senate approves $925 billion defense bill, proposes $500 million for Ukraine
- Rheinmetall to supply Ukraine with additional Skyranger air defense systems
- Ukrainian journalist Roshchyna posthumously named Press Freedom Hero
- Ukraine, UK negotiating joint production of 2,000 interceptor drones monthly
Russia launched a large-scale drone and missile attack on Ukraine overnight on Oct. 10, killing a child and injuring at least 24 people in the country while leaving a part of Kyiv without electricity and water.
At least twelve people were injured in the capital, while a 7-year-old boy was killed and seven people were injured in the southern city of Zaporizhzhia. Five civilians were wounded in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.
Multiple regions introduced emergency power shutdowns amid strikes on the energy grid.
The attacks come amid Russia's intensifying aerial campaign targeting Ukraine's energy infrastructure ahead of the winter months.
Loud explosions and ballistic missiles were reported by Kyiv Independent journalists on the ground at approximately 2:30 a.m. local time as Russia carried out an attack on the Ukrainian capital. Additional explosions were reported at about 3:30 a.m.
"From the explosions that just occurred — a ballistic missile attack is ongoing. Missiles, one after another, air defense is active," Kyiv City Military Administration head Tymur Tkachenko said at 2:41 a.m., confirming reports of ballistic missiles.
Explosions and the sound of air defense systems operating were earlier reported by a journalist on the ground at about 1 a.m. local time.
US Senate approves $925 billion defense bill, proposes $500 million for Ukraine
The U.S. Senate approved a defense budget bill for fiscal year 2026 totaling $925 billion, with security assistance to Ukraine proposed to increase to $500 million, the New York Times reported on Oct. 9.
The legislation reflects a $100 million increase over the House of Representatives' version and extends assistance to Ukraine through 2028, signaling ongoing congressional support for Kyiv.
The new funds were allocated under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI), a Pentagon-led program that supplies arms to Ukraine through contracts with U.S. defense companies.
The U.S. House of Representatives passed an $890 billion defense policy bill on Sept. 10, allocating $400 million for Pentagon security assistance to Ukraine.
The Senate approved the legislation on Oct. 9, which funds the U.S. military at $925 billion in fiscal year 2026, after lawmakers reached a deal to unlock the stalled legislation.
The bill includes several key provisions supporting Ukraine and regional allies.
Rheinmetall to supply Ukraine with additional Skyranger air defense systems
German defense giant Rheinmetall will supply Ukraine with additional Skyranger 35 air defense systems based on a contract with an EU country, the company announced on Oct. 10.
The upcoming delivery addresses Ukraine's urgent need for cost-effective air defense solutions as Russia intensifies drone attacks, with over 450 drones launched last night.
The system can be mounted on Leopard 1 tanks and combines the mobility and protection of a tracked vehicle with the effectiveness of a gun-based anti-aircraft system. It has a range of up to 4,000 meters (2.5 miles) and is highly compatible with the Oerlikon Revolver Gun Mk 3.
The contracted worth "hundreds of millions" is financed by an EU member state, using the proceeds from frozen Russian assets, the company said, without naming the country.
Production and integration will be carried out by Rheinmetall Italia SpA at its headquarters in Rome. The company did not disclose the number of systems to be delivered to Ukraine.
"We are grateful for the trust Ukraine has placed in us," Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger said. "We also thank the EU state for its support, which underscores our continued efforts to support Ukraine."
This marks the second announcement of Skyranger supplies.
Ukrainian journalist Roshchyna posthumously named Press Freedom Hero
Ukrainian journalist Viktoriia Roshchyna, who died in Russian captivity, has been posthumously honored as a "Press Freedom Hero" by the International Press Institute (IPI), the organization announced on its website on Oct. 9.
The award recognizes journalists who have demonstrated an unwavering commitment to press freedom.
The IPI said Roshchyna's death on Sept. 19, 2024 "exposed the brutal treatment suffered by the dozens of Ukrainian journalists unjustly held by Russian authorities, and brought new urgency to the need to protect the press and secure accountability for attacks on journalists."
Roshchyna, a reporter for Ukrainian media outlets, was first captured by Russian forces in March 2022 and held for 10 days in the city of Berdyansk in the Russian-occupied part of Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia Oblast. As a condition of her release in 2022, she was forced to record a video saying Russian forces had saved her life.
Roshchyna covered occupied territories, including Crimea and Donetsk, and documented the destruction in Mariupol. She disappeared on Aug. 3, 2023, while reporting from Russian-occupied territory.
Ukraine, UK negotiating joint production of 2,000 interceptor drones monthly
Ukraine and the U.K. are negotiating a joint project to produce interceptor drones, which could yield around 2,000 units per month in the coming months, Bloomberg reported on Oct. 10.
The initiative tackles Ukraine's urgent need for affordable air defense solutions as Russia significantly increases drone attacks, launching over 6,900 Shahed-type attack drones in September alone.
"Very shortly, we'll be producing around 2,000 drones a month, deliberately shipping all of them to Ukraine so they can be used to intercept Russian drones," U.K. Defense Readiness and Industry Minister Luke Pollard told Bloomberg.
The project, called Octopus, is currently in the negotiation stage and could be implemented in the coming months, Pollard said. Production of the interceptor drones will initially be located in the U.K.
"The U.K. is outstanding at R&D and advanced manufacturing, so we can add something that our Ukrainian friends don't have in this respect," he added. "We need to be fast and we need to be first."
The two countries signed an agreement on the production of interceptor drones on Sept. 11.
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