Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said today (Sunday) that Russia launched approximately 1,600 guided aerial bombs, 48 missiles of various types—including ballistic missiles—and nearly 2,300 attack drones at his country in the past week alone. “This is how Russia responds to diplomacy and to being brought out of isolation,” Zelensky wrote in a post on his X account, noting that the attacks leave dead and wounded almost daily.
2+According to Zelensky, four people were killed last night in Russian attacks in Dnipro region in east-central Ukraine, and 22 others were wounded. In the city of Vinnytsia in central Ukraine, a Russian drone hit a multi-story residential building, wounding six people. In Kharkiv in the northeast, near the border with Russia, Russian forces first struck a shopping center, then hit emergency crews who arrived at the scene, wounding responders. He also noted that overnight attacks targeted a power plant, substations, coal mines, grain storage facilities, shopping centers, and a postal logistics center, causing damage in nine regions.
The Ukrainian president stressed that it’s important not to reduce support for those defending civilian lives while negotiations are underway, and called for the release of Patriot interceptor missile shipments already approved by European countries. He also said Ukraine’s fighter jets must continue to receive support to defend against jet-powered Shahed drones, adding that every defense package, especially heading into winter, helps save lives.
2+The remarks came about ten days after President Donald Trump waived enforcement of new sanctions legislation against Russia, named after Senator Lindsey Graham. The law, which was supposed to take effect on October 18, included sanctions on Russian officials and financial institutions, and tariffs of up to 100% on goods from countries that buy Russian oil and gas. The decision came a week after Trump announced a deal under which Russia would supply global markets with more than 4.8 million tons of diesel.
2+Zelensky criticized the decision at the time, writing that “the American sanctions freeze, easing pressure on the aggressor and financial rewards for Putin—all of this only encourages him to continue attacking.” Meanwhile, diplomatic contacts continue, and last week U.S. presidential envoy Steve Witkoff met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg.