Russia strikes west of Ukraine: Casualties reported, cities left without power and water
Photo: The aftermath of the Russian attack on Rivne on October 16 (t.me/oleksandrkoval_rv)
Russia struck western Ukraine with rocket-powered drones all night long. There is significant damage to industrial facilities and civilian infrastructure.
RBC-Ukraine compiles everything currently known about the consequences of the Russian strikes in the region.
Air raid sirens sounded all night on October 16, as cities and towns came under Russian jet drone attack.
The Ukrainian Air Force had issued warnings about this. Russian attacks continued in the morning. Damage has been reported in the Volyn, Rivne, and Ternopil regions.
Volyn region
According to reports from City Council Secretary Andrii Razumovskyi, the Russian attack on Lutsk has been ongoing for over a day. As a result of the Russian nighttime strikes, Lutsk has lost power.
"Due to the Russian drone attacks, the city has been left without electricity. Utility services are operating on backup power sources," the statement reads.
In Kovel, located in the Volyn region, explosions were also heard during the nighttime alert. The city and surrounding villages are without power due to Russian attacks. Kovel is also without water because the pumping station lost power, says mayor Ihor Chaika.
Rivne region
The Rivne region endured a difficult night, reports the Regional Military Administration head, Oleksandr Koval.
Photo: Consequences of the Russian attack
"A difficult night for the Rivne region, and, in particular, for Rivne. Unfortunately, there has been damage to civilian infrastructure, including residential buildings. Details to follow," the statement reads.
Seven people were injured in Rivne; none have been hospitalized so far.
Ternopil region
Overnight, Russia attacked the city of Chortkiv in the south of the region. A strike hit an industrial facility. The city was attacked twice, reports the head of the Regional Military Administration, Taras Pastukh.
"As a result of the nighttime attack on the Ternopil region on October 16, facilities at a manufacturing plant in the city of Chortkiv were damaged.
The fire covered an area of 15 square meters. State Emergency Service personnel worked at the scene, and the fire has now been extinguished," he says.
Chortkiv mayor Volodymyr Shmatko says that as a result of the Russian nighttime attack, a foreign-owned enterprise that had been operating for over 10 years was destroyed.
In the Ivano-Frankivsk region and Ivano-Frankivsk itself, explosions were heard during the air raid alert. No reports on the consequences of the Russian attacks have been revealed yet.
Explosions were also heard overnight in the Khmelnytskyi and Vinnytsia regions.
Poland has responded to the Russian attacks on the western regions of Ukraine. The country scrambled its air force in response to Russian strikes on western Ukraine.
Due to the Russian attack, the Polish Armed Forces Operational Command has deployed the necessary forces and resources, according to a statement. Ground-based air defense systems and radar reconnaissance have been placed on alert.
There are also consequences of the Russian strikes in the Khmelnytskyi region.
"As a result of the Russian attack in the Kamianets-Podilskyi district, residential buildings were damaged. A fire broke out in the summer kitchen of one of them. Rescue workers extinguished the blaze. In total, 10 residential buildings were damaged: ceilings, fences, and doors were damaged, and windows were shattered. Fortunately, there were no casualties," says Serhii Tiurin, head of the regional military administration.
In Uman, a high-rise building caught fire last night due to a Russian drone attack. Five people were injured.
In Kyiv, emergency power outages were implemented due to Russian attacks on the power grid.
