Russia carried out a massive attack early this morning targeting gas infrastructures in various regions of Ukraine. Poltava bore the brunt of these attacks, as did Odesa, where thousands of people were left without electricity. Ukrainian authorities also reported emergency power outages in the regions of Kiev and Dnipropetrovsk as a result of the attack.
The gas infrastructures in Poltava and other Ukrainian regions have been targeted by several Russian attacks this fall, leading Ukraine to increase its gas imports for the winter. The Ukrainian Ministry of Energy confirmed that Russia bombed energy facilities in several Ukrainian regions again this morning in an attack described as "massive" by the Minister of Energy, Svitlana Grinchuk.
In the capital, at least three people, including a child, have been killed in Russian bombings. The attack caused a fire on the eighth and ninth floors of a residential building and damaged other residential infrastructures in the Dnipro district of the Ukrainian capital. According to initial reports, the Russian bombardment also caused damage to civilian infrastructures in the districts of Pechersk, Darnitsia, and Solomianski.
Slovakia Would Support a New EU Sanctions Package Against Russia if Its Conditions Are Met
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico stated on Wednesday that his government will likely support the 19th EU sanctions package against Russia, provided that its demands are reflected in the conclusions of the upcoming EU leaders' summit this week, Reuters reports.
Fico, who spoke before a parliamentary committee ahead of the summit, indicated plans to meet with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz to discuss the matter.
"If we see that the conclusions we have pushed for are included, I will review them again tonight and will probably tell Chancellor Merz that we agree with the 19th package," the Slovak leader affirmed.
Orban Confirms Preparations Continue for a Trump-Putin Summit in Budapest
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban stated on Wednesday that preparations are ongoing for a potential summit between former U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Budapest, despite the meeting being put on hold the previous day, Reuters reports.
The postponement came after Moscow rejected an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine, complicating peace negotiation efforts.
"Foreign Minister (Peter) Szijjarto is in Washington. Preparations for the peace summit are ongoing. The date is not yet defined. When the time comes, we will hold it," Orban wrote on his Facebook account.
Russia Shoots Down 33 Ukrainian Drones Over Eight of Its Regions and Annexed Crimea
Russian anti-aircraft defenses shot down 33 Ukrainian fixed-wing drones last night over eight regions of the country and the annexed Crimean peninsula, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported on its Telegram channel on Tuesday.
According to the military report, eight of the downed aircraft were intercepted and destroyed over the territory of the Bryansk region.
The Russian military command stated that three drones were shot down over Crimea and seven others over the waters of the Black and Azov Seas, which border the peninsula annexed by Moscow in 2014.
Russia Attacked Ten Ukrainian Regions Last Night, Killing Six Civilians
Russia attacked Kiev and nine other Ukrainian regions last night in another massive missile and drone bombardment targeting Ukraine's energy infrastructures, resulting in six deaths and 17 injuries under Russian fire in the past hours, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky, as reported by Efe.
"Normal cities have been attacked, especially our energy infrastructure, but many residential buildings have also been hit," Zelensky wrote on his X account.
The targeted regions include Kiev and Chernihiv (north), Dnipro, Kirovohrad, Poltava, Cherkasy, and Vinnytsia (central), Sumy (northeast), Zaporizhia (southeast), and Odesa (south).
Ukraine Claims Attack with Storm Shadow Missiles on a Chemical Plant in Russia
The Ukrainian General Staff has claimed responsibility for a combined attack carried out on Tuesday, using, among other weapons, British Storm Shadow missiles, against a chemical plant located in the Russian region of Bryansk that produces gunpowder, explosives, and fuel for some of the missiles used by Russia to attack Ukraine, Efe reports.
"The Bryansk Chemical Plant is a key infrastructure of the aggressor's military-industrial complex," reads the statement published on X by the General Staff.
The UK authorized Ukraine last year to use the Storm Shadow missiles it had provided against certain targets located in Russian regions near Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy will visit Sweden on Wednesday for discussions focused on defense with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, the Swedish government announced in a statement, Reuters reports.
The meeting will take place in the city of Linköping, where both leaders will hold a joint press conference to present updates related to defense exports.
"In connection with the meeting, the leaders will also visit a company," the official statement added, without specifying the company's name.
Ukrainian Mass Attack in the Russian Region of Mordovia
A massive drone attack by Ukrainians hit an industrial facility in the Russian region of Mordovia on Wednesday, causing material damage, regional governor Artyom Zdunov announced in a Telegram statement, Reuters reports.
While Zdunov did not specify the name of the affected company, he confirmed that emergency services responded to the scene after the impact. No casualties have been reported so far.
The attack represents a new Ukrainian aerial incursion into Russian territory amid the ongoing conflict, adding to a series of similar actions targeting strategic infrastructures away from the front line.