Russian Attack Cuts Power, Water Across Ukraine’s West

Russian forces launched a missile and drone attack across western Ukraine overnight into Monday, Oct. 19, injuring two women in Rivne region, cutting power in several regions and damaging homes near Lviv, regional officials said.

The Air Force said Russia had launched ballistic and cruise missiles alongside 269 attack drones, including 59 jet-powered unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). By 9 a.m., Ukrainian air defenses had shot down or suppressed 247 targets, including four cruise missiles and 243 drones.

The Air Force reported strikes at 25 locations and debris from downed targets at eight locations. It said the attack was still underway, with several Russian drones in Ukrainian airspace.

Power outages across western regions

In the Volyn region, about 15 Russian attack drones, including jet-powered Shaheds, were directed at the region overnight and in the morning, the regional administration said. Kovel, Manevychi, and Lutsk were targeted most heavily. Direct hits and falling debris damaged critical and civilian infrastructure, while about 66,000 metering points were without electricity as of 9:30 a.m. No injuries or deaths were reported in Volyn.

“The air raid alert is still ongoing, so I urge everyone to remain in shelters,” the administration said in its update. It added that emergency services were working to address the damage when security conditions allowed.

Rivne region also reported power cuts, with the Rivne district most affected. Governor Oleksandr Koval said Russian forces had struck several civilian infrastructure sites and that two women were injured. “The new attacks are complicating energy workers’ efforts to restore power,” he said.

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In the Vinnytsia region, damage to energy infrastructure left parts of the region and the regional capital without electricity and water, Governor Natalia Zabolotna said. Services were working to restore supplies, according to the regional administration.

Zhytomyr region’s governor, Vitalii Bunechko, said energy facilities had come under attack for a second consecutive day. No deaths or injuries had been reported there, and emergency workers had extinguished fires at impact sites as crews worked to restore power.

Volyn Regional Military Administration later said Russian forces also targeted the Kivertsi and Prylisne communities on Monday, with no casualties reported. By the latest update, about 68,000 metering points remained without electricity. Since the start of the day, attacks on critical infrastructure had affected the Kovel, Manevychi, Prylisne, Kivertsi and Lutsk communities, while emergency crews worked to restore services.

Drone debris damages homes near Lviv

In the village of Zubra, air defenses shot down a Russian drone at about 8:50 a.m., and debris fell onto private property. Lviv Regional Military Administration chief Maksym Kozytskyi later updated the damage toll to 11 homes, a garage, and eight cars. No one was injured.

The administration’s initial report said six homes and six cars had been damaged as officials continued assessing the site.

The overnight attack came amid a wider Russian campaign against Ukraine’s energy system. The overnight attacks also hit Kyiv with ballistic missiles, killing a 21-year-old woman, and injuring eight. The strike damaged the above-ground section of the Chernihivska metro station and a railway station.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday, Oct. 18 that Russia had deliberately attacked Ukraine’s energy, oil, and gas sectors 76 times in the week since US President Donald Trump announced an energy ceasefire. Zelensky said the latest strikes before Monday’s attack had hit substations in Vinnytsia, Zhytomyr, Khmelnytskyi, and the Odesa regions.