Russian air strikes hit civilian infrastructure in Ukraine’s Odesa region, causing a massive fire and injuring one person, while other parts of the country saw emergency power cuts.
Regional military administration head Oleh Kiper said on October 13 that defense systems managed to down some incoming Russian drones, but some managed to get through and hit "civilian facilities."
"A massive fire broke out over an area of more than 5,000 square meters, engulfing several warehouse buildings storing fabrics, clothing, and packaging materials. According to preliminary reports, one person was injured," Kiper wrote on Telegram.
State utility Ukrenergo said some industrial consumers were subject emergency power cuts early on October 13 in the regions of Kharkiv, Sumy, Poltava, Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhya, and Kirovohrad.
"Due to the complicated situation in Ukraine's Unified Energy System caused by previous Russian strikes, emergency power outages were implemented" across seven regions, the Energy Ministry said on social media, listing territories mainly in the east and center of the country.
At least three people were killed following drone strikes on Zaporizhzhya and Chernihiv, Ukraine's emergency services said.
The statement added that in Zaporizhzhya, the bodies of a married couple were recovered from a destroyed car that had been targeted by a drone.
Meanwhile, a fuel depot in Russian-occupied Feodosia, Crimea, was attacked by Ukrainian drones overnight.
Sergei Aksyonov, the Russian-backed head of Crimea, which Moscow illegally annexed from Ukraine in 2014, confirmed the strike and reported no casualties as over 20 drones were allegedly shot down.
Several Telegram channels, citing subscribers, reported that the strike caused a massive fire visible from dozens of kilometers away and shared photos and videos showing the large blaze.
A source in Ukraine's intelligence service (SBU) confirmed to RFE/RL that drones launched by the service and special military forces hit at least five reservoirs at the facility, sparking the blaze.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy over the weekend renewed calls on the international community to put more pressure on Moscow after Russia carried out a new wave of attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure.
Zelenskyy on October 12 said Russia had intensified its "aerial terror against our cities and communities, intensifying strikes on our energy infrastructure."
In the past week alone, Moscow had used more than 3,100 drones, 92 missiles, and about 1,360 glide bombs to attack Ukraine, Zelenskyy wrote on the social media platform X.
European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas arrived in Kyiv on October 13 for high-level discussions focused on financial and military support for Ukraine.
"Ukrainians inspire the world with their courage," Kallas said in a message posted on X. "I am in Kyiv today for talks on financial and military support, the security of Ukraine’s energy sector, and holding Russia accountable for its war crimes."
Kallas also said that Russia was "gambling with war" after a spate of Russian drones and military jets crossed into the EU and NATO airspace.
"Every time a Russian drone or plane violates our airspace, there is a risk of escalation, unintended or not. Russia is gambling with war," she said during the visit to Kyiv, calling on Europe to beef up its defense capabilities.
