Strike on Kharkiv kills and injures civilians, hits kindergarten; drone knocks out power facility in Bukovyna

Three strikes on Novobavarskyi district

On the evening of 26 October Russian forces carried out three strikes on Kharkiv’s Novobavarskyi district. Mayor Ihor Terekhov said on Telegram that at first one injured person and a large fire at one site were reported, and later that there were dead and wounded.

Oleh Syniehubov, head of the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration, said the injured include two men aged 61 and 77, a 60-year-old woman and a 17-year-old girl. All are receiving medical care.

According to Novyny.LIVE, citing Bohdan Hladkykh, head of the city council’s emergencies department, a man and a woman were killed near a private house. As of the morning, official sources had not given a final death toll in public statements.

Damage

According to Syniehubov, ten garages, four private houses, four apartment buildings and a kindergarten were damaged. A fire involving two cars and a non-residential building was extinguished, and clean-up continues.

Novyny.LIVE, citing the State Emergency Service, reports that buildings of private companies and the premises of a civilian enterprise were also hit. Explosives experts are establishing the type of missiles used.

Kharkiv under constant fire

This is not an isolated case. According to Terekhov, Russian forces shelled the city 36 times between 19 and 25 October: three people were killed and 28 injured, including three children. One of the most serious consequences of the week was the destruction of a hypermarket.

Nor was the 26 October strike the only one in the region that day: in the morning a Russian drone attacked the village of Shevchenkove in Kharkiv region, killing a 74-year-old woman. Ukrinform also notes that the death toll from the 19 October attack on Nova Vodolaha has risen.

Overall, according to Novyny.LIVE, six people were injured in Kharkiv region over the previous day, including a 14-year-old boy, and strikes damaged homes, businesses, cars and infrastructure. In Derhachi, a warehouse of about 200 square metres caught fire after being hit by a jet-powered Geran-3 drone. Jet drones, which fly much faster than ordinary Shaheds, are becoming an increasingly visible threat to front-line and rear cities alike.

Bukovyna: a hit on energy

The same evening Chernivtsi region came under attack. “On the evening of 26 October Bukovyna was attacked by a jet-powered strike drone. Debris from the drone damaged one of the region’s power facilities, leading to a forced power outage,” said Ruslan Osypenko, head of the regional military administration. He said there were no deaths or injuries, all emergency services were on site and repairs had begun.

Chernivtsioblenergo warned that the grid damage could lead to “significant emergency power outages” and said repair crews were working around the clock. Chernivtsi’s water utility said water was being supplied at reduced pressure because of the outage and the situation was under control.

Energy in the crosshairs

According to Ukrinform, as of the morning of 26 October consumers in six regions were without power because of Russian attacks. Bukovyna has long been regarded as a relatively calm rear region, but strikes on its energy system show Russia widening the geography of its attacks ahead of the heating season.

Residents of affected communities are advised to follow outage schedule updates from their regional power companies, keep a supply of water and have power banks charged.