News And Information From Ukraine

Ukrainian rescuers carry the body of a victim at the site of a Russian air strike in Kharkiv on October 5, 2026. Photo by SERGEY BOBOK / AFP via Getty Images

AFP via Getty Images

Dispatches from Ukraine. Day 1685.

Russia’s attacks on Ukraine. Russian attacks have killed at least 26 Ukrainian civilians and injured close to 250 others since Oct. 1, with most of the deaths concentrated in the northeastern Kharkiv and Sumy regions, where 17 people were killed.

Kharkiv. On Monday, Russian glide bombs struck residential areas of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, killing five people and injuring 53. Oleh Syniehubov, governor of the Kharkiv region, said three bombs hit different parts of the city, damaging dozens of residential buildings and a civilian business. Thirty of the injured were hospitalized, three in serious condition. Three children were among the wounded. The strikes shattered apartment facades, balconies and windows, while rescue crews searched damaged buildings and pulled bodies from the rubble.

Kyiv. Russia has begun targeting Kyiv’s bridges across the Dnipro River, disrupting some of the capital’s most important transportation links. Russian drones first struck the Southern Bridge on Oct. 1, targeting one of Kyiv’s bridges for the first time since the start of the full-scale invasion. Repeated strikes damaged a bridge support, road surface, and protective concrete structures, forcing authorities to restrict or suspend traffic. Russia subsequently targeted other crossings, including the Northern Bridge, causing further closures and severe traffic congestion across the capital. Ukrainian defense analysts say the drones are unlikely to destroy the massive structures, but they can damage them enough to disrupt traffic repeatedly.

Attack on a Turkish ship. Two Russian drones struck a Turkish-owned civilian cargo vessel, Royad Mammadov, carrying Ukrainian corn to Italy in the neutral waters of the Black Sea on Monday, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Two crew members were killed, and 11 were rescued after it caught fire and sank in Romania’s exclusive economic zone, about 30 nautical miles south of Sfântu Gheorghe, Romanian authorities said. The vessel had departed the Ukrainian port of Izmail and was headed to Italy. Its crew included Azerbaijani and Indian nationals. Russia did not immediately comment on the incident.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz arrived in Kyiv on Oct. 4 on an unannounced visit and announced more than €1.3 billion ($1.5 billion) in new aid for Ukraine. The package includes €1 billion in military assistance, including air defense and drone capabilities, and €350 million to help repair and protect Ukraine’s energy infrastructure ahead of winter.