Last Monday, a daytime attack damaged civilian buildings and wounded more than 100 people across the country. A drone exploded into the National Academy of Sciences in the heart of Kyiv; hours later, a second drone damaged a private medical clinic just blocks away. In Dnipro, emergency crews rushed to evacuate wounded civilians from a business center also hit in broad daylight. Just two days later seven people were killed in more strikes.
The latest strikes, that continued over this past weekend, targeted Ukraine’s utilities infrastructure as well as transportation routes. Drones hit one of Kyiv's main bridges, bringing public transport to a halt and setting fire to a metro train that was travelling across. Emergency power cuts have been imposed in Kyiv even as temperatures fell below freezing overnight.
The round-the-clock aerial bombardment with high-speed, jet-powered attack drones and long-range missiles appear to be an effort to systematically dismantle Ukraine's critical civilian infrastructure just before winter, exacerbating fears of another very difficult and very dangerous season. Included among the damage is a communication center in Kyiv, as well as energy system facilities and the port infrastructure in southwestern Odessa.
Our staff and volunteers are working long hours to respond to immediate needs as well as prepare for the winter. Over the past few months, requests for aid such as food and medicine have increased substantially; at the same time we are responding to many requests from local communities to help ensure they have sufficient generator capacity to survive the winter.
Together we save lives and restore hope.
