76 attacks in a week: Russia strikes energy infrastructure despite the announced ceasefire

One week after the US president announced an energy truce, Russian forces carried out 76 attacks on Ukraine’s energy and oil and gas infrastructure. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported these figures on Sunday, October 18. According to him, despite the US initiative, Russia continues its deliberate strikes on facilities that supply Ukrainians with electricity.

Last night, Russian forces attacked substations in four regions:

• Vinnytsia region;
• Zhytomyr region;
• Khmelnytskyi region;
• Odesa region.

Following the shelling, tens of thousands of households remain without electricity. Energy workers and emergency repair crews are working around the clock to restore damaged equipment and bring power back to residents.

The overnight strikes also hit residential buildings in various regions of Ukraine. As of this morning, two people had been killed and 12 injured, including two children. The president offered his condolences to the families of those killed.

This morning, Russian forces also struck an agricultural enterprise in Volyn region. The relevant services are working at the site.

According to the head of state, the overall scale of the aerial attacks during this period was:

• nearly 2,700 attack drones;
• 1,700 guided aerial bombs;
• 66 missiles, most of them ballistic.

“The main targets of these strikes are precisely energy facilities; the Russians are trying to cause a blackout,” said Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The president urged the United States to take Russia’s actions into account when making further decisions on sanctions and possible agreements.

“And America must see that Russia is not taking steps toward peace in response to sanctions being lifted or agreements. On the contrary, they see every signal of an opportunity to make money as proof that their bet on war is working and that they can keep fighting,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted.

The president believes that achieving peace requires increasing pressure specifically on Russia. He attributes the continuation of the war to the position of the Russian leadership, not to the actions of Ukraine, which is defending itself against aggression.

We previously reported:

• Darkness for the sake of capitulation: Russia plans to intensify strikes on energy infrastructure
• EU prepares new sanctions against Russia over strikes on energy infrastructure
• 39 ballistic missiles and more than 120 drones: Russia openly disregarded Trump’s “truce”
• Russia did not attack energy infrastructure for the first time after Trump’s statement, but struck transport facilities
• Russia struck a thermal power plant in Kharkiv after Trump’s statement on an energy truce