Russian shelling attacks target critical infrastructure in Kyiv and beyond

On the morning of October 31, Ukrainian authorities declared an air raid alert throughout the entire country. Ukrainian news outlets have reported explosions in the Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kirovohrad regions, among others.

Air defense systems were activated in the Kyiv, Poltava, and Vinnytsia regions. Local authorities reported strikes on critical infrastructure targets in the Zaporizhzhia and Cherkasy regions as well as in Kyiv and Kharkiv.

As a result of the strikes, part of Kyiv has lost power, and several of the city’s districts currently have no running water, according to the city’s mayor, Vitaly Klitschko. A journalist from the BBC reported that electricity and cell service were cut off in Kyiv after “many explosions” were heard. In Kharkiv, metro service has been suspended.

In addition, multiple lines of Ukraine’s railroad service lost power after energy infrastructure targets were shelled. Diesel locomotives have been brought out to replace the electric ones.

Commenting on the shelling, Ukrainian Presidential Chief of Staff Andriy Yermak said that Russian forces “continue to wage war against peaceful facilities.” “We’ll withstand it, and their shame will be very costly for entire generations of Russians. We continue to work both on the home front and on the battlefield,” he added.

The Russian Defense Ministry has not commented on the shelling.