New Russian Drone Wave Targets Kyiv and Western Ukraine After Deadly Strikes on Putin’s Birthday

Russian forces sent another wave of jet-powered attack drones toward Kyiv and several Ukrainian regions in the early hours of Thursday, Oct. 8, triggering fresh air raid alerts just hours after deadly Russian strikes killed 28 people across Ukraine, including five children. Ukraine’s Air Force warned at approximately 12:55 a.m. that Russian jet-powered drones were approaching Kyiv, including the capital’s northeastern Troieshchyna neighborhood.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. Additional Russian drones were tracked toward Brovary, Vasylkiv and Fastiv in Kyiv region, while other threats emerged across northern and western Ukraine. Kyiv’s Military Administration issued repeated air raid warnings as the drone threat continued overnight. The administration reported an all-clear at approximately 1:24 a.m. Thursday. Russian drones threaten Lutsk and northern Ukraine The overnight drone threat extended far beyond the Ukrainian capital. In western Ukraine, the Air Force warned that a Russian jet-powered drone was approaching Lutsk in Volyn region before reporting that it was directly over the city. Volyn regional authorities also issued an air raid warning for Lutsk district shortly after midnight as the threat developed. Further drones were reported heading toward Ovruch in Zhytomyr region and Desna in Chernihiv region, while another was tracked through the Chornobyl exclusion zone toward Zhytomyr region. Russian drone movements were also reported in the direction of Rivne region. Other Topics of Interest ‘War Is His Nature’: Zelensky Says Putin’s Birthday ‘Gift’ Killed 28 Ukrainians Russia’s large-scale missile and drone attacks killed 28 people across Ukraine, including five children in Pryluky – three of them just one year old. Meanwhile, Russian tactical aviation threatened Zaporizhzhia and surrounding areas with guided aerial bombs, prompting additional Air Force warnings. The alerts indicated continuing Russian aerial activity across multiple regions, although Ukrainian authorities had not confirmed new impacts or casualties linked specifically to Thursday’s early-hours drone wave. Five children among 28 killed in Wednesday’s attacks The latest threats came just hours after Russia carried out deadly missile and drone strikes across Ukraine on Wednesday, Oct. 7. Interior Minister Ivan Vyhivskyi reported that 28 people were killed nationwide, including five children. The deadliest attack struck Pryluky in Chernihiv region, where a Russian missile hit a residential apartment building, killing 20 people, including five children. Three of the children were just one year old. The strike destroyed part of the building, leaving rescuers searching through the wreckage for survivors. In Kyiv, Russian attacks also killed two people and injured residents, including children, as drones struck apartment buildings and sparked fires in residential neighborhoods. In Desnianskyi district, four people, including two children, were injured when a drone struck a 12-story residential building. Emergency crews rescued 22 residents, eight of them children. In Solomianskyi district, another drone attack set a five-story apartment building ablaze, injuring eight residents. The renewed drone threats in the early hours of Thursday followed a devastating day of Russian strikes that destroyed Ukrainian homes and killed entire families. The attacks unfolded on Oct. 7 – Vladimir Putin’s 74th birthday – leaving 28 Ukrainians dead, including five children. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 90% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.