Bright Man

The Russians carried out a complex, massive attack overnight, aimed primarily at our critical infrastructure. And the main target was energy – power generation facilities and substations – in the Odesa, Cherkasy, Zhytomyr, Vinnytsia, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Chernivtsi, Chernihiv, and Rivne regions. In many cities and communities, emergency and unscheduled power outages are ongoing. In Kharkiv, the Russians directly struck a city clinical hospital. Seventy-three people were injured, and the cardiology department, where people were receiving treatment, was damaged. A rescue operation has also been underway since yesterday in Komyshuvakha, in the Zaporizhzhia region. Tragically, the death toll has risen. Russia has killed 29 people. My condolences to their families and loved ones. Five people were injured. There are still people under the rubble. Rescue operations continue as far as the security situation allows – there is a threat of Russian double-tap strikes, as they always so wickedly do. Overnight alone, the Russians launched 289 attack drones, 17 ballistic missiles, and 59 cruise missiles. And even now, the air raid alert continues, and there is a threat of new Russian missile and drone attacks. It is very telling that all of this is happening on the day of the U.S. congressional elections. The Russians believe that America will not notice this signal from them. But such terror must be noticed and stopped. Ukraine must be helped to defend its skies, otherwise Russia will never stop its missile strikes. It is essential to help build peace honestly and reliably, and America can do that. Thank you to everyone who will not remain silent about this Russian attack. Thank you to everyone who supports the defense of Ukraine.

A humanitarian operation to rescue people in Oleshky, in the Kherson region, has taken place. A ceasefire was established in the Kherson sector, during which roads to Oleshky were cleared of mines and humanitarian aid was delivered. We hope humanitarian access to Oleshky will remain open. Also, people who needed evacuation have been taken out of the city and the surrounding community. As of now, Ukrainian citizens from Oleshky have crossed the Ukrainian border in the Chernihiv region. All of them will receive the assistance they need. It is important that government agencies and all the regional and local authorities involved work effectively and help our people adapt. I thank the American side and U.S. First Lady Melania Trump for their mediation. I am proud of our Defense Forces of Ukraine, who defend our country and honorably ensured the security conditions for this humanitarian operation. I thank Ukraine’s Human Rights Ombudsman, Dmytro Lubinets, and his team for carrying out this mission. And I thank everyone around the world – every journalist, every political and civic leader, and every concerned person – who helped draw global attention to the situation in Oleshky and the true humanitarian catastrophe in Ukrainian territory temporarily occupied by Russia. When the world pays attention, people are rescued. Further steps toward de-escalation and real progress toward peace are also needed. Glory to Ukraine!

Every day Russian strikes hit our energy infrastructure, causing extensive damage. Russia’s operation against our power generation, energy grids and interconnectors continues. It launched 17 ballistic missiles last night, some of which struck our oil refining infrastructure in Kremenchuk. The Russians have not taken a single step toward energy de-escalation. We will act accordingly and justly.