Ukrainian emergency crews are working to restore power in the northern regions of the country after continued Russian drone and rocket attacks on critical civilian infrastructure. Meanwhile, the strategic Pokrovsk region remains under intense pressure from Russian forces.

On October 2, Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko reported on Telegram that electricity had been restored in the Sumy region near the Russian border following overnight attacks. “The enemy continues to purposefully hit the energy infrastructure. We are working to protect the system from new threats,” she wrote. Efforts are also ongoing in the Chernihiv region to restore power after Russian shelling on October 1 left an estimated 300,000 people without electricity.

According to Ukraine’s General Staff, at least 133 combat clashes occurred along the front lines during October 2, with much of the fighting centered around the embattled city of Pokrovsk. Once home to over 60,000 inhabitants, the population has dwindled to approximately 7,000 due to the conflict. Pokrovsk holds key road and rail junctions and has been threatened with encirclement by Russian forces for much of the year.

“In the Pokrovsk direction, the invading units tried 36 times to break through our defenses,” the General Staff reported. Over the course of the day, Russian forces launched 47 air strikes and dropped 115 guided aerial bombs, alongside hundreds of kamikaze drones.

Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed that Russian troops had entered Pokrovsk; however, Ukrainian officials denied this, asserting that Russian forces continue to suffer heavy losses. Ukrainian military spokesman Maksym Bakulin said that relentless Russian raids to seize Pokrovsk have been hindered by poor weather and strong Ukrainian resistance.

Speaking in Sochi, Putin condemned Western involvement in Ukraine and issued a stern warning against the United States sending long-range Tomahawk missiles to Kyiv. “Using Tomahawks without the direct participation of American military personnel is impossible. This would mark a completely new, qualitatively new stage of escalation, including in relations between Russia and the United States,” Putin stated.

Shortly after Putin’s speech, drone alarms were sounded in Sochi, the Black Sea resort city, though it was unclear if Putin was present during the alert or if any drones had struck the area.

On the diplomatic front, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has requested that the U.S. sell Tomahawk missiles to European countries, which would then transfer them to Ukraine. Zelenskiy also revealed that former U.S. President Donald Trump supported retaliatory strikes on Russian energy infrastructure in response to attacks on Ukraine’s energy systems. In an interview with Axios released on September 25, Zelenskiy said, “If they attack our energy, President Trump supports that we can answer on energy.” He added that Trump had also approved retaliatory strikes on Russian military factories, though he acknowledged these targets are harder to reach due to strong defenses.

On October 2, Zelenskiy urged European leaders to enhance their defense capabilities against Russian drones. Speaking to a security and defense summit in Copenhagen, he warned, “If the Russians dare to launch drones against Poland, or violate the airspace of northern European countries, it means this can happen anywhere. In Western Europe, in the south, we need fast and effective response and defense forces that know how to deal with drones.”

This summit followed recent drone sightings that led to the temporary closure of Copenhagen’s airport on September 22, as well as multiple incursions of Russian drones into the airspace of various European countries.

Also on October 2, Russia and Ukraine conducted another prisoner exchange, marking the latest in a series of such swaps. The Russian Defense Ministry announced on Telegram that 185 Russian servicemen had been returned and that 20 civilians were also released in the exchange.

President Zelenskiy confirmed the swap, posting images of released Ukrainians wrapped in national flags. “We are bringing home 185 of our defenders from Russian captivity. One hundred eighty-three are enlisted personnel and sergeants, and two are officers,” he said on X. He added that 20 civilians were also returning home.

— Reporting by Reuters
https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-tomahawk-putin-power-outages-war/33547434.html