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Kyiv's power grid under fire, 18 October 2022
Summary
A retrospective on a day of missile strikes on Ukrainian energy and water systems, alongside news of Iranian arms for Russia.
What did a day of strikes on infrastructure reveal about the direction of the war? On 18 October 2022, Russian missiles killed three people in Kyiv and destroyed critical infrastructure there, causing fires, explosions and power outages. Several other Ukrainian cities were also hit in attacks that targeted water supplies and energy facilities, and power outages were reported in 1,162 towns and villages.
A pattern of attacks
The strikes followed those of 17 October 2022, when Russian forces used HESA Shahed 136 suicide drones against the Shevchenkivskyi District of Kyiv and an energy facility in Sumy, killing eight people. Taken together, the two days showed attacks on energy and water systems, not only on the front line.
Iran and the supply of weapons
Also on 18 October 2022, Iran agreed to provide Russia with medium-range missiles, surface-to-surface missiles and combat drones for the war in Ukraine, as reported at the time. The drones were already in use in the previous day's attacks.
Support for Ukraine
On 17 October 2022, the European Union established EUMAM Ukraine, a special military mission to train the Ukrainian Armed Forces in EU member states.
Nuclear plant and political signals
On 18 October 2022, Ukraine accused Russia of kidnapping two senior employees of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. The same day, the Verkhovna Rada passed a resolution recognising Chechnya as "temporarily occupied" by Russia and condemning war crimes committed by Russia during the First and Second Chechen Wars.
On 16 October 2022, authorities of the Donetsk People's Republic said a Ukrainian rocket attack had hit the office of the pro-Russian mayor of Donetsk, with no casualties reported.
