On Monday, the European Commission released €1.24 billion in new funds for Ukraine’s air‑defence, earmarked for drones, interceptors and missiles, as EU President Ursula von der Leyen condemned Russia as pursuing a deliberate strategy of terror.
Russian missiles and drones struck Kyiv and a dozen other regions overnight, killing 19 civilians — among them four children — and injuring roughly 60, officials said. The strike on the apartment block in Pryluky, Chernihiv, killed 13 people, including four children, and left about 50 wounded, Interior Minister Ihor Vyhivskyi confirmed.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had warned a day earlier that intelligence indicated Russia was preparing a massive strike. The Kremlin’s Defence Ministry claimed the overnight attack targeted Ukrainian facilities involved in missile and drone production, as well as port and ship‑repair sites in Odesa.
Ukraine is urgently seeking Patriot missile batteries, but their supply is strained by the Iran‑Russia conflict. Zelenskyy said ballistic missiles remain the biggest air‑defence challenge and that new air‑defence packages are a vital necessity.
Meanwhile, EU envoys are set to approve about 1,650 new sanctions designations targeting Russia’s military‑industrial complex. The listings, once green‑lit by ambassadors, will be forwarded to EU foreign ministers next Monday for final adoption.
The disbursement is part of the €90 billion loan facility promised by the EU and will be followed by the sanctions on 2 November.