“Every extra billion will be spent on this” — Zelensky warns as missiles hit kyiv after Russian sanctions eased

This is a developing story and is currently being updated.

Loud explosions took place in kyiv around 2 p.m. on October 10, according to Kyiv Independent journalists in the city, as Russia launched a series of missiles at the city following an early morning drone attack on energy infrastructure.

The missile attack on kyiv in the afternoon had injured at least seven people in the Obolon district in the north of the city by 5 p.m., Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram. Five were hospitalized, including three in serious condition.

“The consequences of allowing Russia to sell oil products were felt more clearly today in kyiv, when, following numerous Shahed jet drone attacks on energy facilities, a ballistic missile attack also began,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a message posted on Telegram following the attack.

President Donald Trump said Oct. 9 that he had agreed with Russian President Vladimir Putin to allow Russian diesel into global markets, a move that drew sharp criticism from Ukraine and its allies for easing sanctions against Moscow.

Instead of facing new sanctions for the ongoing invasion of Ukraine, “yesterday, unfortunately, completely different signals were sent to Russia – signals suggesting that new attacks are somehow authorized,” Zelensky said in his statement.

“Every additional billion dollars that Russia manages to earn through exports will be spent precisely for this purpose: finding and importing essential components, equipment for weapons production, modernizing Shahed drones, manufacturing missiles and recruiting additional mercenaries for the front,” he said.

According to the president, only “some missiles were intercepted,” implying that others may have hit targets.

During the missile attack, the Obolon district was hit, where missile debris fell on the grounds of a residential building, Klitschko reported in a statement published on his official Telegram channel.

A strike in the Obolon region caused a fire of more than 200 square meters, Pavlo Petrov, a spokesman for the state emergency services, told Ukrainian newspaper Novyny, adding that five people were injured in the area and were currently receiving medical assistance.

The location of the strike was a navigation station near the popular Natalka Park in the Obolon district, according to station director Valery Hudnik.

“Our boatman was covered by a wave of explosion. He was taken into the ambulance. I hope everything will be fine with him,” Hudnik told Novyny.

The fire was extinguished and rescue workers began dismantling and dousing the structures, Petrov said, adding that a single-story building and the courtyards of residential buildings in the area were also damaged during the strike.

An hour earlier, parts of kyiv were without power after Russian strikes damaged energy infrastructure on October 10, Klitschko said earlier. Journalists from kyiv Independent reported power outages in Pechersk and Borshchahivka districts around 12:50 p.m.

“Due to damage to a power plant in the kyiv region, the electricity supply situation in the capital has deteriorated. The city is also experiencing disruptions in water supply,” the mayor said.

Sudden voltage drops disrupted Kyiv Metro train services and the operation of escalators, the Kyiv city state administration said. By around 2:30 p.m., the metro had since resumed service with longer intervals between trains, the administration said.

The Bucha district of Kyiv Oblast also lost electricity, according to DTEK, Ukraine’s largest private energy company.

“Utility workers are already on the ground, working to restore power to all homes as quickly as possible,” DTEK said in a statement posted on social media.

The Russian attacks on October 8 plunged the capital into near-total darkness, causing chaos on public transport and depriving millions of people of water supplies.

Since October 1, Russia has intensified its attacks on Ukraine’s energy grid, causing emergency power outages and forcing the city to introduce blackout schedules.

“Russia’s choice is war,” the president wrote in his statement posted on Telegram.

“Strong signals are needed from the United States, Europe and other partners: signals of support for Ukraine and aimed at limiting Russia’s ability to wage war and terrorize the population.”