KYIV -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy used his nightly video address to criticize the lack of international response as western Ukraine and other areas attempted to recover following a series of Russian aerial strikes that killed at least five people.
"And unfortunately, there has been no worthy and strong response from the world to everything that is happening -- to the constantly growing scale and audacity of strikes," Zelenskyy said.
"That is exactly why [Russian President Vladimir] Putin does this -- he simply mocks the West, its silence, and the lack of strong actions in response."
Zelenskyy complained that "every" missile and drone launched by the Kremlin "contains parts that are still being supplied to Russia" from the West and other countries, citing companies from United States, China, Taiwan, Britain, Germany, Switzerland, Japan, South Korea, and the Netherlands.
"All of this must be stopped," he added.
Russia's latest strikes in the Lviv region, far away from the front lines and near the Polish border, earlier on October 5 prompted Poland and NATO allies to mobilize fighter planes and put ground forces on high alert.
"Polish and allied aircraft are operating in our airspace, while ground-based air defense and radar reconnaissance systems have been brought to the highest state of readiness," Poland's operational command said in a social media post.
Poland described the measures as “preventative” actions that were aimed at “securing the airspace and protecting citizens, especially in areas adjacent to the threatened region.”
The move comes nearly a month after a swarm of Russian drones flew into Poland's airspace, forcing NATO aircraft to scramble to intercept them and shoot down some of the devices.
The September 10 incident was the first direct encounter between NATO and Russia since the Kremlin launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Zelenskyy said on October 5 that at least five people were killed, and 10 others were wounded in a “combined Russian attack,” which involved “more than 50 missiles and about 500 drones.” The strikes cut off electricity for tens of thousands of people and damaged buildings and infrastructure.
“Today, the Russians again hit our infrastructure, everything that ensures a normal life for people,” Zelenskyy said in a Telegram post.
Zelenskyy reiterated Kyiv’s calls for more support from its Western allies as Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine nears the four-year mark and US efforts in recent months to broker a peace deal have made little progress.
“We need more protection, faster implementation of all defense agreements, especially regarding air defense, to make this aerial terror meaningless. A unilateral cease-fire in the sky is possible, and it can open the way to real diplomacy,” Zelenskyy said.
He added that the United States and the European Union “must act to force Putin to stop.”
Ukraine’s air force said that the entire country was put under air raid alerts for several hours, with the most dire warnings of missile and drone strikes issued for the western Lviv region. Local authorities said at least two people were killed in the strikes which also left some areas without electricity.
Andriy Sadoviy, the mayor of the provincial capital, Lviv, said the city's air defense systems were heavily engaged in repelling Russian drone and missile attacks. The city is located about 70 kilometers from the border with Poland.
The mayor said on Telegram that, as of 7:30 a.m. local time, some parts of the city were left without power and that public transport was yet to start running. Sadoviy warned residents that it was "dangerous to go out into the streets."
In the city of Zaporizhzhya, the capital of the southwestern Zaporizhzhya region, provincial Governor Ivan Fedorov said on Telegram that a Russian "combined strike" had killed a woman and wounded nine other people.
"Apartment blocks and private houses were damaged, cars burned. Windows were blown out, yards wrecked,” Fedorov said.
The governor also shared photos-– which he said were from the site of the attack -- showing a partly destroyed building and a burnt-out vehicle.
More than 73,000 customers in Zaporizhzhya were left without electricity in the aftermath of the latest Russian strikes, the governor added.
The Russian-held Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant, located some 55 kilometers southwest of the city of Zaporizhzhya has been cut off from external power since September 23.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas condemned the strikes, saying that Russia “is masking its failed summer offensive with terror attacks on Ukrainian civilians and infrastructure.”
Kallas vowed that the EU will continue “supporting Ukraine as long as needed: finalizing the next sanctions package, ensuring financing, providing weapons.”
“Russia will not stop until forced to,” Kallas said in a social media post on October 5.
Late on October 5, Russian forces attacked Kharkiv with a massive drone strike, according to the mayor of the city, Ihor Terekhov. Details of possible injuries and damages were not immediately available.
Meanwhile, local telegram channels in Russia's Belgorod region near the border reported power outages following a Ukrainian attack on the Luch substation. Outages in the region have become a regular occurrence in recent months following suspected Ukrainian strikes.
Regional Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov, said in a post on Telegram that "there is damage to the energy sector. Emergency crews have gone to the scene."
Separately, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on Telegram that Russian air-defense units destroyed a drone heading for the capital and that emergency crews were sent to the site of falling debris.
Putin Warns Against Tomahawk Deliveries
Putin said relations between Moscow and Washington would be damaged if the United States supplied long-range Tomahawk missiles to Kyiv, enabling it to strike deep into Russia.
"This will lead to the destruction of our relations, or at least the positive trends that have emerged in these relations," Putin said in a video clip aired by Russian state television on October 5.
US Vice President JD Vance said in September that Washington was considering a request by Ukraine to obtain Tomahawks, although it is not known if a final decision has been made.
Tomahawks, which have a range of 2,500 kilometers, would make it possible for Ukraine to reach all of European Russia, including Moscow, if Kyiv got the missiles.
