Police in a Kyiv park gather around the wreckage of a Russian drone—part of a new wave of attacks that hit Ukraine Wednesday. It’s not entirely clear what happened here. This drone crashed into a children’s playground. And somehow, it failed to explode. The neighbors consider themselves lucky...
GENADIY, LOCAL RESIDENT:
"I live here, 200 meters from here. It wasn’t just me who was lucky, but all the people who live here. If it hadn’t crashed here but had hit a house, I don’t know what would have happened."
...And lucky they are. The wave of attacks killed seven around Ukraine. Among them, a young child, found in the rubble of this building. As such scenes continue, an end to this five-year war is hard to imagine. Russia is making a point of targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. Now, as the first frosts arrive, Ukrainians prepare for another harsh winter.
On the Russian side, the Kremlin has increased its political control following the country’s first wartime parliamentary elections, where the main party won more than three-quarters of the seats. And Russia is starting to threaten not just Ukraine, but its European backers.
MARIA ZAKHAROVA, RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESPERSON:
"Factories in European countries that produce arms for Ukraine are potential military targets for Russia, and one should not assume that military factories outside Ukrainian territory which produce weapons for the Kyiv regime will be safe. Anyone who thinks so is mistaken."
Meanwhile, somewhere near the frontlines, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is visiting the troops on the eve of an important occasion. October first is Ukraine’s Day of Defenders—a day to honor members of its armed forces.
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT:
"How many of these costly kilometers of our land have been restored by your efforts and those of your comrades-in-arms. Take care of your soldiers, and of yourselves. Glory to Ukraine!"
In Kyiv, people on the streets are preparing for the winter months ahead...
IVAN DENYLEVYCH, STUDENT:
"I'm stocking up on supplies, mainly grains, and water as well. Because I already know that in some parts of Kyiv, there's no water. So I have a certain minimal emergency reserve, just in case. And I also bought myself a gas stove."
And some are simply resigned to the idea that hard times aren’t ending soon.
KATERYNA IVASHCHENKO, RESIDENT:
"We've already lived through winters here. We already know what winters are like here. So, well, there's no point in getting ready."
On both sides, the death toll climbs. And as long-range strikes grow more common...the idea of peace is as distant as ever.
Leon Lien and John Van Trieste for TaiwanPlus.
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