At least eight people were killed and several wounded in Russian strikes on the Ukrainian regions of Kherson, Zaporizhzhya, and Sumy on October 1 as the embattled country marked Defenders Day amid an increasingly difficult situation on the battlefield in the east, where Moscow's grinding offensive is making incremental progress.
"A Russian strike on Kherson, right in the city center. As of now, 6 deaths have been confirmed," President Volodymyr Zelenskiy wrote on X, adding that six more people were wounded.
The deaths occurred when Russian projectiles struck a marketplace in downtown Kherson, while the other six were wounded in a separate strike on a bus stop in the southern city, regional Governor Oleksandr Prokudin said on Telegram.
Kherson city was liberated by Ukrainian troops in November 2022, forcing Russian soldiers to retreat eastward across the Dnieper River. But Russia continued to pound Kherson on a regular basis from across the river, leaving numerous civilian casualties as well as damaging civilian and energy infrastructure.
In Zaporizhzhya, Russia attacked apartment buildings and infrastructure with glide bombs, killing one person and wounding six, regional Governor Ivan Fedorov said.
Meanwhile, Ukraine's Energy Ministry reported on October 1 that Russian troops attacked the main substation and cut off a power line to the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant -- Europe's largest -- which was on the verge of a blackout.
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In Sumy, a northeastern region that borders Russia, air strikes killed a woman and wounded two men in the Esman community, the regional prosecutor's office reported.
The governor of Ukraine's Donetsk region said late on October 1 that Russian troops had reached the center of Vuhledar, a strategically significant city because of its high ground and location near the junction of the two main fronts in eastern and southern Ukraine.
"The enemy is already nearly in the center of the city," Governor Vadym Filashkin told Ukrainian TV, describing the situation as very difficult.
Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspilne quoted two Ukrainian soldiers in the brigade defending Vuhledar as saying that while Russian forces were in control of most of the town, some parts remained under Ukrainian control and the brigade had not received orders to leave the city.
The General Staff of the Ukrainian armed forces said there had been 110 combat clashes at the front during the day. Ukrainian forces are "directing efforts to disrupt the execution of the Russian invaders' offensive plans and exhaust their combat potential," according to the General Staff in its evening assessment.
Russian forces unsuccessfully stormed the positions of Ukrainian units near Kharkiv five times, the report said, adding the situation is under control in another battle taking place near Vovchansk.
Russian troops carried out 23 attacks on Ukrainian fortifications in the Kupyansk direction, and 10 skirmishes are still ongoing, the General Staff said late on October 1.
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Ukraine Stops For A Minute Of Silence On Defenders' Day
October 1 was declared Defenders' Day in 2014, months after Russia illegally occupied Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula and parts of the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions. It replaced a former holiday marked on February 23 called Defender of the Fatherland Day, which had been instituted in Soviet times.
Across Ukraine, at 9 a.m. local time a minute of silence was held in memory of all Ukrainians who have given their lives defending the independence of their country.
In a message on Telegram, Ukraine's top military commander, General Oleksandr Syrskiy, congratulated the Ukrainian soldiers, whom he called "indomitable warriors," who took on the invading Russian forces and over the past 2 1/2 years "gave battle to the so-called 'second army of the world' and stopped it" in its tracks.
Defense Minister Rustem Umerov also issued a statement thanking every Ukrainian soldier for their unity, courage, and resilience.
"We know what we are fighting for: for our home, for our relatives who dream of a peaceful sky. For cities and villages waiting for liberation. For future generations who will live on their land without fear. And for the memory of those who over the centuries gave their lives for our freedom. Eternal honor to the sons and daughters of Ukraine, who sacrificed their lives for our state," Umerov said in his address.
Separately, Umerov announced the dismissal of three of his deputies. He said on social media he had asked the government to relieve Stanislav Haider, Oleksandr Serhiy and Yuriy Dzhygyr of their duties as deputy defense ministers, and Lyudmyla Darahan as ministry secretary.
"I have set the task of completing the process of cleansing the system of procurement in close cooperation with law enforcement and anti-corruption authorities," Umerov said.