Russia Cripples Ukraine's Power Grid in Brutal Attack
On Saturday, Russia launched a missile and drone strike, damaging critical power facilities in five Ukrainian regions, according to officials quoted by Reuters.
The Ukrainian national grid operator, Ukrenergo, reported that the attack inflicted damage on power facilities in the eastern Donetsk region, the southeastern Zaporizhia region, the central Dnipropetrovsk region, the Kirovograd region, and the western Ivano-Frankivsk region.
"Earlier today, Russia launched another assault on Ukrainian energy infrastructure," Ukrenergo said in a statement. "Since March, this marks the sixth large-scale, complex attack using missiles and drones targeting civilian energy infrastructure."
Ukrainian air defence forces successfully intercepted a significant portion of the incoming attack, shooting down 35 out of 53 Russian missiles and 46 out of 47 Russian drones, as reported by the air force commander.
In the Zaporizhia region, local police reported that last night's attacks resulted in the suspension of traffic on the dam of the Dnipro Hydroelectric Power Plant. Local residents reported multiple explosions during the Russian attack on the city of Zaporizhia. According to Ukrainian Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko, the attack targeted power facilities, causing damage to over 20 residential buildings and social institutions, as reported by the RBC news agency.
Oleg Kiper, head of the Odessa Regional Military Administration, reported that a Russian attack on the regional centre last night caused injuries through bombings. According to Kiper, the Russians likely employed a ballistic missile equipped with cluster munitions. He further stated that "critical port infrastructure" was the intended target of the attack.
Since March, Russia has intensified its bombardment of Ukrainian energy infrastructure, severely crippling the country's thermal and hydroelectric power generation capacity. This relentless assault has resulted in widespread power outages and driven electricity imports to record highs.
DTEK, Ukraine's largest private energy generation company, confirmed that its two thermal power plants sustained significant damage during the attack.
Following the attack, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky issued a statement via Telegram, emphasising that Russia's primary objective is to normalise terror by exploiting Ukraine's insufficient air defence capabilities. "Russian terrorists understand only the language of force," Zelensky wrote. "The sole method to halt this terror and prevent its normalisation is through the adoption of timely and decisive actions. Establishing comprehensive protection for Ukrainian airspace must become the new standard."
Translation by Iurie Tataru
