Russia targets Ukrainian energy facilities in ‘massive’ missile and drone attack

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Russia on Sunday launched dozens of missiles and drones in what Ukraine’s foreign minister said was one of the largest aerial attacks of the war, targeting power facilities across the country and causing Kyiv residents to rush to bomb shelters.

“A massive combined attack on all regions of Ukraine” was carried out overnight and into the morning, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

He said Russia launched about 120 missiles and 90 drones. He added that Ukraine’s air defense forces – including anti-aircraft missiles, mobile fire units, electronic warfare groups and Western-supplied F-16 jets – have downed more than 140 aircraft in that number.

Ukrainian Energy Minister German Galushchenko said on Facebook that Russia had targeted “electricity generation and transmission facilities throughout Ukraine.”

He said that as a precaution, emergency power cuts have been implemented in some areas. Ukraine’s largest private energy company, DTEK, reported that the attack affected the Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk and Kyiv regions.

Zelenskyy said several facilities were damaged by the attacks and by falling missile and drone debris. He confirmed that some areas across the country lost power but said rescue teams were working to restore it.

Last month Ukraine and Russia sought to resume Qatar-brokered talks on halting strikes on each other’s energy infrastructure, people familiar with the matter said. told the Financial Times. Previous talks on the issue came close to an agreement in August before being derailed by Ukraine’s incursion into Kursk, the people said.

Another person familiar with the negotiations said they were again suspended last week.

Sunday’s attack occurred when both Ukraine and Russia vie for advantage in a fight that lasted nearly three years before Donald Trump returned to the White House. The president-elect has vowed to force them into peace negotiations to quickly end the war in Russia.

In the biggest attack since late August, sirens sounded in Kyiv throughout the night and morning, while written warnings from the air force warned of incoming ballistic missiles and drones. Iranian-made Shahed kamikaze driver. FT reporters witnessed Ukrainian air defense forces intercepting missiles in the central sky of Kiev.

In response, the operational commander of the armed forces of Nato member Poland wrote on The use of cruise missiles, ballistic missiles and drones against objects is among them.” others, in Western Ukraine.”

Ukrainian authorities reported explosions and damage in about a dozen cities. In the southern city of Mykolayiv, two people were killed and six injured, including two children, Zelenskyy said.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha condemned the attack, calling it “one of the largest air strikes” of the war, targeting “peaceful cities, sleeping civilians, important infrastructure.” .

“This is a war crime [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s real reaction to all those who called and visited him recently,” Sybiha added, seemingly criticizing German Prime Minister Olaf Scholz and other Western leaders. newly engaged with the Russian president.

“We need peace through strength, not appeasement,” Sybiha added.

Zelenskyy said Friday that “in my opinion, Olaf’s call is a Pandora’s box” because resuming contacts with Western leaders “is exactly what Putin has wanted for a long time”.

Ukraine has been on high alert for weeks over fears Moscow is stockpiling missiles in preparation for attacks on the country’s energy infrastructure before winter.

After a relentless wave of drone attacks in October – more than 2,000 in total were launched into Ukraine and attacks took place every day but one – Russia appears to have reined in its cruise missiles. its more advanced hypersonics and processes.

Previous attacks on Ukraine’s critical infrastructure in March and April caused nationwide power outages and destroy 9GW about the country’s electricity generation capacity.

Before Sunday’s bombing, Ukraine was facing a harsh winter. DTEK already exists estimate that in a best-case scenario, Ukraine could face an average of five hours of power outage per day, provided that Russia refrains from further attacks and temperatures do not fall below -15°C.

But authorities have warned the country could be forced to endure power outages of up to 20 hours a day.