Ukraine said Friday morning it was the target of a new “massive” Russian attack with missiles and explosive drones targeting several energy sites, after a tour of Europe by President Volodymyr Zelensky to demand more weapons from its allies.
According to the Ukrainian Air Force, Russia fired “six Kalibr cruise missiles”, “up to 35 S-300 anti-aircraft guided missiles at the Kharkiv and Zaporizhia regions”, and used “seven Shahed drones “.
“Five Kalibr cruise missiles and five Shahed drones were destroyed” by anti-aircraft defense, the same source said.
According to her, “the enemy has hit the cities and essential infrastructure of Ukraine”.
No casualties have been reported at this stage by the Ukrainian authorities.
This new large-scale Russian attack on Ukrainian energy installations comes the day after Volodymyr Zelensky’s notable visits to London, Paris and Brussels to urge his European allies to provide him with long-range missiles and fighter jets, essential according to him for to be able to carry out counter-offensives against Russia.
Since last October and after multiple setbacks on the ground, Moscow has frequently targeted so-called “essential” Ukrainian sites, plunging millions of inhabitants into the cold and the dark, in the middle of winter.
Quickly, the Ukrainian electricity operator Ukrenergo indicated on Friday morning that “unfortunately, several high-voltage infrastructures were affected in the Eastern, Western and Southern regions, which led to power outages in some regions”.
The Russians “targeted power plants and transmission system facilities,” Ukrenergo said in its statement.
“Emergency preventive cuts are being put in place,” he added, a measure taken frequently during similar attacks in recent months, to avoid an overload on the national electricity system.
In Zaporizhia (south-east), “part of the city is without electricity”, indicated on Telegram the secretary of the city council, Anatoly Kurtev, according to whom, “in one hour, 17 strikes were recorded in the city, ( or) the largest number since the start of the Russian invasion almost a year ago.
“Let’s hold on,” he urged the attention of the civilian population.
In the Kharkiv region (northeast), neighboring Russia, “fires broke out” following “missile strikes”, said regional governor Oleg Synegoubov.
“Some areas of the city (eponymous) remain without electricity,” he said on Telegram.