Russia is launching a massive attack targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure

Russia on Sunday launched a major drone and missile attack on Ukraine, described by officials as the largest in months, targeting energy infrastructure and killing civilians.

The attack comes as fears grow about Moscow’s plans to destroy Ukraine’s electricity grid ahead of the cold winter.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia had launched 120 missiles and 90 drones in a major offensive across Ukraine. Various types of drones were deployed, he said, including Iranian-made Shaheds, as well as air-launched, cruise, ballistic and air-launched missiles.

Ukraine’s defense forces shot down 140 planes, Zelenskyy said in a statement to Telegram.

“The target of the enemy was our energy infrastructure throughout Ukraine. Unfortunately, there is damage to things from the impact and falling debris. In Mykolaiv, as a result of the drone attack, two people died and six others were injured, including two children,” Zelenskyy said.

Attacks increase as winter approaches

The combined drone and missile attacks were the strongest in three months, according to Kyiv City Military Administration head Serhii Popko.

Russian strikes have affected Ukraine’s electricity infrastructure since Moscow attacked its neighbor in February 2022, causing repeated emergency blackouts and blackouts across the country.

Ukrainian officials often urge Western allies to strengthen the country’s air defenses to counter attacks and allow for repairs.

Explosions were heard across Ukraine on Sunday, including the capital, Kyiv, the southern port of Odesa, and the country’s western and central regions, according to local reports.

The people of Odesa could be seen on Sunday waiting to fill water containers. Residents spoke of power outages and visits to an “invincible facility” to charge phones and laptops.

The strikes were carried out as the war approaches the 1,000th anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion and are reminiscent of strikes on critical public infrastructure last November that plunged Ukrainian cities into darkness and cold.

Thermal power station ‘severely damaged’

The operational command of the Polish armed forces wrote in X that Polish and allied aircraft, including fighter jets, were mobilized from Polish airspace due to a “major” Russian attack on neighboring Ukraine.

The measures were aimed at providing security in Poland’s border areas, he said.

One person was injured after the roof of a five-story building in Kyiv’s historic center caught fire, according to Popko, who heads the city’s military administration.

At least two people died and six were injured, including two children, in the east of the city of Mykolaiv, according to Gov. Vitalii Kim.

A thermal power plant operated by private power company DTEK has been “severely damaged,” the company said in a statement to Telegram.