Ukraine’s KYIV (AP) Russia launched almost 200 missiles and drones at Ukraine’s energy infrastructure on Thursday, causing more than a million households to lose electricity, according to Ukrainian officials.
Fears that the Kremlin wants to destroy Ukraine’s power generation capability before winter have been heightened by Russia’s second significant aerial attack on the country’s power grid in less than two weeks.
In a Facebook post, Ukrainian Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko stated that attacks on energy installations are occurring around the country. Emergency power disruptions were implemented nationwide, he noted.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the incident as an insidious escalation after Kalibr cruise missiles equipped with cluster munitions crashed on civilian targets in some areas. Cluster munitions pose a threat to civilians during and after an assault because they disperse a large number of tiny bombs across a large region.
Russian cruise and ballistic missile stockpiles, likely for another pre-winter aerial assault on Ukraine’s power grid, has been a new warning from Ukrainian officials. In the past, Ukrainian officials have accused Russia of using cold as a weapon.
In this photo taken from video released by the Russian Defense Ministry on Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024, an Su-34 bomber of the Russian air force drops bombs on Ukrainian positions at an undisclosed location. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service photo via AP)
ASSOCIATED PRESS photo
The nearly three-year conflict with Russia has destroyed around half of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, and rolling blackouts of electricity are frequent. Western friends of Kyiv have attempted to provide air defense equipment and reconstruction funding to Ukraine in order to safeguard its power generation.
In the past, Russia has attacked Ukraine’s energy production in an effort to depress Ukrainian morale and restrict vital heating and drinking water supplies to residents during the harsh winter months. The attacks also aim to hinder Ukraine’s defense sector, which currently produces a variety of military equipment, including drones, armored vehicles, and missiles.
Although its advance has been long and expensive, Russia has been winning the conflict in recent months as its larger army leverages its advantages in manpower and equipment to drive Ukrainian soldiers backward in eastern territories.
Numerous cities in central and western Ukraine, including Kyiv, Kharkiv, Rivne, Khmelnytskyi, and Lutsk, reported explosions.
Zelenskyy called on the West to expedite the delivery of the promised air defense weapons. In the past, Ukrainian officials have complained about the sluggish delivery of military aid.
Zelenskyy stated on the Telegram messaging service that each such attack demonstrates the need for air defense systems in Ukraine, where they save lives, rather than in storage locations.
In a Telegram post, Andrii Yermak, the head of Ukraine’s presidential office, claimed that Russia had accumulated missiles to attack Ukrainian infrastructure and launch a war against civilians during the winter. He said that their insane allies, especially those from North Korea, had aided them.
South Korea and Western nations claim that North Korea has increased its military assistance to Russia in recent months.
Maksym Kozytskyi, the head of the Lviv region in western Ukraine, said the attack knocked out electricity in almost half a million houses.
Regional Governor Oleksandr Koval said the attack left more than 280,000 families without energy in the northwest Rivne district. In the impacted areas, running water supplies were also inconsistent. Online learning has been adopted by a few Rivne City schools.
Additionally, strikes occurred in the neighboring Volyn area, where Ivan Rudnytskyi, the regional leader, said that 215,000 families were without energy. When power went out, generators were used to power all vital infrastructure.
According to local officials, energy infrastructure in the western Ivano-Frankivsk region was also attacked. There, emergency power outages were implemented and air defenses were triggered.
During blackouts, local authorities ordered the establishment of points of invincibility, which are shelter-style locations where people can buy refreshments and charge their phones and other electrical gadgets.
According to local officials, missile debris dropped in one district in Kyiv, where the air raid alert lasted for more than nine hours. There were no recorded casualties.
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Hatton reported from Portugal’s Lisbon.
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