Russia fires heavily at Ukraine's power grid
Published: 04:08 PM,Aug 26,2024 | EDITED : 08:08 PM,Aug 26,2024
People take shelter in the Teatralna metro station during a Russian air attack, in Kyiv. — AFP
KYIV: Russia launched about 200 missiles and drones at Ukraine on Monday, killing five people and striking energy facilities nationwide, Kyiv said, while neighbouring Nato member Poland reported a drone had probably entered its airspace.
Power cuts and water supply outages were reported in many areas, including parts of Kyiv, as officials said the attack - 2-1/2 years into Russia's full-scale attack- targeted power or other critical infrastructure in at least 10 regions.
Russia dramatically stepped up its strikes on the Ukrainian power grid in March in what Kyiv has said looked like a concerted effort to degrade the system ahead of next winter when people need electricity and heating most.
Monday's missile and drone salvo was Russia's most intense in weeks, coming as Ukraine is claiming new ground in a major cross-border incursion into Russia's southern Kursk region while Russian forces steadily inch forward in Ukraine's east, closing in on the transport hub of Pokrovsk.
'It was one of the biggest combined strikes. More than a hundred missiles of various types and about a hundred drones. And like most previous Russian strikes, this one is just as sneaky, targeting critical civilian infrastructure,' President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Telegram.
Poland said an 'object' had entered its airspace, that it may have landed on Polish territory and that searches were underway.
'Most likely it was a drone and we assume so, because the trajectory of the flight and the speed indicate that it was definitely not a missile,' Jacek Goryszewski said, spokesperson for the Polish army's operational command.
According to Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, 15 Ukrainian regions sustained damage from the missile and drone barrage. Zelenskiy said the energy sector had suffered 'a lot of damage'.
The regions reporting strikes on power or critical infrastructure included Rivne and Volyn in the northwest, Khmelnytsk in the southwest, Zhytomyr in the north, Lviv in the west, Dnipropetrovsk, Kirovohrad and Vinnytsia in central Ukraine, Zaporizhzhia in the southeast and Odesa in the south. Neighbouring Moldova, whose grid is linked to that of Ukraine, reported small disruptions to its power network.
Ukraine's foreign ministry said a hydropower plant in the Kyiv region had been targeted too. A video posted on social media and verified by Reuters showed a damaged dam and a fire after an apparent strike at a hydropower plant. A separate clip, also verified, showed a missile hitting a water reservoir. The Kyiv region governor Ruslan Kravchenko said in televised comments there was no critical damage to the dam. — Reuters
Power cuts and water supply outages were reported in many areas, including parts of Kyiv, as officials said the attack - 2-1/2 years into Russia's full-scale attack- targeted power or other critical infrastructure in at least 10 regions.
Russia dramatically stepped up its strikes on the Ukrainian power grid in March in what Kyiv has said looked like a concerted effort to degrade the system ahead of next winter when people need electricity and heating most.
Monday's missile and drone salvo was Russia's most intense in weeks, coming as Ukraine is claiming new ground in a major cross-border incursion into Russia's southern Kursk region while Russian forces steadily inch forward in Ukraine's east, closing in on the transport hub of Pokrovsk.
'It was one of the biggest combined strikes. More than a hundred missiles of various types and about a hundred drones. And like most previous Russian strikes, this one is just as sneaky, targeting critical civilian infrastructure,' President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Telegram.
Poland said an 'object' had entered its airspace, that it may have landed on Polish territory and that searches were underway.
'Most likely it was a drone and we assume so, because the trajectory of the flight and the speed indicate that it was definitely not a missile,' Jacek Goryszewski said, spokesperson for the Polish army's operational command.
According to Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, 15 Ukrainian regions sustained damage from the missile and drone barrage. Zelenskiy said the energy sector had suffered 'a lot of damage'.
The regions reporting strikes on power or critical infrastructure included Rivne and Volyn in the northwest, Khmelnytsk in the southwest, Zhytomyr in the north, Lviv in the west, Dnipropetrovsk, Kirovohrad and Vinnytsia in central Ukraine, Zaporizhzhia in the southeast and Odesa in the south. Neighbouring Moldova, whose grid is linked to that of Ukraine, reported small disruptions to its power network.
Ukraine's foreign ministry said a hydropower plant in the Kyiv region had been targeted too. A video posted on social media and verified by Reuters showed a damaged dam and a fire after an apparent strike at a hydropower plant. A separate clip, also verified, showed a missile hitting a water reservoir. The Kyiv region governor Ruslan Kravchenko said in televised comments there was no critical damage to the dam. — Reuters