Russia's missile onslaught on Ukraine's energy
Russia targeted the energy infrastructure across three regions of Ukraine on Saturday, damaging equipment and injuring at least one worker, according to Ukrainian Energy Minister Herman Haluszchenko on Telegram. This attack is part of Vladimir Putin's strategy to leave Ukrainians in darkness and cold.
The commander of the Ukrainian Air Forces, Mykola Oleschuk, announced that the air defense succeeded in intercepting 21 out of 34 Russian missiles.
13 Russian missiles were neutralized in the Dnipropetrovsk region of central Ukraine, and additional missiles targeting the Dnipro, Kryvyi Rih, and Pavlohrad areas were also shot down, Serhiy Lysak, the head of the Dnipropetrovsk regional administration, shared on Telegram. He noted that the assault impacted two energy infrastructure facilities in Dnipro and Kryvyi Rih.
Early Saturday, around 9 PM EST, Ukrainian Pravda disclosed that Tu-95MS bombers were launched from Russia.
Haluszchenko stated that the planes targeted the Dnipropetrovsk region and the Lviv and Ivano-Frankivsk regions in western Ukraine, focusing particularly on the energy infrastructure.
The facilities suffered significant damage
DTEK, Ukraine's largest private energy provider, reported that four thermal power stations were attacked.
The company's facilities were seriously damaged, and currently, employees are trying to repair the damage caused by the attack, DTEK reported. It was confirmed that there were casualties, but no details were provided.
Anti-aircraft alarms sounded overnight from Friday to Saturday across several Ukrainian regions, including Kherson, Mykolaiv, Kirovohrad, and Dnipropetrovsk, as reported by Ukrainian Pravda, citing military sources.
Officials have reported that Ukraine has already lost around 80 percent of its thermal energy production capacity and about 35 percent of its hydropower production.
