KYIV: Russia launched about 200 missiles and drones at Ukraine Monday, killing five people and striking energy facilities nationwide, Kyiv said. Power and water supply outages were reported in many areas, including Kyiv, as officials said the attack – 2-1/2 years into Russia’s invasion – targeted power or other critical infrastructure in 15 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 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 Russia inches 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 Shahed drones. And like most previous Russian strikes, this one is just as sneaky, targeting critical civilian infrastructure,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said. Calling the strikes “vile”, Zelensky said most of the country was targeted – from the Kharkiv region and Kyiv to Odesa and the west.
The commander of Ukraine’s air force said the country’s forces downed 102 out of 127 missiles, and 99 out of 109 drones launched by Russia.
According to Ukraine PM Denys Shmyhal, 15 regions – more than half the country – were damaged in the barrage.
Top Kyiv officials urged its Western allies and arms suppliers to allow long-range strikes into Russia. Zelensky also redoubled his call on allies such as Poland to join Ukraine in shooting down missiles and drones in Ukrainian airspace.
Russia’s defence ministry said its forces used high precision weapons to strike important energy infrastructure in Ukraine which it said supported the military-industrial complex. It listed power substations, gas compressor stations and storage sites for aircraft weapons. “All designated targets were hit,” it added.
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 south. Neighbouring Moldova, whose grid is linked to Ukraine’s, reported small disruptions to its power network.
Ukraine’s foreign ministry said a hydropower plant in Kyiv had been targeted too. In northeastern Sumy region, from where Ukraine launched its incursion into Russia on Aug 6, authorities said a railway infrastructure facility was struck. A 69-year-old man in Dnipropetrovsk and a man in Zaporizhzhia were among at least five people dead, said officials. The others were in Kharkiv, Zhytomyr and Volyn.
In Russia, meanwhile, officials reported a Ukrainian drone attack overnight in which four people were injured. Its defence ministry said 22 Ukrainian drones were intercepted over eight provinces.
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 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 Russia inches 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 Shahed drones. And like most previous Russian strikes, this one is just as sneaky, targeting critical civilian infrastructure,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said. Calling the strikes “vile”, Zelensky said most of the country was targeted – from the Kharkiv region and Kyiv to Odesa and the west.
The commander of Ukraine’s air force said the country’s forces downed 102 out of 127 missiles, and 99 out of 109 drones launched by Russia.
According to Ukraine PM Denys Shmyhal, 15 regions – more than half the country – were damaged in the barrage.
Top Kyiv officials urged its Western allies and arms suppliers to allow long-range strikes into Russia. Zelensky also redoubled his call on allies such as Poland to join Ukraine in shooting down missiles and drones in Ukrainian airspace.
Russia’s defence ministry said its forces used high precision weapons to strike important energy infrastructure in Ukraine which it said supported the military-industrial complex. It listed power substations, gas compressor stations and storage sites for aircraft weapons. “All designated targets were hit,” it added.
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 south. Neighbouring Moldova, whose grid is linked to Ukraine’s, reported small disruptions to its power network.
Ukraine’s foreign ministry said a hydropower plant in Kyiv had been targeted too. In northeastern Sumy region, from where Ukraine launched its incursion into Russia on Aug 6, authorities said a railway infrastructure facility was struck. A 69-year-old man in Dnipropetrovsk and a man in Zaporizhzhia were among at least five people dead, said officials. The others were in Kharkiv, Zhytomyr and Volyn.
In Russia, meanwhile, officials reported a Ukrainian drone attack overnight in which four people were injured. Its defence ministry said 22 Ukrainian drones were intercepted over eight provinces.