Ukrainian energy facilities have been hit by a massive Russian attack, officials say, in the latest attack on the country’s power grid.
Ukraine’s Energy Ministry said this was Russia’s eighth attack on energy infrastructure in the past three months.
The Ukrainian Air Force said its air defense systems shot down 12 of 16 missiles launched by Russia in multiple areas during the night, as well as all 13 drones.
Late Saturday, officials in the northeastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv said a Russian guided bomb killed three people and injured at least 18 others and that at least four explosions were heard in the city.
Overnight attacks on infrastructure injured two energy workers in the central Zaporizhia region and damaged equipment in the western city of Lviv, officials said.
In the southwestern Ivano-Frankivsk region, authorities also reported damage to houses and a kindergarten.
Russia restarted its campaign against energy targets in Ukraine in the spring and early summer, causing frequent blackouts in the country. President Volodymyr Zelensky recently said Moscow had destroyed half of the country’s power generation capacity since it began a crackdown on its energy facilities in late March.
On Thursday, Ukrainian authorities said seven employees were injured and energy infrastructure including a power station was damaged in a major overnight attack.
Ukraine is buying energy from the EU, but this is not enough to cover the deficit.
This means there will be planned nationwide power outages most days to protect critical infrastructure such as hospitals and military installations.
Maxim Timchenko, CEO of DTEK, one of Ukraine’s largest private energy companies, said: “We urgently need to close the sky, otherwise Ukraine will face a serious crisis this winter.”
“I’m asking our allies to help us defend our energy systems and rebuild them in a timely manner.”
Zelensky has repeatedly called on Ukraine’s allies to send in more air defense systems. He specifically requested that the United States provide seven sets of advanced air defense systems called “Patriot”.
Zaporozhye Region Governor Ivan Fedorov responded to Zelensky’s remarks in a message posted on Telegram on Saturday morning.
“We can say for sure: the enemy will not stop. Ukraine needs air defense systems,” he said.
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Thursday that Washington would put Ukraine at the top of its delivery queue for Patriot aircraft, ahead of other countries ordering such planes.
