A Russian air assault on Ukraine caused significant damage to energy infrastructure across the country, as confirmed by Ukrainian military and energy authorities on Wednesday.
Ukrainian Energy Minister German Galushchenko expressed outrage over the attack on the country’s energy sector via the Telegram messaging app.
The strike specifically targeted power generation and transmission facilities in various regions including Poltava, Kirovohrad, Zaporizhzhia, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, and Vinnytsia.
With the exception of Zaporizhzhia, these regions are distant from the frontline located in Ukraine’s eastern and southeastern areas.
Details regarding the scale of the Russian assault were not immediately available, and Moscow has not issued a statement regarding the attack.
Ukraine’s national grid operator, Ukrenergo, announced via Telegram that one of its central Ukrainian facilities sustained damage, though specifics were not provided.
In Poltava, a central region, an energy infrastructure site was struck by a drone, resulting in a fire, as reported by Poltava Regional Governor Filip Pronin on Telegram. Fortunately, preliminary information indicates no casualties from the incident.
Separately, governors of Vinnytsia and Zaporizhzhia regions confirmed damage to critical civilian infrastructure facilities, though details were not disclosed.
In Kyiv, Serhiy Popko, head of the city’s military administration, declared on Telegram that all missiles aimed at the city were intercepted, resulting in no significant damage or casualties.
However, residents reported hearing blasts resembling air defense systems targeting aerial objects.
Further engagements occurred over the Lviv region, bordering NATO-member Poland, where regional officials reported air defense systems repelling the Russian attack, accompanied by several explosions.
This assault adds to a series of attacks on Ukrainian power facilities in recent months. While Russia denies targeting civilians, it justifies attacks on Ukraine’s energy system as a legitimate military target amid the ongoing conflict that began with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
