Ukrainian Prime Minister Serhiy Koretskyi announced that Russia has launched its largest attack on Ukraine's energy infrastructure since the spring. The attacks primarily targeted Kyiv and the surrounding region. Koretskyi reported that at least five people were killed in overnight attacks across the country, including a child in the Kyiv region. The strikes caused significant disruptions to people's power supplies.
The Russian defence ministry confirmed that one of its targets was the Trypilska power station, the largest supplier of electricity to Kyiv. Ukraine's biggest private energy firm, DTEK, stated that power to 8,000 homes had been restored following a difficult night for the capital. Koretskyi noted that since the summer, there has effectively not been a single day without enemy attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure.
However, Koretskyi emphasized that a mass and combined attack of this scale has occurred for the first time since the end of the last heating season. Ukraine has been expecting another protracted Russian assault on the country's energy grid, a pattern that has repeated every winter since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022. In total, 11 regions of the country were attacked overnight.
The attacks targeted not only energy infrastructure but also residential buildings, social infrastructure, civilian enterprises, and railways. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reported that there were strikes on critical infrastructure in the Zhytomyr, Mykolaiv, Kirovohrad, and Rivne regions. The widespread attacks caused significant disruptions to daily life.
On Wednesday, some households in the Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Sumy, Kyiv, and Kharkiv regions remained without power, according to Ukraine's energy ministry. State-owned grid operator Ukrenegro advised residents not to use powerful electrical appliances between 10:00 and 16:00 local time as electricity supplies were lower than usual.
Russia's defence ministry claimed that it had launched massive overnight strikes on Ukrainian facilities. The ministry did not provide further details on the targets or the extent of the damage. The attacks have raised concerns about the ongoing conflict and its impact on Ukraine's infrastructure and civilians.
The international community has been closely monitoring the situation, and there are concerns about the humanitarian impact of the attacks. The Ukrainian government has been working to restore power and essential services to affected areas. The situation remains volatile, with ongoing concerns about future attacks.
Key points
- At least five people were killed in the overnight attacks, including a child in the Kyiv region.
- The attacks targeted 11 regions of Ukraine, causing significant disruptions to energy supplies and daily life.
- Ukraine's energy infrastructure has been a repeated target of Russian attacks since the full-scale invasion in 2022.
