Several facilities in Ukraine suffered damage in a Russian air attack aimed at targeting energy infrastructure across the country, according to statements from Ukraine’s military and energy officials on Wednesday.
“Another massive attack on our energy industry!” expressed Ukraine’s Energy Minister, German Galushchenko, on the Telegram messaging app.
The attack reportedly focused on power generation and transmission facilities in regions including Poltava, Kirovohrad, Zaporizhzhia, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, and Vinnytsia, Galushchenko stated. Notably, with the exception of the Zaporizhzhia region, all other targeted areas are distant from the frontline, which runs through Ukraine’s eastern and southeastern regions. The extent of the damage caused by the Russian assault has yet to be fully ascertained, and there has been no immediate response from Moscow.
Ukraine’s national grid operator, Ukrenergo, confirmed on Telegram that equipment at one of its facilities in central Ukraine sustained damage, though specifics were not provided.
In the central Poltava region, an energy infrastructure facility was struck by a drone attack, leading to a fire, reported Poltava Regional Governor Filip Pronin via Telegram. Fortunately, preliminary information indicates no casualties resulting from the incident.
Governors of the Vinnytsia and Zaporizhzhia regions separately reported damage to critical civilian infrastructure facilities, though details remain scarce.
Serhiy Popko, head of Kyiv’s military administration, stated on Telegram that all missiles targeting Kyiv were intercepted, with no significant damage or casualties reported.
Witnesses in Kyiv reported hearing blasts resembling air defense systems engaging aerial targets.
Air defense systems were also activated to repel the Russian attack over the Lviv region, which shares a border with NATO-member Poland. Several explosions were reported in this area, according to regional officials.
Russia, engaged in a full-scale invasion of Ukraine since February 2022, has been implicated in a series of attacks on Ukrainian power facilities in recent months. While Moscow denies targeting civilians, it asserts that Ukraine’s energy system constitutes a legitimate military target.
