Russia launches major attack on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure
reutersRussia has launched a major attack on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, which officials say is the twelfth large-scale attack on energy facilities this year.
According to President Volodomyr Zelensky, 93 missiles and more than 200 drones were used – but 81 missiles were shot down.
The attacks targeted sites in western Ukraine, damaging energy facilities in several areas, some seriously. Officials in Ivano-Frankivsk said it was the worst attack ever in the region.
Russia said the attack was in response to a Ukrainian attack on a military airbase in south-west Russia using US-made missiles, which US President-elect Donald Trump described as “madness”.
In an interview with Time magazine on Thursday, On being named Person of the Year, Trump said he “very strongly” disagrees with Russia’s targeting of sites with American-made missiles.
“We are escalating this war and making it worse,” he said.
On Friday, the Kremlin said Trump’s comments “fully correspond” with Moscow’s position.
“This affects us,” spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. “It’s clear that Trump understands exactly what is causing the situation to escalate.”
Trump also told Time that he wanted to reach an agreement to end the war, and the only way to do so was “not to abandon.”
reutersRussia’s counter-attack occurred on the coldest day ever of the Ukrainian winter, when the temperature was around -6C.
As well as damage in the Ivano-Frankivsk region, energy and infrastructure facilities were damaged in the Lviv and Ternopil regions.
According to Governor Ruslan Kravchenko, no critical or residential infrastructure in the Kyiv region was affected.
Five of the country’s nine operating nuclear reactor units are operating with reduced power.
As a result of the attack, the Ukrainergo National Power Company had to extend power supply restrictions on Friday, as well as impose a blackout in all areas.
Ukrainergo said electricity would be imported from Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Hungary and Moldova during the day on Friday.
