Russia hits energy system in 5 regions of Ukraine

Russia launched a barrage of drone strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure overnight yesterday, cutting off power in five regions across the country amid freezing temperatures and high demand, Ukrainian officials said.

The Ukrainian air force said that Russian troops had launched 145 drones. Air defence units shot down 126 of them, it said.

“As of this morning, consumers in Sumy, Odesa, Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, and Chernihiv regions are without power,” the energy ministry said in a statement. “Emergency repair work is underway if the security situation allows.”

In the southern Odesa region, energy and gas infrastructure was damaged, the regional governor said, adding that one person was hurt in the attack.

DTEK, Ukraine’s largest private energy company, said its energy facility in Odesa was “substantially” damaged, knocking out power for 30,800 households.

A local power grid company in northern Chernihiv region said that five important energy facilities were damaged, leaving tens of thousands of consumers without power.

Russia also hit Ukraine’s second-largest city of Kharkiv with missiles yesterday morning, significantly damaging a critical infrastructure facility, Mayor Ihor Terekhov said. 

Moscow has stepped up a winter campaign of strikes on the Ukrainian energy system, including generation, electricity transmission and gas production facilities, amid freezing temperatures that complicate repair works.