MONITORING (SW) – Russia launched its latest massive aerial attack against Ukraine on Friday morning, using cruise missiles to target energy infrastructure across the country, particularly in the western border regions. Dozens of drones were also used in the attack.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed on Friday morning that Russia had used 93 missiles and over 200 drones in the attack. He said Ukrainian forces had managed to shoot down 81 of the missiles, including 11 which had been successfully targeted by F-16 planes. Ukraine’s air force said the Russian attack included hypersonic Kinzhal missiles launched from the air.
Energy minister Herman Halushchenko said energy workers were doing everything possible to “minimize negative consequences for the energy system”.
Russia has been systematically targeting Ukraine’s civilian energy infrastructure in recent months, in a bid to sow chaos in the country ahead of winter, with temperatures due to drop well below zero in most of Ukraine over the coming days, reported the Guardian.
Svitlana Onishchuk, head of the western Ivano-Frankivsk region, said the area had suffered “the biggest attack since the beginning of the full-scale war”, from cruise missiles and drones. “The targets are critical energy infrastructure. There are hits! Luckily, currently, there are no victims,” she wrote.
Russia has systematically targeted Ukraine’s electricity system, resulting in repeated emergency shutdowns and scheduled power cuts, as the battered grid struggles to cope with demand. Around half of the country’s generating capacity has been destroyed over nearly three years of war, and workers scramble at power plants across the country to repair the damage after each strike.
Zelenskyy, in response to Friday’s attack, said: “This is Putin’s ‘peace plan’ – destroy everything. This is how he wants negotiations, by terrorising millions of people.”
Trump has promised to bring Russia and Ukraine to the table and end the war, but many observers of the conflict say there is little sign Russia wants to negotiate, except on terms that would be unacceptable to Ukraine.
