Russia launched a series of drone and missile strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure last night, causing nationwide power outages and killing three people, including a seven-year-old girl, Reuters reported, citing officials, BTA reports.
Prime Minister Yulia Sviridenko accused Moscow of targeting the Ukrainian people and power supplies as the cold winter months approach.
“Its goal is to plunge Ukraine into darkness. Ours is to preserve the light“, Sviridenko wrote on the “Telegram“ app. “To stop terror, we need more air defense systems, tougher sanctions and maximum pressure on the aggressor“, she added.
Local officials said two men were killed in the city of Zaporizhia and a seven-year-old girl from Vinnytsia region died in hospital from injuries sustained in the attacks.
The Russian Defense Ministry said its forces had struck Ukrainian military-industrial facilities last night.
Moscow denies targeting civilians and says it is carrying out strikes in response to Ukrainian attacks on Russian infrastructure, Reuters reported. Ukraine regularly carries out drone attacks on military and oil facilities.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia had sent more than 650 drones and 50 missiles into Ukraine last night. "Many of them were shot down, but unfortunately there were hits," he wrote in "Ex".
Air defense units shot down 592 drones and 31 missiles, the Ukrainian Air Force said.
The attacks hit energy facilities in the central, western and southeastern parts of the country, Ukrainian officials said.
The government announced nationwide restrictions on electricity supplies to commercial and industrial users. Water and heating supplies were also disrupted in some regions.
Local officials said two energy facilities in the Lviv region had been damaged. DTEK, the country’s largest private energy company, said its thermal power plants in a number of regions across the country had been attacked.
“This attack is a serious blow to our efforts to maintain electricity supply this winter,“ said DTEK CEO Maksym Timchenko. “Given the intensity of the attacks over the past two months, it is clear that Russia aims to completely destroy Ukraine’s energy system,“ he added.
Seventeen people, including six children, were injured in strikes in Zaporizhia region, its governor said. Four people were injured in Vinnytsia region, local officials said.