Russia's Large-Scale Airstrikes on Ukraine's Energy Facilities

On the 22nd (local time), Russian forces launched a large-scale airstrike targeting Ukraine's energy infrastructure, firing more than 150 missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles (drones).

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated in a declaration that "over 60 Shahed drones and about 90 various types of missiles flew overnight," reporting damage in Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Sumy, Dnipropetrovsk, Odesa, and Khmelnytskyi.

The Ukrainian Air Force announced on Telegram that Russian forces fired 63 Iranian-made Shahed drones, Iskander ballistic missiles, Kh-101 cruise missiles, S-400 guided missiles, and a total of 88 missiles. The Air Force explained that 92 out of these 151 projectiles were shot down.

According to Ukraine's state energy company Ukrhydroenergo and others, the Dnipro Hydroelectric Power Plant in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine's largest facility, was bombed, causing a fire that is currently being extinguished.

In the early morning of the 23rd of last month (local time), an apartment in Dnipro, Ukraine was destroyed by a Russian drone attack.
[Photo by Reuters Yonhap News]

The power transmission lines connected to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, the largest in Europe, were also cut off, causing blackouts in some parts of Ukraine.

Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko reported that in Khmelnytskyi alone, two people were killed and eight injured, while in Zaporizhzhia, six were injured and three went missing.

Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko stated, "The enemy has launched the largest attack on Ukraine's energy industry," adding, "They aim to cause large-scale disruptions to the national energy system, as they did last year."

President Zelenskyy emphasized, "To protect lives, infrastructure, residential areas, and dams, an air defense network is necessary," once again appealing to allied countries for support with the Patriot air defense system.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.