Russia Strikes Ukraine Energy Facilities... "Response to Mainland Attacks"

On the 13th (local time), Russia launched missile and drone airstrikes on energy infrastructure across Ukraine. This was stated to be in response to Ukraine's attack on a mainland airbase the previous day.

Damaged Ukrainian thermal power plant due to Russian airstrikes / Photo by AFP·Yonhap News

According to AP News and others, the Russian military fired 93 missiles and 200 drones into Ukraine that day.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported the attack status through a Telegram message, saying, "We shot down 81 missiles, including 11 missiles intercepted by Western-supported F-16 fighter jets."

He emphasized, "Russia is conducting terrorism against millions of people," adding, "The world must respond strongly. Only a strong response can stop terrorism."

Missiles and drones that evaded air defenses mainly struck energy infrastructure around the capital Kyiv, western Lviv, and southern Odesa. Ukraine reported that gas facilities and substations were the primary targets.

Power companies across Ukraine are expanding rolling blackouts to cope with energy supply issues caused by the airstrikes. The local power company Yasno reported that about half of its 3.5 million customers are experiencing outages. Herman Halushchenko, Ukraine’s Minister of Energy, stated, "We are taking all measures to minimize the impact of the airstrikes."

Russia acknowledged the airstrikes that day. According to Sputnik News, the Russian Ministry of Defense said, "We responded to Ukraine’s use of the long-range missile ATACMS, received from the United States yesterday, against our Taganrog base," adding, "Our forces used precision long-range air and sea weapons to strike facilities used for operating Ukraine’s military-industrial complex and achieved our objectives."

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